GoPro HERO5 Black vs HERO4 Black

If you’re trying to decide whether to upgrade to the new GoPro HERO 5 Black from the previous model or have found a good deal on the HERO 4 Black and are trying to decide which to get, here’s a rundown of how the two models are different and how they’re similar.

Overall, the HERO 5 takes the best features of the HERO 4 Black and Silver and combines them in a single camera. There’s 4K video recording and fine-grained controls available with Protune settings. There’s also a built-in touchscreen that can be used for live view, changing settings, and navigating the menu system. And it also adds some interesting new features like voice control, video stabilization, a RAW photo format, automatic GPS tagging, and automatic uploading to the new GoPro Plus cloud service. And one of the most significant differences is that the camera itself is now waterproof without the need for an external housing. There are also a lot of smaller tweaks, additions, and improvements that will appeal to certain users.

Size and Weight

The HERO 5 Black’s casing is waterproof on its own, and that extra reinforcement adds some bulk to the basic camera. So the HERO5 Black is slightly larger than a naked HERO 4 Black without a housing. But it’s significantly smaller than a HERO 4 in a Standard waterproof housing. Here are some examples:

It’s also worth noting that if the size is a critical issue, the HERO 5 Session might be worth a look. It’s significantly smaller and cube-shaped. It doesn’t have all the features of the Black, but it is small.

Weight. With a battery and memory card installed, the HERO 5 Black weighs 4.2 oz (118 grams). The HERO 4 Black without a housing weighs 3.1 oz (87 grams) and with the standard housing weighs about 5.3 oz (150 grams).

Dimensions. GoPro doesn’t seem to have published their official measurements for the new model, but my digital calipers measure the main body as 2.4in (61.7mm) wide, 1.7in (44.4mm) tall, and 0.9in (24mm) deep. As you can see from the photos, the lens port protrudes a little from the body, and the depth of that portion is 1.3in (32.3mm).

Built-In Touch Display LCD Screen

A built-in touchscreen display was one of the defining differences between the HERO 4 Black and Silver—the Silver had it, the Black didn’t.

The new HERO 5 Black has a built-in screen on its back panel. And it’s better than the one on the HERO 4 Silver. It’s still small–there’s only so much space on the back of such a small camera, after all–but the resolution is better, and it’s brighter and sharper. The menu system is also improved, and because there’s not the extra layer of a housing’s back door, it’s more responsive and easier to use.

The built-in display is excellent for seeing what you’re shooting, playing back footage, and navigating menus. But it also enables another new feature: exposure control. It replaces the GoPro spot meter that has been a staple on these cameras from the beginning with a new version that gives you control over which part of the image to use to calculate the exposure.

Controls and Interface

The controls for the two models are roughly similar. There are three buttons with which you can change settings and control the camera, all of which can be used with the small monochrome LCD on the front of the camera (which has been improved on the new model).

But the most significant on-camera usability improvement is thanks for the addition of the touchscreen on the back. That’s often a much easier and quicker way to access the camera’s settings and controls. In the same way that the HERO 4 Silver’s settings were easier to navigate on-camera thanks to the screen, I’ve found it to make a big difference in making the HERO 5 Black much more user-friendly. The new voice controls add another element, as well (see below).

You can also control both cameras with a Smart Remote (sold separately) and the GoPro Mobile App (now renamed Capture).

Housing

GoPro has mostly eliminated the need for the standard housing, the clear case that many of the previous GoPros have had to provide waterproofing and general protection from the elements. The built-in casing on the new models is waterproof down to 33 feet and protects against dust and sand. So for many uses, you no longer have to worry about using a separate housing.

That means two things: it’s one less thing to be hassling with while you’re trying to shoot, and the overall package of the HERO 5 Black comes in smaller than the combination of a HERO 4 Black and the Standard Housing.

So the new model is waterproof without a housing. It’s not a direct replacement, however. The old Standard Housing was rated down to 131 feet (40m). The new cameras are rated down to 33 feet (10m) without a separate housing. So if you’re looking to dive below 33 feet or so you’ll be wanting to add a new and improved version of the dive housing that GoPro is now calling the Super Suit housing.

The new model doesn’t come with a housing, as such, but it does come with a frame that wraps around the sides. It doesn’t provide much in the way of extra protection, but it does add a GoPro mounting point on the bottom.

Voice Controls

Pushing the shutter button is simple enough much of the time, but there are many times you mount the camera in a place it’s simply not easy to reach. If you’re hurtling down a mountain on a snowboard with selfie-stick, have your camera mounted on the front of your surfboard, are driving, or any number of other situations where you’re using both hands or don’t otherwise have the camera in easy reach, you don’t want to be fiddling with buttons. So with the two HERO 5 models, you can now control the camera with your voice. The commands are pretty simple–things like “GoPro start recording” or “GoPro take a photo”–but they cover the basics.

The feature works best if you’re close to the camera in a low-noise environment. And some users have found early iterations to be a bit buggy, but some of that might be able to be addressed with future firmware updates. You can find the current list of voice commands that are supported here.

It’s a neat feature, but how useful to you it will be in practice very much depends on your preferences, where you’re shooting, and how inclined you are to talk out loud to your camera. There are certainly situations where it can be a very useful feature.

GoPro is also releasing a new remote that lets you use voice controls from afar, the Remo. It’s not yet available but appears only to be compatible with HERO 5 models.

Video

There’s a lot of overlap between the video modes of the HERO 5 Black and its predecessor. They share top-end video modes of 4K30, 1080p120, and 720p240. There’s no 8K video, 3D video, or 60fps 4K video that some early rumors had suggested. I personally would have liked to see a sensor with better low-light performance and dynamic range, but based on the footage that’s coming out of the cameras, they seem to be using the same sensor.

That’s not to say that the footage out of the new camera isn’t better. But the quality improvements–or potential improvements, since it relies on features that can be turned on or off–have to do with features to enable smoother and less-distorted footage rather than an improved sensor.

Video Stabilization. This is one of the headline features of both the HERO 5 Black and the HERO 5 Session. It’s designed to smooth out the jerkiness you can get with unstabilized footage.

I’ve found it to work pretty well in many cases and very well in others. So long as you’re realistic about it, of course. It’s a software solution that does in-camera something similar to the Stabilization feature in Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premier’s Warp Stabilizer. Which is to say that it’s not going to offer the kind of magically smooth glide a good-quality gyro gimbal can.

Even if the standalone Karma gimbal will undoubtedly offer much better performance, I’ve found that the built-in stabilization function can quite dramatically improve some footage and is a very useful addition.

Here’s one side-by-side example of unstabilized vs stabilized footage from the HERO 5 Black:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/4B-lODwfVDc&w=678&rel=0]

I have more examples of the stabilization function here, along with details on which video modes it is and isn’t available (i.e., not 4K or high-FPS modes).

Resolutions. The two models offer the same options for video resolution. These:

Frames per second. There are only minor framerate differences at some resolutions.

Fields of View. Where there are some differences is in the fields of view, or FOV, offered. The most significant difference is that the HERO 5s offer a new Linear FOV that removes fisheye distortion in-camera. I have more on that here. (UPDATE: Linear FOV is now available on the HERO 4 Black and HERO 4 Silver after you update the firmware on those cameras to V.05.00.00.)

Protune. Both offer Protune options for video. The HERO 5 adds three new Protune options that can be very useful:

• manual exposure where you can set the shutter speed
• a raw audio track option that creates a higher-quality WAV file separate to but alongside the video file
• an auto mode option that gives you the option of putting it in a mode that reduces the effects of wind noise

Bitrates. They’re essentially the same between the two models, with the highest bitrate of 60 megabits per second for the high-end video modes.

Video Format. Both shoot in NTSC or PAL formats.

File Format. Both produce H.264 MP4 videos.

Still Photos

Size. Both models have a maximum image size of 12MP (4000 x 3000 pixels).

With the HERO 4 you had a choice of smaller sizes–the HERO 5 only does 12MP, although you can choose different fields of view, with the options being Wide, Medium, and Narrow, as before, with the addition of a new Linear FOV that corrects fisheye distortion in-camera.

Quality. The quality of the JPGs is essentially identical. The images from the new model do seem slightly sharper when viewed at 100%, which could be due to a number of things—perhaps an optically sharper lens or more aggressive sharpening in the in-camera processing. The in-camera processing has also been tweaked to improve the automatic white balance, with the images from the new model being less cool (i.e., not as blue) and more natural-looking.

HDR. The new high dynamic range option is one of two significant new additions to the still photo features. GoPro calls it WDR for Wide Dynamic Range. It aims to capture extra details in shadows and highlights.

RAW. The other is a new RAW image format. It has the file extension GPR. Shooting in RAW mode has both advantages and disadvantages. The main reason to do it is for the potential for better image quality, and for that reason, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the addition of a RAW format to GoPros. But to realize that potential quality improvement you need to be processing the images in something like Lightroom or another RAW processing app. The downside of shooting in the GoPro’s RAW format is that the images need processing and converting to JPG before sharing. Counterintuitively, the GPR images have a smaller file size than the JPGs, but they do take noticeably longer to write to the card (both likely due to the compression algorithm).

Timelapse

Like the previous models, the HERO 5 Black offers two ways of creating a timelapse.

Timelapse Photo. The first is the old-fashioned way of shooting a sequence of still images, downloading those images from the memory card, and stitching them together on your computer using a separate app like GoPro Studio. Like previous models, the available intervals in-camera (without using an external intervalometer) are 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds.

Timelapse Video. You can also have the camera compile the video on the fly to create a finished mp4 timelapse video. This saves a lot of extra steps and time, although you end up with less flexibility. It offers the same intervals as the timelapse photo method. The previous model can output 4K and 2.7K 4:3 resolution timelapse videos. The new model adds a new option, and somewhat counterintuitively it’s a lower resolution: 1080p. The reason for that has been added is to make it easier to share the resulting timelapse video without downsampling or dealing with the massive files from 2.7K or 4K video. With the smaller 1080p video, it’s much easier and quicker to take the footage from your camera directly to your phone and then upload straight to social media.

Night Lapse Photo. Both the old and new models have the Night Lapse Photo mode that provides extra interval and shutter speed options better suited to low-light shooting.

Audio

On paper, the new model has several improvements in its audio handling. The HERO 5 can record stereo audio directly. It can also general a separate audio WAV file alongside the video file. It’s a raw audio feature available under the video Protune options, and it potentially offers a significant improvement when the audio is an essential part of what you’re capturing, and you’re planning post-processing in a video editing app.

Like the model it replaces, the HERO 5 Black can also take external microphones, although you’ll need the new USB-C mic adapter.

But–and this is important–the sound quality of the onboard microphones is poor on the HERO 5 compared with the HERO 4 Black–it often comes out muffled. It’s not the only issue with the HERO 5 Black’s sound, and this is one area where the improved feature set of the new model doesn’t make up for the better performance of the old model in real-world shooting.

Battery Life

GoPro’s have never had impressive battery life. But the HERO 5 Black uses a new, slightly higher-capacity battery (1220mAh vs. 1160mAh). Combined with more power-efficient operation, you can get better performance. Not necessarily a lot better, but still an improvement.

Of course, that’s very much relative. Up to two hours of battery life isn’t very impressive at all compared to smartphones or most other cameras, but it’s a good deal better than the one hour or so we’ve become accustomed to with previous models of GoPros.

So the HERO 5 Black has noticeably better battery performance than the models it replaces, even if there’s still a lot of room to improve in this area.

One benefit of the [new USB-C connection](GoPro has now released a new camera called the HERO, bringing the current lineup to five cameras and continuing a confusing naming system. Because this isn’t the first time there’s been a GoPro HERO. There was an earlier one released in 2014. And well before that, there was the HD HERO and another HERO that’s now usually referred to as the Standard Def. HERO. And let’s not forget the HERO+ and the HERO+ LCD. With all of those HEROs, you’ll often see the newest version called the HERO (2018) to make it clear which version is being referred to, and that’s the model I’m focusing on here.

The HERO (2018) is the latest addition to GoPro’s current lineup, which also includes the HERO Session, HERO5 Session, HERO6 Black, and Fusion. I’ve previously posted a detailed side-by-side comparison between the HERO (2018) and the HERO6 Black.

But there’s also another model that’s remarkably similar and some key respects. It’s the older HERO5 Black. The HERO5 Black has been superseded by the newer HERO6 Black, but since it’s readily available and you can find some good deals on it that brings it into the same ballpark as the HERO, I thought it might be useful to provide a detailed side-by-side comparison in case anyone is trying to choose between them.

The HERO and the HERO5 Black look identical on the outside. And they share quite a lot of similarities under the hood too. But there are also key differences. In broad strokes, the HERO5 Black can do everything the HERO can do, and quite a lot more besides.

The HERO (2018) is designed as the simplified, entry-level camera. The HERO5 Black was, before the HERO6 Black came along, GoPro’s flagship camera, and it’s packed with the kinds of bells and whistles that comes with that territory. But there’s quite a lot about the HERO to suggest that it’s fundamentally a repurposed and rebadged HERO5 Black with a feature set that’s artificially limited by the firmware.

Design and Build

They use the same case, so from the outside, they look identical. You have to look very closely to see the subtle model name printed on the side. They’re the same size and weight. They have the same buttons and screens and controls.

Waterproof. They’re both waterproof without the need for a separate housing, rated down to 33 feet (10 meters). If you need to go deeper than that, both are compatible with the same Super Suit dive housing.

Back Screen. They both have an LCD screen on the back that gives you touch control as well as being used for playback and live view.

HERO5 Black vs HERO (2018): Video

Shooting video is the area where there are the biggest differences between these models. The HERO5 Black has an extensive range of video resolutions and framerates available, all the way up to high-end video modes like 4K30 and 1080p120.

The HERO (2018)’s video options are much slimmer. You can shoot in either 1080p or 1440p up to a maximum of 60 fps. The HERO doesn’t shoot 4K or 2.7K video.

Here’s the full chart comparing the available video modes.

Stabilization. Both cameras have the option to enable the built-in software stabilization to get smoother footage. Also known as EIS, you can see some practical examples of it in action here.

Stabilization isn’t available in all the video modes of the HERO5 Black. You can see which modes it’s available in here. On the HERO, the stabilization is available in all of its video modes.

When using the stabilization option, you do get a very slight cropping of the available view.

Fields of Vision / FOV. The HERO offers three fields of vision, or FOV, when shooting video, although they’re not all available in all shooting modes. The default is the distinctive Wide look with fisheye distortion that provides that immersive look we’re used to. When shooting in 1080p, you can also choose a Medium or Narrow FOV. Depending on how you look at it, these are crops of digital zooms (not optical zooms). You can see some examples here

The FOVs available on the HERO5 Black overlap, but there are also some extra options. It also has Wide, Medium, and Narrow FOVs, but there’s also a SuperView mode (even wider) and a Linear FOV, which mostly corrects for the fisheye distortion to convert it to a more natural perspective (particularly useful when filming from drones). The Linear FOV is different to the Medium and Narrow FOVs in that it’s a calculated correction applied by the camera’s software rather than a simple crop.

Bitrates. The maximum bitrate used (currently) on the HERO (2018) is 45 Mbps.¹ The maximum bitrate on the HERO5 Black is 60 Mbps. Both are high enough to warrant some care in choosing an SD card that’s fast enough.

Video Formats. Both cameras produce MP4 video files encoded with the widely used H.264 codec.

Looping. The HERO5 Black has a looping feature that records for an interval and lets you select which section to keep. The HERO doesn’t have looping.

Video+Photo. The HERO5 Black has the ability to capture still images while simultaneously recording video. The HERO (2018) doesn’t.

HERO (2018) vs. HERO5 Black: Photos

The photo modes of the two models are quite similar. I have a more in-depth post on the photo modes on the GoPro HERO5 Black here.

Resolution. At 10MP (megapixels), the photos taken with the HERO are a little smaller than the 12MP images from the HERO5 Black. In pixel dimensions, that comes to:

HERO (2018): 3648 x 2736 pixels
HERO5 Black: 4000 x 3000 pixels

Here’s a visual representation of how those resolutions compare. You can click on the image to see it full-size.

Image Formats. Both models capture images in the standard JPG format. The HERO5 Black also lets you capture still images in GoPro’s RAW format that have the file extension of .gpr. By making available much more of the information captured by the sensor, the RAW format allows for potentially higher image quality, but the files aren’t easily shareable directly and need to be processed through an image editing app first.

Fields of View. By default, the images are captured in that distinctive fisheye look. On both cameras, that’s known as the Wide FOV. You can also choose to mitigate that fisheye look with different FOVs that look less distorted. It’s important to note, though, that these corrections are applied in camera by software algorithms; they’re not applied optically through the lens.

The FOV options are a bit different on each camera. On the HERO, you can choose from Wide, Medium, and Narrow FOVs. Those are essentially crops rather than corrections. Or, put another way, the result is like a digital zoom (not an optical zoom).

On the HERO5 Black, you also have Wide, Medium, and Narrow FOVs, but there’s also an extra one: Linear. The Linear FOV uses software to correct the distortion that you can see when straight lines get that strong curve. You can see some practical examples here. This mode can be especially useful when using the camera mounted on a drone, but it’s also useful if you just don’t want that bulging fisheye look.

Night Photo. The HERO5 Black has a special photo mode that’s designed for low-light shooting such as at night. It leaves the shutter open longer to allow more light in. The HERO doesn’t have this night mode.

Wide Dynamic Range. Both models have a mode that is designed to bring out details in the highlights and shadows.

GoPro calls it WDR, for wide dynamic range. I’m a bit ambivalent on the results it gives, and it doesn’t work as well as the better HDR mode in the HERO6 models, but it does recover some detail in shadows and highlights. You can find some side-by-side comparisons here.

Protune. Protune is GoPro’s name for extra settings that amount to an expert mode that lets you override or fine-tune parameters for various settings.

The HERO doesn’t have any Protune options. You mostly have to stick to fully automatic mode.

The HERO5 Black has several Protune settings for still images. They include options for exerting some manual control over the shutter, exposure compensation, setting maximum and minimum ISO, and adjusting white balance, sharpness, and color mode.

Timelapse. Both cameras have time lapse modes, and on both, you can choose time lapse photo mode (which shoots a series of still images that you can compile into a video later using software) or time lapse video mode (where the compiling is done in the camera itself).

But the HERO’s time lapse options are much more limited. There’s no control over one of the crucial elements of a time lapse, the interval–it’s a standard 0.5-second interval. And in the time lapse video mode, you’re limited to 1080p output.

With the HERO5 Black, you have much more granular control over the time lapse settings. You can choose from 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, and 60 second intervals. You can also specify the field of view, image format (in time lapse photo mode), and Protune options.

The HERO5 Black also has a special variation on the time lapse photo mode that’s known as night lapse mode. It leaves the shutter open longer to let more light in when shooting in low-light situations. The HERO doesn’t have night lapse mode.

Burst Mode. Burst mode is a special still images mode that captures a high-speed sequence of images. It can be especially useful for capturing fast action and gives you more chances to get the shot you want when the timing is critical.

Both cameras have burst mode, but the HERO’s options are limited to 10 photos in 1 second. With the HERO5 Black, you get more options, including, faster, slower, and longer sequences (30/1 (30 photos in 1 second), 30/2, 30/3, 30/6, 10/1, 10/2, 10/3, 5/1, and 3/1).

Continuous Photo. The HERO5 Black has a continuous photo mode; the HERO doesn’t. This is similar to burst mode in that it takes a quick series of shots, but it functions a little differently. In burst mode, you first switch to that shooting mode and then hit the shutter once. It will then shoot the full sequence that you’ve designated. Continuous photo mode works in the regular photo mode. You hold down the shutter, and it will keep shooting until you release the shutter. In continuous photo mode, the HERO5 Black takes four photos per second up to a maximum of 30 photos.

HERO (2018) vs. HERO5 Black: Other Key Features

Wireless. Both cameras have built-in wireless features, so you can control the camera remotely (with the smartphone app or a remote) as well as download photos and videos to use in Smartphone apps like GoPro’s Quik app. When set up with a GoPro Plus Subscription, both cameras can automatically upload to the cloud.

Voice Control. Both of these cameras offer voice control. When it’s enabled, you can speak some basic command to do things like start and stop recording or change the shooting mode.

Audio. Both cameras have three built-in microphones. You can also plug in an external microphone (or another audio accessory) into the HERO5 Black (using a mic adapter), but you can’t do that with the HERO.

The HERO5 Black can also record a higher quality WAV audio file separately from the video file. The HERO’s audio is standard compressed audio embedded in the video file.

GPS. The HERO5 Black has GPS and other metadata that can be used for telemetry. The HERO doesn’t.

HERO (2018) vs. HERO5 Black: Batteries & Battery Life

Both take the same batteries. It’s also the same type of battery used by the HERO6 Black.

When you’re using the same settings, the battery life is much the same between them, give or take. But the HERO doesn’t have the high-end video modes that drain the battery more quickly, so in day-to-day shooting, you’re more likely to get slightly better battery life out of the HERO simply because you’re limited to video modes that don’t use quite so much juice. But the battery life on both of them is likely to leave you underwhelmed, which is why I always make sure to have spare batteries on hand.

Both have a USB-C connection, so they’re compatible with the SuperCharger for fast charging.

Accessories

For the most part, they’re compatible with the same accessories. They use the same standard GoPro mounting system, are the same size and shape so can use the same housings and frames, and they have the same ports.

There are some important exceptions, however.

• External mics.The HERO5 Black will take external microphones, while the HERO won’t.
• Karma Drone and Karma Grip. The HERO is not compatible with the controls on the Karma drone or grip.
• GoPro Remotes. The HERO is not compatible with any of GoPro’s remotes, including the REMO or the Smart Remote.

HERO (2018) vs HERO5 Black: Which Is Better?

The HERO5 Black is a better camera. It can do everything the HERO can do and quite a lot more. So if you can find a good deal on the HERO5 Black that brings it within striking distance price-wise of the HERO, it’s hard to think of a good reason not to go with that.

The HERO can’t do anything the HERO5 Black doesn’t also do, but it does have the virtue of simplicity. If you just want to keep things simple and don’t need 4K video or any of the other higher-end features of the Black range, then the HERO can be appealing.

Where to Find Them

I buy most of my gear at Amazon and B&H Photo.

GoPro HERO (2018): Amazon | B&H Photo

GoPro HERO5 Black: Amazon | B&H Photo

Since these are both now technically discontinued models, they’ll become harder to find new. But there’s a good chance of picking up used copies–I buy most of my used gear from KEH; you can check their current GoPro inventory here.

) is that it allows for rapid charging (with a Supercharger that’s sold separately, that is), that GoPro claims will charge the battery 20 to 70% quicker.

Ports and Connections

Both models have USB for power and data transfer, but they use different connectors. The HERO 5 Black uses the new USB-C connector (and a cable is included with the camera) while the HERO 4 Black uses the much older mini-USB connector.

Oddly, though, the new USB-C port isn’t USB 3.0–it still uses the older and much slower USB 2.0 for data transfer.

If you’re using an external microphone, you’ll need a new mic adapter (more details here).

They both also have a micro HDMI (Type D) socket to connect to a TV or display device.

Another change, and one I’m not a big fan of, involves the two trap-doors that go over the ports and the battery compartment. They’re a variation on the one first used on the HERO 4 Session.

Because the casing is designed to be waterproof, the trap-doors have a waterproof seal built on their inner side. But the trap-doors themselves are tedious to open–you push down on a button and slide. They’re also pretty flimsy, which is why GoPro has released replacement doors. They’re ridiculously overpriced at $20, but I’ve grudgingly bought some to carry as spares, because without a properly fitting door the camera isn’t waterproof and I don’t want to be caught out with an unusable camera when out shooting.

GPS & Telemetry

The HERO 5 Black adds GPS location tags to the EXIF metadata of still images and video. That automatic geolocation function will be very useful to anyone trying to place the images on a map or sort by location.

In a post-release update, GoPro also unveiled new capabilities that tap into the GPS data. With the Quik desktop app you can now add graphic overlays that display things like speed, elevation gain, g-force, direction, etc. Like this:

When activated, the GPS function does detract slightly from battery life. The HERO 4 Black doesn’t have the GPS feature.

Accessories

Some accessories for the HERO 4 will work on the HERO 5 Black, but many won’t. For example, the back data port has been removed, so any accessories that clipped on to that back port won’t work. That includes things like extended batteries, BacPac LCD screens, and some gimbals.

And there’s going to be a bit of a lag as third-party accessory makers get up to speed in releasing their HERO 5-compatible models. I’ve put together a separate post on which HERO 4 accessories will work with the HERO 5.

The Little Things

There are a bunch of smaller things that have been tweaked and improved. They include:

• It automatically detects which way is up, so you don’t have to manually set it anymore if you’re mounting the camera upside down. The HERO 5 Black still does this, but a firmware update to the HERO 4 Black has since added the feature to that model too.
• You can turn off the LEDs selectively. If you turn them off (as well as the beeps), you end up with a similar stealth effect as the HERO 4 Black’s Blackout housing. I have a more detailed post specifically on [GoPro stealth modes]https://havecamerawilltravel.com/gopro/gopro-stealth-modes-lights-beeps/.
• Battery level indicator now includes a percentage. It gives a more precise idea than the old three-bars display.
• The longest auto-off setting is now 30 minutes rather than 5 minutes.

Which to Buy?

The HERO 5 Black, then, does everything the HERO 4 Black and HERO 4 Silver do and then quite a lot more. The HERO 4 Black is a very good camera indeed, but in pretty much every respect the new model is a better one. So in many cases, it’s not really a hard decision.

But it seems to me there are two reasons where the HERO 4 Black might be an attractive option:

• Price. Now that newer models are out, there are some good deals to be had on the previous model. Stocks won’t last forever, of course, as the HERO 4s become harder to find. But there are some compelling deals to be had.
• Accessories. For now, third-party accessory support is very limited for the new model. That will improve over time, but it’s going to take quite a while for the pool of third-party accessories to catch up to the enormous pool of accessories available for the previous models.

Price and Availability

One of the best things about the HERO 5 Black is that GoPro reduced the MSRP to $399.99, where the HERO 4 Black’s MSRP started at $499. And that is a pretty compelling feature in itself. The upshot is that you get a better camera for a lower price.

The HERO 5 Black was released in early October 2016. They’re available at Amazon and B&H Photo.

Both now discontinued models, so they’re becoming harder to find new. But there’s a good chance of picking up used copies–I buy most of my used gear from KEH; you can check their current GoPro inventory here.

New Model: GoPro HERO12 Black

Released in September 2023, the HERO12 Black is GoPro's newest model.

GoPro HERO12 Black

• 5.3K60 / 4K120 / 2.7K240 Video
• 27MP Photos
• Waterproof to 33ft/10m
• HyperSmooth 6.0 Stabilization

Check Current Price & Availability on Amazon

• Shoot 5.3K60 & 4K120 video at up to 120Mbps bitrate
• HDR video up to 5.3K30
• Horizon Lock keeps level even during movement
• Take 27MP photos (5568 x 4872 pixels)
• 1/1.9" CMOS sensor
• Waterproof to 33ft / 10m, so you can take it swimming, paddling, surfing, or snorkeling without a separate housing
• Built-in mount point
• HyperSmooth 6.0 In-camera Video Stabilization creates smooth video without a gimbal
• Shoot up to 8x slow motion

Find them at:

• GoPro.com
• B&H Photo
• Amazon