GoPro - HERO7 Black 4K Waterproof Action Camera - Black

* Sample video is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/-z8sb9tZdtg . Read Video Quality below for commentary. * The GoPro Hero 7 line represents a consolidation of GoPro’s product portfolio, trimming models like the Session from their offerings and standardizing the lineup to the White, Silver, and Black Hero 7 models. The range-topping Black offers all of the company’s latest technologies, presenting what appears to be a tantalizing upgrade for owners of any previous GoPro camera. It is a fantastically capable device that has no trouble keeping up with fast action as is customary of the renowned action cam line, but a shockingly high price and only a couple convenience features make this a tough sell to all but the most devoted action videographers. - Setup & Features As with all GoPros, packaging was very simple and straightforward, and those who have used their prior cameras will have no trouble getting this device set up. As it was my first time using a proper GoPro, I had some difficulty figuring out how to get the Hero 7 Black up and running, as the included documentation is extremely basic and directs you to the GoPro app on Google Play or the App Store. This would usually be fine, except for whatever reason I could not get the Hero 7 Black to connect to my phone via Bluetooth or WiFi,* meaning I had to guess my way through the menus on the Hero 7 itself. The Hero 7 Black is loaded with features for video recording and photo-taking, and can be triggered to start and stop recording via your phone or voice commands. The rear touchscreen was quite cramped for my large fingers to navigate but worked in a pinch. The quick-start recording option (which triggers the camera to turn on and immediately start recording by pressing the Record button) is extremely convenient and ensured there was little battery life wasted on downtime rather than action shots. Additionally, the front monochrome LCD, though small, was useful to determine whether the camera was recording without needing to look at the camera from behind or unmount it from its base. *I am unsure whether pre-release GoPro software or my phone’s age (2013 flagship running Android 5.0) caused this communication difficulty, and thus cannot fault GoPro for it. - Video + Sound Quality In my time testing the Hero 7 Black, I was able to take a few videos in mixed light settings under various usage scenarios. As with all action cameras, outdoor shots were the highest quality with extremely clear and vivid details. Lower-light shots produced the expected results, though these appeared sufficiently clear and had good range between light and dark shots, rivaling entry-level camcorders. Motion blur was minimal in all situations, and I didn’t notice any significant blurring nor chromatic aberration at the edges of the fisheye lens. Sound quality is acceptable for an action camera. While wind noise is still a major issue, the microphone was adequate in all other situations, and those who are using action cameras in a casual or amateur setting will find the sound reasonable. Anyone using these cameras for higher-quality productions will likely be using external sound capture hardware and sync up the feeds in post-production. The Hero 7’s menus implied that an external bluetooth or USB microphone can be used as a sound source for captured video, but I did not test this feature as I do not have supported hardware. - Stabilization and Sample Video The standout feature for the Black edition over the other models in the Hero 7 lineup is GoPro’s “HyperSmooth” stabilization, which uses an onboard processor and the device’s internal sensors to pan, distort, crop, and warp the image appropriately to produce what the company claims is “gimbal-like” smoothness in your videos at the expense of about 10 degrees field-of-view at the edges of the image. This is only available at certain resolutions and frame-rate settings; it is available on 4K30 but not 4K60, for example. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the resulting video matches the results from a good external gimbal or track, the resulting video was quite smooth with little stabilization artifacting. Of course, a non-stabilized video can be fixed in post-production, but the convenience of having the video stabilized onboard makes this an attractive proposition for amateur videographers. The following go-karting sample video was taken from the GoPro Hero 7 Black mounted on a go-kart helmet at 2.7K, 60fps, with the HyperSmooth stabilization enabled. These karts were extremely powerful (29HP “Rotax” karts; 3-4x the power of typical rental go-karts) and vibrated like crazy with huge G-forces in the corners. Please pardon the poor angle and strong wind noise. https://youtu.be/-z8sb9tZdtg - Photo Quality I tested photo quality using burst photography (30 photos per 2sec) with linear lens view. Unfortunately this means I had to forego RAW image shooting (available on single shots), which did lead to some compression artifacting. I found that the resulting image quality was decent, but any fine details are significantly muddied. Regardless, the lack of optical zoom removed the Hero 7 Black from consideration for most photography uses, and though it does work as expected the image quality is sub-par against most flagship smartphones. Definitely stick to videography with this one. Please refer to the images attached to this review for an example in moderate, uniform light. - Battery Life This is the area where the latest GoPro offering disappointed the most. While I realize that recording quality will affect the battery life, as will enabling features like HyperSmooth stabilization, I achieved a disappointing 50 minutes of video record time on a full charge at 2.7K, 60fps, stabilized, with the screen off. Battery life has always been on the short side for most GoPros and I was hoping that this would have been improved some as the company revamped its lineup. If you’re planning on an extended outing and don’t want to swap batteries, you’ll want to pack an external battery and USB-C cable to keep the camera going. - Bottom Line This is a feature-packed action camera that delivers on all fronts, producing the great videos commonly associated with the GoPro name, but it is extremely difficult to overlook the price. With an MSRP of $399 USD, this camera costs $100 more than the Hero 7 Silver (which foregoes the HyperSmooth stabilization and front LCD panel) and double that of the Hero 7 White. While the new features are useful, they do not justify the cost compared to competing action cameras, and it feels like the entire lineup carries a premium just for the name recognition. Simply put, this camera feels overpriced, and I would not recommend buying at this price (unless the advanced onboard stabilization is a feature you desperately need or want). The Hero 7 Silver would be the more fitting purchase for those with existing GoPro accessories and generations-old cameras ready for upgrade.

The GoPro Hero 7 Black is the new top of the line action camera from GoPro. In the age of cell phones GoPro finds itself in something of an interesting position. GoPro, like many other camera companies, needs to convince you that carrying – and purchasing – a dedicated camera is worth it. The Hero 7 Black tries to do just that by providing capabilities and features that no cellphone – or other action camera – can match. The major feature that GoPro is touting on the Hero 7 Black is the new hypersmooth software image stabilization, which provides image stability that previously was limited to a dedicated gimbal. For the most part, it works, and saves you the cost and bulk of having another piece of hardware. It also has the advantage that it works underwater and in any conditions the GoPro can handle. There are some limits to the video resolutions that can use hypersmooth, but the most popular ones are covered. Personally, I found 2.7k/60fps/Linear to be about the perfect setting for general video taking. On that mode the hypersmooth is extremely effective, with the camera able to handle a remarkable amount of shake and still keep the jitter out of your video. It can’t quite compensate for all motion as well as a mechanical gimbal, but the image is actually more natural feeling to me, it has just enough motion that it feels natural and doesn’t have the almost dreamlike floating effect that gimbals create. The Hero 7 Black can go all the way to 4K/60 with hypersmooth, and also offers other modes including super slo-mo and hyperlapse, a stabilized time lapse that is a lot of fun for capturing movement through space or around objects. Other features include a live streaming function that uses your cell phone to provide the data connection. It also has GPS, and a new super photo mode that does in camera image enhancement with HDR. My review includes both a pic without and with the HDR enabled, and it does a good job of managing high contrast situations and increasing color without making the image overly flat without natural contrast. The GoPro also responds to voice commands, which is very helpful if you have the camera in a position where it is hard to reach or your hands are full and not able to get to the camera. It can also connect to your smartphone or tablet wirelessly to view and copy media, and GoPro offers some decent editing software to do some quick edits. It has only two buttons, one is the shutter, and the other is the power and mode selector. It also has a capacitive touch screen to navigate settings and provide additional control. One note, if using the camera in or around water, the screen can sometimes pick up contact that you aren’t making and it can sometimes get a little crazy. There is a screen lock feature to stop this unintentional input from registering. Since this is a GoPro, there is an entire ecosystem of accessories to mount the camera to, making it far more capable than your average point and shoot for capturing action shots and going into extreme environments. The package includes the camera, “the frame” which clamps the camera in a tight frame case that has a quick mount included. It also has two adhesive mounts (one flat and one curved) to secure the camera to a helmet or other hard surface. Additionally, a USB A to C cable to connect to a PC and to charge the camera is in the box. The included directions are simple picture directions to show you how to get it out of the frame, charged, and telling you to get the app for your mobile device. You’ll have to go online to learn more about your camera. As this product is new to market, there are a couple of quirks with the software that should be worked out soon, one of which is when the camera is turned off shortly after turning on, it takes a while for the camera to actually shut down, sometimes around 10 seconds. The largest drawback to the GoPro is the battery life. One trade off for the remarkably small package with all of this technology and intense image processing is that the battery is small for the task being asked of it. There are some things that can be done, such as turning off some of the in camera processing and only activating the wireless functions when needed, but you are going to want to invest in extra batteries to record a full day of adventures. Fortunately, the batteries are not terribly overpriced as is often the case for cameras. This little camera is pretty expensive, but it does pack an impressive number of features in a compact, rugged, and waterproof (to 33ft) body. Since it can go places your cell phone can’t, or you wouldn’t want to put it, the GoPro Hero 7 Black still fills a unique need and it is hard to find another product that can do everything it can do. The hypersmooth stabilization is a real revolution in in-camera software stabilization and allows for the creation of ready to use video right out of the camera or live using the live streaming function.

GoPro 7 Black Full disclosure: I received a GoPro 7 in exchange for an honest and timely review. So far, I love my new GoPro 7 Black. I purchased a GoPro4 Silver several years ago and this is a very nice upgrade for me. I have not evaluated the 5 or 6, so I don’t know when many of the differences were originally introduced, but there are clearly some nice improvements. Like my 4 Silver, the 7 Black has both front and rear displays which I find indispensable. The front display is a small B&W display for settings which will rotate automatically when the camera is rotated 90 degrees. The 7 has only two buttons compared to three on my 4 Silver. I always found the three button model to be a bit confusing, so eliminating one button was a good thing from my perspective. My 4 Silver required the clear housing to make it waterproof/weatherproof. The 7 Black no longer needs this housing. It has a frame that is open in the front and back, but snaps on in a similar fashion to the original housing. The lens on the 7 appears to integrate the rectangular lens cover from the original housing, into the camera itself. I like having direct access to the touch screen at all times. I haven’t tried using the camera underwater yet, so I can’t speak to the degree of waterproofing provided by the new design. I assume it is as specified. The gaskets on the battery and connection doors are pretty small and I suspect it would be wise to inspect these prior to entering the water to make sure they are not damaged or dirty. The batteries are similar but different between my 4 Silver and the 7 Black. I have three batteries and a dual battery charger for my 4 Silver. Since they won’t work on my 7 Black, I have ordered the charger (which comes with a battery) and a 3rd battery to match the items in my 4 Silver kit. Though I was disappointed that I needed to buy both new batteries and a new charger, I understand that new technologies and requirements often place a greater demand on power. Upon researching this, it appears the battery design changed for the Hero 5 and beyond, so my 4 Silver was the last model to use the older battery design. Of course the 7 has great 4K video, time-lapse, time released shutter (0, 3s or 10s) and many choices in resolution for both video and still photos. There are also three choices for the Field of View on the lens for video...Linear, Wide & Superview and two for photos...Linear or Wide...no Superview choice there. I find all video modes to be crisp and clear. Really nice video in all modes and, of course, 4K is the current pinnacle. The 7 Black offers voice control which is pretty handy. I can say “GoPro start recording” and “GoPro stop recording” or “GoPro take a photo” (“take a picture” also works). I have not fully explored the voice commands yet to see what else I can do via voice commands. A hallmark of GoPro cameras has been image stabilization and the 7 Black has improved on that. I am impressed with the smooth video I get from the 7 Black when walking or riding in a car while recording video. It is very smooth. Audio is very good. I would think the elimination of the clear housing improved the audio, but I haven’t done a good side by side test with my 4 Silver to prove that. However, the audio on the 7 Black is very good for an action camera. There is a feature called “short clips” that allows me to take videos of 15 or 30 seconds in length. While the video is recording, a red progress bar makes its way around the perimeter of the display so I can easily see the length of the video I have recorded and what is left to go. I think this will be handy. I often watch the timer on my videos intentionally to keep them to a manageable file size. Now I can just watch the progress bar and recording will stop automatically even if I don’t watch. The GPS allows data to be tracked while recording. Speed, GPS location and G-Force are among the items you can track and display on your video, if desired. It is amazing. The GoPro app works well for connecting with the camera and downloading photos and videos. It can take quite a while to download long videos, so I usually transfer large files using a cable I like the 7 Black use of USB-C. Also, it seems like the battery is heavily taxed when transferring videos via WiFi. I watched 25% disappear quickly while doing a wireless transfer. The same files took 2 min 21 secs to transfer via USB and the camera charged the battery a few percentage points while doing the transfer. If you don’t have an action camera or have an older GoPro, I recommend you take a look at the GoPro 7 Black. It is a great action camera and a nice upgrade over older models for sure.

My last GoPro was a Hero 4 so this Hero Black 7 was a pretty huge upgrade for me. There are some nice features over the Hero Black 6 as well but obviously not as big of a difference. Before I get too far into the review, I CANNOT emphasize how important it is to buy a microSD card that is on the recommended/tested list from GoPro. If you buy a card that is not recommended, you may encounter all kinds of odd issues to the point the camera is literally non-functional. You can find GoPro's official compatibility list here: https://gopro.com/help/articles/block/microSD-Card-Considerations#list1 I tried an older Samsung Pro card rated at 80MB/s and the GoPro went nuts, I ended up buying a 128GB Samsung Evo Plus from BestBuy and all the issues I saw went away. Some crazy things you will see if you try a non-supported microSD card: 1) Problems pairing with the app 2) Red SD card icon and inability to record with error message saying "SD Card Busy" 3) Complete OS lockups, only way to reset is to hard pull the battery 4) EXTREMELY hot camera chassis and fast battery drain. Basically the camera will not work at all unless you have a compatible memory card and it will make you think the unit is defective. That said, with a compatible card, this thing is simply amazing. It is soooo small and records 4K/60 with incredible image stabilization. The 7 also added a new live streaming feature that I haven't fully tested yet. It also shows 4 hours of record time on a 128GB SSD at 4K/60. Another "GoPro" tip, in order to get 4K/60 you must change the aspect ratio to 16:9 or you will get an error message about 2.7K/60 only, but that is because it is by default set to 4:3 aspect ratio. Some negatives are the battery life isn't spectacular, seems to be about 1 hour of record time, so you will definitely need more batteries before your SD card fills up. I don't love how the different connectors are behind different casing doors and the ability to transfer videos is still easiest via removal of the microSD and plugging into a PC microSD/SD slot. Fullsize cameras do a better job of transferring wirelessly over BT or via USB. I also couldn't connect to my Wi-Fi while connected to my GoPro even though I was supposedly connected via BT. I need to look into this more. That said, this device is awesome for capturing videos on the go. I plan to get the 3-in-1 grip as well as some additional mounts for my bike and bike helmet, but the Hero7 is compatible with any accessories you have that support the 5 and 6. I actually have the GoPro Hero 7 Black, not the White, from what I can see is the White does only 4K/30 and does not have the front display. For just $50 more I would definitely spring for the Black or even the last-gen Hero 6 over the Hero 7 White. My main recommendation for GoPro would be to do a better job alerting the user that the memory card is not supported and that it needs to be replaced ASAP because it really breaks the camera and makes it frustrating and unusable as if the underlying OS is running some loop and making it stall and overheat.

The Definitive Action Camera As a first-time GoPro owner, I was skeptical about incorporating the camera into my outdoor adventures. My iPhone has always seemed perfectly fine. But the flexibility and video-stabilization features offered by the Hero7 Black are truly eye-opening. PROS: - Small, portable design. Adds virtually no weight no a backpack or luggage. - Perfectly simple controls. A one-touch button on the top is used to start and stop videos or take still photos. The touchscreen is sharp and makes it easy to set up your shot. - Video truly is "HyperSmooth" as advertised. I mounted the camera to the dashboard of my Jeep during a weekend off-road adventure and was amazed by the results. There were almost no signs of motion or rotation in the video -- it was incredibly stable and judder-free, even when going over massive rocks. - The TimeWarp feature also works as advertised, resulting in beautiful and stable time-lapse videos. I tried this handheld and with the camera mounted -- it worked great in both situations. You can set the factor by which the video is slowed and the camera will tell you just how much footage will result with those settings. CONS: - It is difficult to navigate through the features and settings of the camera using the touchscreen. Maybe my fingers are just too big, but I usually have to resort to using the app to make most adjustments. - Overall, pictures looks nice, but the camera definitely struggles with still photos in low light situations, introducing a lot of noise and sacrificing a lot of detail. - The voice command feature is clunky, at best. I often had to repeat myself once or twice to get the camera to start recording or to take a picture. - The inclusion of social features like live streaming to Facebook seems like a gimmick to me, but perhaps some people will find them useful. OVERALL: The Hero7 Black is an excellent action camera and it produces some of the most beautifully stable video I've seen. This might not be the best point-and-shoot camera for still photos, but for video recording of action and outdoor adventures, it doesn't get better than this. Highly recommended!

Pros - Super smooth video - Auto orientation - Same formfactor for existing mounts Cons - Battery life is short - Audio could be better Overall, I’m very impressed with the GoPro Hero 7 Black. While the outside looks unchanged from the previous model the Hero 7 packs impressive hardware with some new very special software tricks. The BIG trick being their intelligent software video stabilization. They advertised that the software can produce gimbal quality video and after trying it out I have to say that it comes very close. To have some fun and test the Hero 7 I enlisted my biking friend who often records trail and park rides with a Go Pro strapped to their chest. The usual setup is an older GoPro with an electronic gimbal mounted via a chest strap. We tried one run with that typical setup and one run with the Hero 7 Black and you could hardly tell the difference. As far as benefits go – with the Hero 7 Black you can lose the bulky gimbal and have a very basic chest strap and that is all you need to get the job done. This also means that you won’t have an extra part that you must pack and carry around. However, it does come with its drawbacks. A gimbal can be setup to always stay view parallel to the ground looking toward the horizon – it adjusts for your vertical tilt. A GoPro Black 7 strapped to your chest will look out perpendicular to your body and has less flexibility on the vertical tilt. You should keep this in mind when mounting to make sure that your setup is going to give you the frame you need. Overall from the stabilization side it does an excellent job and it should fit the needs of most users. Another new feature is the auto rotation of video – now the GoPro will adjust the video to be portrait or landscape based on orientation. This orientation locks as soon as you hit record - no more fixing your video in post! This is a big deal and leads into another software aspect – Live Streaming. We watch videos on our phone and vertical video with the growth of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram has increased dramatically in terms of popularity. Now not only can you record vertical video but you can also stream to your favorite service (Facebook, Twitch, Youtube, and Vimeo). This uses your phone’s cellular connection and my testing of streaming to Facebook shows that it works well - but your mileage may vary based on coverage. This opens a world of scenarios to video unique perspectives and experiences live as they happen – something that wasn’t possible before. Also there is a very cool "TimeWarp" timelapse feature that utilizes the Hypersmooth functionality to create a super fast and smooth video. I used this mode as we hiked down a trial and the effect was like a constant floating camera following us the entire way. At the end of the day - GoPro carried over many of the great features from the previous model - the ruggedness, voice control, and formfactor and built on these in a ways that added value for existing audience while also appealing to a very social generation of consumers. I think the result is a great uncompromising device that's extremely versatile for capture all of those special moments in a spectacular format. One thing that I noticed hadn’t really improved was the audio quality – it still needs some improvement and if you are serious about needing good sound you will want an external mic. Additionally, battery life especially when recording high quality video didn’t seem to last – typically under one hour. These are far from deal breakers and there are solutions that address these issues like an extra mic and extra batteries – but it would be cool to see improvements that result in you not needing extra hardware.

So, I hesitated since the Hero5. Not because I couldn't afford one, they aren't cheap though, but mostly because I wasn't sure how I'd get that value from it. I bought this for a road trip, not only did I timelapse a 5500 mile drive, I got video, and photos along the way. I timelapsed a sunset on a beach, and caught some amazing storms. Most importantly, the footage is super clear, great color right from the start. I know I can get into deeper settings, bit I'm still learning this camera. I absolutely love it so far, I would recommend it to anyone.

Once again the folks at GoPro have continued to push the limit and set the bar for compact action cameras. Although there isn't much change you can see on paper compared to previous models, you can clearly see noticeable change on videos due to the image stability software they have in the new GoPro Hero 7. The video is so smooth it's almost surreal and looks like it was shot by a professional photographer. Like most GoPro Hero models, the touchscreen is fairly simple to maneuver and responsive to touch. There are many options you can choose from for recording and capturing images including video quality, frame rate, low light, etc. It's great that you no longer need a waterproof housing to take a dip and record some sweet snorkeling pics and having a photo timer and time lapse option are also added benefits to play with. Another great thing about them not changing the physical camera too dramatically over the past two models is most, if not all, of the old accessories still work with this model since it is the same size including the housing and mounting accessories and the GoPro Karma grip. It was very easy and fast to sync this with my GoPro account and app in order to view, upload and edit content, view live feed and use the new live streaming option. The camera and all of it's abilities make me feel like I should be twenty years younger and become a stunt man... and then reality sets in that I'm just a boring husband and father that uses it to capture amazing family moments without risking my life. In any case, you won't find a better action camera on the market with so many fun things to use it for and I highly recommend it to any real dare devils so I can live vicariously through them when watching the GoPro channel.