For the last few years GoPro have updated their range of POV action cameras each and every autumn. 2014 is no exception with the release of the new GoPro 4. So the question is, go for the Hero 4 at full RRP or find one of the many bargains to be had on the Hero 3+. GoPro 4 Vs GoPro 3+ – which one to go for? Hopefully you get the information you need right here.

GoPro 4 Vs GoPro 3+

Now I am in the fortunate position of being able to get hold of newly released gear pretty quickly so have had a fair bit of time with the Hero 4 black edition as well as owning a Hero 3+ black edition for a year. My cameras spend most of their time hooked up to either a Sweet Strutter kayak helmet or the kayak itself.

For the average Joe who uses the camera to document weekend warrior activities on the local river or mountain bike trail I think that you’d be better of saving some cash and getting the Hero 4 Silver or Hero 3+. Spend the money saved on additional batteries, charger and may be the odd bacpac. The difference in the range of settings available and improved image quality won’t be noticed by the time you have messed about with the footage and have uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo.

Many may well be looking at getting the new £100 GoPro. This seems a pretty good deal but the camera unit itself has a number of drawbacks. There are a very limited number of settings available on the GoPro Hero including a very limited number of frame per second settings. This could limit your shooting options. The unit is in capable of accepting any of the bacpacs that are available. This includes the battery and LCD bacpacs which can be quite handy to use. In addition the camera is fully integrated into the case. There is no way of separating it out. As a result the battery is also fixed within the camera, so if you intend to film for more than 1-2 hours at any one time then you may want to look elsewhere. The Hero 3 white can be found for just a little more cash. It can also take a bacpac, has wifi, has the ability to accept 64gb SD cards and has all of the core features you could ever probably use.

Check out the comparison chart below.