New Line of Cameras Brings Extreme Photography Down to Earth, but Stock Up on Batteries.
In stores Oct. 5, one GoPro is a $400 version called Hero4 Silver that adds a touch screen, finally making GoPro as easy to use as normal cameras. Another is a new version of its palm-size camera that’s cheap enough—$130—to lose or break on vacation. (A third, the $500 Hero4 Black, will appeal to pros, with a faster processor for shooting video at four times the resolution of high definition.)
GoPro is now worth considering as the go-anywhere camera for the rest of us. GoPros can do two things most smartphones can’t: First, you can stick them places a phone might not fit, or you might not like. Second, GoPros have a 170 degree wide-angle lens that makes it easy to capture most situations in focus.
For video, you’re able to shoot up to 120 frames a second, which lets you use GoPro’s editing software to slow down the action and make anyone look like a character from “The Matrix.” A button lets you tag interesting moments that you want to find quickly when it comes time to edit. Controlling the camera from the screen on the back means you can preview shots, and get less up-the-nose footage of you fiddling with buttons while the camera is rolling.
Both Hero4 cameras still have too-short battery lives–about 2.5 hours. Anyone thinking about taking one on vacation will want to carry a few battery backups. GoPros have wireless connections, and the company is building a new version of its smartphone app that will let you control your camera, view what you’ve taken, and share photos via Instagram and Facebook. This couldn’t be tested since it isn’t available yet. It is clear that the app will be yet another drain the camera’s lightweight battery.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal