GoPro HERO4 Session (Waterproof Camera, 8MP)

Snorkeled with the GoPro session for a short amount of time. Went in the sun. The direct sunlight on the Gopro produced a dew ring on the inside of the lens. So it leaks… great. Are you serious GoPro? 2 starts due to the fact that its extremely portable and captures decent video, but I obviously cannot go higher than two stars. Returned.

I have researched, read and watched countless reviews, forums postings, videos and even wall street analysts’ reports before deciding on GoPro Session.

Most reviewers opined that GoPro Session is not good. Most reviewers are merely recycling other early reviews singling out only the video quality as the decider without delving on the real-life applications. I will attempt to condense my research and write a short review.

At this point in time if you are considering an action camera, you might have narrowed down to just these few options:

GoPro Hero 4 Session vs Polaroid Cube+

– Not waterproof. Separate purchase of housing is required for Polaroid cube resulting a bigger form factor. GoPro Session mounting cage/frame/holder has cutouts on every side not only to allow ease of access to the buttons and the door with waterproofing gasket protecting the sensitive micro USB connector and the Micro SD memory card but also reduces overall weight. Despite it’s lightweight design and deceiving frail appearance, it is very sturdy and capable of withstanding high torque and lateral tensile load when users twist them on the inevitable tight ball joint mount. This is a partly due to a clever stress analysis that removed unnecessary parts that are not subjected to loads and stresses combined with a high quality and strong plastic.

– horrendous audio quality; near inaudible. up until today’s published review, Polaroid Cube+ has yet to resolve the audio problem BUT are still shipping with this defect. The average amazon rating is less than 2.9 from the inital 4.5. And ranking has plunged from top 10 to 32 in less than 3 weeks after launch. GoPro has an ingenious dual mic design that will shut off one if it detects too much noise caused by wind draught, a common problem faced during action sports. How good is GoPro audio? Watch the video titled “GoPro: Street Violinist” (even though it might not be recorded using GoPro Session)

– Outsourced hardware and software design. The company behind Polaroid Cube+ is C&A Marketing, a Polaroid licensee who contracted the design of Polaroid Cube+ to Ammunition, a design firm led by the former industrial designer at Apple. So initial positive reviews hyped by this heavyweight partnership are now drowned out by reliability and quality issues on both hardware and software such as audio and connectivity problems. GoPro has more than 1000 employees designing all cameras and software in-house.

– Overly bright and not true-to-life colours. Polaroid video could be quite deceiving. Let me explain further, it’s video might look vibrant and appealing but on closer scrutiny it lacks colour range with too much over compensation resulting in unrealistic or not true-to-life colours. Unless you only intend to use these cameras during the brightest hour of the day, such difference will be more pronounce during low light condition or at indoor making GoPro Session more versatile for anytime or conditions of the day. Although I won’t denied the video quality by Polaroid Cube+ looks sharper especially on the edges, GoPro Session has narrowed this gap with the latest firmware version 1.5 with significant improvements and enhancements on image quality and ease of operation.

– GoPro has an huge and growing ecosystem of mounts and supported by third parties for myriad situations and uses. Polaroid’s mounts are only a handful and their design is a after thought. You could validate my claims easily by searching for polaroid cube accessories on ebay or amazon. So most Polaroid owners leveraged and relied heavily on GoPro mounts by using a crudely third-party designed tripod adapter with a “GoPro” end. This adapter requires the use of a Polaroid tripod mount because Polaroid did not design a cage/frame/holder unlike GoPro mounting frames. So you would by now figure out how much the Polaroid cube + third party adapter + polaroid tripod mount will protrude out unless you don’t mind looking like Yip Yips, the twins Martians in Sesame Street show. Furthermore, Polaroid Cube tripod mount is not well designed and lacks the ground-up design like the low profile or the ball joint GoPro mounting cage/frame allowing swift orientation to multiple angles and henceforth directions.

– Polaroid Field of view (FOV) is fixed at 120 degree versus GoPro Session’s wider and adjustable up to 170 degree. That makes Polaroid’s video footage not dissimilar to those shot by a normal camera phone.

– Build quality. If you are spoilt and indulged with Apple-like built quality, GoPro Session feels more like $399 than a Polaroid Cube+ at $149.

So finally the price factor. The difference between a $239 GoPro Session narrows after adding up the prices of a third party adapter, a polaroid tripod mount, a waterproof housing to polaroid cube+ priced at $149 and that is not counting the additional three GoPro mounts (low profile, ball joint and standard mounts) and another two GoPro mounting cages (one rear and one side attachment) and another two GoPro mounts with adhesives (curved and flat) for quick attach and release of the GoPro Session that are all included with GoPro Session. $160 is a steep discount when it was initially positioned on par with the $399 Hero 4 Silver.

GoPro Hero 4 Session vs GoPro Hero 4 Silver

– $100 price difference is a deal breaker. GoPro Session is now cheaper. GoPro Session coupled with clever ball joint mount allows swift multiple-angle orientation. This design is unique only to GoPro Session because it’s mounting cage design allows it to be attached to the quick released buckle either on the rear or the side of the camera unlike the Silver’s and Polaroid Cube’s design which have the attachments only at right angle to the camera lens limiting its orientation options.

– Smaller. Cubic design reduces profile dimensions resulting in a less clunky form. Although you can wear it round your neck with a neck strap but it is more suitable to be clipped onto the straps of a haversack or bag without being toss all around when worn around your neck. It has a cool auto 180 degree rotate feature in case the cubic design having all sides equal brings confusion to which is the right way up.

– Black. Inconspicuous and more discrete allowing more candid shots.

– No separate waterproof housing required.

– Built-in LCD for ease of operation is sadly missed but I can live with the view offered via smartphone with wifi connection. You hardly get it wrong pointing it in the wrong direction since it’s FOV is so wide at 170 degree. And firmware version 1.5 now allows the selection of video recording options directly from GoPro Session without the need to connect to smartphone, a feature previously not possible. This firmware was released three months after launch and that shows GoPro connects to its community of users, addressing most of the initial inconveniences faced by the early adopters.

– Low profile design. This reduces the chance of the camera being caught or ripped off. And the overall final package with the mount looks smarter too.

GoPro Hero 4 Session vs Smartphone (iPhone and android phone)

I find this comparison too stretched, more so when authored by the brainy Wall Street analysts. Because i personally would not want to risk damaging or losing a smartphone mounting them to places other than holding them with my hands. i also do not wish to look ridiculous and silly. Most tasks and situations such as water sports or mundane tasks like cycling or even cooking and etc are not even technically possible or manageable single-handedly with camera phones. I also do not have problems handing over GoPro Session to a 3 year old kid, surely not a smartphone unless it is bubble-wrapped with armoured casing.

Smartphone also lacks wide angle FOV. And avid photographers will tell you composition of photos from such action camera tucked in most places inaccessible to normal camera will produce amazing video footages and creative still shots from different perspectives. Analysts also lament that GoPro is plagued with high inventory overhang but i received mine with the most updated firmware version 1.5 released on Oct 6 on Nov 20, which was just 6 weeks ago? So I believe with the new pricing and new enhancements made possible with the latest firmware update, GoPro Session will soon catch up with their best selling model Silver.

Finally to conclude I am not even using GoPro Session wholly for sports or holiday trips but merely to document family life. I disagreed that an “action” camera has niche uses. Go view the videos on GoPro channels and the most-watched videos are non-sports related. But be warned as these videos are sticky but sometimes motivating and lifting.

GoPro Session uses will only propagate beyond action sports chronicling and documenting everyday life like a wearable camera without the photographer being too caught up and not living the moment. They might even be handy sometimes in resolving disputes. That day, when further improvements condenses the camera in size and weight with longer battery life and sharper optics allowing them to be worn all day unobtrusively if designed like a socially acceptable accessory is not so distant . For now, GoPro Session is moving in that right direction and checked all boxes in my books. I might just buy another one.

The seller shipped the in time and delivered in time. Genuine product. I love the camera it capture crisp clear picture like a pro camera.