GoPro HERO4 Session (Waterproof Camera, 8MP)

I have researched, read and watched countless reviews, forums postings, videos and even wall street analysts' reports before deciding on GoPro Session.Most reviewers opined that GoPro Session is not good. Most reviewers are merely recycling other early reviews singling out only the video quality as the decider without delving on the real-life applications. I will attempt to condense my research and write a short review.At this point in time if you are considering an action camera, you might have narrowed down to just these few options:GoPro Hero 4 Session vs Polaroid Cube+- Not waterproof. Separate purchase of housing is required for Polaroid cube resulting a bigger form factor. GoPro Session mounting cage/frame/holder has cutouts on every side not only to allow ease of access to the buttons and the door with waterproofing gasket protecting the sensitive micro USB connector and the Micro SD memory card but also reduces overall weight. Despite it's lightweight design and deceiving frail appearance, it is very sturdy and capable of withstanding high torque and lateral tensile load when users twist them on the inevitable tight ball joint mount. This is a partly due to a clever stress analysis that removed unnecessary parts that are not subjected to loads and stresses combined with a high quality and strong plastic.- horrendous audio quality; near inaudible. up until today's published review, Polaroid Cube+ has yet to resolve the audio problem BUT are still shipping with this defect. The average amazon rating is less than 2.9 from the inital 4.5. And ranking has plunged from top 10 to 32 in less than 3 weeks after launch. GoPro has an ingenious dual mic design that will shut off one if it detects too much noise caused by wind draught, a common problem faced during action sports. How good is GoPro audio? Watch the video titled "GoPro: Street Violinist" (even though it might not be recorded using GoPro Session)- Outsourced hardware and software design. The company behind Polaroid Cube+ is C&A Marketing, a Polaroid licensee who contracted the design of Polaroid Cube+ to Ammunition, a design firm led by the former industrial designer at Apple. So initial positive reviews hyped by this heavyweight partnership are now drowned out by reliability and quality issues on both hardware and software such as audio and connectivity problems. GoPro has more than 1000 employees designing all cameras and software in-house.- Overly bright and not true-to-life colours. Polaroid video could be quite deceiving. Let me explain further, it's video might look vibrant and appealing but on closer scrutiny it lacks colour range with too much over compensation resulting in unrealistic or not true-to-life colours. Unless you only intend to use these cameras during the brightest hour of the day, such difference will be more pronounce during low light condition or at indoor making GoPro Session more versatile for anytime or conditions of the day. Although I won't denied the video quality by Polaroid Cube+ looks sharper especially on the edges, GoPro Session has narrowed this gap with the latest firmware version 1.5 with significant improvements and enhancements on image quality and ease of operation.- GoPro has an huge and growing ecosystem of mounts and supported by third parties for myriad situations and uses. Polaroid's mounts are only a handful and their design is a after thought. You could validate my claims easily by searching for polaroid cube accessories on ebay or amazon. So most Polaroid owners leveraged and relied heavily on GoPro mounts by using a crudely third-party designed tripod adapter with a "GoPro" end. This adapter requires the use of a Polaroid tripod mount because Polaroid did not design a cage/frame/holder unlike GoPro mounting frames. So you would by now figure out how much the Polaroid cube + third party adapter + polaroid tripod mount will protrude out unless you don't mind looking like Yip Yips, the twins Martians in Sesame Street show. Furthermore, Polaroid Cube tripod mount is not well designed and lacks the ground-up design like the low profile or the ball joint GoPro mounting cage/frame allowing swift orientation to multiple angles and henceforth directions.- Polaroid Field of view (FOV) is fixed at 120 degree versus GoPro Session's wider and adjustable up to 170 degree. That makes Polaroid's video footage not dissimilar to those shot by a normal camera phone.- Build quality. If you are spoilt and indulged with Apple-like built quality, GoPro Session feels more like $399 than a Polaroid Cube+ at $149.So finally the price factor. The difference between a $239 GoPro Session narrows after adding up the prices of a third party adapter, a polaroid tripod mount, a waterproof housing to polaroid cube+ priced at $149 and that is not counting the additional three GoPro mounts (low profile, ball joint and standard mounts) and another two GoPro mounting cages (one rear and one side attachment) and another two GoPro mounts with adhesives (curved and flat) for quick attach and release of the GoPro Session that are all included with GoPro Session. $160 is a steep discount when it was initially positioned on par with the $399 Hero 4 Silver.GoPro Hero 4 Session vs GoPro Hero 4 Silver- $100 price difference is a deal breaker. GoPro Session is now cheaper. GoPro Session coupled with clever ball joint mount allows swift multiple-angle orientation. This design is unique only to GoPro Session because it's mounting cage design allows it to be attached to the quick released buckle either on the rear or the side of the camera unlike the Silver's and Polaroid Cube's design which have the attachments only at right angle to the camera lens limiting its orientation options.- Smaller. Cubic design reduces profile dimensions resulting in a less clunky form. Although you can wear it round your neck with a neck strap but it is more suitable to be clipped onto the straps of a haversack or bag without being toss all around when worn around your neck. It has a cool auto 180 degree rotate feature in case the cubic design having all sides equal brings confusion to which is the right way up.- Black. Inconspicuous and more discrete allowing more candid shots.- No separate waterproof housing required.- Built-in LCD for ease of operation is sadly missed but I can live with the view offered via smartphone with wifi connection. You hardly get it wrong pointing it in the wrong direction since it's FOV is so wide at 170 degree. And firmware version 1.5 now allows the selection of video recording options directly from GoPro Session without the need to connect to smartphone, a feature previously not possible. This firmware was released three months after launch and that shows GoPro connects to its community of users, addressing most of the initial inconveniences faced by the early adopters.- Low profile design. This reduces the chance of the camera being caught or ripped off. And the overall final package with the mount looks smarter too.GoPro Hero 4 Session vs Smartphone (iPhone and android phone)I find this comparison too stretched, more so when authored by the brainy Wall Street analysts. Because i personally would not want to risk damaging or losing a smartphone mounting them to places other than holding them with my hands. i also do not wish to look ridiculous and silly. Most tasks and situations such as water sports or mundane tasks like cycling or even cooking and etc are not even technically possible or manageable single-handedly with camera phones. I also do not have problems handing over GoPro Session to a 3 year old kid, surely not a smartphone unless it is bubble-wrapped with armoured casing.Smartphone also lacks wide angle FOV. And avid photographers will tell you composition of photos from such action camera tucked in most places inaccessible to normal camera will produce amazing video footages and creative still shots from different perspectives. Analysts also lament that GoPro is plagued with high inventory overhang but i received mine with the most updated firmware version 1.5 released on Oct 6 on Nov 20, which was just 6 weeks ago? So I believe with the new pricing and new enhancements made possible with the latest firmware update, GoPro Session will soon catch up with their best selling model Silver.Finally to conclude I am not even using GoPro Session wholly for sports or holiday trips but merely to document family life. I disagreed that an "action" camera has niche uses. Go view the videos on GoPro channels and the most-watched videos are non-sports related. But be warned as these videos are sticky but sometimes motivating and lifting.GoPro Session uses will only propagate beyond action sports chronicling and documenting everyday life like a wearable camera without the photographer being too caught up and not living the moment. They might even be handy sometimes in resolving disputes. That day, when further improvements condenses the camera in size and weight with longer battery life and sharper optics allowing them to be worn all day unobtrusively if designed like a socially acceptable accessory is not so distant . For now, GoPro Session is moving in that right direction and checked all boxes in my books. I might just buy another one.

The media could not be loaded. I was first suckered into purchasing a Veho Muvi K2, which touted 1080p@60hz, came with a carrying case and a bunch of attachments, a detachable screen, an extra battery. While it seemed flashy, the quality was the WORST. I would be willing to say they are falsely advertising their product. It was definitely taking video smaller than 720p, and upscaling to 720 and 1080p.This Hero Session however, has been beautiful! I do know the quality is not quite as high compared to the Black or Silver. But this little guy is perfect for what I need. For one, the video is true 1080p. It doesn't do 4k, but in all seriousness, I don't need 4k that bad. This camera also shoot video so much more stably than the "muvi k2", that I will barely have to do any video stabilization when I'm compiling my action shots.Since the Sessions release, the firmware has been greatly improved. Most settings can now be configured from the device itself. If you enable wifi, it actually has worked very well on my iphone 6. The video quality is scaled down on the phone, but it's only supposed to be a preview of what the camera is seeing. Helps getting the alignment on my helmet just just right. Also makes changing settings and video modes will on my motorcycle much easier.Don't be too put off when people say "the quality is lower than the black or silver." The hero Black and Silver are "professional" specified cameras. featuring slight larger lenses and can house more processing power. For how tiny this session is, especially if you haven't used a gopro before, the quality is simply amazing. It came with just enough attachments that I was able to figure out a good mounting setup for my weird motorcycle helmet. The Balljoint attachment is especially nice for this. Being natively waterproof also helps cut down the size. At high speeds the sound is definitely very windy.. I'm wondering if I can do something to help reduce the sound distortion. Just a minuscule thing though.The "always on" feature makes using this a breeze too, especially since I do ride a motorcycle and I can't see what I'm doing. The camera is in just the right spot I can see the light emitting from the small display so I know when I've pushed record it really is recording. I was playing with my friends gopro hero 4 black a few weeks ago and I failed to record more action shots than I want to admit because the gopro wasn't actually recording. It's obvious to tell with the session. And I love it.I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a good action cam. Sure you can't replace the battery, but unless you're going to be shooting non stop footage for a few hours, that's not going to be an issue. Lucky my I have access to a 3d printer, so I will be looking into way to makeshift a waterproof battery attachment. Would only be nice for when I go on long motorcycle rides. Low light performance is as I would expect it. Don't expect night vision from something that is not a night vision camera.Unboxing and using of the GoPro session, from the app, to shooting footage, to using the gopro desktop program, has been professional and on point. Especially comparing to the knock off "muvi k2" I tried so hard to give a fighting chance. I am very happy with my purchase. 4/5 others probably will be too. The other 1/5 are going to have so much use for a gopro they'll want a silver or black, only for the battery pack and battery swap out options. Other than that, this thing is perfect! I'm getting one for my brother in law in June. It's exactly what he needs too.