GoPro is undeniably the king of the action camera market; otherwise, why else would every other company mimic GoPro’s tiny cameras that are mountable almost anywhere? Through its brilliant marketing and easy-to-use cameras, GoPro has found success in a category that many are still looking to tap into. The company sees itself more as a lifestyle company than a camera maker, but it can call itself whatever it wants – it makes a very good camera, and after a few weeks of playing with its new Hero4 Silver, we can see the continued appeal.
Features and design

The Hero4 Silver ($400) retains the same design scheme as the Hero3+ and Hero3 models which you can still buy at lower prices. It’s a tad heavier at 2.9 ounces (5.2 ounces inside the included waterproof housing), but you aren’t going to notice the minuscule increase. It’s the same size, and with the exception of the battery, the new cams can utilize the same old accessories – good news for existing GoPro users, and a lesson in compatibility that other camera makers should follow.

While the Silver looks like its older brothers, there are subtle design changes. The power/control button is still there on the front, but the indicator lights have moved to the left of the small mono LCD, surrounded by a black bezel. Everything else remains where it was: On the top is the shutter button, a setup button on the side (both the shutter and setup buttons also function as navigation keys, along with the power button), and a covered compartment on the other side that hides the Mini USB and Micro HDMI ports, as well as the MicroSD card slot.