I have been a GoPro user since almost it’s beginning.  My first GoPro I purchased was the GoPro Hero 3 White.  I loved this camera.  Even though navigating through the camera’s menu was clunky and downright difficult at times, the camera took very good outdoor action shots and was the first camera I owned that was able to take underwater video (with the add-on underwater case purchased from GoPro.).  My last camera, the GoPro Hero 7 Black, took outstanding video up to 4K, 24fps and I used every day as a dash cam.

I started having issues with the GoPro Hero 7 about 2 months ago where the camera would shut off while recording or would not record at all.  Basically it got so bad that I would not be able to turn the camera off without physically pulling the battery out of the unit.  If I left the battery in the unit, it would turn on and off every 10-15 seconds making it impossible to use for video.

So I decided that it was time to invest in a new action camera.  At this point in time, I was not sure if I was going to go with

GoPro again.  There are so many other options right now, DJI and others are making high-quality action cameras that rival GoPro and GoPro’s track record over the past 3 years with the GoPro Hero 8 and 9 was not stellar.  Both cameras were met with horrible reviews.  Also, GoPro itself, almost was in bankruptcy due to financial mismanagement and trying to create products that were not within their niche… i.e. GoPro Karma drone.

Researching for my purchase, GoPro had released the GoPro Hero 10 Black which featured video resolutions up to 5.3K at 60fps and slow motion capabilities of 4K at up to 240fps.  GoPro also introduced a faster chip and crisper UI.

The GoPro Hero 10 Black was receiving really good reviews and I was leaning toward purchase.  The only thing that was holding me back was the $599 purchase price, which I thought was quite expensive for an action camera. That is when I noticed that GoPro was having a “Black Friday” special (visit the GoPro Website).  When you purchased the GoPro Hero 10 Black, you also received an extra battery, a mini tripod, and a 64GB mini SD card for the price of $399.

I made the purchase and now have been using the camera for almost a week and…

GOOD POINTS

• The video from the camera is really good.
• The 5.3K cinematic mode is the best that I have seen, even from some higher end DSLR cameras.
• The slow motion is buttery smooth and, again, I have not seen better in any camera that I have used.
• Files sizes seem to be smaller, which means quicker transfer to my hard drive.

THINGS I’VE NOTICED

• Over exposure of outdoor video – This may have been my fault
• Recording stoping without warning with plenty of battery life left.
• Overheating

Again, these are things that I’ve noticed within the first week, but the good outweigh the bad and I really do like the quality of the video that I have taken.  I hope that the problems that I have had are my fault and not a design flaw in either the software or the camera.

I will continue to review the GoPro Hero 10 Black for the next month.  At that time, I will review what I have found out, and whether the camera is worth the money or whether you should look at another Action Cam brand.