GoPro

Hero 4 Series

Overall

#30 in

Action Cameras

according to Reddit Icon Reddit

Sentiment score54% positive
33
10
18

Top Pros

Top Cons

Last updated: May 16, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit Icon56077
4 months ago

I’ve had 3 different generations (4,8,10 IINM). My main headache was reliable charging (bad contact, I guess), and starting. Thinking it should be all charged and have it die shortly or not start was super annoying. It could work great, or fail. I’m still getting used to trusting it, since it seems to be behaving.

Reddit Icon80aychdee
10 months ago

I filmed my wedding with a couple gopros. They were 4s back in 2015. My only recommendation is don’t film a wedding using GoPros. But if you absolutely want to I bet the 13 with that anamorphic lens could get some good shots.

Reddit IconAbigail716
about 1 month ago

GoPro is really good for accessories historically but that's kind of fallen off. Now DJI I find has the best accessories availability. Insta360 Is my overall favorite brand. There 360 cameras are really cool. My primary use case has been the GO 3S Which is their smallest camera because I have been using them to attach them to animals and that's been really cool. But it also means I've got quite a bit of experience dealing with the videos and the output even I'm not the one wearing the camera. Their system is definitely the best overall for just ease of dealing with it. If you don't need anything super high-end that camera is also just fantastic as kind of a attach it and forget it situation like if you're on vacation walking around and you never know what you might want to record. Kind of like meta glasses it's really good for a camera that you just forget you're wearing which is a huge reason I think that's probably the best camera for most people. There is an old saying that the best camera is the one that you have on you, that's kind of why it's so good because you're more likely to actually bring it and use it for small things. I know you're asking about cameras but for example I also have the Rode wireless micro microphones which is the same concept. If it's small and stays out of your way you're more likely to use it. When it comes to small cameras insta360 is absolutely dominant no one has anything even equivalent DJI has the best system if you're wanting to do slowmo because it can do 4K120. DJI is also more rugged in their design. Their action 6 camera is what I would recommend if you're doing diving or any sort of really intense sport where it's going to get banged around a lot. If you're just a generic tourist walking around, especially if you ever want to attach a camera to your cat or dog insta is the way to go. Also the way to go if you're ever thinking about how you wish you had your camera already set up at a moment but didn't for some reason like it's too bulky or the battery life, or it just wouldn't have been easy to mount. That's where it really excels. The GO 3S has a ton of accessories for mounting it on weird locations. RC cars, walls, pet toys, etc.

about 1 month ago

No settings relevant. Overheated while off sitting outside and would not function once it was turned on. The DJI and Insta360 cameras sitting next to it worked fine. Tests were on 2 separate Hero13 Black models. Would also overheat when filming at 5.3K60 and 4K60 in more mild weather while the other cameras from DJI and insta360 had no such problems. Models Tested: Insta360: Ace Pro 2, Go Ultra, Go 3S, X5 Note: Ace Pro 2 was tested at both 8K30 and 4K60 DJI: Action 6, Action 5, Nano, Mobile 8, Pocket 3 GoPro: Hero 13 Black, Hero 13 UW, Hero 12 Black All GoPro models had overheating issues, none of the others had overheating issues when tested in the same environment for the same equivalent camera. So for example we would test multiple action cameras side by side but the 360 cameras from insta360 was not tested at the exact same time as the others. One such example is we will mount multiple cameras on a board on the top of a UTV while driving so they are all side by side and can be compared directly in the closest to a perfectly identical environment. With the Cancun trip we simply brought a bunch of different cameras and then alternated betweens which ones we use except the GoPro ones kept overheating including just by sitting on a lounge chair next to us. My husband is utterly obsessed with having the absolute best of everything which is why we own so many different models because he likes to do the testing himself as a hobby. It is also relevant for him from a professional setting when it comes to investments because he prefers hands-on research.

about 1 month ago

GoPro is really good for accessories historically but that's kind of fallen off. Now DJI I find has the best accessories availability. Insta360 Is my overall favorite brand. There 360 cameras are really cool. My primary use case has been the GO 3S Which is their smallest camera because I have been using them to attach them to animals and that's been really cool. But it also means I've got quite a bit of experience dealing with the videos and the output even I'm not the one wearing the camera. Their system is definitely the best overall for just ease of dealing with it. If you don't need anything super high-end that camera is also just fantastic as kind of a attach it and forget it situation like if you're on vacation walking around and you never know what you might want to record. Kind of like meta glasses it's really good for a camera that you just forget you're wearing which is a huge reason I think that's probably the best camera for most people. There is an old saying that the best camera is the one that you have on you, that's kind of why it's so good because you're more likely to actually bring it and use it for small things. I know you're asking about cameras but for example I also have the Rode wireless micro microphones which is the same concept. If it's small and stays out of your way you're more likely to use it. When it comes to small cameras insta360 is absolutely dominant no one has anything even equivalent DJI has the best system if you're wanting to do slowmo because it can do 4K120. DJI is also more rugged in their design. Their action 6 camera is what I would recommend if you're doing diving or any sort of really intense sport where it's going to get banged around a lot. If you're just a generic tourist walking around, especially if you ever want to attach a camera to your cat or dog insta is the way to go. Also the way to go if you're ever thinking about how you wish you had your camera already set up at a moment but didn't for some reason like it's too bulky or the battery life, or it just wouldn't have been easy to mount. That's where it really excels. The GO 3S has a ton of accessories for mounting it on weird locations. RC cars, walls, pet toys, etc.

about 1 month ago

Yeah it doesn't make any sense. I have a hero 4 black that we brought on the same trip just for the fun of it and it was able to work fine. No overheating issues compared to the hero 13 Black. We were originally just thinking it would be a fun comparison to show the difference between the two but the modern one didn't even work at all. Plus honestly the four black is pretty much fine, that was the first one that could do 4K30 or 2.7K60 which is good enough for most people

about 1 month ago

No settings relevant. Overheated while off sitting outside and would not function once it was turned on. The DJI and Insta360 cameras sitting next to it worked fine. Tests were on 2 separate Hero13 Black models. Would also overheat when filming at 5.3K60 and 4K60 in more mild weather while the other cameras from DJI and insta360 had no such problems. Models Tested: Insta360: Ace Pro 2, Go Ultra, Go 3S, X5 Note: Ace Pro 2 was tested at both 8K30 and 4K60 DJI: Action 6, Action 5, Nano, Mobile 8, Pocket 3 GoPro: Hero 13 Black, Hero 13 UW, Hero 12 Black All GoPro models had overheating issues, none of the others had overheating issues when tested in the same environment for the same equivalent camera. So for example we would test multiple action cameras side by side but the 360 cameras from insta360 was not tested at the exact same time as the others. One such example is we will mount multiple cameras on a board on the top of a UTV while driving so they are all side by side and can be compared directly in the closest to a perfectly identical environment. With the Cancun trip we simply brought a bunch of different cameras and then alternated betweens which ones we use except the GoPro ones kept overheating including just by sitting on a lounge chair next to us. My husband is utterly obsessed with having the absolute best of everything which is why we own so many different models because he likes to do the testing himself as a hobby. It is also relevant for him from a professional setting when it comes to investments because he prefers hands-on research.

Reddit IconAdventurousSepti
4 months ago

It will work. All depends on your personal definition of "good images." Get the 6 and an underwater case and shoot away. Or just turn on video and take screen grabs. I have several underwater cameras and still use a GP4 on my airplane. Each iteration of GP adds features, so moving to 7 or 11 will be better. But the 6 will take decent images. All depends on your budget and what is "good" enough for you.

Reddit IconAlexArkoss
7 months ago

Comprate una GoPro usada, esas chinas son malísimas. Te lo digo de experiencia. Graban como los teléfonos del 2007. Agarrate una Hero 3+ Black para arriba. La 4 es bastante común, barata y anda genial. Yo tengo las dos y las llevo usando casi 4 años re contento

Reddit IconAlteringEnzics4Fun
7 months ago

Go pro 4 would do you well enough second hand off eBay

Reddit IconAlvMartinez
3 months ago

I’m happy with my GoPro, I had the Hero9 and it works great for me, I use it for mountain biking and mostly for Diving, this is my 3rd GoPro (4, 5, 9).

Reddit Iconalzrnb
7 months ago

I've had * Hero 3 White * Hero 4 Silver * Hero 7 Black * Max (1) * Hero 12 Black and I still have all but the 3 white. The 3 white was the only 'bad' one I think, one where the camera really didn't live up to the hype for me and hence I upgraded quite quickly. As for my favourite? In the context of when they came out the 7 felt the most incredible, it really was a big jump with the stabilisation. But I probably shot most of my coolest footage on either the 4 Silver or the Max, just because of the time in my life I was using them and the novelty of 360 footage at the time.

7 months ago

If you're on a budget I think everything past the Hero 7 black has had really usable video as that was the first model with the hypersmooth stabilisation which made a big difference. Definitely improvements have been made but footage from the 7 very much holds up. I would err on the side of getting a full fat "Hero X Black" model and just go older to fit your budget, as these tend to have the better support and reliability and replaceable batteries when some of the budget models have missed out on features like replaceable batteries and front and even sometimes rear screens Absolute lowest end of budget I'd recommend would be hero 4 silver. The rear screen makes such a difference to getting your shots right and it still has all the essential features that make a GoPro what they are. You can pick one up for a fraction of the cost of the top end models (£50 vs £250-350).

Rankings by Use Case

Top recommendations from others in the same boat

Other Reddit Recommendations: