Pat PilcherSummary
GoPro Hero10Black Camera REVIEW
$840.99
The new-gen Go-Pro features incredibly effective image stabilisation and is a boon for travellers and vloggers writes PAT PILCHER.
GoPro cameras have been the shooter for vloggers, adventurers, and thrill seekers forever. Now there’s a new GoPro kid on the block, the Hero10Black. But is the Hero10Black any better than the 9? I got to spend quality time with this pint-sized snapper. Here’s what I found.
From a design perspective, its looks remarkably like its earlier siblings. This isn’t necessarily bad, as the Hero10 will play nice with Hero9 accessories. Looks-wise, it resembles an old-school Kodak film camera my grandma used to use, even if it is much smaller.
When I say it’s a small camera, I’m really not kidding. The Hero10Black easily fits into my palm at a mere 71 x 56 x 33 mm (HWD) and weighing in at 153g it’s super petite. This light and compact beastie’s built-in clips allow it to hook onto a selfie stick or cycle/skating/scootering helmet. Being waterproof down to 10 metres, it feels almost indestructible and is able to go anywhere.
Most of the exciting stuff with the Hero10Black happens under its hood. Video processing now handles 5.3K60 and 4K120 capture, and its image stabilisation is crazily good. A wide lens makes it ideal for action shots, but like the Hero9, it is a versatile camera as it can be used for video streaming, as a webcam or even for taking passable snaps.
GoPro has added a water repellent coating to its lens. They’ve also made the lens resistant to scratches. That said, the lens can be replaced. Behind the lens sits a new and improved image sensor and image/video processor. This combo delivers 240fps slow-mo at 1080p, 120fps at 4K, and 60fps at 5.3K. Add clever noise reduction and better results in low light conditions are also part of the package.
The controls are basic. There is a shoot/record button on top and a mode button. You can also use voice commands such as telling the Hero10 to start recording a video, snap a photo or capture a time-lapse video. Buttons and voice commands can only go so far, and helping things along is a touch-screen interface. With it, you can switch between shooting modes and tweak camera settings. It also allows you to create shortcuts to the Hero10’s various pre-sets.
Under its hood, the Hero10 packs a 1,720mAh battery, which gave me just over an hour and a half with 5.3K 24fps video shooting, and ran even longer with 4K 60fps video. You can use an external power source via its built-in USB-C port if you need longer run times.
Speaking of hooking it up as a USB-connected widget, the Hero10 worked well as a webcam. Connecting it up to my Surface Book and firing up the GoPro Webcam Utility software saw it working a treat with Facebook Messenger, Zoom and Skype. With the Webcam utility, I could stream 1080p and tweak the aspect ratio from wide through to narrow.
With the Hero10, it really feels like a camera that can go anywhere. Its near indestructible design combines with superb video. The HyperSmooth video stabilisation is the business if you’re out and about. I was stunned by how much camera wobble and shake was smoothed out. Not so long ago, outdoorsy sporty types needed to spend the GDP of a developing country on a gimbal for use with a camera, but with the Hero10’s HyperSmooth stabilisation, there’s no need. The video stabilisation stays rock steady.
The other compelling feature of owning a GoPro that isn’t so obvious is the sizeable ecosystem of add-ons that can extend the camera’s utility. Higher capacity batteries can be had. Vloggers will love the Media Mod, which has a higher quality mic and a 3.5mm input for external mics. There’s also a Light Mod, which is a video light for filming in poorly lit environments.
While the Hero10 can capture 5.3K video (a slight bump over the 5K video capture capabilities of the earlier Hero9), the big news lies with its frame rates. At 5.3K, it can capture 60fps and 4K 120fps, allowing action to be recorded in a far smoother and natural way. The other benefit of these high frame rates is that with 4K 120fps footage, you get 5x slow-mo video playback too.
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As well as frame rates and resolutions, the Hero10’s video can be tweaked, allowing you to adjust colour, sharpening, and so on. It isn’t just all about the Hero10’s video either. It can also snap 23MP photos saved as either JPGs or Raw images. A baked-in GPS also adds location data. You can also grab individual video frames with a 5.3K video frame being 16MP photos or 8MP photos from a 4K video.
Yes, it’s built like a brick you-know-what-house, as it’s waterproof and can take knocks and tumbles. But the video it cranks out and its image stabilisation is nothing to sneeze at. Anyone wanting a super compact video camera for extreme sports or travel should give the Hero10 some serious consideration.
