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The best GoPro 2019: Which GoPro should you buy today?
- Which is the best action camera for you to choose?
GoPro make some of the best action cameras around - and, of course, they're probably the best known brand out there. It's still the best all-round experience for both professional video makers and the average consumer. This begs the question: which GoPro should you buy?
What GoPro offers
GoPro's entire lineup has gone through something of a streamlining process and complete refresh over the past couple of years. Whereas prior years saw various models, including a budget, tiny Session, the company now only offers versions of the flagship Hero series and the 360-degree Fusion.
It has moved around its product line quite a bit to do this - GoPro replaced a budget-orientated Hero with the full HD capable Hero 7 White, then replaced the Hero 5 with the Hero 7 Silver, and replaced the Hero 6 Black with the flagship Hero 7 Black.
That makes four cameras in total but between them you should easily be able to find something that works for you on your budget.
GoPro also offers an array of accessories, from small handheld mounts that act as tripods, and floating cases, to the powered, stabilising Karma Grip gimbal system. It also has a great, easy to use mobile and desktop apps for editing. As an ecosystem goes, it's pretty unbeatable.
Our pick of the best action cameras from GoPro
GOPRO
GoPro Fusion
Seamless 360-degree 5.2k video
Seamless 360-degree 18MP stills
Waterproof to 5m
OverCapture
GoPro officially launched the Fusion towards the end of 2017. While expensive, the Fusion has the potential to shake up the VR camera and action camera markets.
It has two 180 degree cameras, which automatically stitch together to form a 360-degree image with an invisible seam. At its highest resolution it shoots 5.2k resolution footage at 30fps, but can also shoot 3k footage at 60fps. Still photos are 18-megapixels.
It's built to cope in water up to five metres deep and has a 2,620mAh battery capable of shooting for up to 70 minutes before needing a top-up.
Its biggest feature is OverCapture. It essentially lets you select a 1080p window from anywhere in the original 5.2k shot, and then move anywhere in the scene to follow the action. You can also quickly and easily move between various viewing modes: 360, tiny planet and flat fields of view.
If you're after the best possible action camera available, but don't want to drop £560 on a Fusion, the next best - and best regular action camera available - is the Hero7 Black.
Stuck on the front is a camera capable of shooting HDR still photos, as well as 4K video up to 60 frames per second and 1080p footage up to 240fps for awesome slow-motion. It's also equipped with some very advanced digital stabilisation, which acts like a 3-axis gimbal to smooth out shakes and vibrations. It's called HyperSmooth and almost completely gets rid of bumps and shakes in the footage.
As well as all that, general image quality is much more natural and better quality too, compared to its predecessor. All this is thanks to the new custom, upgraded GP1 processor, which has enabled these improvements in hardware that's largely the same as the previous model. It offers the following resolutions and FOVs:
It's waterproof up to 10 metres, fits all the same accessories and mounts as the Hero5. It also has the same 1220mAh battery.
What's particularly interesting here is that it's better at QuikStories than any other camera, because it has the built-in ability to analyse telemetry, audio and facial recognition clues and better choose the bits where action is happening. That means when it comes to creating a QuikStory, the camera should be better at choosing the important parts than previous cameras.
You can control Hero6 using the buttons or touchscreen as normal, or use voice commands to get your camera to take photos, shoot video, just by telling it to.
Hero5 was an incredible camera when it launched in 2016, and still is a great action camera two years later, despite being discontinued. Unlike all the previous Heros leading up to the Hero5, this one doesn't need additional waterproof housing for use underwater, or during particularly wet activities.
If you can do without HDR photos, or the higher frame rate video capture, the Hero5 is an ideal option. Especially if your budget doesn't quite reach to £400.
For £100 less than the Hero6 you still get a camera capable of shooting 12-megapixel stills and 4K video, and a massive array of accessories and mounts to fit it to. It's waterproof up to 10 metres, and has the same 1220mAh battery as the Hero6. Here are all the resolutions, frame-rates and FOVs available:
4K Wide - 30, 25 fps
4K SuperView - 24fps
2.7K Wide, Medium + Linear - 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 fps
2.7K SuperView - 30, 25 fps
2.7K (4:3) Wide - 30, 25 fps
1440p Wide - 80, 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 fps
1080p Narrow - 120, 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 fps
1080p SuperView - 80, 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 fps
1080p Wide - 90, 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 fps
1080p Linear + Medium - 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, 24 fps
960p Wide - 120, 60, 50 fps
720p Narrow - 240, 120, 60, 50, 30, 25 fps
720p SuperView - 120, 100, 60, 50 fps
720p Wide + Medium - 120, 60, 50, 30, 25 fps
WVGA Wide - 240 fps
While it doesn't have the advanced GP1 processor for better QuikStories action-choosing, the Hero5 is compatible with QuikStories, meaning it can offload to the GoPro iPhone and Android app, which then automatically edits it, choosing a theme and music to cut it in time with.
If you want a capable action camera without the expense, there's the new GoPro Hero7 White. As you'd expect, at half the price of its highest-spec sibling, it doesn't have the same top features. It was launched in the second of 2018, effectively taking the features from the 6-month-old Hero, and putting it in a new design.
It doesn't have 4K video recording, but it has many of the same features as the old Hero5 Black. For instance, you get voice control, QuikStories, video stabilisation and waterproofing up to 10 metres. It even has the 3-mic noise reduction system. And, unlike the Session cameras it's replacing, it does have a screen, so you can see what you're filming and interact with the controls using its touch sensitivity. It lacks the small monochrome screen on the front, and the battery isn't removable though.
If you can live without the 4K resolution video, the 60fps 1080p capture from the stabilised Hero should be more than enough to capture your best outdoor exploits. Here are all the resolutions, frame-rates and FOVs available:
1440p Wide - 60fps
1080p Wide - 60fps
15/1 burst rate 10MP stills
It's a much simpler offering from GoPro and one which should prove very easy to use for those thinking about trying out a GoPro camera.
GOPRO
GoPro Hero5 Session
4K video up to 30fps
10m waterproofing
Tiny, portable design
The Session range is the ultra-portable set of cameras that's been discontinued, but they still make great options if you can find one. They cut down a little on features, but are surprisingly capable of producing great footage, despite their small size. The top of the range Session is the Hero5 Session, which launched alongside the Hero5 in 2016.
Like the Hero5, it's compatible with QuikStories and connects to the GoPro mobile app. It's waterproof to 10 metres, is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth equipped, and can shoot in all the modes you've become accustomed to: Photo, Burst Mode, Night Photo, Video, Looping, Time Lapse Photo, Time Lapse Video and Night Lapse Photo.
Video is stabilised, and wind noise is actively reduced using two mics on the exterior. You can even make use of the ProTune feature for more manual photo and video control. Here's a full list of available resolutions and FOVs.
As well as all these features, you can make use of GoPro's Voice Control to take photos, shoot video or time lapses. As small cameras go, it's pretty advanced, and matches the Hero5 Black in almost every way. It's just cheaper and smaller and missing the touchscreen.
Which GoPro should you buy?
If you want the best of the best, the Hero7 Black is the easiest recommendation. It doesn't just film 4K resolution at 60fps, it's waterproof, can do 240fps slow-mo at 1080p resolution, and has really impressive digital stabilisation during shooting. Overall image quality is great too.
If you want high end recording abilities in as small a package as possible, the Hero5 Session is a really great option, even if it is discontinued. It's compact, waterproof and can shoot at pretty much the same levels as the Hero5 Black, and doesn't cost the earth.
If budget is the primary motivator for you, the newest Hero7 White is clearly the best option. It doesn't have 4K, but if you're unsure about getting in on the action camera game, or don't have the financial flexibility to pony up for a more expensive GoPro, the basic Hero will do you just fine.
Ultimately it comes down to weighing up what's important to you in an action camera. To read up more on GoPro and its products - including the Fusion - be sure to check out our GoPro Hub.
- Which is the best action camera for you to choose?
