From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report. Action video camera manufacturer GoPro has released its 74 gram Hero4 Session camera, which it hopes will also be used to film lifestyle and family moments, broadening its use beyond its traditional markets of action and extreme sports. Schalk Burger has the story.

Schalk Burger:
GoPro launched a small, robust and waterproof camera, called the Hero4 Session, in August.

The company, known for the athlete-perspective videos of action sports and extreme sports, has also seen significant use by motoring and motor-cross enthusiasts. However, GoPro believes that the small size, ease of use and quick sharing functionality of its latest cameras will boost the use of the cameras for filming lifestyle sports, including dancing, drama, ballet and more, as well as family moments.

GoPro South African distributor Omnico brand manager Dewald de Jager details the new camera’s capabilities and uses.

GoPro South African distributor Omnico brand manager Dewald de Jager:

So, most people know GoPro for being a camera that you use in something extreme: cycling, or mountain biking, or diving, but it’s changed so much over the last few years that people are using it for their animals, for normal family shots, for things like lifestyle images, even music. Recently we did a shoot at the OppiKoppi music festival and it was so impressive to see how the camera performed under those conditions.

So, with the Session, there is a whole bunch of new accessories that are coming out and I think two of them stand out. One is the strap, which is a device that can attach to your hand, your arm or your leg. It has a 360˚ swivel, so you can turn the camera towards yourself or away; and the other one I think is great is called Cassey, which is a crush-proof case that can house various cameras and accessories.

With Session, also comes improvements in the buckles that we use to mount the cameras. Where in the past, the anti-vibration plug, which is something that no one ever used, but is incredibly valuable to keeping the camera safe and stable is now integrated into the buckle. But they have also added an extra feature to the buckle in that you get a ball-joint buckle that can rotate 360 degrees. So, even if the camera is mounted in a static position, the camera can still turn 360 degrees, using that buckle.

Shannon de Ryhove:
Other news making headlines this week: the Gordon Institute of Business Science and the American Chamber of Commerce launch a leadership programme, and, the Imperial group hopes to lessen dependence on its automotive and South African markets.

The Gordon Institute of Business Science has, in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce and the Gauteng provincial government, launched a public–private partnership to improve leadership.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura

The Imperial group hopes to reduce its dependence on the motor industry and South Africa, owing to the impact of the weak rand on vehicle imports, and the high market share the company already has in South Africa, which limits its domestic growth opportunities.

Imperial CEO Mark Lamberti

Shannon de Ryhove:
That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.