Gopro Hero 4 Black

The Hero 4 Black camera has one of the fastest processors as compared to all its predecessors. At almost two times faster, you can record videos with 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. The camera can also record 1080p at 120fps that makes for great video shooting when capturing fast paced action or slow-motion clips.

You will still be able to connect to your mobile phone devices using its Wi-Fi connectivity. iOS, Android and Windows Phones are supported. There is also Bluetooth connectivity so you can use a Pebble watch to regulate the camera. And you can also buy the LCD BacPac and attach it to the camera’s back.

The touchscreen is the only physical difference between the Black and the Silver model, though the two are quite different from their predecessors.

GoPro has altered the camera’s battery size and design and so the battery does not slide in the back anymore but drops into the bottom. While this makes it easier to change the batteries, you will also have to buy new ones if you buy the Hero 4.

And you probably should buy some extra batteries to go with the camera. When recording at such high frame rates, the battery life becomes shorter. Burst shooting, high speed time lapse, using the Wi-Fi feature, etc. too add to the shortened battery life. This is basically the price that you have to pay for the small size and lightness of the GoPro camera.

A new feature, context sensitive menu system, is definitely a change for the better. Located on the right side of the camera, where the Wi-Fi button used to be on the previous models, is a Settings button. When you press it, the settings for the mode that you are on are displayed.

That eliminates the need to press endless buttons and reach the desired setting, like you had to in the previous camera models. While this make take some adjusting to, it is a much needed and simpler function that will enhance the experience of using your GoPro camera.

That Settings button can also be used as a Highlight Tag button. Finding the one ‘wow’ moment in hours of recorded video can be quite cumbersome and difficult, but with this new function it has been made much easier.  When recording with the Hero 4 Black, you can press the button immediately after you feel you’ve successfully recorded that ‘wow’ moment and so it gets tagged for you to find later!

The new version of GoPro's wireless wrist remote also supports tagging. Like the built-in touchscreen, GoPro is not the first camera brand to feature the tagging option, but it is definitely a very welcome one.

There are many other new features that have been added to the Hero 4 Black like the Night Photo and Night Lapse modes. These will let you alter the exposure for up to 30 seconds for single shots as well as time-lapse pictures.

The action camera can also take 12 megapixel stills in bursts of up to 30 frames per second. Hero 4 is also equipped with GoPro's Protune setting that lets you have manual control over color, ISO, exposure and contrast for both pictures and videos.