Picture quality GoPro Hero4

All pictures comparing the

GoPro Hero4 Silvert to the NuPro  were taken at the same time from exactly the same camera position except  where we attempted to demonstrate the problems encountered using the GoPro "fisheye" lens. At the right you can see both cameras mounted on the same bar sitting on a tripod.

The pictures were not altered in any way and were shot using the camera default settings as the cameras came out of the box.

One note: Besides the difference in quality you will see another difference between the images that makes it look like the pictures were taken from a different place.  That's because the GoPro uses  a "fisheye" lens.  The affect of using such a lens is it makes it look like you moved very far back to take the picture. That means the main subject of your picture will look very small.

The reason GoPro uses such a ridiculous wide angle lens is because most of their cameras have no viewfinder or viewing screen. on them the way the NuPro has.  You just point the GoPro in the general direction of your subject and hope the wide angle lens will catch it.  You will notice this in the pictures below.

This particular camera, the GoPro Hero4 Silver is the only one of their cameras with a viewing screen but it has the same "fisheye" lens as all of the others.

Above is the same scene taken with the GoPro Hero4 Silver and the NuPro.  Notice the distorted view of the picture on the left.  The 2 arrows point to 2 signs in the picture,  demonstrating the visual problems caused by the "fisheye" lens on the GoPro.  The picture on the right, taken with a NuPro gives you a normal view of the scene, as it appears to your eyes.

Secondly, both cameras were set to normal shooting mode.  Although the NuPro has many settings that can be used, it was left at "out of the box" default.  You can readily see the better quality color in the sky, cars, trees and awning.  You'll notice the image is sharper as well.  Which camera would you rather use?

 

 

The pictures above show what happens when you try to take a picture of a boat with a GoPro "fisheye" lens as compared to the same picture taken with the normal wide angle lens of the NuPro.  The arrow points to the shortened length of the boat.  The boat looks short and fat in the GoPro photo.  That's distortion caused by the fih-eye lens.  You'll notice also that the GoPro gave a redish cast to the white boat.  Which camera would you rather use? 

 

Above  is a typical tourist picture.  I wanted to take a picture of the statue of the  boy in the fountain.  I stood with my feet against the wall in the foreground of the pool for both pictures.  In the GoPro picture on the left you would not even notice the statue if I didn't put in an arrow pointing to it. You will see another arrow in the upper left corner.  Because of the "fisheye" lens the camera caught a piece of my finger which I didn't notice at the time I took the picture.  I was concentrating on seeing the statue.  Again, look at the better color renditions in the picture taken by the NuPro camera.

 Which camera would you rather use?  

 

In order to photograph the same relative scene I moved the camera closer to the building and framed the image with the trees on the right and left.  But there is just no way to take a good normal image with the GoPro "fisheye" lens. The GoPro picture above left, taken with the "fisheye" lens distorted the tree on the right, distorted the round mulch area at the base of the tree into an egg shape, bowed the trunk of the tree  made the root of the tree on the left of the image look twice the length it actually is  and pushed the building so far back that you can hardly see it.   Look at the 4 arrows in the GoPro image to see the points that I mentioned. The NuPro camera did a really great job in reproducing the scene as you would see it with your eyes. Which camera would you rather use? 

 

Here are two people taking a nap in the shade.  See the two arrows.  You can barely see the people in the picture taken with the GoPro.  The colors are too muddy.  Again, both pictures were taken in the same place under the same shady tree. The NuPro (on the right above) did such a better job of bringing out the colors and details in the shade and also bringing out the colors and details of the part of the picture that is in bright sunlight at the top of the image that there is really no contest.  Neither picture was altered in any way except to crop the view to allow them to match in subject area. Which camera would you rather use?

  Which camera would you rather use?