GoPro - HERO5 Session (CHDHS-502)

I think the way to look at it, is that GoPro was so far ahead for so long, there was no real competition for them for over a decade. Even DJI had GoPro mounts built in when the Phantom 1 came along. Historically, GoPro perfected their 1080P then moved to 2.7k on the Hero 3 Black. They had the best 4k on the Hero 4 Black. Then they made the whole camera waterproof and added the built in touchscreen on the Hero 5 Black, then they went 4k 60 with moderate stabilization on the Hero 6 black, built a tiny camera on the Session 4 and 5. With the Hero 7 black, they finally got stabilization in camera that started to compete with 3 axis gimbals. On the 8 they had the mount built in so you didn't have to have a frame and changed to a larger form factor with the Hero 9 black and got resolution to 5.3k. They perfected features like Timewarp and Hyperlapse where all the work was done in camera instead of post. They made GoPro labs available for most of their cameras and gave amazing levels of customization that no other cameras have even to this day. Then they really started to stagnate and features were more incremental and evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Sure they had the 8:7 sensor and got video resolution up to 24.7 megapixels, but they still use a tiny sensor and low light performance is still very bad. They also had to deal with the rise of DJI and Insta360 who started to release competing products. Dji matched 10 bit the same year as GoPro, The Action 5 and Ace Pro 2 use much larger sensors and do much better in low light. GoPro was late to the party with magnetic mounting systems and Insta360 even put 8k into their Ace Pro versions. Insta360 has the Ace Pro Line, their Go series mini camera and even had the modular R series which could be an action cam or a 360 camera. In the time since GoPro released the Max, Insta360 has released 5 consumer grade 360 cameras that get better each year and now do 8k. We have no idea when the Max 2 will be released. GoPro stock is hovering around 50 cents a share and the market cap of the entire company is only 75 million dollars. It used to be almost 11 billion dollars, so it is 145 times smaller than it was shortly after the company went public. They have had to lay off staff and that has a huge impact on R&D. They are clearly falling behind competitors with no real path forward. Depending on which site you listen to, they rate the probability of bankruptcy at 33 to 62% in the next 24 months. That is not the sign of a healthy company. They botched the launch of their Karma drone and ceded that potential marketplace to DJI in the process. The reality is that the DJI and Insta360 cameras do a lot of things better and much easier. Low light is a real thing for a lot of people and the Action 5 and Ace Pro do a very good job in the space and GoPro isn't on the same playing field. I love the new GoPro lens system, but I am an advanced user and have been using ND filters, Anamorphic lenses, and macro lenses for years with the GoPro. The new anamorphic lens is great because it does the desqueeze of your footage automatically in camera. What is annoying is that they announced the lens in September of 2024 and I was finally able to get it 7 months later. GoPro is a great camera, but for many people who never touch labs, don't care about 10 bit or color grading, never do reframing 8:7, like to shoot in lower light conditions, or won't spend the $129 on an anamorphic lens, the GoPro is not really the camera for them. Insta360 are releasing much better cameras each year and GoPro is falling further behind. I really want GoPro to come back strong, but I fear they don't have the finances to compete unless they have an absolutely amazing technical breakthrough in the action camera space.

Unpopular opinion maybe, but gopro puts out great quality underwater footage. It depends what you're using it for and what you want to film though. I'd encourage you to go look up recent gopro 4k underwater footage and you'd be surprised how crisp and sharp the images are, even without additional lights or gear. If you're looking for close up macro shots it's not the best (although it can still take great stills or you can also simply extract a still from 4k footage). I can't count the number of times I've seen people commenting on amazing shots here and asking what camera was used, only to be surprised that it was actually just a still frame from a gopro video. Is it the best for making professional quality prints or video? Probably not. Does it put out great quality non-professional video for a vacation diver? Absolutely. If you're okay with the quality of iphone videos, you'll likely be okay with the quality of gopro videos. The most important thing if you're filming video is image stabilization, which gopro is best of class at for non-professionals. There's nothing worse than shaky cam footage underwater and it's really good at producing smooth footage even for beginners. If you want to up your gopro game, you can still do it on a budget by adding a good tray (don't buy a handle) and two lights. I use a backscatter tray with 2x Orcatorch D710Vs. It's very decent and hard to beat at the price range. Sky's the limit on price if you want to look at more premium options. The best part is that I can fit it all in a regular sized backpack, which is something you can't do with nearly any other underwater camera options. I'm, also not worried about it getting banged around as they're built like tanks. Lastly there's a huge market of used gopros too if you really want to buy something on a budget.

I opted for a GoPro session mounted on my chin with sugru. Press once and it starts no issues.

but you can use the same battery btw the osmo360 and the action 5....

They're just slow in terms of progression on the market. Don't get me wrong I love em I've had a session 5 for 4 years and it's done me wonders for whitewater kayaking, it's light small, alright quality and does what an action cam should do. I recently bought the hero 13 from costco (2 days ago) for £300 2 batteries and other bits of stuff, and am thrilled with it. But then again, the argument could be made what really changed from the 13, it has a new magnetic door thingy, and slightly better battery life, with the enduro batteries. Compared that to the improvements dji or insta make, that's where the hate comes from imo. The reality is, everyone has a brand they like they're all really good, and it depends on what you need/ want, for me a gopro is best, but for someone who is hiking and wants cool footage an insta360 x4 or 5 may be a better option. It does just boil down to each and every person's option tbh. And the hate isn't on the camera but the lack of improvement between generations imo, especially considering what each new gopro is like £150 more on release.

I mean I'm using a hero 5 on my trip overseas on my motorcycle and it's taking some stunning mostly stable shots. You'd hope the 9 would be even better

I lost my hero 5 session in a lake 3 years ago. I wasn't upset about the $1k quad I was upset about losing a session. Speaks for itself.

If you're going to be using it outside then action 4. No need to spend extra. Few years ago i had purchased a used go pro hero 5 from fb marketplace to use on my helmet when im riding my bike. It was perfect for what i needed. Action 4 is way better than the gopro hero5. Osmo pocket 3 is very fragile. So action 4 and some nd filters will do you justice

I had the x4 and I wasn't very happy with what it put out. And I need rugged and slimmer profile for my needs. When the x5 came out and it had replaceable lenses I was intrigued as the image quality was much better and less worry about scratching lenses killing my shooting, and it actually had some barely acceptable low light capture (would be a rarity for me to need that). I saw the Osmo and was excited until I saw no replaceable lenses, and the DJI US spat making getting or servicing it would be an issue. I have a hero 12 and 13 but really wanted a 360 cam to make my life easier and safer, not having to look at others while I was doing something. So for my NEEDS the GoPro was going to be best option, sure the native editing app on PC is laughable but batch export and use insta studio or Final Cut can do 360 reframing (slightly better experience than GP player). I have been very pleased with what I can get from the max2 and not having to worry about getting banged up. Just all the accessories I have for the hero cams and DJI drone makes me look like a mobile electronics store. Honestly that is part of the draw for me.

Lots of issues. My Osmo 5 has much much better battery life+charging speed is amazing. I need 2 batteries compared to gopro 4-5. Startup is almost instant.

The one that doesn't have glitches. From hero 7 down. The best one that I like very much si session because it was a very small camera

Kung second hand, don't go lower than a Hero 7 Black for GoPro. Huwag yung Silver versions, stick to Black. Exception sa rule neto ay yung Hero 5 Session dahil sa form factor. Osmo Action 1 is good contender din. Not as wide as the GoPro pero goods yung stabilization. Brand new, stick to GoPro, DJI, and Intsa360. Serviceable naman yung quality ng mga SJCam at Akaso pero hahanapin mo pa din yung linaw at wide fov.

if you can find one . . the old gopro sessions are great and i still rock one to this day.

The 10 and session because it was my first one

I used to be a GoPro fanboy, bought the Action 5 and don't think I can go back

I am still using GoPro Hero 5 balck 🥹

I use GoPro 7 and I think 5 for the rear. https://youtu.be/4Dvn4o82fQA

I don't think insta 360 makes good cameras. I just like that form factor. My first GoPro was the session. It wasn't the best camera but my Hero 12 and Max don't fill what it could.

I got a good deal on a "Hero 5" (turned out to be a Hero 2018) on eBay. It does have those touch gestures that take some getting used to for small hands, but mostly these are things you set and forget. Set it for her and show her how to tap away from settings if she accidentally brings them up. You could get her a cheap action camera but that's a dead end if she ever wants to do anything more than she's doing now. If she's still into video in a couple of years one of the 5-7/2018 models is considered old and unsupported now ... but it's still a useful 2nd camera. If it's something she's still doing later on, you can consider getting her an upgraded camera with more features.

What's the budget? The new dji osmo nano looks like a really good lightweight action cam, a proper successor to the old gopro session 5. Might be hard to get one if you are in the US though with the ban coming soon. Gopro is always a solid option and available at many price points. The premier cinewhoop action cam is a naked gopro but that is expensive and can be complicated. Super budget option is runcam thumb but don't expect amazing footage.

Many videos shown on YouTube are from the launch periods and are sponsored. Especially the DJI Action 5 was pushed pretty hard in my opinion. But they all make great videos. If you want low light performance I wouldn't go the gopro way. But in good light conditions I'd say the gopro still has the crown. For me the killer features though are 5.3k 8:7 and Gopro Labs which adds features no other action cam even comes close to. Those all help a lot for editing.

Hero 5 Session is my favourite action camera of all time - lightweight, (some) image stabilisation, sturdy as hell and decent 2.7K image. Also, it's basically invisible to others when you're using it to film yourself, due to the size and shape, so it doesn't attract attention. It's such a shame that there was never a new generation after that H5S, or that anyone else made one in that form factor. I remember there was a rumour, something to do with a legal injunction as someone else had a patent for a similar device, which now blocks everyone, including GoPro, from using that shape. If there was a new generation of Session I wouldn't hesitate to snap it up. I've had three before but the battery always dies out and replacing it is a massive pain that involves tearing the camera apart and then soldering a new battery into it. I don't trust myself to do that competently.

I've had a GoPro Hero 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10, as well as the Max. I've go over 2,000 skydives with GoPros on my helmet, including world records and jumps into the Blue Hole in Belize. I've taken them to every continent (including Antarctica) for running and scuba diving and overall travel. So I use GoPros a lot, and I use them in environments that are pretty tough on them. One thing that's been annoying is the heavy push to GoPro subscription. Their cloud storage is just awful. The money is better spent on something like Dropbox or Box. Their software has been pretty terrible too. Hardware wise, they've been hit or miss. Sometimes it's software, sometimes it's hardware. They can corrupt video files, do a weird "gets hot after charging and locks up so that you have to pull the batteries", they can stop mid recording. All of that with the proper recommended cards. Some have just been lemons, probably a bad solder or heatsink contact. Sometimes it's fixed in a firmware upgrade. They're notorious in the skydiving community. "Did you get it?" "No, it stopped recording 5 seconds in." "It froze up". That kind of thing. Not all the time, not even frequent, but enough that it's annoying. And each model seems to have their own little quirks. My Hero 7 and 10 has been solid for the most part. My 9.. not as much. My Max is a piece of shit. My next 360 camera will absolutely not be a Max, and probably won't be whatever they come out with next. My next action camera probably won't be a GoPro.

i fly the walksnail Avatar pro myself. its Not good for anything cinematic. its good enough as digital systems and very good for night flying. but for making recordings its Bad. If you want good recordings take the o4 pro, o3, WS Moonlight 4k or a Action Cam Like the GoPro/dji Action 5

I got GoPro session 5 hooked to power bank and cycliq pro on back it work okay but I think people recommended better cameras in comments