GOPRO HERO 7 BLACK

Action cameras are pretty common place in ski resorts, and more-often-than-not the camera you see is a GoPro.

The latest version of the little black box of tricks is called the GoPro Hero 7 Black, retailing at £379.99. There’s a Silver and a White version too, which are cheaper but you lose some of the flagship model’s benefits.

NOTE: They’ve just released the Hero 8 at the start of October, which is now the ‘latest version’ – you can read a little more about this below. They’ve also dropped the Hero 7 White from their range.

I’ve been testing the Hero 7 Black across various conditions, summer and winter, to see how it performs.

I am not paid by GoPro and they did not request I did this test. They’ve had no input to what I’ve written. Any links I’ve used are only to make it easier for you to see what I’m talking about; I don’t make any money from these links and no one requested I add them. You can find similar items elsewhere and often cheaper, so it’s certainly worth shopping around. In short, I wanted to know how good the camera is. So, I got a hold of one to test and this is simply my experience of the camera.

Mainly, I want to know if it is as good as GoPro claim it is.

Well, in short, the answer is Yes, although it’s not without its quirks, like all top-end tech.

If that’s all you need to know, then you don’t need to read on. If you want more detail, then keep reading.

Pros and cons

Image quality and functions are superb. The clarity of footage blows you away, and the stabilisation, called HyperSmooth, improves the viewing experience a lot. Gone is the nausea inducing wobble you get with most cameras.

Battery life could be better, which can be said of most tech. This is being pretty picky as the battery performs well enough for most needs. It’s also easy to charge and extra batteries are easily available.

To put the battery life issue into perspective, I only ran out of juice once in 5 weeks of testing. I work with a few videographers and for them the battery life can be more of an issue. However, they have to carry extra batteries for all of their cameras, so the GoPro is not alone.

On one occasion I had an issue with viewing some of videos via the camera. I hadn’t lost them though, as after I’d copied all files from the micro SD card to my laptop I could watch the missing videos.

Issue when updating the software on the camera

I also had an issue when running a software update for the camera.

You update the camera software using the GoPro app on your phone. Whilst running the update the app days ‘Don’t leave the app!’ (i.e. don’t use your phone for anything else). I received, and answered, a call while running the update. This caused the update to freeze for a few hours. I had to cancel the update and remove the battery from the camera. Then the battery needed charging, so back in it went and onto charge. After this I could start the update process again. The good news is that it only took around a minute to run the update this time. Not a massive issue, but a little frustrating.

Some of these issues can be attributed, at least in part, to connectivity, less than perfect real-world scenarios and lack of any manual with my test model. I can forgive the camera for these little foibles. After all, you mainly buy one for how good it is at shooting video and at that it is incredible.

Value

NOTE: GoPro changes their pricing from time to time. This was £379.99 when I wrote this, but has since dropped in price.

Is it worth almost £380? That’s a heap of money and it’s certainly a purchase you give a lot of thought to – especially with the Silver version at £280 and the White model at £180. Is it really worth paying £100 or even £200 more?

If you want to invest in a GoPro, then you are arguably doing it as you want a superb camera. After all, there are lots of cheaper alternatives and copies available. I think the benefits that the Hero 7 Black offers are well worth the investment. Even just for little things like a replaceable lens protector, let alone social sharing and HyperSmooth, I’d rather have the Black version over the others.

I’d definitely want the GoPro Hero 7 Black over alternative cameras, especially cheap copies. The technology in the GoPro is incredible and delivers superb footage. The other benefit in having a GoPro is that spares, mounts and accessories are widely available. Once you use this camera and see the footage, then you’ll be glad you took the plunge; the Hero 7 Black is pretty incredible.

How good does the footage look?

The video it shoots is incredibly clear and the HyperSmooth function on the camera makes for nausea-free viewing. It doesn’t eliminate really high speed vibrations. However, it makes a huge difference to how stable the footage is compared to the juddery, wobbling nature of old school action point-of-view (POV) cameras.

In the following video you can see the HyperSmooth in action. The Hero 7 Black was mounted to my handlebar, and you’ll notice how much the bar is waving from side to side, but the image remains really stable.

The reason you can see the bars move relative to the camera is that the camera automatically crops around 5% around the edge of the image as part of the HyperSmooth programming, then software does the rest. The bars swing in and out of the cropped part of the image – you can think of this area as a buffer allowing the image to remain stable in the middle. The bike can swing about but the image doesn’t; clever peeps at GoPro!

The fact that you can do so much more than just shoot video is a bonus, but this is not a new thing for action cameras. A great thing about the Hero 7 is how easy it is to shoot and share to social media – including Facebook live. After all, who wouldn’t want to boast to the world about their first double back flip or, more likely, the amusing stack ‘Dave’ just took trying to look cool skiing down La Face in Val d’Isere.

Posting live to Facebook is done via the GoPro app, so you would need your phone with you.

Photos

The Hero 7 Black shoots superb photos. I’m not going into too much detail about photo’s in this test. There’s a lot you can do for stills with the Hero 7 Black. The SuperPhoto setting makes getting a killer image a breeze.

Voice command

The Hero 7 has a touch screen on the back which is super easy to use. What about when wearing gloves? No matter as the button for shooting is rubber and easy to locate. There’s also voice command so you don’t have to touch the camera at all. I used the voice command quite a lot. It works really well, as long as the camera can hear you (not so good in a night club).

Voice command is really good when skiing, as you tend to have gloves on, and it’s also great when messing about on and in water. The voice command doesn’t allow you to access all of the menus, which the touchscreen has, but things like changing modes and starting/stopping filming are very easy with voice command.

Using a phone to control the Hero 7

If the touch screen at the back is too small and if you prefer a larger screen then you can do all of this (and more) through the GoPro app on your phone. You can use it as a screen to display real-time images from the camera, and you can control all of the settings for the camera, run updates, download and edit video, share on social media and more.

The camera is really intuitive to use, the touch screen on the rear means you can easily see what you’re shooting as well as reviewing your footage. You can do all of this on the app on your phone too, and sometimes having a larger screen like that is useful.

Sound quality

The sound the Hero 7 Black records is surprisingly good. There’s a in-built mic on each of the two small sides of the camera. For improved sound nquality then you can buy an adaptor to use a microphone with a 3.5mm jack. The adaptor connects into the USB-C port. There’s also a micro HDMI port to make hooking up to a display a cinch.

Lens protective cover

The demo GoPro I used had a slight scratch on the lens’ protective cover. (Demo cameras get a lot of abuse and often people don’t really look after them.) This meant the videos I shot had a little blurred area.

The nice thing is that you can easily change this lens protector, without any tools. It costs around £20 for a replacement lens protector from GoPro. The actual lens is safeguarded under this.

This is not a major issue though as the lens protector is there for good reason. It’s a cinch to change, without any tools and costs £19.99.

A firm anti-clockwise twist of the lens protector to remove it, then you can fit the new one.

NOTE: You don’t have removable lens protector on the Hero 7 Silver or White editions, or the new Hero8.

You can get stick on screen protectors to protect the protective lens cover (slightly ironic, I know) and the screen on the rear of the camera – just like you get screen protectors for your smart phone.

The pack retails at around £25. It includes 5 sets of screen protectors (front and back) and a protective back door for The Frame. This protective door would be a good idea if you’re worried about the touchscreen getting scratched. As standard The Frame doesn’t cover the screen. You can see this in the image showing a pen sitting through the open rear door of The Frame.

Things are heating up

During my time with the GoPro Hero 7 I noticed the camera can get really quite warm. This was mainly when charging and updating but sometimes in use; an issue that can affect other tech likes smart phones. It never felt dangerous, and the warmth was sometimes welcomed as a hand-warmer. It is something to be aware of though.

What’s in the box?

When you buy the Hero 7 Black, as standard you get the camera, one battery, The Frame, adhesive mounts, a mounting buckle, a USB C cable and a thumb screw (for attaching The Frame to the mounting buckle).

The Hero 7 uses a Micro SD memory card, which you insert beside the battery.

NOTE: GoPro runs promos from time-to-time where you get a free micro SD with the camera

It’s really easy to swap out batteries and cards. Carrying spares and changing them on the fly is not an issue.

All videographers I work with carry spare batteries for their cameras anyway – whether compacts like the GoPro or larger cameras. Cold mountain environments and batteries don’t mix well, so having a spare (or more) is a good idea. Same for memory cards too. Micro SD cards are so affordable now that having more than one is a good idea. A card can easily fill up if you’re having a great time, or it could stop working, so a spare’s a good idea.

Charging

You can charge the battery when it is in the camera using the included USB-C cable. It can take around 2 hours to charge from flat, if using a wall socket. If charging using another USB system, such as a laptop port, then charging can take longer.

You can get systems to charge more than one battery at a time. GoPro’s dual battery charger and extra battery costs just under £50.

Mounts

I tested the camera with a chest mount and with a pole / handlebar mount.

I used the pole mount way more than the chesty. I found you can be more creative with how you frame the image. It’s also easier to get you and the action in the shot.

The chest mount is great for first person POV, such as skiing scary off-piste lines. It just doesn’t show you in the shot. Depending on the sport you’re doing, it can be quite restrictive with a chest mount. It’s great for skiing but not so great for surfing or anything where you use the front of your torso a lot.

A pole mount is so easy to attach to ski poles, paddle handles, bike handlebars and more. This makes it a really versatile accessory and worth investing in. It rotates easily once mounted, so finding the best angle is a doddle. It costs under £35 from GoPro.

Leash attachment

The Frame has a slot for attaching a leash. This means you can attach the camera to a wrist loop or tether. Mounts can get broken in use. A tether’s intended to prevent you losing your camera if the mount eats it when you’re charging. You wouldn’t want to a lose a camera this good, after all. In the image I used a red leash so you can easily see where it attaches. It loops around the metal bar at the bottom of The Frame back door, so is secure and stronger than attaching to a plastic part.

There’s a host of other GoPro branded mounts and accessories available for the Hero 7 Black. You can also get a vast array of accessories for this camera from other, non-GoPro, manufacturers. They’re worth looking at as some of these are really good.

Does GoPro offer any camera’s better than the Hero 7 Black?

No, at least not at the moment.

NOTE: This has changed since they released the Hero8.

Currently they do offer a 360° camera, called the Fusion. It has a dual camera, so has a lens on the front and the rear, that allows you to shoot 360° in one go. You can even select areas that it shot in the spherical view and display them as normal rectangular video, all done in editing after you shot the video – no more having to insanely focus on what you’re videoing.

The Fusion also shoots in 5.2K (30 frames per second), while the Hero 7 Black shoots in 4K at 60 frames per second.

The Hero 7 Black is more waterproof (10m versus 5m for the Fusion, both without a waterproof housing), has HyperSmooth stabilisation, is more compact and I think it’s better suited to most people’s needs.

Both have the same time lapse rates and photo burst rates, although there’s no auto setting on the Fusion. The Fusion also misses out on SuperPhoto, where the Hero 7 choses certain settings automatically to ensure you get the clearest, crispest images. With the Hero 7 Black you get Continuous Photo Capture, where you can shoot up to 30 images per second. You also don’t get Exposure Control, where you can select an area of the shot and the Hero 7 sets the exposure from there.

The Fusion is a nice bit of kit, but more specialist and therefore niche than the Hero 7 – they’re different tools for different jobs.

Hero8 Black

There is a Hero8 Black coming, which will be very similar to the Hero 7 Black, but without needing The Frame.

NOTE: The Hero8 Black was released at the start of October, along with an improved Fusion, called Max

The Hero8 will have fold out wings on the bottom of the camera, and you use these, and a thumb screw, to attach it to standard mounts – like you do with the Fusion.

The Hero8 should also get a new floating surround (bought separately), which will also offer impact protection. For the Hero 7 you need to get the Floaty to do a similar job, but this is more cumbersome than the Floaty will be for the Hero8.

There will also be a media module for the Hero8, making it even easier to get improved audio and lighting. You can also use a flip-up display, making selfies easier.

The Hero8 will come with HyperSmooth 2.0, to further enhance the awesome image stabilisation the Hero 7 Black has.

Apart from this, the Hero8 is reported to be pretty much the same as the Hero 7 Black. The Hero 7 Black will continue to be in the range and will continue to be an awesome bit of kit.