GoPro has made filming suitable for the masses in recent years with its action cameras. The new camera cube from the Americans measures less than four centimetres at the edges. The camera weighs just 72 grams without the mount. Originally priced at over 400 euros, it currently costs 230 euros from GoPro. Whether such a small camera can match the success of the larger Hero4 was put to the test.
The GoPro Session has just one button - not three like the other GoPros - and starts recording when the button is pressed. If the button is pressed and held, the camera takes a photo. The Session takes photos in eight megapixel resolution, videos in a maximum of 1920x1440 pixels. We mostly filmed in Full HD with 48 frames per second and SuperView. This wide-angle setting ensures that there is a lot in the picture and that everything is captured even with a moderate camera orientation.
A clear disadvantage of the simple one-button operation is when you want to switch from Full HD to HD, for example, in order to shoot slow motion at 100 frames per second. In this case, either the mobile phone or the remote control (80 euros) must be connected to the camera. Although this connection can be established quickly and easily, it is annoying on the trail. If the session is permanently connected to the smartphone via WLAN, the battery quickly runs out.
The low weight is immediately noticeable on the trail: Mounted on a full-face helmet, you hardly feel the GoPro Session, if at all. The one-button operation is also pleasing when wearing gloves, although the time delay is sometimes confusing. After switching on, the start signal only sounds a few seconds later and you don't know whether you have hit the button.
The images are impressively sharp and the natural colours are pleasing. The camera sometimes stumbles a little when changing light and shadow, but does not fall behind its larger siblings. The sound is very good, as the Session has two microphones: one at the front and one at the back. This means that background noise can be filtered out relatively well. The battery could not quite reach the factory specification of over two hours. Another pity is that the Session's battery is permanently installed and cannot be replaced.
Test summary of the GoPro Hero Session
At a (now) fair price, the GoPro Session makes beginners especially happy who can mount the camera in a variety of ways and don't need 4k recordings. For professionals, it can serve as a small additional camera.
