Looking at getting the wife a go pro for christmas, we (her) want it for family 'clean' videos, kids swimming etc, can't decide between the smaller one or the black
Thoughts or opinions welcome?
For simple videos of kids swimming and the like, is an newish iPhone not a simpler choice?
There are plenty of far cheaper alternatives to Go Pro too.
But if you're set on a Go Pro, then a 5 is way more user friendly than the sessions camera as it has a touch screen on the back, so it works like a mini handicam. The sessions has no screen so you can't see what you're recoding or watch playback.
We want to take it in the pool, underwater and the like. Was looking at a go pro 5 sessions
I have the Hero 5 Black.
I bought it after using my bros Hero 4 cam last year in the Caribbean for snorkelling, and were off there again next week. I chose it before doing any real research tbh. If I was to buy another one now, I'd be looking at the SJCam range, especially the SJ6 and SJ7, both of which offer superb image quality, and a good range of accessories included in the price, which is considerably lower than GoPro. They also offer cheaper options for external sound, that may not be your bag atm, but if you get into it you may want this as an option ion the future.
If you are stuck on the GoPro brand, I personally can only see two advantages of the session over the Black, price and form factor. In every other use the black wins hands down imo. The lack of a screen on the session is a biggy for me, as you cant actually frame your subject accurately. You can of course download the free GoPro app and see what you are filming, but then the form factor goes out of the window really. Frame rate, number of pixels, modes, etc the Black wins. Also with the session, when the battery goes flat you're done. It needs charging, where as with the Black, you simply pop in a spare, maybe a consideration if you're on a day out somewhere.
Good luck in your choice, I'm sure none will actually disappoint, but maybe the session will leave you wishing for 'that bit extra' going forward.
Stuart
I use the Hero 5 session for the same sort of stuff. Swimming, skiing, cycling with the kids. Can't say I miss the screen. If you really want to, you can use your phone as a live viewfinder.
I use a Session on my bike, great little camera. The Gopro Quick stories app is brilliant too.
This video was downloaded to and edited on my mobile, didn’t touch a computer
Depends what you want to use it for. Personally I love the black edition as just can do a little bit more, has ease of use with the touchscreen display, and also has slightly better quality as well. If its just for messing around with though and nothing serious, you can go for any of the generic knock offs and they do the same thing pretty much on a lower quality and lower price point. When I have done track days in the past, I have used a cheap camera on the outside in case it fell off!
I've had a few action cameras for mountain biking and underwater filming etc and it's definitely worth going for the GoPro even though they cost a bit more than other makes. Video footage is excellent on them. The black will be easier to use due to the touch screen but is larger/more expensive than the session. Great thing is both are now water proof without needing an extra case. Call into a local supplier and give them a try.
Another thing is, they are pretty good at sorting issues out. My younger sister ended up getting a Go Pro once she had a play around with mine. She had an issue with the screen on it and then another issue with the button. They just replaced the whole Go Pro both times.
I had a copycat (iSAW, like a SJCAM). It was OK but not great (sound was the main problem). I wanted raw capability on photos so I got a Hero 5 black from the GoPro outlet. This was just after the 6 was announced and the price was just £210 (although they are back up to £290 now). Quality is considerably better than the iSAW and the unit is generally easier to use. Glad I upgraded!
Ian
The hero session seems like your best option. Makes sense for the kind of videos you guys want to make.
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