You won’t miss a trick with GoPro
Discreet camera doesn’t get in the way
Most of us have a camera nearby these days, and the majority of them are pretty decent. But if you’re being a little more adventurous and taking to the water or climbing somewhere with an unforgettable view you might need a pointof-view camera. It was GoPro that ignited this type of photography a decade ago and the latest version of their Hero camera is the best-priced and smallest in their line-up.
Getting the GoPro Session going is straightforward. Included in the pack is a standard frame, a couple of adhesive mounts and a mounting buckle set-up. I charged the camera using the micro-USB slot and added a micro secure digital (SD) card – the camera can take up to 64GB.
I downloaded the GoPro app to update the camera’s hardware. The app will probably add additional functionality in the future. It connects to the camera wirelessly and lets you set the options. You can also preview on your phone’s screen the actual image that the camera will record. There is a small LCD screen on the Session and you use that in conjunction with the On/Start button to cycle through some on-camera settings. Using the camera is intuitive; from powering it up to capturing video takes only a few seconds. The camera is compatible with the mounts and grips available from GoPro and third-party manufacturers. You can use an optional wrist or foot-strap attachment, or attach the camera to your kayaking helmet, wear it on your chest or just put it on a simple little mono-pod and hold it or place it on the ground as you play golf or beach volleyball. This version of the GoPro is smaller and less obtrusive than its more expensive siblings. It’s light at 2.6oz. Without a protective case it doesn’t appear as sturdy looking as the larger GoPros but it appears adequately robust for most activities. It’s also waterproof, down to 10 metres.
The camera has many modes and will capture HD video at 60 frames per second. It has an 8MP camera, and captures images on demand and in ‘burst mode’, which will shoot up to 10 photos in one second. I loved the time-lapse which allows you to take a single photo every half-second, right up to one every minute. This makes for fascinating videos to replay on your TV of say, tides changing or wonderful sunsets.
Faces are well-defined and thanks to a SuperView mode the camera captures more of you and your surroundings than would be possible with a mobile phone or simple camcorders. It also has built-in microphones. The GoPro Session’s low-light performance, while acceptable, is not as good as some point-ofview cameras and I didn’t like the fact that the battery is fixed in the device, meaning you can’t pop it out and replace it during a day’s filming.
Overall though, the GoPro Session is brilliantly functional. It’s size make it ideal for everything from diving into rock-pools to analysing a golf-swing. It may not be the main camera you use on a day out, but it may be the one that gives you the most fun.