GoPro Hero5 Session

This is a very good quality image camera that can be used in the water. Unfortunately the battery does not last for too long. This product is made of high quality materials, it is waterproof, very compact. Camera can be mounter virtually everywhere (mounting attachments required – and the Chinese cheaper version are fully compatible). Again the battery is its weak point, and it is often overheating (sometimes I can’t touch it after using for 20-30 minutes). It does not come with any screen but connection over wifi to your phone allows the live view option. It seems to be useless as a dashcam (mounting kit is available but recording time is limited… battery won’t charge properly while in use, and it seems that it cannot be powered by the usb cable). 3 strong stars for image quality. Could be 5 but the overheating, battery limitation, not very intuitive app, and lack of the dashcam mode have reduced the final mark. For this price top quality is expected.

We’ve had this for 8 months now and whilst it’s easy to use and super robust there are a few issues which really let it down. On the plus, it’s really intuitive and the video quality is brilliant, and it fits almost anywhere. There’s loads of different clips and cases available cheaply so you can use it in almost any situation without spending a massive amount extra.
Cons:
Battery life is really low- It’s measured in minutes not hours, I can usually get about 40mins or so if it’s not taken directly from the outlet which isn’t quite enough for an event away from home. I realise that it’s a payoff for the size but I’d rather less video quality and a bit more usability in this area.

The audio quality is poor, really poor so if you want to record voices you really need an additional mic. There’s a Rode one which a lot of people recommend and works well with the go pro 5/6s and would be fine to be an extra because not everyone needs good sound quality BUT…in order to fit any external mic you have to buy the specific go pro mic adapter which is as big as the device, just flaps about on the outside of the device and is an extra £50 on top of the device itself. Its terribly designed, overpriced (more expensive than the mic itself) and seriously damages the usability of the device but is the only one that works. It’s really unforgivable and is possibly even worth a two star reduction.

UPDATE May 28th 2021: $729? … ???? That’s nearly double what it cost when it came out. ???? This is a GREAT camera. I purchased one back in Aug 2018. GoPro made a huge mistake not making the Session camera anymore. ???? I would have loved to see a new version with a small screen. This camera has everything. Good picture image stabilization good audio external mic input and its waterproof. Can’t imagine how much better it would be now had they not dropped it. Yes they can put a tiny screen just like what’s on the Pocket. Love the size. They could have improved everything added motion detection night vision and it would be a formidable spy cam. ???? Bring it back … but at less than $400. Like half that price. That’s when these moved off the shelf.

This one is so much better than the Hero4 Session. The audio actually works. You can hear good audio and it has an external mic input via the overpriced obtrusive GoPro dongle. It has image stabilization that was missing on the Hero4 Session. It works better than the Hero 5 but not as good as the Hero 6. You can delete files from the cam without having to use their invasive app. But if you want to shut off the LEDs you have to use the app and let GoPro know what you are doing and where you are doing it. If you don’t give the permissions it’s no go for you. The battery lasts longer but also takes longer to charge. This one only comes with 1 mount as the Session 4 came with 2. One of them being low profile which I use the most. I hope I don’t lose it or break it bc I can’t find another one anywhere.

I bought this bc GoPro in their infinite wisdom decided to drop this from their lineup. I was just going to wait for the Hero6 Session but that won’t happen now. This camera has huge potential but GoPro priced it too high at launch. Hope they rethink their decision to can this and bring it back with even more improvements and at a good pricepoint of $150 or less. It’s a great camera now with 4k and all the improvements.

This camera has been a complete pain in the neck however its not the fault of the seller. The first camera failed after a total of 43 minutes use on the 11th month of Ownership. Guess what it failed on day 2 of a holiday in Thailand. Go pro support was quite good and I sent the camera to them and received a replacement within 3 weeks. Bit late for the holiday though. Within 2 weeks of the replacement being received this camera failed on its second use. It had literally been used for 6minutes footage at the failure point.

Once again I sent the item back to GoPro and 6 weeks later received another replacement. The Customer service has been quite good but these sort of issues are not to be expected from a trusted brand that isn’t exactly cheap. As an early adopter of GoPro products overall I have been happy however and unfortunately I have lost a great deal of confidence and now have changed brands. I find it frustrating that when you contact a company with a complaint or a problem it can be very frustrating and extremely long winded. Its a different story almost every time though if you are looking to make a sale. The response is almost immediate