GoPro Reveals New HERO4 Session Mini Cam

Jul 6, 2015 at 7:16
by Pinkbike Staff  
Available from 12 July, GoPro today revealed their new HERO4 Session camera. According to their website, the new HERO4 Session "packs the power of GoPro into our smallest, lightest, most convenient camera yet, featuring a rugged and waterproof design, easy one-button control, 1080p60 video and 8MP photos."

GoPro HERO4 Session

In photo mode, the Session will capture 8MP single photos, time-lapse photos at set intervals from 0.5 to 60 seconds, and burst photos at 10 frames per second. GoPro state the camera is rugged and waterproof to 33’ (10m), eliminating the need for a separate housing. Similar to other cameras out on the market already, the Session's Auto Image Rotation automatically adjusts the capture orientation to right-side up so there’s no need to flip your footage in post-production.

GoPro HERO4 Session

The Session weighs in at 2.6oz (74g). Video modes available include 1440p, 1080p and 960p60/50 with GoPro's Auto Low Light feature also available.

The GoPro HERO 4 Session is priced at £329.99 / $399.99USD / €429.99


MENTIONS: @GoPro


Author Info:
pinkbikeaudience avatar

Member since Jul 22, 2013
3,465 articles
Must Read This Week
Kona Bicycles' Parent Company Appoints New CFO, Intends to Sell Brand
64564 views
Downhill Bikes of Sea Otter - Part 1
46517 views
Randoms Round 3: Dario's Treasures
44427 views
Brian's Randoms from Sea Otter 2024
44384 views
Pinkbike's DH Fantasy League: Get Your Team On The Line - Fort William is in 10 DAYS!
39533 views
Randoms Round 1 - Sea Otter 2024
38130 views
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Araxá XC World Cup 2024
38118 views
Spotted: Frameworks Racing DH Bike with Electronic Fox Shock & Unreleased Enve Rims
37206 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

152 Comments
  • 504 65
 looks like a session
  • 15 8
 LLAS
  • 78 3
 Slow clap.
  • 50 2
 Proud of you. Best use of that phrase to date.
  • 8 2
 I am too late...
  • 27 2
 now everyone at my lab is looking at me strange because I almost died laughing....
  • 1 6
flag eder (Jul 6, 2015 at 10:27) (Below Threshold)
 Just law.
  • 8 2
 Hero4 Session... Just a coincidence? I don't think so...
  • 10 2
 just more proof that everything IS a session
  • 7 1
 ithomas wins the Internet...hahaha
  • 1 3
 LLAS
  • 406 25
 Looks like a session
  • 366 2
 Man, it really sucks that the other guy got top comment even though you wrote this a minute before him. Be strong, brother, you're a winner in my book.
  • 100 0
 Thanks buddy, I'll stay strong
  • 5 43
flag dovahkiin13 FL (Jul 6, 2015 at 9:39) (Below Threshold)
 stay strong dude!
  • 4 0
 Rip
  • 11 15
flag tranthony123 (Jul 6, 2015 at 16:04) (Below Threshold)
 Lets up vote this guy
  • 9 2
 Upvote this guy.
  • 3 0
 I tried to take the props back from the other guy and he doesn't give it back!
  • 102 1
 GoPro 4 creep edition
  • 76 1
 Built-in battery.
Wonderful, so now when I want to film more than 30min I can just spend another 400$
  • 1 0
 My thoughts exactly. Perfect in the size department but the battery is a set back.
  • 73 21
 A lot of hate on gopro here, but in the end it is still always the best tested compared to its competition. The only thing i Dont like about gopros is how mainstream it has become. Every fat retard whos never done any sports has one for holidays. There's nothing action sport about them anymore
  • 119 4
 Hipster.
  • 65 2
 LOL. I forgot to add how they use it with selfie sticks, while wearing Crocs and a hip bag.
  • 17 0
 Seems like it really bothers you.
  • 10 4
 @Mattin so I guess you also hate people wearing skate shoes whereas they probably have never put a foot on a skateboard or bike with flat pedals?
  • 11 3
 I do get your point, but since that is a clothing style I see it a bit differently than something that is pure functional. It gives me a feeling I would get if suddenly all elderly people would start using downhill bikes for grocery shopping.
  • 7 2
 I actually do feel like that though if I see a fashion chick wearing a shirt of a hard rock band because it is fashionable, while she doesnt even know the band and clearly looks like she listens to Britney Spears. And I don't even listen to hard rock myself haha.
  • 5 1
 Myself living in a touristic city I see many tourists (who defenitely don't do extreme sports) take selfies with their gopro on a selfie stick every single day. While I only see a couple of skateboarders / bmx riders using one a couple of times a year. Because of the city I live in I do think i have a stronger feeling about this that people who don't live in touristic areas.
  • 17 1
 It'd be epic if elderly people rode dh bikes to the shops.
  • 21 2
 Until the point when everyone asks you why you ride a silly grandma bike
  • 3 1
 @Mattin I totally get your point, here it's full of chinese/japonese standing in the middle of the street (ignoring bus, cars and bicycle) to take selfies. I hate that. But fortunately, bus drivers are kinda crazy here...
But still, saying "i dont like gopros because is too mainstream" really sucks

@tobiusmaximum When I was studying in Strasbourg, I noticed a lot of 60yo germans, riding >2000/3000€ mtb (german brands only) in the streets the week end. No need to say these bikes never saw a single mountain.
  • 2 0
 Is that your grandma's bike?
  • 4 1
 Ah I see the misunderstanding: I said "the only thing i don't like about gopros", where you thought i said "I don't like gopros because".


I really like their cameras aswell as how they support our sport. Its the best you can get.
Just wishing these tourists would use some other type of camera instead Razz
  • 3 0
 Ah i get it now. With my first sentence I ment "a lot of hate on gopro here in the comment section". Not here as in "I hate it".

I was actually backing up gopro, saying that it is good stuff.

But now I do indeed see how you can read my comment in 2 totally different ways Smile
  • 1 0
 Except for the amazing footage they take..
  • 1 1
 I've felt the same way, but the way I see it, as long as I'm still getting cool action footage on my GoPro, it really doesn't matter what other people decide to use it for.
  • 3 4
 Next time you see some fat fuck hipster go up slap the shit out of him and take his gopro.... What's he gonna do...prolly just sit there and cry...
  • 3 0
 In defense of tourists using them, they're durable as hell, plus resist all kinds of weather. Drop it all day, and it'll be fine. Hell, you break the housing? That's cool, just buy another! Can't say the same most digital cameras.
  • 3 0
 Or maybe People who invented action cams did't think that they can be used not only in extreme sports but in conclusion in some other life "activities"...in which actually the need to have them and to invent them was not so big as in pe. our sport and some different sports...so extreme sports or other sport activities where the Mother of invention...nów when they arę for US...why not for others...why not to use them some other ways as well...more tollerance Lads Wink recorDOn!
  • 2 1
 Totally agree! Just look at the hero4 launch video. No action at all! Had that same conversation on YouTube but too many gopro fanboys round there. But looking at this video I think they want the session to become more the action can and the standard hero with a display is more for tourists and other abuse for a gopro
  • 3 0
 Trends are a nightmare these days, some people are so easily drawn in. An English friend of mine even got told the other day, by a girl from China.. That she wanted an e-cig because they 'look cool'. She didn't even smoke!! Dear God. We tried to tell her, 'no that's not cool'. But the response was 'yes it is'. You can get many people to easily empty their pockets just with the promise of making one more cool. My bad, I used to play a game at Glastonbury.. 'Figure-out-what-action-sport-the-gopro-holder-partakes-in'. It was tricky sometimes... But I didn't realise some of these buggers don't do sport!! Cheat. Lol.
  • 3 0
 You will be fine, just don't touch his coffee, then you got a bearded dude chasing you on fixie
  • 36 5
 same price as the HERO 4 SILVER.. what comes with lcd, waterproof case( up to 40m) and much-much better details. bullshit
  • 7 0
 WHAT I THOUGHT
  • 14 0
 But it is significantly smaller and lighter giving tons more mounting options and making things like narwhal cams less tiring. It is not the camera for everyone but I am excited about it.
  • 22 0
 Prices are nearly never based on how much production has cost, they are rather based on what people are willing to pay for the item.
  • 7 4
 If you think bikes have a high mark up, you should look at electronics. .
  • 3 2
 It should certainly be priced lower than a Silver - which is better in every way. You shouldn't pay more for basic design features such as being able to use it on it's side.. at least, not the premium it's currently got!
  • 2 0
 The silver is not better in every way, as it's a larger and heavier camera. The Session is just fulfilling another market demand.
  • 33 2
 This news seem small to me.
  • 27 1
 Can you see the red light flashing?!
  • 21 0
 Should be great for drones, uniformed wearables(compete w/taser),...may be a good time to jump back into gpro while market is down.
  • 17 0
 Now I don't have to go to the doctor for a colonoscopy Wink
  • 12 0
 Still waiting for them to implement a pause feature while recording videos. Eliminating editing. Phones have it.
  • 8 2
 Cheap as chips alternative.. www.sjcam.com/3-cameras (Std M10 Cube) works with gopro accessories too. Might not be up there with image quality compared to 'the big boys', but for the price, you can't go wrong. Its basically an Sjcam SJ4000 in a smaller body. Picked mine up via fleabay, used once for £34 delivered.
  • 2 0
 What do u think of the sj quality man?
  • 7 0
 Except that isn't waterproof. Which is kinda the point with action cams.
  • 2 1
 inked-up-metalhead: There's a waterproof case for it.
  • 5 0
 Which then makes it bigger and more draggy than the gopro, which is the entire point of this new one
  • 1 0
 I watched some videos with size comparison and you're right, with the waterproof case it's almost as big as regular SJ4000/GoPro.
  • 1 0
 A damn site cheaper though!
  • 1 0
 @jamesdippy quality is lower than gopro, but it is more bang for the bucks www.pinkbike.com/video/394976
  • 1 0
 Thanks mate. Nice vid. It's good quality
  • 10 0
 I was expecting a lower price. Looks interesting though.
  • 7 1
 The most exciting thing about this post is the rotational mount- I'm presuming this will work with all GPs- this will make things a lot easier to get the camera pointing exactly where you want it without having to run a million extension bars to try and get it in position. This camera doesn't do anything for me at all- can't see the point. Yeah it's smaller, but it's also shitter.
  • 1 0
 Two reasons why I won't be spending any money on such cameras any time soon: lack of a frame buffer and having the lens/sensor and battery/electronics in a single unit - why you'd want to carry such a expensive and bulky item exposed the way you have to when you shouldn't need to always puzzled me - just plain stupid and ridiculous; crappy design, but I guess soooo much more profitable...
  • 4 0
 Hmmm as a long time GoPro user (since the original) - apart from the smaller size I don't find the Session very impressive. The Hero 4 Silver delivers way more bang or your $.

Session 'features vs Hero 4':

- lower video res
- lower photo res
- lower (bordering on useless) photo burst rate
- complete reliance on phone app or remote to setup camera (PITA)
- same shitty mounting system

it's also kinda bizarre how similar the Session is to the Rollei Action cam
www.rollei.com/products/actioncams/cams/rollei-actioncam-500-sunrise,p252120

For those that rush out and buy the Session I think there's a pretty good chance they'll be screwed over by the subsequent release of a Session+ or whatever that addresses most of the above limitations.
  • 8 1
 Contour and other action cameras have no hope now..
  • 7 0
 Did they ever have a hope in the first place?
  • 2 0
 I've created a table showing the features of all currently available GoPro cameras. This includes all discontinued but still to be found online models.

Unsponsored GoPro Comparison July 2015 - www.unsponsored.co.uk/press/gopro-hero4-session-comparison
  • 10 6
 Did everyone just completely forget about the GoPro contest debacle? "I'll never buy a GoPro again!" Two months later... "Oh, cool new GoPro!"
  • 3 1
 You just made me realize how much of a hypocrit I am for hating Apple fanboys.
  • 6 1
 Gopro has needed a new idea for a while. This is a good step. Their stock may actually climb in value.
  • 4 0
 Sony Action Cam Mini. Way more battery life. Super light weight and small. Also it's not such an awkward sour shape to put on a helmet.
  • 1 0
 Oh for the love of god! Another gopro product!? I already have gopro 1 thru 4, black, silver, white, 32 extra curve mounts, 21 flat mounts, 3 chestys, two poles 18 and 40", a floaty, wireless remote, Gazillion batteries, anti fog crap, back covers with holes, wrist mount, handlebar mounts, all my helmets have mounts all over them, I have a whole dam box just for all the dam accessories. And I can't even remember how to tether my 4 to my iPhone app!! Just stop it!!
  • 1 0
 I actually think its a good idea as i think that the standard go pros are a bit too big for when using on the xc/enduro helmet and looks out of place, where as this been more compact will be a better fit and bring the weight ontop of your head down but too expensive!
  • 1 0
 I was always wondering about the form factor of the gopros, to me it always seemed more convenient not to have the large surface facing forward on cameras, that are externally mounted to different kinds of vehicles. What (e.g.) Sony and Garmin did (before the latter recently switched to exactly the same format gopro had until now) always seemed the more logical choice to me. So a smaller front is a good idea in my book, and of course lower weight is, too.

But I think the camera should either be even smaller (the difference to the regular gopros is not that big) and lighter, or it should have the same features as the other gopros (exchangable battery, high resolution), or it should be significantly cheaper than the other ones. The way it is I will wait for the next version.
  • 5 0
 This will revolutionize the porn industry
  • 1 1
 I saw that little beauty and got excited instantly. Then looked at the price, and the thrill was gone. It does produce good quality image, but nowhere near series 4 cameras. As mentioned before, if you're looking for balanced performance/price ratio, you better go for silver edition
  • 3 2
 the only market this thing is going to be interesting for realistically is quadcopters. I wish my GoPro was smaller, said no one ever, however lighter giving longer flight time for quads is of significant interest
  • 3 0
 I don't own a go pro. They're a bit big. Waiting for them to get smaller. Smile
  • 1 0
 @georgy291 : Quadcopter market is moving on from GoPro. All the new DJi ones comes with their own camera. Also, all the after market Chinese gimbals are designed around the standard Go Pro so if you get this new cam you'll have to wait for a while before a gimbal is designed and made available that will accommodate the new model.
  • 1 0
 same price as GP 4 Silver? worse image quality? Thx, I am gonna stay with my GP 4S. However this camera makes me thinking about Hero 4+ or Hero 5 design. It can be very innovative
  • 1 0
 When I first saw this I thought it could be a nice little camera and was thinking it'd be sub $200, boy was I wrong... And it seems really pointless compared to the silver
  • 2 0
 Did they fix their software yet? GoPro software still registers my Garmin 62s as a GoPro, weird?
  • 3 1
 I was thinking about getting the GoPro 4 silver or black, but now that this comes out 12th of July I know what I will buy ;D
  • 2 0
 You would have to be a fool to buy one of these over either the Silver or the Black Hero4. With the Silver you get a LCD screen, with the Black you get 120fps @ 1080p or 30fps @4K. This new one offers none of this and costs the same.
  • 1 0
 I know, I saw that after I wrote my comment. Not that great after all...
  • 4 1
 Do they make an enduro model?
  • 2 0
 I came for the "It looks like a Session" comments.
I was not disappointed.
  • 2 0
 Looks like the polaroid cube !!!!
  • 2 0
 RIP All other camera makers.
  • 1 0
 Image quality of this camera sucks compared to the Hero 4, so this is not worth looking at really.
  • 2 0
 GoPro for roadies (better aero).
  • 1 0
 Imagine how boring some of those videos would be.
  • 3 0
 Nice tits
  • 1 0
 2 hour battery life? Really?
  • 1 0
 Hero 4 had less though.
  • 1 0
 And not removable. So you're stuck buying multiple of these, or using an external battery pack (defeating the purpose of the form factor)
  • 1 0
 Thats what I mean. GoPro has always been very optimistic in their battery life claims. So now we have a smaller form factor yet the same amount of battery life claimed.
  • 1 0
 I doubt they could make it water tight without a casing if the battery wasn't built in. I agree the GP batteries aren't great but a lot of the time it's either a LCD screen or WiFi that kills them so quickly. It is annoying though that you will have to find a way to charge it rather than taking a bunch of batteries on a trip and working your way through them as you need them.
  • 2 3
 Not much of a competition between this and the Shimano cam. Marketing works well for GoPro, but when it comes down to the hardware and true performance, Shimano wins.
  • 12 0
 You must work for Shimano...
  • 1 0
 Why not get a go pro hero 4 , can shoot 4k instead of 1440
  • 1 0
 for some reason i just want to surf...
  • 1 0
 GoPro really captures the scene
  • 1 0
 Polaroid cube is fine. I had some GoPros, but I prefer Cube. Go Pro too...
  • 1 0
 So should I get a hero 4 silver?
  • 1 0
 I would opt for either the Black or the Silver over the new Session yes. The Session to me is just a backup camera for the main ones (either Hero 4 Silver or Black). It would be great to get in those places where the slightly larger ones don't. This camera may also be the perfect starter camera.
  • 1 0
 Ooooooooo mini perfert cam lol
  • 1 0
 Xiaomi Yi > Hero 4 Session
  • 1 0
 ...and that dam surf board mount...
  • 1 0
 6 month countdown for the new improved SESSION+... in 1... 2... 3...
  • 1 0
 This looks amazing!!! Might need to sell my hero 3 to get one Smile
  • 1 0
 I'll keep this short: they missed price this for sure
  • 1 0
 Meh.
  • 1 0
 ...ugly
  • 2 2
 I had to check that it wasn't April 1st. This thing looks sick!
  • 1 0
 Looks sick I want one
  • 1 1
 I bought SJCAM few days ago, GOPRO is overpricing!
  • 1 1
 Looks like it will fit underneath a helmet visor nicely....
  • 3 4
 www.polaroidcube.com 1/4 the price of this gopro.
  • 18 0
 And 1/8th the quality...
  • 9 0
 hence 1/2 the value for money.
  • 7 0
 And that "handlebar" mount....should almost stay in place long enough to hit the first bump. Then you'll be picking your toy up off the sidewalk. Every 10 feet.
  • 2 3
 Polaroid cube (Ctr. C + Ctr. V) = Go Pro Session
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.035666
Mobile Version of Website