Go Pro Hero 5 Black

I’VE BEEN TRYING for nigh on a year, working various PRs and contacts, until at long last I managed to get perhaps the best action camera around into the mag.

There’s a term we use in the industry, a feeling that we associate with a good product: “It’s just a nice thing.” It’s the highest praise imaginable. Like a flagship smartphone, a curved monitor, a well-designed car, the Go Pro Hero 5 Black is one of those things.

Whether it’s the cageless design, the waterproofing to 33 feet, the optical image stabilization, the ability to video 120fps 1080p and 4K at 30, take RAW photos, or even the included telemetry you can bake into your clips, there’s just something special about this camera that sets it apart from the competition, and justifies that high price tag.

I had the pleasure of taking this on a mountain bike trip to New Zealand recently, and was blown away by how well it performed. Whether that was in the mud-drenched trails surrounding Dunedin, or the sun-dried dust tracks in the north island, it was stunning. For most of my testing, I used one of Go Pro’s chest harnesses, and forgot it was there the majority of the time.

There’s no doubt it’s a pricey camera, and something that fills a niche, but the versatility of mounts and uses keeps us coming back for more. It’s perfect for a wannabe extreme sport athlete, taking the kids on holiday, or even everyday vlogging. Criticisms, aside from the price? Well, it still has that fish-eye lens, the mounts are also fairly expensive, and wind noise is still tricky in places. Check out some test footage I shot here: http://bit.ly/mpcgopro5vid. $400, www.gopro.com