You wait 12 months for a new GoPro camera and two come along at once.
As part of what GoPro is calling its "huge Fall launch", the California-based camera giant has announced the GoPro HERO8 Black, the GoPro Max plus mods for the former that add advanced audio, display and lighting features.
GoPro HERO8 Black
Hoping to follow on from the success of the HERO7, the £379.99 HERO8 Black comes with GoPro’s HyperSmooth 2.0 video stabilisation. Said to be a "drastic improvement" on HyperSmooth 1.0, this software works in all resolutions and frame rates, features a new Boost mode and has in-app horizon leveling.
GoPro has also improved its TimeWarp feature and with TimeWarp 2.0, the HERO8 auto-adjusts to your speed and can be slowed to real-time with a press of a button. Elsewhere, its new LiveBurst captures 1.5 seconds of 12MP (4K 4:3) footage before and after the shutter.
Design-wise, the HERO8 Black’s frameless mounting and built-in folding fingers make the camera smaller and 14% lighter than its predecessor. It has a new wind-optimised front-facing mic and high-fidelity audio improvements and the lens is now two times more impact resistant.
GoPro Mods
To turn the GoPro HERO8 into a vlogging camera, GoPro has unveiled a series of mods designed to add different features and increase functionality.
Media Mod: The £79.99 Media Mod adds a directional audio feature to the mic and comes with two cold shoe mounts for additional accessories along with USB Type-C, HDMI and 3.5- mm external mic adapter ports.
Display Mod: The £79.99 Display Mod is a folding front- or rear-facing 1.90in display that attaches to the top of the Media Mod. This means you have to buy both if you want to use this Display Mod. It can be used for more accurately framing vlogging shots before being tucked out of the way once filming begins.
Light Mod: The £49.99 Light Mod then adds a ring light complete with a diffuser to help illuminate, or soften, your footage. His can be bought either with the Media Mod, or on its own, and is waterproof to 10 metres.
GoPro Max
In this new line-up, the GoPro Max replaces the HERO as the company’s new flagship. Priced at £479, the Max is dual-lens GoPro camera so-called because it "maxes out on versatility" and is "like having three cameras in one."
It can be used as a waterproof, stabilised single-lens HERO camera, a dual-lens 360 camera, or vlogging camera with its built-in front-facing display and audio capabilities. Max also comes with four digital lenses, including the ultra-wide Max SuperView—GoPro’s widest field of view ever.
You can preorder the GoPro HERO8 and Max at GoPro.com from today (1 October). Shipments for the GoPro HERO8 start on 15 October and it will be available in stores on 20 October. The Max will be be shipped and available in stores on the same day, a little over a week later, on 24 October.
The Mods won’t be available for preorder until December.
Preorder now from GoPro
