Action camera

GoPro HERO4 Black

The GoPro HERO4 Black is an action camera with a 1/1.7" sensor measuring 6.9 × 5.2 mm. Its crop factor is 5.00×, so a 50 mm lens frames like 250 mm on full frame. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

1/1.7"5.00× crop
5.00×
Crop factor
6.9×5.2 mm
Sensor size
36 mm²
Area · 4% of full frame

Specifications#

Brand
GoPro
Model
HERO4 Black
Camera type
Action camera
Sensor size
6.9 × 5.2 mm (1/1.7" sensor)
Crop factor
5.00×

Specifications merged from Lensfun. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

1" (one-inch) sensorGoPro HERO4 Black1/2.3" sensor
The GoPro HERO4 Black sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 4% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 4.6 stops less total light at the same exposure.

Focal length equivalents & field of view#

Multiply any focal length by 5.00 to get the full-frame field of view. For fixed-lens cameras use the real focal length printed on the lens (e.g. “6.1–18.3 mm”), not the 35 mm equivalent.

Lens on this cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
4 mm20 mm81.7°65.9°94.5°
4.5 mm23 mm75.1°59.9°87.7°
5 mm25 mm69.4°54.9°81.7°
6 mm30 mm59.9°46.8°71.6°
8 mm40 mm46.8°35.9°56.8°
10 mm50 mm38.2°29.1°46.8°
12 mm60 mm32.2°24.4°39.6°
15 mm75 mm26.0°19.6°32.2°
20 mm100 mm19.6°14.8°24.4°
25 mm125 mm15.8°11.9°19.6°
30 mm150 mm13.2°9.9°16.4°
40 mm200 mm9.9°7.4°12.3°
50 mm250 mm7.9°5.9°9.9°
70 mm350 mm5.7°4.2°7.1°
100 mm500 mm4.0°3.0°5.0°
150 mm750 mm2.6°2.0°3.3°

Depth of field table#

Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 6.0 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor).

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
4 mmf/243.2 cm3.38 m∞∞∞∞1.34 m
4 mmf/2.871.4 cm∞∞∞∞∞95.7 cm
4 mmf/41.66 m∞∞∞∞∞67.1 cm
4 mmf/8∞∞∞∞∞∞33.7 cm
9 mmf/27.3 cm30.0 cm1.29 m3.31 m16.3 m∞6.76 m
9 mmf/2.810.3 cm42.9 cm1.99 m6.05 m∞∞4.83 m
9 mmf/414.9 cm64.2 cm3.62 m24.7 m∞∞3.39 m
9 mmf/831.8 cm1.79 m∞∞∞∞1.70 m
15 mmf/22.6 cm10.5 cm42.8 cm98.0 cm2.86 m14.9 m18.8 m
15 mmf/2.83.6 cm14.8 cm60.6 cm1.41 m4.32 m33.5 m13.4 m
15 mmf/45.2 cm21.2 cm88.6 cm2.12 m7.41 m∞9.39 m
15 mmf/810.5 cm43.9 cm2.06 m6.42 m∞∞4.70 m
25 mmf/20.9 cm3.7 cm15.2 cm34.4 cm96.4 cm3.97 m52.1 m
25 mmf/2.81.3 cm5.2 cm21.3 cm48.3 cm1.36 m5.78 m37.2 m
25 mmf/41.8 cm7.5 cm30.5 cm69.4 cm1.98 m8.97 m26.1 m
25 mmf/83.7 cm15.1 cm62.1 cm1.45 m4.47 m37.0 m13.1 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 9 mm
f/1.2f/6.011.3 m
f/1.4f/7.09.66 m
f/1.8f/9.07.51 m
f/2f/10.06.76 m
f/2.8f/14.04.83 m
f/4f/20.03.39 m
f/5.6f/28.02.42 m
f/8f/40.01.70 m

Night-sky exposure limits#

Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors. (NPF needs a known resolution and is omitted here.)

Focal length500 rule
4 mm (20 mm eq.)25.0 s
5 mm (25 mm eq.)20.0 s
6 mm (30 mm eq.)16.7 s
7 mm (35 mm eq.)14.3 s
10 mm (50 mm eq.)10.0 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

Handheld shutter speed guide#

The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.

Focal lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
5 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
10 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
20 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
40 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Lens#

The GoPro HERO4 Black has a built-in, non-interchangeable lens. Use the real focal length of that lens with the tables above; its full-frame equivalent is that number × 5.00.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the GoPro HERO4 Black?

The GoPro HERO4 Black has a crop factor of 5.00× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 8.7 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the GoPro HERO4 Black sensor?

6.9 × 5.2 mm (1/1.7"), an area of 36 mm² — 4% of full frame.

Is the GoPro HERO4 Black full frame?

No — its sensor is 1/1.7", which is 24.1× smaller in area than full frame.

How long can I expose the night sky with the GoPro HERO4 Black?

With a 5 mm lens (25 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 20 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources