Understand that by purchasing this option, you are risking receiving a broken/damaged unit that you might not be able to return in some instances.
I really don't know the extent to which buyers are getting bad units, but judging from the reviews it is happening substantially more often with the E-commerce packaging option. It appears that this "E-commerce packaging" is, at least in part, a way for gopro to resell it's refurbed/returned units. Personally I went with it because I was in a time crunch and the shipping option was faster at the time. For the record I received a working non-blemished unit, however my advice is spend the extra $8 or so and wait the extra shipping time(if applicable) and get a unit (B01M14ATO0) that you can be more reasonably assured is in good working order.
Also from the reviews, I don't recommend submerging the unit in water despite the company's claim that it is waterproof. If you are going to put it under water you should get a protective case, and the fact that there are numerous options on the market (including here on amazon) is a clear red flag. I haven't put the thing in water, nor will I. From the looks of the unit I can say that if I didn't know any better, it never would have occurred to me that it could safely be submerged in water. Additionally, I read in the reviews that the company does not cover water damage under the standard warranty that comes with the unit; it's worth looking into. If you plan on going underwater with your unit you should know whether the warranty covers water damage before you buy.
I got this as a tool to help my son improve his motocross skills. Being able to watch and discuss the footage has helped, but I have yet to see whether it will be $300 worth of help. Time will tell. Immediately after filming, you can wirelessly stream full clips from the unit to your smartphone with the app relatively seamlessly, but that would probably depend on the phone (S8+ in my case). If you have a tablet or laptop to bring to the track, even better.
Suggested extras that you're going to want:
At least one extra battery and the external charger for when you are out and about: B01LZHRYJS
Front and back adhesive screen protectors: B01M8J9ONB They are cheap and easy to replace. The unit's glass lens cover and rear screen not so much. Well worth the $10. I haven't noticed any issues in touch functionality as a result of the protector, nor have I noticed any problems with video quality.
Another thing to think about is extra mounts and adhesive strips for when they go bad or you want to place multiple mounts at once: B01L13RXBS
Finally, a decent carrying case is worth it. This camera is an expensive piece of equipment that you don't want to be just throwing in your back pack or whatever it may be: SM1408005
The specific products I suggested are what I purchased, and have worked well so far for my particular needs. Obviously go with what suits your needs best.
Received mine about a week ago and have been testing it out and have used it a couple of times. Everything on the camera seems to work just fine. I cannot tell just by looking at the camera if it is actually brand new or refurbished. Everything in the box was in brand new-like condition. The sticker that came on my box does say "NewItem" so that makes me think it is new. The camera and everything in the box was well packaged.
The camera itself performs about as I'd expect. The sounds quality does seem better than my Hero 4 Silver and I like that it is waterproof without the need for the shell. Video quality is great. From what I understand it's the same sensor as the Hero 4 Black, so if you have that already then this might not be a big upgrade. I would assume it is not waterproof with the charging door removed. As one reviewer commented that their charging door broke, I can see how this could easily happen. I don't think it's a flaw just for the cameras from this specific batch or seller, but for the Hero 5 in general. I worry each time I remove the charging door that I might break it. I hope there are replacements that are available that aren't stupidly priced when/if I do break mine.
I ran some battery tests and here are the results I got
Unless otherwise noted, I used these settings for testing. Any differences are noted in the test entries.
GoPro Hero5 Black - v 2.00
Field of View (FOV) - Linear
Front light OFF
Video Stabilization (VS) - ON
Voice Commands - OFF
GPS - ON
Audio Auto
WiFi - ON
Auto Low Light - ON
1080p at 60 fps
Results are Hours:Minutes
Test 1 - 1:45
Test 2 - 1:44
Test 3 - 1:42
Test 4 VS OFF - 1:48
Test 5 VS OFF Wide - 1:45
Test 6 VS OFF Wide 30 fps - 1:54
Test 7 4K30fps VS OFF Wide - 1:27
Overall I really, really like it and can't wait to use it out, along with my Hero 4 Silver, during some trips later this year.
Well, it's a brand new GoPro Hero 5 according to the packaging and it would have gotten five stars if the thing was actually waterproof.
First things first. The good: This thing takes fantastic video and pics. I'm really impressed with the quality of the stills I'm pulling out of live video with the Hero. GoPro's apps are top notch as well and provide a great editing experience for folks who just want to make a nice video quickly. I've seen some of the stuff that people with advanced editing skillsets do with these little cameras and it's fantastic!
The bad: The first weekend I had my Hero5 we hit the wake boarding park. I triple checked to make sure everything was sealed prior to entering the water and about a 1/2 hour of being in the camera started acting funny and shut off. It was never went more than 3 feet deep, but still had drops of water inside the battery compartment as well as moisture around the usb-c connection (noticed this about 6 hours after being at the park). This is unacceptable for a "waterproof" camera.
The Best: Amazon's return policy for defective items. UPS picked up the package from work and within a few hours I had already received my refund notification.
Update:
I purchased a second Hero 5 which I will be putting in a waterproof case just in case. Trust me, I'm not thrilled about my waterproof action camera not really being waterproof, but all the other things this little guy does well made me come back.
1. Hero5 vs $50 170deg action cameras: I bought two $50 4K action cameras claiming 170deg field of view (FOV) and returned both - I need wide field of view to capture myself and the windsurfing board from a short distance, but these cheap cameras lie about 170deg FOV, they were both 90degree FOV, I checked - with 90deg FOV you see only 2 feet of a fence from 1 foot away, with 170deg you should see 20 feet, huge difference. Hero5 claims ~122 deg FOV, and it really is (3.6 feet from 1 foot).
2. GPS feature - I don't have to carry a phone to record my GPS speed, and HERO5 records it and it can overlay GPS data on your video - speed etc. Very cool.
3. It is waterproof as is and its case looks very strong - though I bought a third party waterproof case for it, the battery and connector doors of the camera get sand into them when in water if used as is and I did not like that. The case also adds additional protection - it is cheap and replaceable in case it breaks.
4. Voice control - it works in low wind, once you get to windsurfing planning winds (20mph) it messes up, so I got smart wifi remote to control it.
5. GoPro Quick video editor - it allows to overlay speed/map/acceleration etc. on videos, and one can cut out clips from videos into separate files. Unfortunately it cannot join clips and add your own music to them, so you will have to use a third party editor for that. Its "Highlights" mode is pretty, but I think it is useless - they have preset music track(s) and it joins clips of fixed length (not ajustable by user) making 1 minute (fixed length) clip.
PS: After 5 days of use camera is now resting at the bottom of a lake. Its clipping holder is clearly not strong enough to resist windsurfing (had up to 30 knots wind today, and camera was attached to the boom). The holder was still attached to the boom, but it unclipped and there was no camera. Unfortunately camera itself has no way to be secured to a safety rope). Anyway, I will be buying another one - I still like the camera), but I will wrap a rope around the holder to keep it from unclipping...
Great Buy!
I bought this camera right before vacationing in Fiji after seeing a friend's GoPro5. It worked flawlessly and we got some pretty amazing video of Zip lining, snorkeling and Hiking. The underwater shots are worth the money alone! I also bought an accessory pack to have as many mounting options as possible which really paid off. I would recommend purchasing a 64gb micro sim to increase the recording time, an accessory kit for mounting and at least one spare battery with an external charger. The battery that comes with the GoPro is only good for approximately an hour but the optional 64 gb card will record for 4 hours at 1080p. GoPro has free software to edit your video and compile videos for posting online or whatever. iMovie on Mac works well too. You can either download your video via the included USB cable or just pop the micro SD card out of the GoPro, place it in the included standard sized SD adapter that will fit into your computer SD slot. Note; You will need a laptop or some kind of computer to download and post video. There is an app for iPhone or iPad which might work for posting but I haven't explored this option since I had a laptop with me, which made it easy to download and post.
Feature Product
- This product is in manufacturer E-Commerce packing (see pictures). The product itself is identical to the one found in retail packaging & it is covered under full standard warranty
- Stunning 4K video and 12MP photos in Single, Burst and Time Lapse modes
- Durable by design, HERO5 Black is waterproof to 33ft (10m) without a housing
- Additional GoPro HERO5 Black Features + Benefits below on item page
- Preview and playback your shots, change settings and trim your footage, all on your GoPro
Description
B01MT0TJOM
This is an amazing camera and great value for a refurbished item! It has great pic and sound quality and the battery lasts about the same as any other go pro that I have owned (something go pro needs to work on) I would purchase this again. I added some photos from 60 ft (18 meters ) so you can see the quality but I unfortunaly cannot upload a video. But that works great too! Hope this helps 😊
Good but needs easier way to use telemetry. Image quality is second to none and GoPro is the standard for action cams, but I wish they did better job with telemetry. Camera collects tons of data, but adding telemetry to videos is slow and complicated. Otherwise, you can't go wrong with this product.
Tried it for skiing AND snorkeling, worked like a charm! Robust, reliable, great battery life, water proof as promised, handless cold weather and all.
What sucks:
-Takes a bit long to be ready to film a new video after I've just finished recording the previous video.
-Software. Honestly, to transfer videos to my Mac by cable I have to use their terrible software that doesn't even handle large files well. Most ridiculous experience ever!
Yes, I actually received the gopro hero 5 black unlike some of the other reviews. I did have a problem connecting to my phone via both Bluetooth and wifi. After searching the web, apparently this is a common problem with the hero 5, and has never been resolved. Neither updating firmware or factory resetting fixes the issue. The afflicted gopros have blank serial numbers in the menu screen, which is a clear indicator of something wrong. I spent over an hour with gopro on the phone and their conclusion was to send it in for warranty. Don't do that. Just return to Amazon and get a new one in 2 days. I did that and my new one that I received is working perfectly. Sending bad one back. Both gopros that arrived were brand new, non-refurbished so I'm not sure what these other reviews are talking about. It's a good deal.
I already have a GoPro sessions camera and accessories. The Hero 5 is a wonderful step UP. I would recommend skipping the lower cost Sessions series and go right to the Hero. The on camera screen, controls, and abilities far outweigh the additional cost!! And this one has MORE features than the Sessions!! I should have gotten THIS one first. (and maybe another) The only drawback is needing more storage for all the things I am doing with it. (already on order)
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