GoPro Hero 4 Revealed - 4K Video Resolution and Touchscreen LCD

Sep 29, 2014
by Karl Burkat  
Expected to be released to the public October 5th, the GoPro Hero 4 features ultra high resolution quality of 4K at 30 frames per second + high frames rates at 1080p120. Incredible low light capabilities, including the new nightlapse setting. 2X the high fidelity sound. Faster processing. Protune settings that unlock manual control of many of your GoPro’s features. They are also the same size as the Hero 3, so all your cases and mounts should fit.

GoPro Hero 4

The Hero4 Black will be $500

GoPro Hero 4 Black Specs

The Silver Edition will be $400 (features a touchscreen LCD)

GoPro Hero 4 Silver Specs

There will also be a low priced base version just dubbed the Hero which will retail for about $130 and still offer 1080p at 30fps / 720p at 60.




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138 Comments
  • 246 2
 My computer can't handle this shit.
  • 36 0
 240p will never be the same.
  • 68 3
 Great, I can watch 4K video on my 1080p TV....
  • 7 48
flag jedrzeja (Sep 29, 2014 at 10:39) (Below Threshold)
 My space is between 360p and 480p and I don't see the point why more. Instead I would like to have a camera that can work two weeks, be as tiny as a LED headlamp, and still register 480p videos and clear sounds.
  • 31 1
 My computer lags like a mother when I try to watch 4k
  • 56 1
 No suprise, we're on PB! We spend thousands of euros/dollars on bikes! Not on Computers, dude!
  • 11 1
 GoPro's aren't just for you/we broke ass MTBers, they're also for all sorts of other sports!
  • 3 1
 the big question is :will it work? ... maybe after few month of updating firmware and making camera production consistent...the price is quite big too...500euros in Europe or two years of riding every bike park here haha. All in all, congrats to GoPro for giving us the chances to see other riders run in such a good quality!
  • 5 0
 I no unnerstand all this numbers...!
  • 2 0
 Jajaja I I thought I was the only one with the computer problem. Definitely have to stop buying bike parts, and start investing on my computer.
  • 3 8
flag SoCal-AM (Sep 30, 2014 at 0:15) (Below Threshold)
 This looks amazing on my retina display!! And absolutely no lagging problems at all! Macbook Pro for the win!!
  • 1 0
 Why Hero 4 is $400 ?
Although Hero 3 is $ 199 !
goo.gl/tHzviD
  • 1 1
 . froze my computer a couple of times. kinda gay its 4k but youtube keeps playing a video on lower res. cant force it really coz its like a slide show at 4k .Get a 4k hero 4 get a new computer or desktop or TV to go with it too. . hurray!
  • 1 0
 I think the Silver is better if you do not mind NOT shooting in the space/memory hungry 4K format...
It's LCD makes it ok for everyday use, not just for action. The battery is slightly better and... the camera's $100 cheaper...
When I was choosing between the 2, I found this article quite helpful:
hzz.hubpages.com/hub/gopro-hero-4-black-vs-silver
Hope it helps...
  • 87 0
 Hero for $130?! GoPro have smashed it, amazing camera for those on a budget, even more amazing camera for those with a bit more money! I like these guys.
  • 7 0
 hit the nail on the head there
  • 13 0
 Damn...and I just bought the white edition for 200
  • 1 0
 Smile ))))))))))
  • 3 0
 I just got the 3 plus silver
  • 7 0
 Since there are plenty of crap gopro remakes. This gives the choice to get quality camera for cheap.
  • 6 0
 Oh hellz yeah - i think i am more excited about the 130 dollar go pros then the 4k ones!
  • 2 7
flag peanutbuter (Sep 29, 2014 at 11:54) (Below Threshold)
 the one hundred dollar ones are hero 3 whites they shit
  • 1 0
 Do they have touch screen?
and I have a hero 3 white.. always worked fine with me
  • 25 4
 Unless you have a 4k TV whats the point?
  • 5 0
 Was thinking the exact same thing
  • 39 2
 Downsizing the 4K to a 1080P timeline usually yields way better quality.
  • 40 1
 You can crop/zoom shots down to half, or even quarter of the size and still get 1080p res....
  • 7 0
 And that is the other reason! I just got a Panasonic GH4 and the video shot in 4K and converted to 1080P is noticeably sharper than footage just shot in 1080P.
  • 11 0
 you can scale it down to whatever resolution you want come editing, point being it offers flexibility as far as resolution goes. also, in 2 to 3 years the price of 4K tv's will go down. 4k will be the new 1080p. i'd say. this is forward thinking from gopro. innovate or die.
  • 4 3
 OK, well hopefully in 2-3 years the price of a 4k Go-Pro will go down as well - then I can justify the purchase.....that is unless the 5k comes out. It never ends.
  • 2 10
flag Bowen1911 (Sep 29, 2014 at 9:25) (Below Threshold)
 The retina display is the closest "inexpensive" screen I know of. Then again, I don't pay attention to electronics much.
  • 7 0
 The seiki 39in 4k monitor regularly goes on sale for under 300, and can currently be had for cheaper than this camera.
  • 5 1
 Wow. I should get out more
  • 1 0
 The vast majority of action videos we shoot end up online so the real need to shoot 4K goes down. Plus, to edit a 4K video, you need a beefy system. My Core i5 with 4GB memory barely is enough to edit a 1080p video longer than a few minutes. Maybe a few years down the road, 4K will be the norm and folks will have more powerful systems and then they GoPro 6 will be out allowing you to do 4K in 120fps or 240fps and charging you $800 for the black edition.
  • 1 3
 the problem is not the pc, a proper graphic card today (on pc, not laptops) can handle 4k, and processor sont stop to get cheaper,
but a 4k display cost today 3000$, and just very few brand start to produce them.
But its anyway the direction, so if they want to stay on top, they have to do it first.
Anyway for the price its hard to believe, gonna buy one.
  • 1 0
 My TV is 720p... at the same time it would be nice to be able to "future proof" video though. Plus, if you take 4k video, you can crop down to 1080p "digitally zoom" afterwords while keeping really high quality. Also you can drop down to 1080/720p and do super slow-mo while keeping HD. That being said, I won't be upgrading from my GoPro3 silver.
  • 1 0
 Slo-mo quality is retained by packing more frames per second into the regular speed footage, that way you can slow it down more times and still keep an acceptably high number of FPS at reduced speed., image resolution has nothing to do with FPS.
  • 1 0
 I did read last nigh about the Hero 4's having exceptional low light performance which would be cool for night filming and time lapses of the night sky. I would really look forward to see how that works - if it works as good as they are making it sound, that may be something I would like to pick one up for.
  • 16 0
 I've got to say I'm the biggest Contour fan going and I was waiting for the new Roam to be released so I could order one but they just haven't moved on anywhere near as far as GoPro have. 120fps and 4K in a headcam! I still prefer the shape of the Contour but for now i'm going to making the move to GoPro until Contour catch up.
  • 44 3
 They will never catch up.
  • 84 3
 They will mustard
  • 10 13
 Contour is different from GoPro, they said it themselves they're not trying to be GoPro.
You could make an analogy to the photo world: the GoPro is like the DSLR of action cams: expensive, high performance, tons of settings.
The Contour on the other hand is like the point and shoot type of cameras: they're cheap, no-BS cameras. You turn it on, and wherever you are, whatever the conditions, you have pretty much the same settings and you get a result that isn't as great as the high quality stuff, but still pretty decent
  • 13 5
 You believe that sh*t? Go to the bosses at Contour and offer them GoPro sales and they'd bite ya feckin hand off. Secondly, your analogy is weak. Both Contour and GoPro are far more like point and shoot than they are DLSRs. You have no adjustment over aperture, shutter speed or ISO. The only way the GoPro is different from the contour is that it's slightly more expensive, and produces much better footage.
  • 9 9
 "Analogy: Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise DISSIMILAR."
I never said the GoPro was just like a DSLR, I made an analogy.
The more you know. (*Catchy, the-more-you-know theme song playing in the background*)
  • 5 2
 Don't make me laugh. It's a very misleading analogy as it implies the function of each camera is different when that's plain bollocks. They are both POV cams designed and intended for exactly the same use. GoPro are just better, more expensive, but better.
  • 3 0
 I was a big fan of contour, but i got a hero 3 plus this year and man contour is way back....
  • 4 3
 @gavlaa

" GoPro are just better, more expensive, but better."

Yeah,. exactly like a DSLR compared to a point and shoot.
  • 1 0
 Still a terrible analogy , they both aimed to be top of the range/the best/DSLR , but only one of them achieves it.

Do you really think they wanted to make an inferior product ?
  • 1 0
 @brussell- if you want to argue about it then a 'point and shoot' camera like the new Go Pro actually costs more than some DSLRs. DLSRs are not simply better than point and shoot anyway... some modern video cameras offer great footage and not much in the way of adjustment (my Panasonic camcorder for example) and these would be a better choice for people who want autofocus or who aren't interested in getting involved with the complexities of DSLR filming.
  • 2 0
 You can't really argue that Contours are cheaper, they really aren't, at least not by much compared to GoPro. Even the price that Contour does charge is a bit excessive based on the limiting features. GoPro may be expensive but they offer the most bang for your buck compared to any other action cam on the market. They're also the most mountable camera on the market.
  • 10 0
 I have a love/hate relationship with GP. I have owned 4 now, the most recent being the 3+. The footage can be great but I have experienced soo many glitches with them all. I can't count the number of times I've had to pull the battery out when it's crashed. This is why I think the touch screen is just another gimmick that will probably cause more trouble than it's worth. If you can't cope with 2 buttons then you deserve a slap!
  • 5 0
 I got one a few months back and had the freezing. I tried another micro sd card in there now and it seems to be working a lot better. Might not fix your problem, but it is worth a try.
  • 1 0
 If you don't use a good enough sd card it fucks things up quite a bit.
  • 13 0
 I am actually interested on how long is the battery going to last....
  • 13 6
 And the price just went up.
  • 35 0
 4K @ 30fps... 1080 @ 120fps?!?!?!?!

yea... for good reason too!
  • 23 0
 The new Hero at £100 is pretty much the bargain of the year though. 1080p at 30fps is good enough for anyone just shooting footage of their buddies riding. For me, matrix style slow mo just highlights how shit I am.
  • 4 0
 The price really didn't go up. The $400 Hero 3+ Black has roughly the same specs as the $400 Hero 4 Silver. But the Hero 4 Silver has an LCD screen. You're getting way more for the same money.
  • 1 0
 Can't believe they did not add 240fps at 720p though... I would be much more excited about that, considering my computer can't even process the hero 3's 1080p properly :/
  • 5 0
 Wonder how long the Battery will last??? hopefully better than my Hero3 Black...
  • 1 0
 supposed to be 2.5 hours for the budget camera
  • 1 0
 One question. If they add more features directed towards photographers, did they finally remove ridiculous shutter lag, that makes sure you can't actually shoot sport other way than spraying photo bursts, and praying that You got something? Big Grin
  • 1 0
 Thats really just the way to do it on a gopro. Especially with no view finder, the spray and pray method just works better than trying to time one good shot. If you semi-regularly clear a 16 or 32gb card, space isnt a problem. Sorting through 30 shot bursts is a bit of a pain but missing the shot completely sucks more.

Even the pros take advantage of their high fps dslrs when shooting action. Pick & choose later.
  • 1 0
 Sucks the black edition which is top of the line doesn't have a touch screen LCD. Less about viewing footage and more about ease of use through the menus. Must be a technical reason why. Maybe the silver is not the main camera and the black is for filmmakers.
  • 2 0
 I don't get it, GoPro each year is better, smaller, with more fps, higher resolutions and it is also less waterproof. Back in 2010 it was 60m and now it is "only" 40m... that makes the difference in diving sports
  • 1 0
 Didnt they start to split up the housings now? all the 3+ camera came with the newer housing that was rated for less depth. While they advertised the old 3 housing as the dive housing.
  • 1 0
 So, what are you saying, basically means that unless GoPro won't release hero4 housings with higher depth rate, new customers are forced to buy hero3 housings. Brilliant ;-) To be honest (correct me if I am wrong) I think that smaller dimensions are the factor to blame. It is probably harder (or a bit more expensive) to produce smaller and thinner housings with the same waterproof level as the old big ones.
  • 1 0
 Exactly. I think the number of gopro owners diving to depths requiring a stronger housing is relatively low so they decided a slimmer case for the majority of owners was the better option. The guys scuba diving are also probably more willing, and financially able, to buy an extra housing as well.
  • 2 2
 Smaller surface area = less pressure on the housing. So potentially the newer, slimmer cases should be able to go just as deep if not deeper. The problem might be the wall thickness of the housing and/or seal geometry. Or maybe the lens cowl? It looks different.
  • 2 0
 Well I am not ;-) I am still using my old Hero HD and it works perfectly until it gets darker. Hero HD low light capabilities are... well actually there is no such a thing like low light capabilities in hero hd :-D Anyway, 30m below the surface is nothing, even for the rookies. At this moment my deepest diving was ~40m and I was not afraid about the camera because it has higher resistance, however I would never took the risk of pushing my hero hd to the limit of 60m. Same thing with the new hero4, for me 40m depth rate means that you can take it to the 30m with no worries and beyond this point anything can happen. There is no playing around with the pressure. one step to far and it is too late
  • 1 0
 I'm sure they have a factor of safety > 1 worked into the design. If it's rated to 60m you should be able to go that deep as they probably tested it to more than that. I work for a company that designs lights, cameras and lasers capable of full ocean depth (6km - 12km) and we always test beyond the rated/certified pressure(s).
  • 3 0
 there are LOADS of third party players that offer dive specific go pro cases that will do deeper depths for you without issue. complaining about this is like complaining that they dont offer a bike specific mount WITH the device when i buy it and i get stuck with a stupid "surf" or "music" mount instead.
at the end of the day when you buy a $400+ camera...you migh also have to buy a $50 accessory as well.....
  • 1 2
 Total depth spec is not everything. It is 6 bar pressure for 60m, that is correct... However you reach 6bar of impact pressure by jumping or dropping the camera from not-too-high cliffs...
  • 2 0
 Correct, but the case doesn't automatically leak and let water in when you do that....
The concern users have is that they go diving, exceed the depth limitation of 40m, and the case leaks ruining the camera. That's very different than dropping it and having a one time impact exceed the limit and nothing happens in that split second to impact the integrity or functionality of the camera, or no foreign substance is introduced to the camera (ie.water)
  • 4 1
 We were JUST discussing this over at pinksnorkel.com
  • 1 0
 Does anybody knows if the battery is fully integrated?I've been looking for info but every photo I saw it seems that you can't change it Like in other GoPros.
With mine I have to carry three batteries for a bikepark day......so 500€ for only 2,5hours of recording.....
  • 1 0
 Gifted my gopro. Junk. Now with Nikon Aw 110. Waterproof to 90f. Gps and depthmeter. Long battery life, big screen when needed. Fast standby and better IQ, with few exceptions, than Gp. ...and 0 software issues. Cheaper than a go.
  • 1 0
 I feel so poor and outdated, still rocking my HD HERO. Can't wait till I can afford a new GoPro. The quality and function will be like going from a Gameboy to a PS4. I recently used the helmet strap for my vented helmet and after 4 hours of riding tech lines it felt like I had a cinderblock on my head. I do agree with this promotional video...where's all the athletes? What's next GoPro, people cooking dinner or watching TV....I want to see action!!!!
  • 1 0
 Not sure if you guys have seen it already, but the lowbudget cam can´t be removed out of its housing. It is built in! Anyway the H4 Black just sounds great. Sooner or later industry will push 4k TV and broadcast anyway into the homes so UHD will be the new standard. For now it might be a bit useless but I think at the end and with progressing technology ( more FPS on 4k) it will be badass. Compare this to the first Hero that came out. Size reduced and way better quality. Okay. Battery is crap though, but at the end you have to pay a price...in this case even two : low battery time and 500 bucks Big Grin
  • 3 0
 Is it just me or were all the other gopro ads way cooler than that one the others were packed with action sports!
  • 1 0
 sure, but seems that people are using this camera for professional use there fore they are making this kind of ads now, to show people it's not just for sport's!
  • 1 0
 Well, I complained about lack of features, manual controls specifically, and they listened! Wow! I think they finally got it right with this version. Time to replace my Hero 2. :-)
  • 1 0
 Anyone know what UK prices will be? I've just lost my GoPro 3 Black so I'm thinking the new cheap one might be a good replacement!
  • 1 0
 £100 for the cheapo one
  • 1 0
 I've done a little table comparing the spec of the Hero 4, 3+ in both black a silver guises. Details - www.unsponsored.co.uk/press/?p=14132
  • 4 4
 Don't know why they didn't mention in this but when this is released they are also releasing a new hero which still has 1080hd record and 5mp still capability and will retail at just £99
  • 9 0
 It's in the last line Smile
  • 4 1
 Well spotted! Facepalm
  • 6 3
 I just bought a hero 3 black 2 weeks ago SMH, fuck me
  • 3 0
 They always come out around the same time as the new Iphone- so next time check when that's coming out and you'll know when the GP is due. Iphone make a song and dance for months beforehand whilst GP keep it secret squirrel until the last minute- as a way of not stopping sales of older versions of their camera I imagine.
  • 3 0
 its cool. I wont complain too much. I like the camera just fine and it does what I want. I just feel like the guy in that pentium commercial who bought the new pentium 5 to drive out of the parking lot and see the billboard for the new pentuim 6


Always happens. Buy something expensive and a new version comes out like a week later Smile
  • 3 0
 Hero 3+ is still an awesome camera. I did the same thing and bought one a couple months back, don't think I'm going to make the jump to the 4 quite yet.
  • 2 0
 prices forthe go pro 3 will plummet in the coming months. was about to one this week. good. thing.
  • 2 0
 Does it come with infinite hard disk space on my computer? Because this is my biggest problem right now.
  • 3 2
 i bet it's not a coincidence to reveal new product just before Rampage starts, big audience on pb now. Well played Gopro, well played
  • 1 0
 4k is the future. As posted in the first comment most computers dont have the power to render in 4k. i have the soft ware I just cant afford the computer needed.
  • 2 0
 ok...i'll buy hero4 + another one PC for edit video 4k Smile
  • 1 0
 I wouldn't be surprised if in a year or so, they push out a 4+. To be honest, the Hero 4 doesn't appeal to me - I would rather have the 3+ silver.
  • 2 2
 Now if only they would make a move to include parts and service to their line up so I don't have to shell out $500 every time I try and Go Pro and break s#*t.
  • 2 0
 that's awesome but what happened to mountain biking in the go pro scene
  • 2 0
 Now just change the shape...
  • 1 0
 "They are also the same size as the Hero 3, so all your cases and mounts should fit" they just won me over
  • 1 0
 I'll buy it. But, let me buy a 4K LCD first that cost 2x this camera price.
  • 2 1
 These commercials get less and less athletic with each model
  • 1 0
 Target Audience for sure changes here
  • 1 0
 Sick! Can't wait to try em out this winter!
  • 1 0
 unreal progress and update..stop please a bit)
  • 2 1
 Should be giving 240fps @720p...
  • 1 0
 or 1k fps. than 4k
  • 1 0
 Hmm I guess this might have to go on my Santa's list for the black edition
  • 1 0
 The video we, as humans, should send to aliens if we find them Smile
  • 1 0
 Time to get a 3+ at a really good price
  • 1 0
 Hero 3 Black Edition for sale.
  • 1 1
 Did Gopro fix their damn app to work with iOs8 yet?
  • 1 1
 ...blue screen of death trying to watch 4K. My laptop just shat itself...
  • 1 1
 Shut up and take my money!
  • 1 1
 $500 for a gopro, you can almost get a decent DSLR
  • 4 0
 yes, and you can attach it to your helmet as well!
  • 1 1
 I want 1000FPS! fk 4k.
  • 2 3
 One word = SONY.
  • 1 4
 700$
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