GoPro Thoughts...  Which to get?

 

To start with I am going to assume that 4K is where everyone wants to be (as I do as well).  That being said, If you want to stay in 4k land, you then narrowed your selection substantially down to:

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Hero7 Black, Hero7 Silver, Hero6 Black, Hero5 Black, and Hero5 Session

 

Also a couple other things I'd like to mention: 

1) Don't get sucked into the "package deals" with all sorts of mounts and such.  Because the bottom line is until you go to use it, you won't know what you really need.  It is much better to decide "exactly" what you plan to do, hold, mount, etc. first and then get the appropriate mounting solution.  Otherwise you end up with a box of stuff you paid for and never use because you got sucked into the marketing of "more".

2) You also need to factor the cost of a memory card into the prices I quote below.  The GoPro by itself is useless without a memory card in it.  This is the memory card that is recommended by GoPro themselves to be compatible with all the cameras I list below:

Sandisk 64gb Extreme card Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OPumCK

 

So lets get started:

The easiest way to attack this, is to start at the bottom and work our way up with "what you get"

 

Starting with the Hero5 Session:

This is the tiny "cube" shape camera.  It is what I use for doing drone shots.  It is the smallest and light weight camera.  Perfect for sticking it somewhere and forgetting it.  It does not have a screen, so you have to "guess" where you are shooting, but the angle is so wide, that as long as you are somewhat close you get the shot it is waterproof to shallow depths without any special case, and is simple to use.  Downside is that is relatively old now, and the session line as been discontinued by GoPro. 

(new) Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FvqtDB

 

Hero5 Black:

This steps into the more rectangular shape for GoPros that people are used to.  the Hero5 black has a screen on the back and shoots in 4k.  It has a pretty similar feature set as the session (except as I said it has a touch screen on the back so it comes in at a higher price). 

(new) Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Fs3lGf

 

Hero6 Black:

The major difference between the Hero5 black and the Hero6 black is it can shoot 4k in 60 frames per second (while the Hero5 Black can only do 30 frames per second).  This has several effects on your video:

1) you can do 1/2 speed "slow-mo" shots that look perfect since our eyes see about 30 fps, so if you shoot at 60, and play it back at 30 you get silky smooth 1/2 speed footage.  But that also means you will be getting a little more "deep" into playing with the footage, editing on the computer, etc. 

2) if you shoot at 60 fps and playback at 60fps you get that ultra-crisp "soap-opera" effect where everything looks almost "fake" because the movement is so sharp.  This isn't a bad thing for an action camera and it makes the footage look cool.  But it can be distracting if you were using it for cinematography... It can make the viewer "unconsciously anxious" because stuff isn't as blured as in 30fps.  But for motorcycle or boogie boarding, it would be probably a benefit to the look of the footage to be at 60fps. 

The other potential downside is a 4k 60fps video is twice the size of a 4k 30fps file.  So you would need to plan your memory cards accordingly (bigger cards or multiple smaller ones since everything is 2x as big).  It also has some better stabilization features into the camera that the hero5 doesn't have.

(certified refurbished) Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QQQuyD

(new) Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OO7rHO

 

Hero7 Silver:

I would skip over this one entirely.  This is a step down from the Hero6 Black.  Essentially it is a little bit newer, but a little bit worse then the Hero6 Black.  It can only do 4k in 30 fps for example, and at the exact same price as the refurbished model above, I'd go for the 6 Black over the 7 silver all day.

(new) Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OOb6Wo

 

Hero7 Black:

Since we are skipping over the Hero7 Silver, that brings us to the new flagship the Hero7 Black...  What do you get over the Hero6 Black?  Stabilization...  Yep that's it.  There are other minor changes and tweaks to the menus and features.  But the only major change is that the 7 Black has better electronic stabilization in both 4k 60fps (the 6 black only did good stabilization at 40k 30fps) and when doing hand-held time-lapse.  Other then that, the video and features are near identical to the 6 Black.  Is it worth the extra $60-$100 just for stable video?  Well the depends, riding a motor cycle isn't going to be bouncing all over the place, but snowboarding / boogie boarding may be.  Is it worth the extra cost, only you can decide that.

(new) Link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2qT370I

 

Now for my personal "take":

If budget was the primary factor, I'd go with the Hero5 session.  You can't beat the price, you don't have a screen to get scratched, and it just a more robust "set and forget" type unit.  If I wanted the screen for framing shots then the Hero5 black is a good alternative for not much more.

 

If you wanted balance to budget and features then the Hero6 black is your choice since it has more then the Hero5's do, but since it isn't the latest and greatest doesn't come with the premium price tag.

 

If you want the latest and greatest, and will be doing LOTS of stuff that has abrupt motion (walking, running, mountain biking, snowboarding, etc.) and you want non-bouncy video then the 7 black is the only choice.

 

If you are torn between the 6 and the 7 black here is a great video (Not done by me) that showcases the major differences, primarily with stabilization (and will probably make you want the 7 black):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NrxXIvvF18

 

Hope that helps you out with "what is what" To simplify out the stats vs. marketing, and so you can understand what you are looking at before you buy.  

 

Let me know what you think!

-Tronage