This is my opinion of the Hero 7 White and Silver offerings from this new generation of GoPro cameras.
With the Hero 7 cameras, GoPro has gone back to the White/Silver/Black business model. This was last seen in the Hero 4 Lineup - also existed with the Hero 3 and 3+ lineup as well.
With the Hero 5 generation, you only had the Hero 5 Black and the Hero 5 Session. With the Hero 6 generation, you only had the Hero 6 Black.
In my humble opinion, GoPro has made 2 mistakes with the Hero 7 lineup. 1) The Hero 7 Silver/White do not have removable batteries. 2) The Hero 7 Silver/White do not have replaceable lenses.
The Hero 7 White is $199 and Hero 7 Silver is $299. If you are into high impact activities where there is a risk of damage to the camera lens (These cameras have not included a case since the release of the Hero 5 Black), a cracked lens means purchasing a new camera -- the lens itself (if it was replaceable) on GoPro's website is about $20.00.
Does it make sense to replace an entire camera for a $20.00 lens that gets damaged?
In addition, lets go into the Hero 7 White and Silver further.
The Hero 7 White is less capable than the Hero 5 Black and has less features than the Hero 5 Black. It sells for $199.00. On Amazon, you can get a Hero 5 Black for $239.00.
The Hero 7 Silver is slightly less capable (not by much) than the Hero 6 Black and does not have the GP1 chip of the Hero 6 Black. (Neither does the Hero 7 White). It retails for $299.00. You can get a Hero 6 Black on Amazon for $349.00.
The Hero 7 White/Silver does not have ProTune which allows you full creative control on post processing of your videos - it provides a lot better image quality than the standard GoPro auto. The Hero 5 Black, Hero 6 Black, and Hero 7 Black all have this feature (they are flagship cameras of course).
So, does it make sense to plunk $199 or $299 for the Hero 7 White/Silver cameras? Absolutely not. If you are not going for the Hero 7 Black, I would spend the extra $40 - $50 for the Hero 5 or 6 Black respectively. You get Protune, ability to replace the battery, ability to replace the lens if you break it, and better features on the camera.
If the Hero 7 White/Silver lineup had replaceable batteries and lenses and were about $40 cheaper each, I would say if you were on a budget, yes get them. WIth the Hero 3, 3+, and 4 lineup, each camera (White, Silver, and Black) you could change batteries (Lenses were a non-issue with those since you had to use the waterproof housing which is cheap to replace).
This is just my opinion as a GoPro user of almost 10 years.
With the Hero 7 cameras, GoPro has gone back to the White/Silver/Black business model. This was last seen in the Hero 4 Lineup - also existed with the Hero 3 and 3+ lineup as well.
With the Hero 5 generation, you only had the Hero 5 Black and the Hero 5 Session. With the Hero 6 generation, you only had the Hero 6 Black.
In my humble opinion, GoPro has made 2 mistakes with the Hero 7 lineup. 1) The Hero 7 Silver/White do not have removable batteries. 2) The Hero 7 Silver/White do not have replaceable lenses.
The Hero 7 White is $199 and Hero 7 Silver is $299. If you are into high impact activities where there is a risk of damage to the camera lens (These cameras have not included a case since the release of the Hero 5 Black), a cracked lens means purchasing a new camera -- the lens itself (if it was replaceable) on GoPro's website is about $20.00.
Does it make sense to replace an entire camera for a $20.00 lens that gets damaged?
In addition, lets go into the Hero 7 White and Silver further.
The Hero 7 White is less capable than the Hero 5 Black and has less features than the Hero 5 Black. It sells for $199.00. On Amazon, you can get a Hero 5 Black for $239.00.
The Hero 7 Silver is slightly less capable (not by much) than the Hero 6 Black and does not have the GP1 chip of the Hero 6 Black. (Neither does the Hero 7 White). It retails for $299.00. You can get a Hero 6 Black on Amazon for $349.00.
The Hero 7 White/Silver does not have ProTune which allows you full creative control on post processing of your videos - it provides a lot better image quality than the standard GoPro auto. The Hero 5 Black, Hero 6 Black, and Hero 7 Black all have this feature (they are flagship cameras of course).
So, does it make sense to plunk $199 or $299 for the Hero 7 White/Silver cameras? Absolutely not. If you are not going for the Hero 7 Black, I would spend the extra $40 - $50 for the Hero 5 or 6 Black respectively. You get Protune, ability to replace the battery, ability to replace the lens if you break it, and better features on the camera.
If the Hero 7 White/Silver lineup had replaceable batteries and lenses and were about $40 cheaper each, I would say if you were on a budget, yes get them. WIth the Hero 3, 3+, and 4 lineup, each camera (White, Silver, and Black) you could change batteries (Lenses were a non-issue with those since you had to use the waterproof housing which is cheap to replace).
This is just my opinion as a GoPro user of almost 10 years.
