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| Average 0/5 |
The GoPro Hero 4 has convinced us in our long-term test over- and underwater.
Although the model has been on the market for 3 years now, the small action cam brings a lot of technical features that are still at the top end of the flagpole, which is technically possible.
We show you in our detailed GoPro 4 review what you can expect from this camera in detail.
GoPro Hero 4 Black technical features
The GoPro Hero 4 Black can record video with a resolution of up to 4k and 30 frames per second. Other possible formats are 2.7k at 50FPs and Full HD (1080p) at 120FPS (there are other intermediate formats available, but these are the most important ones!)
GoPro offers the use of Protune in the camera settings. This automatically adjusts your photos and videos to the light, shadow and other environmental influences to get the best possible result. Of course you can still manually adjust everything to get the best possible result.
Photos can be taken in JPG format with a resolution of 12 megapixels. Unfortunately, GoPro does not offer post-processing from the RAW format for experts at this point.
The scope of delivery also includes a case and a small, robust adapter that can be screwed onto a selfie stick.
As you can see in the video, I bought an additional underwater housing so that I can take the GoPro with me when I go diving. The housing cost about as much as the GoPro itself, but is worth every cent.
Besides the housing there is also a spotlight and a stable holder for underwater on which the GoPro can be mounted. I also bought a red lens to be able to take good pictures even in strong sunlight.
Furthermore there is a magnifying lens which you can also see on the picture (folded back on the picture). This lens enlarges smaller animals under water without changing the settings of the GoPro.
A Selfe-Stick is also a good investment so that you can take nice pictures of yourself on vacation with the GoPro. For me this little gadget was especially valuable when shooting underwater, because I didn’t have to carry the huge mount including the spotlight around with me.
Film and video recordings with the GoPro Hero 4
As already mentioned, the GoPro 4 can even record Ultra-HD at up to 25 frames per second or at 2.7k with up to 50 frames per second.
The video recordings in 4k are really first class and can even be seen on every cinema screen. If the picture is not fluid enough with the 25 FPS, you can simply switch to 2.7k and 50FPS.
If you’re on the road with your bike or the wrong screen, it’s a good idea to set the video recording to 2.7k and 50FPS, otherwise the picture can be a bit “jerky”. With 50 frames per second you can be sure that even at high speed and sudden changes of direction the picture is smooth and worth seeing on TV afterwards.
Both formats are really top quality and absolutely recommendable. Both with good and bad exposure the film recordings are stable and jerk-free. The built-in image stabilizer does a good job, even if it scores slightly worse in direct comparison with the successor model, the GoPro 5.
GoPro offers with Protunes the possibility to adjust the recordings directly with advanced settings on location to get the best out of the recordings immediately. For example, the ISO value can be adjusted if you want to take pictures in the dark or with very bad exposure.
At this point I want to point out that the GoPro 4 is an actioncam and therefore not suitable as a selfie-camera e.g. for Youtube. I wanted to use the GoPro also as a Youtube camera, but I was deceived by the built-in microphone.
Due to the microphone there is always a small basic noise, that can’t be changed by advanced settings (e.g. by filtering out wind noise in the Protunes settings).
This small flaw still exists with the GoPro5 and GoPro6, as they also have integrated microphones that amplify ambient noise.
If you want to buy the GoPro as a camera for Youtubeglogger, we can recommend you a cheap microphone that costs only 20€. We also use it for our Youtube videos and there is not even a hint of noise. It is the BOYA BY-M1 directional microphone*.
The photos are really very good and can be compared with the successor model. The depth of field is really impressive and the contrast is brilliant.
Only when using a “zoom mode” like Linear or Narrow, the picture sometimes gets a bit blurred.
Battery life and case
The battery life is normally about 120 minutes, but if you have been using the GoPro for a little longer (for me it is now almost 2.5 years) then the batteries last about 60 minutes. This is most likely simply due to wear and tear.
New GoPro Hero 4 batteries including charger and USB cable don’t cost much and can be purchased at Amzon for about 16€*.
I recommend you to always take 3 fully charged batteries with you, because in case of an emergency one battery can be a bit of a pain in the ass and you won’t be able to take your dream pictures. So you are always on the safe side.
The case of the GoPro is stable, however, I suggest you to use the GoPro always in the included case, if it is possible, because scratches or other external influences on the small high-tech model are better intercepted.
Conclusion about the GoPro 4
The GoPro Hero 4 is a fantastic action cam that leaves almost nothing to be desired. In direct comparison to the GoPro Hero 5 you only notice that it is 10m waterproof and that there are more different settings and voice control.
Apart from that, the two models don’t differ very much.
All amateur and professional filmmakers get their money’s worth when using the Gopro.
The very easy handling and the very good video quality which is almost ready for the cinema should be emphasized if you film in 4k mode.
The GoPro 4 is less suitable for recordings that require a good sound quality. If this is your goal, you should definitely buy an additional microphone or consider another model.
The GoPro Hero 4 can already be purchased for just under 230€ on Amazon. This is almost 50% cheaper than the latest model of the GoPro 6 which is currently available for 430€ on Amazon.
