Travel/adventure junkies and casual photographers now have something to drool over in anticipation as GoPro announced their new line of cameras hitting the shelves October 5.
The three new GoPro models will cater correspondingly to three different users - professional, prosumers/consumers, and entry level. The top-of-the-line Hero4 Black, according to Engadget, has two essential features: 4K resolution video recording at 30 frames per second (fps), and 1080p (Full HD) at 120 fps. A "highlight tag" can be used to mark key moments in a video via a Wi-Fi button on the side.
The Hero4 Black sells at $499. Those who can't or won't shell out that amount, though, can opt for the $399 Hero4 Silver, which comes with its own unique features, including an integrated touch display screen.
Those average Joes itching to get into some GoPro action but find the company's crème de la crème too expensive to disburse anywhere beyond $200 can now get in the swim with the Hero, the $129 entry-level model that can record up to 1080p at 30 fps and take 5-megapixel images.
The new GoPro cameras pack enough upgrades, according to Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler, to make them user-friendly to a wider demographic.
"I've had a chance to dangle two of the new GoPros out of a cable car, clamp them to a go-kart, and strap them to a "selfie stick"-among other vacationing challenges-and the experience was eye-opening. The cameras suffer from a short 2.5-hour battery life, but GoPro is now worth considering as the go-anywhere camera for the rest of us," Fowler noted.
In the past, GoPro cameras' performance in low-light settings took some serious knocks, but now it seems to be the principal enhancement in the new models, according to Liana Bandziulis of Wired.
"Perhaps one of the most exciting improvements on both the Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver GoPros is their performance in low-light situations," Bandziulis reported. "It's something that has seriously limited the previous models. Video settings can drop to 6400 ISO, and for stills, a new setting called Night Photo and Night Lapse can leave the sensor open for up to 30 seconds for long-exposure images. Although a DSLR or decent compact system camera still outperforms the GoPro for handheld photos at night, the GoPro has great potential for stunning long exposure shots when left on a tripod."
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