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What’s in the Box
The GoPro Hero 5 Black ships with the camera itself, a rechargeable battery, a USB-C charging cable, a mounting frame, a curved adhesive mount, a flat adhesive mount, and a mounting buckle. There’s no separate waterproof housing because the Hero 5 Black is waterproof down to 33 feet (10 meters) on its own.
Before you do anything else, charge the battery. Pop the battery into the camera, open the USB-C port cover on the side, and plug it in using the included cable. A full charge takes about two hours. The front LCD shows a battery icon while it charges, and the icon disappears when it’s done.
Inserting a MicroSD Card
The Hero 5 Black doesn’t come with a memory card, so you’ll need to buy one. GoPro recommends cards that are at least Class 10 or UHS-I rated. A 64GB card gives you roughly 2.5 hours of 4K footage or about 4 hours of 1080p. SanDisk Extreme and Samsung EVO Select are popular, reliable choices.
Open the side door (the same one that covers the USB-C port), and you’ll see the microSD slot just below the USB port. Push the card in with the gold contacts facing the front of the camera until it clicks into place. To remove it later, push it in slightly and it pops out.
First-Time Setup
Power on the camera by pressing the Mode button on the side. The Hero 5 Black walks you through a quick setup wizard:
1. Language: Pick your language from the touchscreen menu.
2. Date and time: The camera pulls this from GPS later, but you can set it manually here.
3. Wi-Fi name and password: The camera creates its own Wi-Fi network. You’ll use this to pair with the GoPro app. Write down the password or take a photo of the screen, because you’ll need it when connecting your phone.
Once the wizard finishes, you’re on the main shooting screen. The touchscreen on the back shows your current mode, resolution, battery life, and remaining storage.
Shooting Modes Explained
Swipe left or right on the touchscreen, or press the Mode button on the side to cycle through the main modes:
Video: The default mode. Records video at resolutions from 720p to 4K. Tap the resolution and frame rate at the bottom of the screen to change them.
Photo: Takes single still photos up to 12MP. You can also set a timer (3 or 10 seconds) in the photo settings.
Burst: Fires off a rapid series of photos. Options range from 3 photos in 1 second up to 30 photos in 6 seconds. Great for action shots where you want to grab the perfect moment.
Time-Lapse: Takes a photo at set intervals (0.5 seconds to 60 seconds between shots) and compiles them into a video. Perfect for sunsets, clouds, or any slow-moving scene.
Resolution and Frame Rate Options
The Hero 5 Black shoots video at the following resolutions:
4K: 3840×2160 at 30 or 24 fps. The sharpest video the camera can produce. Best for footage you plan to edit or crop.
2.7K: 2704×1520 at 60, 48, 30, or 24 fps. A good middle ground between quality and file size.
1440p: 1920×1440 at 80, 60, 48, 30, or 24 fps. This is a 4:3 aspect ratio, which captures a taller field of view. Good for body-mounted and helmet shots.
1080p: 1920×1080 at up to 120 fps. Shoot at 120 fps for smooth slow-motion playback. At 60 fps, you get good quality with smaller files.
720p: 1280×720 at up to 240 fps. Lower resolution, but 240 fps gives you ultra-slow-motion effects.
Higher frame rates produce smoother video and better slow motion but use more storage and battery.
Voice Commands
The Hero 5 Black has built-in voice control, which is surprisingly handy when the camera is mounted somewhere you can’t easily reach, like on your mount GoPro on helmet.
Voice control is on by default. Here are the key commands:
“GoPro, start recording” and “GoPro, stop recording” for video.
“GoPro, take a photo” for a single shot.
“GoPro, shoot burst” for a burst sequence.
“GoPro, start time lapse” for time-lapse mode.
“GoPro, turn off” to power down.
Voice commands work best in quiet environments. Wind noise, engine sounds, and loud music can interfere. You can turn voice control on or off in Preferences > Voice Control.
Pairing with the GoPro App
The GoPro app (available for iOS and Android) lets you preview what the camera sees, change settings remotely, and download footage to your phone for quick edits.
To pair:
1. On the camera, swipe down from the top to open the dashboard, then tap Connect and select GoPro App.
2. On your phone, open the GoPro app and tap Add a Camera.
3. Follow the on-screen prompts. You’ll need to connect to the camera’s Wi-Fi network using the password from the initial setup.
4. Once connected, the app shows a live preview from the camera.
From the app, you can start and stop recording, switch modes, adjust settings, and transfer clips to your phone without pulling the SD card out.
Protune Settings Basics
Protune gives you manual control over the camera’s image processing. It’s turned off by default, and for casual shooting, the auto settings work well. But if you plan to color-grade your footage or want more creative control, Protune opens up some useful options.
To enable it, go into the settings for your current mode (tap the wrench icon on the touchscreen) and toggle Protune on. From there, you can adjust:
White Balance: Auto, 3000K, 5500K, 6500K, or Native. Native gives you the flattest image for post-processing.
ISO: Set the minimum and maximum ISO. Lower max ISO (400 or 800) keeps noise down in low light but may produce darker footage.
Sharpness: High, Medium, or Low. If you’re editing in post, set this to Low and add sharpening yourself for better results.
Color: GoPro Color (vivid, ready to share) or Flat (low contrast, more dynamic range for editing).
Firmware Updates
GoPro occasionally releases firmware updates that fix bugs, improve stability, and sometimes add new features. The easiest way to update is through the GoPro app. Connect the camera to the app, and if an update is available, it will prompt you to install it.
You can also update manually by downloading the firmware from GoPro’s website, copying it to the microSD card, and inserting the card into the camera. The camera detects the update file on the next boot and installs it automatically.
Keep the battery above 50% before starting a firmware update. If the battery dies during the process, the camera can get stuck and need a manual recovery.
