Everybody knows the GoPro is built like a tank when you enclose it in it's housing, but for the most part I used the device without its casing. With it I didn't feel confident pressing the shutter. At times I realized that when trying to capture that decisive moment the housing's shutter was far too stiff, by pressing it to hard it could ruin my composition, as the device often moved, by pressing it to lightly... well, lets just say there were times when I thought I took a picture but I didn't.



The build quality without the housing? It's still actually solid. The GoPro Hero4 Silver is enclosed in the same casing as any other GoPro. The buttons are functional and the LCD on the Silver is solid. The only downfall was the lack of grip, with the housing the GoPro had some mass, but without it, it's a slick rectangle, making it extremely hard to grip. At times I noticed my fingers actually appearing in the image, this was due to the cameras poor ergonomics. Once you get use to it's small form factor it makes for a simple photo experience, I even found that holding it with one hand in people's faces was possible... Until they knock it out of course.



Operation

Operating the GoPro took some focus for me. My first time out with it I had only had experience with GoPro without touch screen functions. An LCD screen was never a big concern of mine as I often connected to my iPhone for video screening... Completely different ball game when it comes to street photography. The iPhone is a no go here, to slow, to dependent, LCD is the way to go... Except the touch screen blows. Not because it's unresponsive, but because it's so damn small. I recommend setting up your camera before you leave the house, I tried to set mine up during a shot and I ended up missing it. I was on the wide setting when I needed to be on medium, it took me forever to figure out how to switch it over, however once you have everything in place all you have to do is compose and press the shutter. It's as simple as a point and shoot.

One thing the GoPro does well is make reviewing the photographs difficult. I shoot in burst mode with this device, but because I'm taking 10 pictures at a time I don't have the patience to go through the menus and find the pictures that I just captured. I shoot and keep it moving, this leaves me with a positive attitude while shooting and also gives me something to look forward to when I come home to review them.

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Image Quality