GoPro offers ultralight, affordable Hero 4K camera for $199

GoPro enthusiasts need to consider a new camera after the company introduced its miniature, ultralight Hero 4K late last week. This is the company’s smallest and most affordable offering, costing just $199.

The Hero is waterproof and combines GoPro’s simplest user interface with 4K video, 2x slow motion at 2.7K resolution, and 12-megapixel photos. It’s available on store shelves worldwide and online at the GoPro website.

“Hero is the smallest, lightest, and simplest 4K camera GoPro has ever made,” the company said in a press release.

The Hero can record continuously for over an hour at its highest video setting on a single charge, and GoPro says its Enduro battery technology works well in a wide range of conditions, including rain and snow. The camera is also waterproof up to 16 feet.

The Hero’s featherweight design features 35% less volume and 46% less mass than the Hero13 Black. It includes built-in foldable mounting fingers that make the camera compatible with GoPro’s wide range of mounts.

The company said the Hero has the simplest controls GoPro has ever offered. It has a rear touchscreen where you can frame photos, swipe to change modes, check battery and SD card status, and pair the Hero to your phone for easy control. camera and content transfer using the GoPro app.

Camera modes include Ultra HD 4K and HD 1080p video and are compatible with the company’s proprietary HyperSmooth video stabilization that is applied to your Hero during playback in the GoPro app. It also takes 12 MP photos and slow motion videos at 2.7K 60 frames per second.

Hero can record continuously for more than an hour at the highest video setting on a single charge, the company said.

Several competitors offer action cameras that, in price and features, look a lot like GoPro’s new $199 Hero.

These include the DJI Osmo Action 3, priced around $329 (although discounts can bring it closer to $200); the Insta360 (starting at $299), the AKASO Brave 7 LE ($140), the Yi 4K Action Camera ($199), and the VanTop Moment 6S ($120).

Earlier, the company revealed its Hero 13 Black model, which costs $399. Consumers can boost this platform by opting for the Hero13 Black Creator Edition, which costs $599 and includes the Volta Power Grip, Media Mod, and Light Mod.

GoPro also offers the Hero13 Black in several “bundle” options for various specialty uses. Packages, including the camera, range from $449 to $609.