The new GoPro 4 (released Oct 2014)and Hero 4 Session (released July 2015) are the latest incarnations of the GoPro Hero action POV camera.
The GoPro 4 POV action camera appears in a number of different guises including the Session, Silver edition (with built in LCD screen) and the industry leading 4K capable Black edition. No matter which GoPro you choose you need the best Micro SD card possible. At the end of the day it isn’t all about size, it’s all about speed.
The Hero 4 (including the Session), 3+ and 3 series will accept Micro SD cards up to a 64GB capacity. The new grey Hero camera will accept a card with a capacity up to 32GB.
Speed Class
The Speed Class Rating is the official unit of speed measurement for SD cards. Speed Class is a minimum speed based on a worst case scenario test and represents the minimum transfer rate of data that the card is capable of.
Class 2 – 2MB/s
Class 4 – 4MB/s
Class 6 – 6MB/s
Class 8 – 8MB/s
Class 10 – 10MB/s
There is always a danger that if your SDHC card isn’t up to it that you could encounter error messages or loss of data. When ever my GoPro has crashed or frozen it has always been down to the card I have been using.
The vast majority of the GoPro 4 Black Edition settings sit at 1080p or above. At 4K and even 2.7k you are asking any camera to work pretty hard and the amount of data being transferred is sizeable. The transfer needs to be robust and quick. A class 10 is therefore the minimum class of card required. For my money I’d go with the new 633x series from Lexar, these are all U3 even if not marked as such.
Lexar 633x Class 10 32gb micro SD – Transfer speed up to 95MB/s
Lexar 633x Class 10 64gb micro SD – Transfer speed up to 95MB/s
Lexar 633x Specification:
Premium memory solution for sports camcorders, tablets, and smartphones
Quickly captures, stores, plays back, and transfers media files, including 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video
Leverages UHS-I technology for a transfer speed up to 633x (95MB/s Read)
Stores more than 15 hours of HD video; 33,000 photos; or 28,000 songs (based on 128GB card)
Includes high-speed, Class 10 card and USB 3.0 reader
Limited lifetime warranty for card and one-year limited warranty for USB 3.0 reader
The safe bet is to get the fastest Class 10 U3 you can afford.
I have also been using the new range of Turbo Boost U3 cards from PNY with success. No issues at all and given the price are well worth checking out.
There are a great deal of fake SD cards out in circulation and it is important that you buy yours from a reputable supplier.
I have a fair bit of GoPro kit and to maximise its use I also have a range of must have accessories.
Leave a Reply