| Manufacturer | GoPro |
| Model Number | HERO4 SILVER |
| Question: | what is the difference between the black and the silver edition |
| Answer: | The difference between the GoPro Hero4 Silver Action Camera and the GoPro Hero4 Black Action Camera are as follows: The black has all the features of the silver and more. The silver has an LCD screen unlike the black. Like most cameras that have an LCD screen on the back, it gives you a live view of what the camera sees as well as provides touch controls for controlling the camera’s menu items. It’s very handy for framing your shots and for playing back and reviewing your video footage and photos.Both cameras have impressive video modes. You can shoot full HD on both, slow motion on both, and all the way up to 4K on both. But the Black can do higher quality video at the top end. Because it can record video at 60Mb/s, compared to an upper limit of 45Mb/s with the Silver, the Black allows for recording 4K video at 30fps (compared to 15fps on the Silver) and 1080p at up to 120fps (compared to 60fps on the Silver).For still photos, they’re the same. Both are using the same sensor and both produce up to 12MP at 4000x3000px. They also have 7MP (3000x2250px) and 5MP (2560x1920px) modes. The 12MP and 7MP resolutions offer the Wide FOV, while the 7MP and the 5MP resolutions offer medium resolution.GoPro HERO4 Black vs Silver Trying to decide whether to get the GoPro HERO4 Black or Silver? Here's how they're different and how they're similar. GoPro-Silver-vs-Black FILED UNDER: GOPRO TIPS & TRICKS, REVIEWS TAGGED WITH: GOPRO HERO4 BLACK, GOPRO HERO4 SILVER LAST UPDATED ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO GoPro has now released the HERO5 Black. It replaces both the HERO4 Black and Silver and takes the best features from each of those cameras and adds quite a lot more. I have a detailed breakdown of the GoPro HERO5 Black vs HERO4 Black. Whether you’re looking to upgrade from an earlier version of GoPro cameras like the 3+ or 3 or looking to get your first GoPro, here’s a breakdown of the key differences between the two new GoPro HERO4 cameras, the HERO4 Silver and HERO4 Black. The latest models offer significant improvements over their predecessors, with better video quality, more video and photo modes, and extra features like Bluetooth connectivity. One thing that hasn’t improved is the relatively short battery life, which, even in a best case scenario, is going to come in under 2 hours of shooting without adding external batteries. There’s a lot of overlap between the two models, but there are also some key differences. With one important exception, the Black has all the features of the Silver, and more. I have both models and find that each has its advantages that make me reach for one over another depending on what I’m shooting. Built-In Touch Display LCD Screen gopro_hero4_silver The most obvious difference is one you can see when you turn the camera around. The GoPro HERO4 Silver is the first GoPro to come with a built-in touch display LCD screen. Like most cameras that have an LCD screen on the back, it gives you a live view of what the camera sees as well as provides touch controls for controlling the camera’s menu items. It’s very handy for framing your shots and for playing back and reviewing your video footage and photos. The downside of an LCD screen is that it drains the battery more quickly. So if you want to maximize battery life you’ll want to turn the LCD screen off or use it sparingly. The Black, on the other hand, doesn’t come with a built-in LCD screen. By itself, you point the camera in the direction you want it and hope for the best. Because of the wide-angle lens, that often works well enough. And you can’t play back videos or photos on the camera itself. But you also have other options with the Black if you want to compose the shot more precisely or add playback capabilities. You can use the free GoPro mobile app to get a live view wirelessly on your phone or tablet (this also works for the Silver, as well as the 3 and 3+ series). You can also buy an LCD screen as an optional accessory that attaches on the back of the camera and provides the same functionality as the touchscreen on the Silver edition (it’s known as the GoPro LCD BacPac. If you decide to buy the extra screen, it’ll set you back $79.99 (MSRP), it won’t fit in the standard waterproof housing because it creates a bulkier package, so you’ll need to use an extended back (they just clip on and off), and it’s going to drain your battery while using it. So the built-in screen on the Silver edition is convenient for shooting but comes with a cost in terms of reduced battery life while you’re using it. Video Both cameras have impressive video modes. You can shoot full HD on both, slow motion on both, and all the way up to 4K on both. But the Black can do higher quality video at the top end. Because it can record video at 60Mb/s, compared to an upper limit of 45Mb/s with the Silver, the Black allows for recording 4K video at 30fps (compared to 15fps on the Silver) and 1080p at up to 120fps (compared to 60fps on the Silver). It’s also important to note that these high-end video modes are demanding on memory cards. Only a handful of cards are fast enough to keep up. Here are some recommendations on the best memory cards for the GoPro HERO4 Black and Silver. Here’s a split-screen from both cameras shot simultaneously with the same settings (1080p30, Protune off). There’s a slight misalignment in the original footage due to the mounting frame. But the examples illustrate that because the cameras are using the same sensor, there’s no functional difference in the results when using the video modes they have in common. In uploading to Youtube the file is compressed. If you’d like to download the original raw footage as it came out of the camera, here it is: Black | Silver (right-click to download). Here’s another test sample. The blank line at the top of the Black is the result of realigning the slight misaligned footage. And here are the original raw files: Black | Silver (right-click to download). (In case you’re wondering what the event is in the background, it’s a group of Army recruits doing their regular dawn training down on the plaza in front of the Lincoln Memorial and on the steps.) Video Modes Here’s a complete list of all the video modes available on the GoPro HERO4 Black and Silver editions. Some are only available on the Black edition. A smaller number are only available on the Silver edition. VIDEO MODE 4K 30fps Black only 4K 30fps + Protune Black only 4K 25fps Black only 4K 25fps + Protune Black only 4K 24fps Black only 4K 24fps + Protune Black only 4K 24fps Superview Black only 4K 24fps Superview + Protune Black only 4K 15fps Silver only 4K 15fps + Protune Silver only 4K 12fps Silver only 4K 12 fps + Protune Silver only 2.7K 60fps Black only 2.7K 60fps + Protune Black only 2.7K 50fps Black only 2.7K 50fps + Protune Black only 2.7K 48fps Black only 2.7K 48fps + Protune Black only 2.7K 30fps 2.7K 30fps + Protune 2.7K 25fps 2.7K 25fps + Protune 2.7K 24fps 2.7K 24fps + Protune 2.7K 30fps Superview Black only 2.7K 30fps Superview + Protune Black only 2.7K 25fps Superview Black only 2.7K 25fps Superview + Protune Black only 2.7K 4:3 30fps 2.7K 4:3 30fps + Protune Black only 2.7K 4:3 25fps 2.7K 4:3 25fps + Protune Black only 1440p 80fps Black only 1440p 80fps + Protune Black only 1440p 60fps 1440p 60fps + Protune Black only 1440p 50fps 1440p 50fps + Protune Black only 1440p 48fps 1440p 48fps + Protune 1440p 30fps 1440p 30fps + Protune 1080p 120fps Black only 1080p 120fps + Protune Black only 1080p 90fps Black only 1080p 90fps + Protune Black only 1080p 60fps 1080p 60fps + Protune 1080p 50fps 1080p 50fps + Protune 1080p 48fps 1080p 48fps + Protune 1080p 30fps 1080p 30fps + Protune 1080p 25fps 1080p 25fps + Protune 1080p 24fps 1080p 24fps + Protune 1080p 80fps Superview Black only 1080p 80fps Superview + Protune Black only 1080p 60fps Superview 1080p 60fps Superview + Protune 1080p 50fps Superview 1080p 50fps Superview + Protune 1080p 48fps Superview 1080p 48fps Superview + Protune 1080p 30fps Superview 1080p 30fps Superview + Protune 1080p 25fps Superview 1080p 25fps Superview + Protune 1080p 24fps Superview 1080p 24fps Superview + Protune 960p 120fps 960p 120fps + Protune 960p 60fps 960p 60fps + Protune 960p 50fps 960p 50fps + Protune 720p 240fps Black only. Narrow FOV. 720p 240fps + Protune Black only. Narrow FOV. 720p 120fps 720p 120fps + Protune 720p 60fps 720p 60fps + Protune 720p 50fps 720p 50fps + Protune 720p 30fps 720p 30fps + Protune 720p 25fps 720p 25fps + Protune 720p 120fps Superview 720p 120fps Superview + Protune 720p 60fps Superview 720p 60fps Superview + Protune 720p 50fps Superview 720p 50fps Superview + Protune WVGA 240fps WVGA 240fps + Protune For comparison, here’s a visualization of the video resolutions that the GoPro HERO4 produces. Click on the graphic to open a full-size version. GoPro-HERO4-Video-Resolutions Still Photos For still photos, they’re the same. Both are using the same sensor and both produce up to 12MP at 4000x3000px. They also have 7MP (3000x2250px) and 5MP (2560x1920px) modes. The 12MP and 7MP resolutions offer the Wide FOV, while the 7MP and the 5MP resolutions offer medium resolution. The lens is rated as a 3mm lens, equivalent to 15mm in the 35mm/full-frame format. The light meter reacts identically, producing identical photos in each. Both handle shadows and highlights the same. As you can see in these side-by-side photos, there’s no difference (aside from the minor misalignment made more noticeable thanks to the ultra-wide field of view). In both, the image to the left of the slider (the Before image) is from the GoPro HERO4 Black, while the left is the GoPro HERO4 Silver. For this first one I’ve deliberately chosen a scene that’s tricky for cameras to deal with so that any differences will be more obvious. It has both very bright highlights (the sun) as well as dark shadows. And the white balance is tricky, because the camera has to try to decide whether to choose the warm light of the sun or the cooler light in the shadows. [caption id="attachment_12705" align="aligncenter" width="678"]DCIM100GOPROGOPR0248. DCIM100GOPROGOPR0248.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12706" align="aligncenter" width="678"]DCIM100GOPROGOPR5277. DCIM100GOPROGOPR5277.[/caption] If you’d like to see the original full-size images, you can download them here: Black | Silver. And here’s another example: [caption id="attachment_12707" align="aligncenter" width="678"]DCIM100GOPROGOPR0244. DCIM100GOPROGOPR0244.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12708" align="aligncenter" width="678"]DCIM100GOPROGOPR5273. DCIM100GOPROGOPR5273.[/caption] And here are the full-size originals: Black | Silver. While both record exactly the same exposure settings in their EXIF, in my cameras, the Silver tends to expose ever so slightly under the Black, but it’s such a tiny difference that it’s most likely just natural manufacturing variation. Audio In most respects, the Black and Silver have the same specs when it comes to audio. Both record at 48kHz with AAC compression. Both have automatic gain control and use an internal multi-band compressor to improve the sound. Both are exactly the same dimensions. Both fit inside the same standard waterproof housing. The Black edition is marginally heavier |
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