GoPro - HERO5 Black

I think the way to look at it, is that GoPro was so far ahead for so long, there was no real competition for them for over a decade. Even DJI had GoPro mounts built in when the Phantom 1 came along. Historically, GoPro perfected their 1080P then moved to 2.7k on the Hero 3 Black. They had the best 4k on the Hero 4 Black. Then they made the whole camera waterproof and added the built in touchscreen on the Hero 5 Black, then they went 4k 60 with moderate stabilization on the Hero 6 black, built a tiny camera on the Session 4 and 5. With the Hero 7 black, they finally got stabilization in camera that started to compete with 3 axis gimbals. On the 8 they had the mount built in so you didn't have to have a frame and changed to a larger form factor with the Hero 9 black and got resolution to 5.3k. They perfected features like Timewarp and Hyperlapse where all the work was done in camera instead of post. They made GoPro labs available for most of their cameras and gave amazing levels of customization that no other cameras have even to this day. Then they really started to stagnate and features were more incremental and evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Sure they had the 8:7 sensor and got video resolution up to 24.7 megapixels, but they still use a tiny sensor and low light performance is still very bad. They also had to deal with the rise of DJI and Insta360 who started to release competing products. Dji matched 10 bit the same year as GoPro, The Action 5 and Ace Pro 2 use much larger sensors and do much better in low light. GoPro was late to the party with magnetic mounting systems and Insta360 even put 8k into their Ace Pro versions. Insta360 has the Ace Pro Line, their Go series mini camera and even had the modular R series which could be an action cam or a 360 camera. In the time since GoPro released the Max, Insta360 has released 5 consumer grade 360 cameras that get better each year and now do 8k. We have no idea when the Max 2 will be released. GoPro stock is hovering around 50 cents a share and the market cap of the entire company is only 75 million dollars. It used to be almost 11 billion dollars, so it is 145 times smaller than it was shortly after the company went public. They have had to lay off staff and that has a huge impact on R&D. They are clearly falling behind competitors with no real path forward. Depending on which site you listen to, they rate the probability of bankruptcy at 33 to 62% in the next 24 months. That is not the sign of a healthy company. They botched the launch of their Karma drone and ceded that potential marketplace to DJI in the process. The reality is that the DJI and Insta360 cameras do a lot of things better and much easier. Low light is a real thing for a lot of people and the Action 5 and Ace Pro do a very good job in the space and GoPro isn't on the same playing field. I love the new GoPro lens system, but I am an advanced user and have been using ND filters, Anamorphic lenses, and macro lenses for years with the GoPro. The new anamorphic lens is great because it does the desqueeze of your footage automatically in camera. What is annoying is that they announced the lens in September of 2024 and I was finally able to get it 7 months later. GoPro is a great camera, but for many people who never touch labs, don't care about 10 bit or color grading, never do reframing 8:7, like to shoot in lower light conditions, or won't spend the $129 on an anamorphic lens, the GoPro is not really the camera for them. Insta360 are releasing much better cameras each year and GoPro is falling further behind. I really want GoPro to come back strong, but I fear they don't have the finances to compete unless they have an absolutely amazing technical breakthrough in the action camera space.

I have bought the 3+, 5 black, 8 black, and 11 black over the years. They’ve done me well, but I won’t be buying another one. DJI has surpassed them everywhere. I understand there is a lot of brand riders here because I get downvoted anytime I bring up DJI being better. I’m going with the Osmo Pocket line in the future.

I’ve been seeing it too since looking to buy one. I got a used hero 5 black and it works perfect for what I need. The battery length is a little annoying but I get a little more than a hour at 2.7k 60fps

I got this bundle for $379 which I thought was a good deal. I've been out of the loop when it comes to cameras the past couple years. I've had a GoPro 5 black which was great then it got water damaged and I got a 8 Black as replacement. Didn't use the 8 much until I took it down to 30ft free diving and forgot it needed a case to go down that depth and it got destroyed. Nevertheless, was really great videos I got before it died. I remember GoPro being the leader In action cams so i decided to get the 13 black without much research. I assumed it's still the go to for action cams. Started looking at some videos before it arrives but It seems like almost every YouTuber says it's not good and DJI action 5 is better. Seems like everyone is praising the DJI and completely throwing negative reviews on the GoPro. What happened ?

If you're just looking for crash recording, you can buy old gopros off ebay for $50-80 with 4k capability and new batteries on Amazon for less than $40. Had a Hero 5 black for like 6 years and recorded some interesting crap. 720p is like 1.5 hour battery I think?? No need for 4k or 8k if its just insurance record. You may have to update the software to work with newer batteries.

i just bought a hero 5 black with ton of accesories for 90. I guess you could get an 8 or 7 for this price but you then must invest in buying extra gear

GoPro created the market and were awesome I have had every other version since the original 1080p version ( the very first model was 720p) I usually had 2 at a time Like the 5 and 8 at the same time Then the 8 and 12 For me the biggest issue was battery life and overheating They just couldn’t seem to fix it And I had the Enduro batteries Finally picked up a DJI Action 4 and wow Great quality video No overheating and the battery life is insane Sold both GoPros and picked up the Action 5 Pro when it was released - the low light quality is great on DJI and it was always known as an issue with GoPro They work great I use all my old GoPro accessories but the addition of the magnetic clip on the DJI is next level convenience

GoPro hero black 5 is the best/cheapest to start with. I love mine

i bought my gopro hero 5 black for 60 euros, very good for the price. It records 2.7k 60fps for like one whole hour or more and the battery is old, amazing for the price if you ask me

i have the 5 black, only one ive ever had so its my favorite

Basic summary is the X5 is out for obvious reasons (curved lenses don't work great underwater), the Action 5 tends to overdo the "blue" correction and isn't always accurate to the real colors, and sometimes loses sharpness in some scenarios. The AcePro's colors are better, but the highlights tend to be quite soft which removes some of the punch from the image. It also loses sharpness in some scenarios. The GoPro tends to have the most accurate colors and the best overall sharpness in these tests.

Hero 3 Silver has a special place in my heart. Hero 5 was the first to really WOW me.

I don’t have a preferred brand. I had the Hero 5, 7, and 11. I decided this time to try something different. I can totally acknowledge that the Hero 13 maybe better than its predecessors. I don’t think you can go wrong with either camera for the average user.

I would say Hero 4 and 5. I know dozens of them still in use without any troubles. Unlike newer ones that got replaced quite soon

I have an ancient GoPro 5 I used to use for it. It worked better than adequate. I'm sure most modern cameras with image stabilization would do the job for you. Maybe stay away from the super cheap ones. On placement, a helmet mount will make the kid look small and less in the moment. I recommend the chest strap because it's a bit lower down for one. Also, provided the straps are elastic, you can grab it and aim it anywhere you want, like sideways to get a side shot while skiing along with the kid. You could also stop and point it uphill to catch the kid coming down. One thing I don't recommend is placing it aiming backwards (like you mentioned above). If you can't see where it's pointing, you'll likely not have the kid in frame for any extended period of time. And any shots you would get would be more by chance.

If you get a used GoPro, Hero 5 has image stabilization, but not at 4K resolution and it was marginally effective. Hero 6 has image stabilization at 4K, but it didn't work very well on all axis. Hero 7 and later finally have functional "HyperSmooth" image stabilization on all resolutions and all axis.

but you can use the same battery btw the osmo360 and the action 5....

I use GoPro 7 and I think 5 for the rear. https://youtu.be/4Dvn4o82fQA

I owned a GoPro since the Hero5 until the latest and love it. I am not an extreme user but it works for me. A lot of videos I see are either biased of paid to promote the competitors. You will see a lot of criticism on low light performance, small sensor etc. Hope the next release with a new sensor shuts them down.

I've tried to defend GorPro for so long as they do have the best daylight footage and best log profile. I've owned the Hero 3, 5, 7, 10 and now the 12. The 3, 5, 7 and 10 I was happy with. But it's getting indefensible now, with no Hero 14 out this year I am every chance to jump to DJI if the action 6 is good enough. Still using the GP2 processor is a joke, it came out with the H10, it's so far out of date. Low light hasn't usually been a concern to me as much, hence never making the switch to the competition. But it does pop up on occassions in thick forest or tree coverage, basically anything other than direct sunlight, so I am starting to notice how poor it is. On top of that the screens, lack of fast charge, slow boot times for "quick capture" ... I bought the Osmo 360 and am glad, I think the overall experience is better than that with GoPro and the footage is better than anything Insta360 has ever made which is always oversaturated and over sharpened trash. Maybe I'll switch back for Max 3 in 5 years time, maybe it will have a new processor, larger sensor and better editing software by then.

I used to be a GoPro fanboy, bought the Action 5 and don't think I can go back

I am still using GoPro Hero 5 balck 🥹

action 5 is so far best gopro. no crashing ever, no weird errors, and battery life is like 3 hours of recording, and i can film fine indoors without weird banding glitches

I've had a GoPro Hero 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10, as well as the Max. I've go over 2,000 skydives with GoPros on my helmet, including world records and jumps into the Blue Hole in Belize. I've taken them to every continent (including Antarctica) for running and scuba diving and overall travel. So I use GoPros a lot, and I use them in environments that are pretty tough on them. One thing that's been annoying is the heavy push to GoPro subscription. Their cloud storage is just awful. The money is better spent on something like Dropbox or Box. Their software has been pretty terrible too. Hardware wise, they've been hit or miss. Sometimes it's software, sometimes it's hardware. They can corrupt video files, do a weird "gets hot after charging and locks up so that you have to pull the batteries", they can stop mid recording. All of that with the proper recommended cards. Some have just been lemons, probably a bad solder or heatsink contact. Sometimes it's fixed in a firmware upgrade. They're notorious in the skydiving community. "Did you get it?" "No, it stopped recording 5 seconds in." "It froze up". That kind of thing. Not all the time, not even frequent, but enough that it's annoying. And each model seems to have their own little quirks. My Hero 7 and 10 has been solid for the most part. My 9.. not as much. My Max is a piece of shit. My next 360 camera will absolutely not be a Max, and probably won't be whatever they come out with next. My next action camera probably won't be a GoPro.

The Action 5 is said to be better in low light conditions than to the Hero 13. Dunno how it is for the Action 4 and this in comparison to e.g. the Hero 12. But there are a lot of videos about that on YT. I suggest to check them out.

If you’re going to be using it outside then action 4. No need to spend extra. Few years ago i had purchased a used go pro hero 5 from fb marketplace to use on my helmet when im riding my bike. It was perfect for what i needed. Action 4 is way better than the gopro hero5. Osmo pocket 3 is very fragile. So action 4 and some nd filters will do you justice

This is the correct answer. I've been using a Hero 5 just to record my rides in case something was to happen. Wanna upgrade soon but I know its not necessary at all.

i fly the walksnail Avatar pro myself. its Not good for anything cinematic. its good enough as digital systems and very good for night flying. but for making recordings its Bad. If you want good recordings take the o4 pro, o3, WS Moonlight 4k or a Action Cam Like the GoPro/dji Action 5

1. All GoPros only have a wide angle lens. Every other "lens" is a software setting. 2. The Hero 5-7 Black models all use the same case because they're the same dimensions (I have a Hero 5). Which specific Hero 7 model do you have? Are you buying the official GoPro case? The best way to improve the lens is to get physical lens attachments like the Backscatter Flip system.

Hey all! I’m AOWD beach holiday diver (1-2 times a year, total of about 80 dives). Have been using an oooold GoPro 5 or 6 for years now and would like to upgrade - so, the question. I generally film the bigger stuff and not at photography level for macro. Dive case seems like a good plan, as you can add accessories AND the camera will automatically upgrade with the new phones. GoPro is just an easy choice and something familiar. What do you guys think?

Oh, that’s a great point - have so many videos of half a shark cause I pointed the GoPro slightly off!

Lots of issues. My Osmo 5 has much much better battery life+charging speed is amazing. I need 2 batteries compared to gopro 4-5. Startup is almost instant.

Unpopular opinion maybe, but gopro puts out great quality underwater footage. It depends what you're using it for and what you want to film though. I'd encourage you to go look up recent gopro 4k underwater footage and you'd be surprised how crisp and sharp the images are, even without additional lights or gear. If you're looking for close up macro shots it's not the best (although it can still take great stills or you can also simply extract a still from 4k footage). I can't count the number of times I've seen people commenting on amazing shots here and asking what camera was used, only to be surprised that it was actually just a still frame from a gopro video. Is it the best for making professional quality prints or video? Probably not. Does it put out great quality non-professional video for a vacation diver? Absolutely. If you're okay with the quality of iphone videos, you'll likely be okay with the quality of gopro videos. The most important thing if you're filming video is image stabilization, which gopro is best of class at for non-professionals. There's nothing worse than shaky cam footage underwater and it's really good at producing smooth footage even for beginners. If you want to up your gopro game, you can still do it on a budget by adding a good tray (don't buy a handle) and two lights. I use a backscatter tray with 2x Orcatorch D710Vs. It's very decent and hard to beat at the price range. Sky's the limit on price if you want to look at more premium options. The best part is that I can fit it all in a regular sized backpack, which is something you can't do with nearly any other underwater camera options. I'm, also not worried about it getting banged around as they're built like tanks. Lastly there's a huge market of used gopros too if you really want to buy something on a budget.

dont give gopro anymore $ till they release an actually good product. insta, and DJI out perform them, and they dont DELETE YOUR FOOTAGE FOR NO REASON

i've used action cameras for almost 18 years now? and ive used all the major brands, GoPro more than ANY other. and from the hero -until the 12 black every single one at one point or another simply corrupted/deleted a whole days of videos. I've used DJI cameras from their little cube thing, to teh action 3 (i dont have the latest ones) and ive not lost any video recorded. same with Insta of what ive tested (i cannot speak to the newer 360's or the newer go 3s as ive not had them in hand to test) i will not give GoPro another single $ until they figure out wtf happens where it corrupts/deletes videos. its a useless camera if it cant save a video.

Hey there! I have used a GoPro for many of my professional and recreational dives. In my experience, GoPro pros are great within 30 m and have a wide depth of field, but when it comes to color, correction and specific focus, they are severely lacking. If you are seriously interested in getting into the hobby of underwater photography, or videography, I would suggest looking at something like an Olympus tough TG – six or TG – seven. these are phenomenal cameras for the money and have all the modern features you want, including automatic white balance ability to shoot in 4K at 60 FPS, as well as having all of your standard aperture and shutter speed settings all in one convenient digital camera package. I think the TG6, which I personally use runs about $400 New. You may be able to find one cheaper used, but I would definitely recommend a housing if you are frequently taking pictures and videos beneath meters or 30 feet.

Literally every post now seems to mention low light. I've never had an issue with my GoPros and I've owned every GoPro Black since the 4. Sounds like your sports don't really need low light either, so not sure what the hesitation is. I own a few DJI products as well (drone, mic mini, Osmo mobile) but I'd get a GoPro over the DJI camera for sure.

I started out with the DragonTouch 4K action camera and it was good enough. I started filming my games because I had just started playing again after 27 years away from hockey. I made friends with a few goalies I met here on Reddit who were kind enough to mentor me. Eventually, the video quality just wasn't good enough for what I needed. I invested in a gopro hero black, I believe I have the 11 or 12, and bought an aluminum case and suction mount on Amazon. The picture quality is amazing, and it makes filming and posting to youtube much more enjoyable since the footage is really sharp. Crease Quest on YouTube if you want to see the difference in camera quality. My oldest videos were all with the same camera. I tried editing and fiddling with the settings as much as I could, but when I switched to the GoPro it was a complete game changer. My home barn lets me mount the camera high inside the glass, which is why I bought the aluminum case. Other rinks I play at my son has to be behind the glass moving the camera between periods. EDIT: I also mounted a small external battery to the suction mount and have that plugged into the gopro during games so I don't run into any power issues.

I have the Hero black. Night time footage is good. However, the footage makes it look like you’re farther away from the subject than you actually are. That and it gets hot during extended replay while editing.

Many videos shown on YouTube are from the launch periods and are sponsored. Especially the DJI Action 5 was pushed pretty hard in my opinion. But they all make great videos. If you want low light performance I wouldn't go the gopro way. But in good light conditions I'd say the gopro still has the crown. For me the killer features though are 5.3k 8:7 and Gopro Labs which adds features no other action cam even comes close to. Those all help a lot for editing.

For me GoPro always had the best mic/audio balance. insta always sounded baseless and sucked at eliminating wind noise as well