GoPro Hero5 Black review and analysis

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Black Friday is past us and today is Cyber Monday, and if you are wondering what to get your adventure traveler on your Christmas list, you cannot go wrong with the GoPro Hero5 black. GoPro made significant improvements from the Hero4, and the cost of the camera went down $100.00. Better performance for a reduced cost is a true win win.  Click here to purchase

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GoPro Hero5 black improvements

The video and pictures have improved, which is saying a lot since the quality of the Hero4 was already top notch. I now take a majority of my travel and adventure photos with the GoPro over my iPhone or my Sony A6000. I use the Sony A6000 if I want to zoom, and my phone if I just want to take a quick picture of something. Other than that, I take most of my photos with the GoPro. Most of my recent photos and videos on Instagram were taken with the GoPro Hero5 Black.

Key GoPro Hero5 black changes

Hero5 black is already waterproof

The GoPro Hero5 Black is already waterproof, so there is no need to place the camera in the waterproof casing. Just be sure all doors are closed before submerging. The waterproofing is good down to 33 feet, so deeper diving would require additional housing.

Wi-Fi activates with power

In the Hero4, to connect to the phone app via Wi-Fi, you had to activate an additional button on the side. This button would flash a blue light. This light would contribute to the dwindling of the battery. The battery life on the GoPro is already not that long. I do not know how many times, I forgot to turn the Wi-Fi button off after using, which would drain the battery to zero. The Hero5 black Wi-Fi turns on and off with the power. This is handy and there is no additional light flashing to further drain the battery life.

LCD screen and easier to manually change modes

The Hero4 has no LCD screen; however, the Hero5 does. This makes it much easier to manipulate the Hero5 black settings without using the phone app. You can see through the LCD screen what you are shooting and you can also easier change modes on the LCD screen. It is confusing to change modes on the Hero4 black without the phone app as you had to know what the icons on the front tiny screen indicate. With the Hero5 LCD screen, the modes are written out, and you can change by tapping the screen. There is also a voice command option on the Hero5, but I have yet to try this out.

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Check out the video to see the quality:

Through the LCD screen, you can also look at your pictures and video and delete your content. I still like to use the phone app to access some of these features, but it is nice that it is already built into the camera in case you do not want to use the phone.

New batteries

This is one negative to the Hero5. The batteries are different from the Hero4, so you cannot use the batteries you already have from previous versions. This would be acceptable if the battery life was better but. . . .

One lack of improvement

The one lack of improvement that would be nice to see is a longer lasting battery. The GoPro HERO5 Black battery life is the same as the Hero4 although at least the Wi-Fi light is not draining it even more. This is not a huge problem. Most people are familiar with the need to have their electronic items fully charged. Purchase extra batteries and always make sure at least one of them is fully charged.

Addicted to the Hero5

I was addicted to the Hero4 for several years, but now that the GoPro Hero5 Black is out, I am even more hooked on the new version. Due to the improvements listed above, I rarely use my Hero4 anymore. I highly recommend the Hero5 black for a Christmas present for your adventure traveler, or anyone on your Christmas list. You do not have to be a hardened adventure to enjoy a GoPro. I had a friend borrow it earlier this year to secretly film his wedding proposal to his then girlfriend and now fiancé. Congrats Shawn and Christina. The GoPro is also a great gift for yourself. Click here to purchase

Disclosure

Thank you to GoPro for providing me a complimentary GoPro Hero5 and allowing me to be a part of the GoPro community. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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