The GoPro Hero5 Black is the company’s latest flagship action cam that is very user friendly .
I have always wanted to own a GoPro Hero ever since my sister, Lorna got hers in 2011. GoPro reigned as king of the action camera and I intend to have action filled videos taken of my more active lifestyle. I also like the idea of using a cam where I didn’t need to bring a tripod all the time. When my generous sister gave me her GoPro Hero last year , I found it quite a challenge to use. Yes, not user friendly and the battery easily drained.
Last week, I had enough savings to buy one at the I-Click Digishop. I saw on their Facebook page that they sold the GoPro Hero5 black in various packages. I chose this package along with the Hero5 Black for 20, 640 pesos.
2 TELESIN Battery
32GB Memory Card
GOEXTREME Hard Case
I was so excited to unbox and just to be sure, I asked the sales lady to help me with some of the features. Tinkering with the old Hero was not a pleasant experience and I wanted to use the GoPro right away.
The GoPro Hero5 Black has nifty new features:
-Waterproof without a case to 10mm (33ft)
-Voice Control
-2-Inch Touch Display
-Rugged + Waterproof
-Simple One-Button Control
-Advanced Video Stabilization
-Advanced Features
-4K VIDEO/12MP PHOTO
-RAW + WDR PHOTO
-EXPOSURE CONTROL
-STEREO AUDIO
-GPS
Inside the box are two attachments for a flat and curved surface including a USB C cable.
The first thing I wanted to learn is how to remove the cam from its protective case.
It tends to be tight but I got the hang of it after two tries.
It sits comfortably on my small palm and measures 1.8 by 2.4 by 1.4 inches and weighs just 4.2 ounces outside of its protective case.
At the back is a two-inch color touch screen built directly into the device where I did most of the setup. I enabled the voice commands and was able to let GoPro take photos and record with “GoPro, take photo” or “GoPro, start recording”.
There are two physical buttons to remember: the square Record button on the top and a Mode button on the right.
I found the youtube video tutorials useful especially the opening the rubber gasket on the left side that hides the micro HDMI and USB-C ports . Check this one out.
The battery compartment and microSD card slot is at the bottom of the cam which is also covered by a gasket door. The rubber gaskets cover the physical controls and ports, making the Hero5 Black waterproof without any need of a clear plastic casing.
I bought this attachment for the protective casing so I can easily attach the cam to my tripods. It costs 150 pesos from the neighboring store.
So far so good. No feeling of exasperation when fiddling with this GoPro . The Hero5 Black is more compact than its first version but I prefer the silver color of the former.
Fortunately, I can still use the accessories from the previous Hero , except for the batteries .
The Mobile Control using the GoPro Capture App
I can use the touch screen and voice activation commands but I love using the using the GoPro Capture app . I can easily manipulate my photos or videos in the media library. I can also take a photo using the app.
Basically, I can control the Hero5 Black with this app for access to recording options and to view, edit, and transfer my recordings to my iPhone 7 Plus. The Hero5 Black supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and the app lets me walk through a simple pairing process to connect the camera to my iPhone in minutes.
Once connected, I can now use my iPhone as a remote viewfinder and start recording or taking pictures. There is a one second lag .
As soon as they are paired, I can now take a photo of myself using the app.
And even taking a selfie using the app.
I have not been using the cam for action shots but I took a short video during a recent event. I also used the Quik app to edit my video . Look below.
Overall verdict: Excellent. User friendly for an intermediate tech user like myself. I still have to take videos of fast-paced action like walking or running . The battery life could be better . Perhaps I should deactivate the voice command so I can extend the battery life.
In the next post, I will take more sample videos and photos.