GoPro Hero5 Black & Session

You wait ages for a new GoPro, and then two come along at once. At Photokina 2016 the legendary action cam manufacturer revealed its very latest creations – and what creations they are. 4K, voice control, touchscreens galore: even GoPro itself says that the new Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session are simply the best GoPros ever made. You can’t really argue with that!

But why would you want one, and what’s the difference between the two? We’ll take a closer look at each of the new arrivals in turn and work out what sort of action cam fan might choose them. Ready? Set? Let’s Go(pro)...

The Hero5 Black

Described as the most powerful and easy to use GoPro ever, the Hero5 Black boasts 4K video, voice control, one-button operation, a huge 2-inch touchscreen display across the entire rear of the camera and GoPro’s classic waterproofing to depths of 10m. It really is astonishing what they’ve managed to pack into such a small box.

That huge 2-inch display has to be the stand-out feature of the Black: you can review, trim and adjust your footage from the GoPro itself, without any need for transferring work to a tablet or smartphone. A second screen on the camera’s front gives you immediate info on the crucial stats: your settings, how much space you’ve got left and your battery life – everything you need to know at a glance.

There’s also been a lot of attention paid to the quality of the output: yes, it’s 4K quality video, but you also get automatic wind noise reduction, three microphones for stereo sound and advanced image stabilisation for smooth footage of your adventures – as well as the ability to capture 12 megapixel still images (and Raw files as well) when you spot a photo opportunity. Oh: and there’s GPS location capture to automatically tag your creations with the spot where you were filming.

And if you do (for whatever reason) end up filming the wrong way up, the GoPro Hero5 Black will work out what’s happened and automatically right your video and images so they’re properly oriented. Now that’s clever.

The Hero5 Session

Billed as the best, only smaller, the Hero5 Session is a teenier version of the Hero5 Black it was launched alongside. You get the same fantastic 4K video, one-button-recording and hands-free voice control, plus the image stabilisation, waterproofing and advanced wind noise reduction – just all in a tinier, more compact package.

Of course you don’t have the touchscreen found on the Hero5 Black, but built-in Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity makes it simple to control the Session from your smartphone or other compatible device of choice. You’ll also still be able to capture still images of 10 megapixels, and enjoy the same creative time-lapse functionality that’s become a GoPro trademark. And if you want to get your images and movies speedily stored safely, you can take advantage of the built-in auto-upload to Cloud storage offered by the Session – handy if you’re constantly running out of space!

If you need your GoPro to fit into a smaller space, or are trying to keep your daypack light, the Session might be the right choice for you – but if you want the creative control offered by that set of screens, exceptional image quality and GPS capture, then perhaps the Hero5 Black is for you. Either way, you should definitely drop by your local Jessops store and take a look at these newest GoPro cameras in person – we guarantee you’ll be impressed...