GoPro HERO4 Black Gets Super Slow Motion Firmware Update with 240fps

February 5^th, 2015

GoPro HERO4 Black Gets Super Slow Motion Firmware Update with 240fps

by Nino LeitnerFebruary 5^th, 2015

GoPro have released a firmware update for their HERO4 Black camera adding great new capabilities to a camera that has been in the market for about one year now.

With the latest firmware update, it can do 240fps in 720p (Narrow Mode only), which clearly expands its usefulness for fast-paced sports action, one of GoPro’s biggest selling points. I stuck a GoPro HERO3 Black on a rocket for a documentary once (see here), using the 120fps in 720p on that camera – 240fps would have made the rocket blast look even better as it did.

Furthermore, the firmware update introduces 60p at 2.7K resolution. This is quite useful too as the 2.7K mode is one of my favorite modes for many reasons – it can be cropped to 1080p in post, which kind of makes the super wide angle look of the GoPro more bearable. (I find even the “narrow” mode too wide for many shots.) The higher frame rate in the 2.7K resolution means that this can now also be used for slow motion, with the added capability of cropping slow motion shots in post production. Also, the higher resolution allows for better stabilization capabilities in post, therefore the mode is loved by most drone shooters.

This is a step in the right direction for GoPro, whose cameras mostly suffer from the fact that they don’t offer built-in optical stabilization yet. The typical “GoPro jitter” is almost impossible to get rid of in post, it’s a rolling shutter jitter effect that affects the entire image. Other companies have started introducing new products that compete face-to-face with GoPro in the very lucrative action cam market, most notably Sony with their FDR-X1000 Action Camera (more on that in our post here), which does offer quite impressive optical stabilization.

GoPro still has a leg up on Sony with regards to resolution of their cameras, but the optical stabilization part is clearly where they are lacking. With this new firmware update GoPro cement their leadership in the market and prove that they are willing to add free additional value to products that have been in the market for a while.

Head over to the GoPro update page for more details on how to update your HERO4 Black.