A small and compact action camera.
Cost – from £40.00 (eBay)
Conditions of testing – General riding
Length of time tested – three years
Value for money – 5/5
Quality – 5/5
Functionality – 5/5
Overall score 15/15
Having owned different action cameras over the years, means I have a few older cameras laying about. You do not always need the newest technology to get awesome results.
| Video Resolution | Frame rate |
|---|---|
| 1920 x 1440 | 30 fps, 25 fps |
| 1920 x 1080 | 60 fps, 50 fps, 48 fps (in Ultra Wide mode only), 30 fps, 25 fps |
| 1280 x 960 | 60 fps, 50 fps, 30 fps, 25 fps |
| 1280 x 720 | 100 fps, 60 fps, 50 fps, 30 fps, 25 fps |
| 848 x 480 | 120 fps, 100 fps |
The GoPro Hero Session is a compact and user-friendly action camera known for it’s rugged design and waterproof capabilities. At the time It was 50% smaller and 40% lighter than previous models, making it the smallest and lightest GoPro.
The camera features a single-button operation, which makes it easy to use for first-time users. While it lacks some advanced features found in newer models, it remains a capable Full HD camcorder suitable for various action-packed activities.
The Session has dual microphones – one on the front and another on the back – for improved audio quality. The camera will automatically choose to prioritize one mic over the over, depending on the scenario. Stills can be captured at a frame rate as fast as 10 fps (limited to 1 sec bursts). Images are captured at 8MP resulting in a 3264 x 2448 still.
The Session can also capture time-lapses. Available intervals include 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30 and 60 secs.
Auto Low Light, a feature that determines video frame-rate based on lighting conditions, gives the promise of better low light video quality, something that action cams are not particularly good at. It’s worth noting that video files will playback at the selected frame-rate and resolution when using Auto Low Light.
In addition to the unit itself, the GoPro HERO4 Session ships with just enough to get you started, including: a standard frame, a low-profile frame, one curved adhesive mount, one flat adhesive mount, a ball joint buckle and mounting buckles. A Micro-USB cable is also included for charging and transferring files directly from the GoPro to a computer.
As with all GoPro cameras, they feel very well made and strong. I have never had an issue with the build quality of a GoPro.
Features:
- 50% smaller and 40% lighter than GoPro’s best-selling HERO4 Black and Silver cameras.
- HERO4 Session packs GoPro’s Emmy® Award-winning image quality and performance into an exciting new low-profile form factor.
- HERO4 Session benefits from a durable waterproof design that eliminates the need for a separate housing and features simple one-button control to make capturing immersive photos and video quicker and more convenient than ever before.
Final thoughts:
If you have a limited budget for a decant action camera, you wont go far wrong with a second hand Hero 4 session.
The recorded quality is (at least for me) worthy of being uploaded and shown.
The huge benefit of these are the size. There that small you can throw one in your tank bag and pull out as and when is required.
Article written by Nige.
Last update: August 2025
Nige bought the GoPro Hero 4 Session from eBay for test and comparison purposes.
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