Professional 4k30, 2.7k60 and 1080P120 video, 720P240 video for super slow motion playback and 12MP photos at up to 30 frames per second
Built in wi fi and bluetooth support the GoPro app, smart remote and more
Improved camera control and built in video trimming lets you create and save short video clips right on your camera
Protune with superview delivers cinema quality capture and advanced manual control for photos and video with the world’s most immersive wide angle field of view
Night photo and night lapse offer customizable exposure settings for nighttime shooting
Product Dimensions
2.8 x 2.79 x 1.53 inches
Item Weight
5.3 ounces
Item model number
CHDHX-401
Batteries
Lithium Metal batteries required. (included)
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer
No
Date First Available
September 28, 2014
Manufacturer
GoPro Camera
7 reviews for GoPro Hero4 Black
Rated 3 out of 5
Christoph –
I use several of these for research purposes (recording social interaction for analysis) and the main reason I use it is for it’s extremely wide angle because this allows me to capture the whole room even in small rooms (where I can’t move back very far). In combination with the remote, it also allows me to start multiple cameras at the same time, which is very convenient. However, that’s already where the limitations start: the display on the camera is very limited so that it doesn’t even show you the recording time (although technically, it would be possible). Navigating the menus on the camera is also quite a chore and then you need to buy expensive pieces of equipment for every little thing so that an expensive camera becomes even more expensive. It took me quite a while to figure out how to connect a GoPro to an external microphone *and* and external power source (something not so uncommon even in the outdoor domain when you consider that an external power source can also be an external battery pack). The answer is: you need to buy the GoPro battery BacPac (even though you don’t actually need an extra battery pack, given that you want to connect the camera to an external power source) and connect the external power source to that while using the built-in USB port for the microphone. Haha. I’m not sure whether I should be happy because there actually is a solution, or annoyed given it’s clunkiness and cost… Oh, and guess what: in order to plug in the external microphone you need to buy a 6 inch adapter cable (worth about $2) for around $25. One big plus with the GoPro is not in the device itself but in the size of its user base which makes it easy to find all kinds of accessories as well as help with virtually any issue that comes up.
Rated 5 out of 5
David Deuce –
First off, I want to address several things I’ve seen in the bad reviews of the Hero 4 Black. 1. SD card errors – Alright. Your getting a very powerful, very fast camera with the Hero 4 Black, and you need a very powerful, very fast SD card to match. I would NOT recommend buying the GoPro Recommended SD card if your planning on getting the Hero 4 Black. You might have issues with the most extreme filming rates, such as 4K (4K = 4X the resolution of 1080p HD), even though it specifically claims it can handle 4K, my experience differs. Get an SD card that can actually handle 4K and also says it in it’s product description. Sandisk makes a very good one (Extreme Pro), and although it’s more expensive, I believe it’s what is truly needed for 4K, and it’s 100% worth it to not have any issues at all, and to get flawless performance out of your Hero 4 Black at all times.
2. Battery Life – Yes, the Hero 4 Black does use battery faster than the previous models, but that is because of the updated features included in it (faster processor, faster frame rates). Go Pro batteries are very cheap (official GoPro batteries – $15, just as good knockoffs – $8-$10), and all you have to do is get an extra few batteries for more extended use. If your problem is you don’t want to (or can’t because of what your filming) switch out batteries like that, then just get the GoPro Battery BacPac (the new, 15% more capacity one) and you will basically double your battery life. You can even plug certain power banks into your Battery BacPac to keep it constantly running on that. Huge convenience.
3. The camera heating up – This camera is incredibly small, and can handle incredibly fast rates such as 4K and 2.7K, which a lot of bigger cameras can’t even do, and this of course will heat up the unit while it’s in use. This is true with almost any electronic with a battery (your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) GoPro has a safety feature that will shut down your camera if it happens to get too hot, so that it can’t possibly do any damage to your camera. I don’t know what the exact temperature level is that it shuts down at, but it must be real high, because i’ve gotten mine really hot filming outside in the summer sun and it still performed flawlessly and didn’t shut down. My opinion – I wouldn’t worry too much about the overheating issue. It’s way overblown in some of these reviews in my opinion.
*NOTE* It’s a good idea to take the battery out of your camera while it is not in use. There’s a bug GoPro hasn’t patched yet that can possibly turn your camera on by itself if the wi-fi is left on, but I have only found this happen once. The simple fix – turn off your Wi-Fi before turning off your camera.
Here are some of the prime features of the Hero 4 Black: -simplified menu, easy to scroll through and change settings. -New Auto Low Light settings. -built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, for easy viewing and sharing. -Super slow motion frame rates – 1080/120fps, and 720/240fps. -QuikCapture – turn on and start recording by pressing top button, turn on and take time lapse photos by holding top button for 2 seconds. -HiLight Tag – My favorite. put a marker in your footage so you can easily take out/retrieve the part you want, just by pressing the side button during playback. -Greater audio performance – The Hero 4 Black has 2x the dynamic range, and the built-in microphone is MUCH better than the previous models. Sound is crisp and clear. – The Hero 4 Black also has another built-in feature that enables it to be used with a greater range of professional microphones than it’s predecessors.
Now, onto the actual review of the camera. Right out of the box, it doesn’t come with much. Just the camera, dive housing, a charging/sync cable, and a manual. It DOES NOT come with a micro SD card, so your gonna have to purchase one when you purchase the camera if you want to be able to use it. Turning on the camera, it powers up in about 2 seconds and is ready to go.
One of the only cons i’ve noticed is the connection between the camera and the GoPro App (for live video streaming) can be spotty at times. It hasn’t given me enough problems to take a star away or mess up any of what i’ve filmed, but it was kind of annoying (until I got the LCD BacPac – now I have no issues). The App also cannot live stream the faster frame rates, such as 4K and certain 2.7K rates (or at least won’t over my connection).
Something I really love about the Hero 4 Black (and I guess GoPro in general) is the way the camera gets updated. You will get a little notification on your phone that an update is available. All you do is turn on your camera, turn on the camera’s Wi-Fi, click on the notification, and it will update through the Wi-Fi. No plugging up to the computer for updates anymore! I also love that with my update, I received new ISO settings (low light), as well as the ability to edit short clips directly on the LCD BacPac. Every update increases the camera’s performance and even gives you new settings to be able to film better. Can’t beat that.
In my experience, this camera is 100% worth the money, and you will love every minute using it. There are hundreds of accessories for the GoPro now, so you can really get the most out of your camera. It truly is a professional action camera, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody who has no previous camera experience. You’re gonna want to know something about manual settings for cameras and what they do when you manipulate them. This camera exceeded my expectations and more, and I would recommend it to anybody and everybody, especially those who are looking for a high quality camera with tons of capabilities.
Rated 5 out of 5
Annabella –
This is the first gopro i ever owned and after reading about all the problems people had with this camera freezing, i was nervous about spending the 600€ to get this camera. But realized the reason people had freezing problems with this camera was because they werent using memory cards with a fast enough (minimum 50 mb/s) write speed. So as long as you have a good memory card its fine. And one week into my gopro ownership, i am extremely happy with it. Its so much smaller than i expected it to be, which is a huge bonus and makes recording video at any time and any place so simple. Only problem ive had with this in the early days is how short the battery life is. Recording at 4k it lasts just over an hour. I did order more replacement batteries for it, so as long as you do that too, you shouldnt have any problems with this camera
Rated 1 out of 5
Giuseppe –
Non so se se fosse la mia ad avere qualche difetto, ma nonostante fosse praticamente nuova, aveva temperature altissime durante la semplice accensione che rendevano difficile anche solo tenerla in mano. In più, la tecnologia ormai superata mi ha portato al reso in breve tempo. Sconsiglio tra l’altro il rivenditore emporiotecnologico per la scarsa assistenza postvendita, affidatevi sempre e solo ad amazon.
Rated 5 out of 5
Antonio Paci –
La GoPro migliore di sempre. Non ci sono altre parole per descrivere la Hero 4 Black. In attesa di capire come sarà la 6, mi sento di dare questo giudizio. La qualità delle immagini e dei video è unica. Ha un’infinità di accessori che la rendono utilizzabile praticamente ovunque e con in qualsiasi situazione. Non sto a elencarvi le caratteristiche tecniche che potete trovare direttamente sul sito Gopro o in descrizione del prodotto Amazon. Ho avuto sia la Hero 3 sia questa sia la Hero 5 black. La 3 e la 5 le ho rivendute, per tenere questa. Due difetti: la batteria che dura all’incirca 1 ora a 1080p 60 fps. Troppo poco. Se poi ci aggiungete il display posteriore ancora meno. L’altro è il microfono, dentro il case non si sente niente, con il frame si sente poco. Diciamo che necessita di un microfono esterno. Questo non mi fa abbassare il numero di stelle perchè a mio avviso su una action cam display e microfono non servono. Se volete usarla per filmare tenendo la GoPro in mano, allora compratevi una videocamera classica con zoom, display e microfono migliore. Io la utilizzo sul casco, attaccata alla macchina o a un’asta sott’acqua, tutte situazioni in cui serve riprendere solo il video. E in questo è la migliore videocamera che esista.
Rated 4 out of 5
Eric E –
Update: Mon 29 Dec – received replacement GoPro4 this evening and it works as expected. It would appear that all of the issues experienced below with the previous GoPro4 were a result of a hardware issue(s). Thank you Amazon for replacing it so expeditiously, very impressive! I’m very satisfied to have a working Hero4 now. Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 due to the issues experienced below and also because it does not support a true RAW shooting mode for stills. Would like to see support for Adobe DNG in the future, or at least a GoPro RAW standard that they release a RAW codec for in ACR/Bridge.
———–
BLUF: Awaiting replacement, thank you Amazon for being such a reputable marketplace; GoPro – in need of quality control/manufacturing improvements. Background: After receiving the GoPro Hero4 Black I went to Gopro.com to register the device and associate it with my account and it had me download the 1.2 update to install. Unzipped this on the card and powered on the GoPro4 which sat in a “Busy” state for 40 minutes. Had previously installed a newly charged battery along with the Sandisk 64GB UHS-1 95mbps card. After approximately an hour, I hard powered off the GoPro 4 Black via holding the power button. After powering back on I was able to set up the iPhone app that I used with my Hero 3 Black. Of serious concern however, was the purple live view video I was seeing. No issues with wifi or getting the iPhone app to work with it initially, but then the Hero 4 Black would stop responding completely. Again hard powered off and took the SD card out, tried simply navigating the menu system of the GoPro 4 and it would freeze after attempting to change mode/navigate to the next menu option. Tried several other variations of the above and other desperate attempts at getting normal function out of a piece of electronics that I no longer had any faith in whatsoever. A few times I had to completely remove the battery as the power button would not respond. Contacted GoPro via the chat, but no response, left a message. At this point I decided it was a better use of everyone’s time and resources to exchange for another unit that may work properly. I know these units work as I see the GoPro team using them each year at the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Just not sure why the consumers are having such hardware issues? I’m guessing issues regarding manufacturing runs, hardware, and quality control. If you get one that works, they’re awesome, the challenge is getting one that works. If the replacement that I receive courtesy of Amazon’s upstanding and impressive service works I’ll be happy, if it also has issues I’ll be refunding. On the bright side, my Hero 3 Black never gave me any of these problems. Hope this helps someone out there, but this was my experience with the hero 4 Black on the 2014 Christmas Holidays.
Rated 4 out of 5
reviewer –
It work as it should. The screen is hard to read and Hero 5 with voice control will help a lot. Battery life is not spectacular so we need to carry a lot of spare battery. GoPro is good for video only and not as a camera to take picture. To be honest, I used my Olympus TG-5 more including scuba diving in shallow water and snorkeling because it can also take good picture as well as 4K video. The TG-5 is bigger and heavier and it is also mountable even though it would be bulky. Hero 4 & 5 only use EIS which is not as good as TG-5 for image stabilisation. For my personal adventure, my Panasonic compact DSLR (FZ1000), Olympus TG-5 and my Galaxy S8 phone fulfill all my need and my GoPro is more like a backup.
Christoph –
I use several of these for research purposes (recording social interaction for analysis) and the main reason I use it is for it’s extremely wide angle because this allows me to capture the whole room even in small rooms (where I can’t move back very far). In combination with the remote, it also allows me to start multiple cameras at the same time, which is very convenient. However, that’s already where the limitations start: the display on the camera is very limited so that it doesn’t even show you the recording time (although technically, it would be possible). Navigating the menus on the camera is also quite a chore and then you need to buy expensive pieces of equipment for every little thing so that an expensive camera becomes even more expensive. It took me quite a while to figure out how to connect a GoPro to an external microphone *and* and external power source (something not so uncommon even in the outdoor domain when you consider that an external power source can also be an external battery pack). The answer is: you need to buy the GoPro battery BacPac (even though you don’t actually need an extra battery pack, given that you want to connect the camera to an external power source) and connect the external power source to that while using the built-in USB port for the microphone. Haha. I’m not sure whether I should be happy because there actually is a solution, or annoyed given it’s clunkiness and cost…
Oh, and guess what: in order to plug in the external microphone you need to buy a 6 inch adapter cable (worth about $2) for around $25.
One big plus with the GoPro is not in the device itself but in the size of its user base which makes it easy to find all kinds of accessories as well as help with virtually any issue that comes up.
David Deuce –
First off, I want to address several things I’ve seen in the bad reviews of the Hero 4 Black.
1. SD card errors – Alright. Your getting a very powerful, very fast camera with the Hero 4 Black, and you need a very powerful, very fast SD card to match. I would NOT recommend buying the GoPro Recommended SD card if your planning on getting the Hero 4 Black. You might have issues with the most extreme filming rates, such as 4K (4K = 4X the resolution of 1080p HD), even though it specifically claims it can handle 4K, my experience differs. Get an SD card that can actually handle 4K and also says it in it’s product description. Sandisk makes a very good one (Extreme Pro), and although it’s more expensive, I believe it’s what is truly needed for 4K, and it’s 100% worth it to not have any issues at all, and to get flawless performance out of your Hero 4 Black at all times.
2. Battery Life – Yes, the Hero 4 Black does use battery faster than the previous models, but that is because of the updated features included in it (faster processor, faster frame rates). Go Pro batteries are very cheap (official GoPro batteries – $15, just as good knockoffs – $8-$10), and all you have to do is get an extra few batteries for more extended use. If your problem is you don’t want to (or can’t because of what your filming) switch out batteries like that, then just get the GoPro Battery BacPac (the new, 15% more capacity one) and you will basically double your battery life. You can even plug certain power banks into your Battery BacPac to keep it constantly running on that. Huge convenience.
3. The camera heating up – This camera is incredibly small, and can handle incredibly fast rates such as 4K and 2.7K, which a lot of bigger cameras can’t even do, and this of course will heat up the unit while it’s in use. This is true with almost any electronic with a battery (your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) GoPro has a safety feature that will shut down your camera if it happens to get too hot, so that it can’t possibly do any damage to your camera. I don’t know what the exact temperature level is that it shuts down at, but it must be real high, because i’ve gotten mine really hot filming outside in the summer sun and it still performed flawlessly and didn’t shut down. My opinion – I wouldn’t worry too much about the overheating issue. It’s way overblown in some of these reviews in my opinion.
*NOTE* It’s a good idea to take the battery out of your camera while it is not in use. There’s a bug GoPro hasn’t patched yet that can possibly turn your camera on by itself if the wi-fi is left on, but I have only found this happen once. The simple fix – turn off your Wi-Fi before turning off your camera.
Here are some of the prime features of the Hero 4 Black:
-simplified menu, easy to scroll through and change settings.
-New Auto Low Light settings.
-built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, for easy viewing and sharing.
-Super slow motion frame rates – 1080/120fps, and 720/240fps.
-QuikCapture – turn on and start recording by pressing top button, turn on and take time lapse photos by holding top button for 2 seconds.
-HiLight Tag – My favorite. put a marker in your footage so you can easily take out/retrieve the part you want, just by pressing the side button during playback.
-Greater audio performance – The Hero 4 Black has 2x the dynamic range, and the built-in microphone is MUCH better than the previous models. Sound is crisp and clear.
– The Hero 4 Black also has another built-in feature that enables it to be used with a greater range of professional microphones than it’s predecessors.
Now, onto the actual review of the camera.
Right out of the box, it doesn’t come with much. Just the camera, dive housing, a charging/sync cable, and a manual. It DOES NOT come with a micro SD card, so your gonna have to purchase one when you purchase the camera if you want to be able to use it. Turning on the camera, it powers up in about 2 seconds and is ready to go.
One of the only cons i’ve noticed is the connection between the camera and the GoPro App (for live video streaming) can be spotty at times. It hasn’t given me enough problems to take a star away or mess up any of what i’ve filmed, but it was kind of annoying (until I got the LCD BacPac – now I have no issues). The App also cannot live stream the faster frame rates, such as 4K and certain 2.7K rates (or at least won’t over my connection).
Something I really love about the Hero 4 Black (and I guess GoPro in general) is the way the camera gets updated. You will get a little notification on your phone that an update is available. All you do is turn on your camera, turn on the camera’s Wi-Fi, click on the notification, and it will update through the Wi-Fi. No plugging up to the computer for updates anymore! I also love that with my update, I received new ISO settings (low light), as well as the ability to edit short clips directly on the LCD BacPac. Every update increases the camera’s performance and even gives you new settings to be able to film better. Can’t beat that.
In my experience, this camera is 100% worth the money, and you will love every minute using it. There are hundreds of accessories for the GoPro now, so you can really get the most out of your camera. It truly is a professional action camera, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody who has no previous camera experience. You’re gonna want to know something about manual settings for cameras and what they do when you manipulate them. This camera exceeded my expectations and more, and I would recommend it to anybody and everybody, especially those who are looking for a high quality camera with tons of capabilities.
Annabella –
This is the first gopro i ever owned and after reading about all the problems people had with this camera freezing, i was nervous about spending the 600€ to get this camera. But realized the reason people had freezing problems with this camera was because they werent using memory cards with a fast enough (minimum 50 mb/s) write speed. So as long as you have a good memory card its fine. And one week into my gopro ownership, i am extremely happy with it. Its so much smaller than i expected it to be, which is a huge bonus and makes recording video at any time and any place so simple. Only problem ive had with this in the early days is how short the battery life is. Recording at 4k it lasts just over an hour. I did order more replacement batteries for it, so as long as you do that too, you shouldnt have any problems with this camera
Giuseppe –
Non so se se fosse la mia ad avere qualche difetto, ma nonostante fosse praticamente nuova, aveva temperature altissime durante la semplice accensione che rendevano difficile anche solo tenerla in mano. In più, la tecnologia ormai superata mi ha portato al reso in breve tempo. Sconsiglio tra l’altro il rivenditore emporiotecnologico per la scarsa assistenza postvendita, affidatevi sempre e solo ad amazon.
Antonio Paci –
La GoPro migliore di sempre. Non ci sono altre parole per descrivere la Hero 4 Black.
In attesa di capire come sarà la 6, mi sento di dare questo giudizio.
La qualità delle immagini e dei video è unica. Ha un’infinità di accessori che la rendono utilizzabile praticamente ovunque e con in qualsiasi situazione.
Non sto a elencarvi le caratteristiche tecniche che potete trovare direttamente sul sito Gopro o in descrizione del prodotto Amazon.
Ho avuto sia la Hero 3 sia questa sia la Hero 5 black. La 3 e la 5 le ho rivendute, per tenere questa.
Due difetti: la batteria che dura all’incirca 1 ora a 1080p 60 fps. Troppo poco. Se poi ci aggiungete il display posteriore ancora meno. L’altro è il microfono, dentro il case non si sente niente, con il frame si sente poco. Diciamo che necessita di un microfono esterno.
Questo non mi fa abbassare il numero di stelle perchè a mio avviso su una action cam display e microfono non servono. Se volete usarla per filmare tenendo la GoPro in mano, allora compratevi una videocamera classica con zoom, display e microfono migliore.
Io la utilizzo sul casco, attaccata alla macchina o a un’asta sott’acqua, tutte situazioni in cui serve riprendere solo il video. E in questo è la migliore videocamera che esista.
Eric E –
Update: Mon 29 Dec – received replacement GoPro4 this evening and it works as expected. It would appear that all of the issues experienced below with the previous GoPro4 were a result of a hardware issue(s). Thank you Amazon for replacing it so expeditiously, very impressive! I’m very satisfied to have a working Hero4 now. Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 due to the issues experienced below and also because it does not support a true RAW shooting mode for stills. Would like to see support for Adobe DNG in the future, or at least a GoPro RAW standard that they release a RAW codec for in ACR/Bridge.
———–
BLUF: Awaiting replacement, thank you Amazon for being such a reputable marketplace; GoPro – in need of quality control/manufacturing improvements. Background: After receiving the GoPro Hero4 Black I went to Gopro.com to register the device and associate it with my account and it had me download the 1.2 update to install. Unzipped this on the card and powered on the GoPro4 which sat in a “Busy” state for 40 minutes. Had previously installed a newly charged battery along with the Sandisk 64GB UHS-1 95mbps card. After approximately an hour, I hard powered off the GoPro 4 Black via holding the power button. After powering back on I was able to set up the iPhone app that I used with my Hero 3 Black. Of serious concern however, was the purple live view video I was seeing. No issues with wifi or getting the iPhone app to work with it initially, but then the Hero 4 Black would stop responding completely. Again hard powered off and took the SD card out, tried simply navigating the menu system of the GoPro 4 and it would freeze after attempting to change mode/navigate to the next menu option. Tried several other variations of the above and other desperate attempts at getting normal function out of a piece of electronics that I no longer had any faith in whatsoever. A few times I had to completely remove the battery as the power button would not respond. Contacted GoPro via the chat, but no response, left a message. At this point I decided it was a better use of everyone’s time and resources to exchange for another unit that may work properly. I know these units work as I see the GoPro team using them each year at the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Just not sure why the consumers are having such hardware issues? I’m guessing issues regarding manufacturing runs, hardware, and quality control. If you get one that works, they’re awesome, the challenge is getting one that works. If the replacement that I receive courtesy of Amazon’s upstanding and impressive service works I’ll be happy, if it also has issues I’ll be refunding. On the bright side, my Hero 3 Black never gave me any of these problems. Hope this helps someone out there, but this was my experience with the hero 4 Black on the 2014 Christmas Holidays.
reviewer –
It work as it should. The screen is hard to read and Hero 5 with voice control will help a lot. Battery life is not spectacular so we need to carry a lot of spare battery. GoPro is good for video only and not as a camera to take picture. To be honest, I used my Olympus TG-5 more including scuba diving in shallow water and snorkeling because it can also take good picture as well as 4K video. The TG-5 is bigger and heavier and it is also mountable even though it would be bulky. Hero 4 & 5 only use EIS which is not as good as TG-5 for image stabilisation. For my personal adventure, my Panasonic compact DSLR (FZ1000), Olympus TG-5 and my Galaxy S8 phone fulfill all my need and my GoPro is more like a backup.