GoPro Hero+ LCD

GoPro’s Hero action cameras are aimed squarely at the entry-level, leaving the more fully-featured Hero4 for serious film-makers. The Hero is still well-equipped and more than capable of capturing quality footage though. There are now three cameras in the Hero range: the GoPro Hero (around £94), GoPro Hero+ (around £169) and GoPro Hero+ LCD (around £199). The Hero+ gains Wi-Fi for pairing with an iOS and Android companion app, but the Hero+ LCD gets an LCD display too.

This gives you a live view for framing your video and photos, and lets you play back recorded clips, but also functions as a touchscreen. The LCD gives you a quick and easy way to adjust settings, as well as providing in-camera trimming so you can cut down videos to easily sharable sizes.

This is particularly handy if you plan on sharing footage on platforms such as Instagram, which only allows 15 second videos. You can trim video in the smartphone apps, but doing so in the camera saves you from having to transfer over the full clip before trimming.

The camera will feel familiar to GoPro users, with the same typical three-button design. The power button is on the front, the shutter button on the top and a settings button the side. The side button is also used for “HiLight” favourites tagging when recording video, making it simple to mark important parts of your footage to make editing easier. You can also mark HiLights when you’re watching back video on the LCD display.

A second, smaller display on the front shows a rudimentary menu, which is useful when the camera is mounted in a way that prevents you from seeing the rear touchscreen.

One of the biggest differences from the Hero4 is the non-removable waterproof case. Before the entry-level Hero arrived, every GoPro had a separate, detachable waterproof housing. With the Hero+ LCD, the casing is permanently fixed in place, which you might find a little unwieldy if you plan on using handheld gimbals designed for caseless action cameras.

The permanent case also increases the overall size, even when you’re not planning any aquatic escapades, but when you do get wet, the Hero+ LCD can survive being submerged to depths of 40m. The case is otherwise very rugged and will stand up to a good few knocks. As a whole, the Hero+ LCD weighs 127g – lighter than the 152g Hero4 Black. You get the usual array of curved and flat adhesive mounts, but the Hero+ range works with all of GoPro’s existing mount range.

Various different backdoors are included for the case, including one that will allow you to still access the touchscreen, but it’s worth noting that the touch backdoor is only waterproof to 10m. A skeleton backdoor can also be used that doesn’t obstruct the microphones as much for improved sound quality, but this isn’t dust or waterproof.

The Hero+ LCD might be more of an entry-level camera, but it’s still well-specified when it comes to video resolutions. It’s capable of up to 1080p video at 60fps, which is excellent for a sub-£200 camera – many are limited to 30fps. Where the Hero+ range is lacking is when it comes to higher frame rate video, which is useful for creating slow motion footage. The similarly-priced Veho Muvi K2NPNG allows for 720p video at 120fps. You’ll have to step up to the Hero4 Black to get 240fps video from a GoPro.

The Hero+ LCD is also capable of capturing 8-megapixel still images, in addition to a burst mode that rattles off 10 frames in 2 seconds. There’s also a time lapse photo mode, with intervals between 0.5s to 60s.

One of our favourite GoPro features is the QuikCapture function. This lets you quickly turn on the camera to begin capturing video or timelapse images by pressing or holding the shutter button when the camera is off. Another press then stops the camera and turns it back off again.

^Footage captured using optional GoPro chest mount. Best viewed in 1080p, 60fps. Nervous laughter provided purely to give representative audio

Footage captured from the Hero+ LCD was very crisp, with nice and vibrant colours and decent sharpness when given outdoor lighting. Under low light there’s a reasonable amount of noise, with the auto low-light function adjusting the frame rate dynamically to match lighting conditions. The resulting 8-megapixel still images captured a surprising amount of detail.

^8 megapixel still image captured on the GoPro Hero+ LCD

In terms of audio, there’s only a mono microphone, but captured audio was perfectly acceptable for general footage. Those looking for more professional results are better served by the Hero4, as there’s no support for external microphones in any entry-level Hero camera.

Battery life was excellent, matching the Veho Muvi K2 NPNG, which was one of the longest lasting action cameras we’ve tested. Shooting 1080p video at 30fps, the Hero+ LCD managed a fantastic 2 hours 27 minutes – significantly higher than the GoPro Hero4 Black. The battery isn’t removable, however, so there’s no swapping out batteries while you’re in the field.

As an entry-level GoPro, the Hero+ LCD is an excellent choice provided you don’t need the more advanced functionality of the full-blown Hero4. With not much money separating the Hero+ LCD and regular Hero+, the added convenience of a touchscreen display is definitely worth paying extra for.

The Muvi K2 NPNG has more included accessories (and support for GoPro mounts) but the Hero+ LCD has better image quality and a superior companion app. In any case, with both you’re getting very capable action cameras for not a lot of money.