GoPro Hero 8 Black review. long-awaited lineup update
Despite the fact that not so long ago the GoPro company was going through hard times, in the last couple of years it still managed to get out of a protracted crisis and again pleases us with current products.
Last year’s Hero 7 (detailed review and comparison with Sony FDR-X3000) was quite successful, but still it is mostly an upgraded “six”, which in turn was just an evolution of the “five”. Therefore, it was high time for the company to think about some kind of redesign, which it did by releasing the latest GoPro Hero 8 Black.
Design
And although it may seem right off the bat that we have the same classic action camera as its predecessors, in fact, the differences are quite serious.
The body has slightly decreased in size, the camera has become lighter, but the main news is that now the proprietary mount is integrated into the body!
Everything, forget about all these cases or frames, which had to be attached to the camera in order to install it on a handle, tripod, Velcro or some other bracket.
The legs are made of metal and are hidden in a magnetized niche in the bottom panel. Looks tough enough, but if you do manage to break this structure, fear not. judging by the four screws inside, this item is easy to replace.
But what is not being replaced now is the lens protection. In previous models, the glass nozzle was removable, but this is still an action camera, which is easy to “jam” in the process of this very action. In addition, filters and other accessories were also produced, which could be put on the lens.
GoPro claims that the non-removable glass is twice as thick and many times stronger, but you still need to be careful. Smash. and, apparently, the entire front panel will go for replacement.
However, I have no doubt that third-party manufacturers will launch the production of protective protectors for the G8, by analogy with glasses on smartphones.
Under the lens. another novelty, a hole for the front microphone, which captures sound much better, which, however, was an obvious decision. It is not clear why the company went to him for so many years.
The Soft-touch coating remains only on the front and rear panels, the whole central outline is now. just rough plastic, which makes the camera feel more slippery.
The hinged cover is now one, for everything at once, and completely occupies one of the side faces. Under it. SD card slot, USB type C port and battery compartment.
The lid comes unfastened if you need, for example, to connect the power supply for long shooting, but, of course, you can forget about moisture protection. And the battery is not fixed in any way, so be careful. Well, the HDMI port on the camera itself is no longer there. All other elements remain unchanged.
The LCD on the front panel still shows only the current information in the format and duration of shooting, the side button turns on the camera and switches modes, the top one. start recording, on the rear panel. same 2 ” touch screen as before.
Iron and autonomy
And if the body in the Hero 8 Black was changed for the first time since the release of the 5th model, then the insides in the cameras remained essentially the same as in the sevens. The same sensor, the same GP1 processor, even the shooting modes are identical. up to 4K at 60fps and Full HD up to 240fps. And all the differences are by and large. programmatic.
The only point concerns the battery. Physically, this is the same battery as in the G7, with the same capacity, and it is even backward compatible with previous cameras, but it has more power output, and since the G8 has increased power consumption, some new functions are available only when using native Akum from the G8.
Bad news for those who already have an arsenal of old camera batteries. For full-fledged work, newcomers will have to be together, with such a blue mark.
New features
What has been added programmatically to the GoPro Hero 8 Black? One of the main features of the “seven” was the HyperSmooth electronic image stabilization system, and the new model presents its second version.
Not only does it stabilize, as expected, better, but now it works in absolutely all modes, including slow-mo at 240fps. In addition, a Boost mode has been added, which, although it sprinkles the picture even more, gives the shooting super-smoothness.
Here is how funny the Boost brings the picture, smoothly leaving the cropped area of the sensor with a sharp movement, see for yourself. In general, of course, HyperSmooth in GoPro works just fine, and with the second version of Hero 8 Black it is quite catching up with the competitor in the face of DJI Osmo Action.
The video quality was also improved. now the maximum bitrate in 4K is 100 megabits per second.
The TimeWarp mode also got the second version. it’s essentially a time-lapse in motion, like Instagram’s HyperLapse. In GoPro, he compares favorably with the fact that he knows how to change the video speed himself, based on the readings of the accelerometer.
That is, if you have a rather tedious stable filming (for example, driving a car on a flat road), then the video will speed up as much as possible, and if some action begins. shooting will slow down.
Now it is possible to manually “slow down” the time-lapse to real time by pressing a button on the screen. very convenient and fun.
Not many people use action cameras for photos, but for those they improved the proprietary SuperPhoto HDR processing and added LiveBurst. This is such an analogue of live photos in iPhones. when a 1.5 second video is added to the pictures before and after the shutter is released.
Control
As for the Hero 8 Black‘s control interface, it remains the same, except for one very positive point.
Now in GoPro you can configure several presets for different shooting modes and quickly change them. This is very handy if you want, for example, to quickly choose between slow-mo, ultra-wide action video delight and vlogging with a thin viewing angle without the usual go-pros “barrel”.
Previously, you had to open the options and manually change the resolution, frame rate, viewing angle, etc. now it’s two clicks.
Well, although this is NOT an innovation, I still want to note the extremely convenient voice control. The power button, for example, is flat and tight, it is so difficult to press it with gloves that it is really easier to say “GoPro, turn on”, and that’s it.
For fans, it sticks out right on the social network. The good news is that you can now do this in 1080p instead of 720p as before. By the way, OBS settings for Stream with different power options can be found here.
Mods for GoPro
For GoPro Hero 8 Black, the company also announced support for so-called mods. While they are not on sale yet, they will appear by the end of the year, so, unfortunately, you can only see them in pictures.
First and foremost. Media Mod. This is a kind of frame for a camera, with a built-in directional microphone, a mini-jack for connecting an external microphone, two “shoes” for accessories and an HDMI-out.
You can still attach a Display Mod to it. flip-up display allowing you to see yourself while shooting and Light Mod. LED backlighting with a brightness of 200 lumens. over, it is waterproof to a depth of 10 m, like the camera itself without a case.
It will be interesting later to touch the GoPro Hero 8 Black paired with these mods, but for now we can say about the model itself that the update was clearly successful.
It seems that all the changes are not particularly radical, but in total they bring the camera to a new level. It has become even more compact and lighter, got rid of frames, the interface has become even more convenient, the quality of stabilization has significantly increased, and the price.
Well, a little expensive, of course, but not more expensive than before, and quite sane for this class. In general, you can safely take.
What’s new in GoPro HERO8 Black
GoPro HERO8 Black announced. The camera continues the HERO line, and has taken good ideas from the seventh version. Let’s take a look at the changes: what has been upgraded and upgraded by GoPro in the new model.
Housing
External changes first. The camera is smaller and lighter. Action cameras are loved for their portability, so the company went in that direction. The dimensions were cut due to the reworking of the fastening method. Don’t worry, tripods and mounts will still work. Let’s tell you more.
New mount
A built-in mount was installed on the lower edge of the figure-eight. A pair of standard “ears” are now built-in. It looks like a mount for the GoPro Fusion. Previously, we installed the camera in a frame, and already connected the frame, for example, with a selfie stick. “Eight” we secured to the self-hot directly. Gopro got rid of the bezel to free up microphones and lose weight.
About new “ears”. The built-in mount must be strong, so it was made metal. Now the “ears” themselves are stronger. In the new design, they fold into special recesses on the sides. Therefore, the camera still fits in cases, frames and boxes.
Microphones
Gopro has dropped the mandatory frames. Therefore, the side microphones are NOT covered anymore. In addition, an additional microphone appeared under the lens. This will help the camera to more easily record sound in the direction of the shot.
Appearance
Gopro HERO8 Black looks like a 7-ku. Due to the new stationary mount on the bottom, the battery is now inserted from the side. There will also be slots for charging and memory cards. Smooth housing with microphone holes on the sides and new under the lens.
The weight and size of the chamber are reduced by 11%. Now it’s about 103g instead of 116. The size of the action camera has also decreased proportionally. Minor change, but overall HERO8 takes up less space.
Now more about the capabilities of the camera itself.
Modes Modes are conventionally divided into preset and Custom. The 3 automatic modes are arranged so that it is convenient to select them in a specific situation. Let’s take a look at what presets GoPro themselves offer:
Standard. Normal shooting. When you see something beautiful and there is no time to dig into the settings.
Sports. For sports and outdoor activities. An emphasis on colors and clarity to let the bright moment fall asleep. Choose when to capture cycling, skiing, and more.
Cinematic. For beauty. Maximum resolution to convey everything that the G8 can catch. Choose this mode for landscapes, waterfalls, underwater photography and other colorful moments.
Customizable modes that the camera offers:
Viewing angle: super view. For shooting from the first person. Dynamically stretches a higher perspective, like in 4: 3, in 16: 9. Super view is removed with a helmet mount and chest to make the picture look like what we see in life.
Viewing angle: wide. A mode for capturing as much of the surrounding as possible into the image Suitable for landscapes. Turn on the mode when you want to show the scale.
Viewing angle: linear. Narrower angle for capturing people and events. Suitable for portraits. Choose it if you are around people who are doing something spectacular.
Viewing angle: standard. Mode for shooting close-ups without a fisheye. Macro for those who don’t feel like using macro lenses.
Timewarp 2.0. Improved timewarp from 7. It is a combination of time lapse and HyperSmooth. Helps make motion time-lapse smooth. Previously, it was impossible to control speed, now. can. To make shooting easier, added automatic focusing on the subject during Timewarp 2.0 This smart focusing was called ramp.
Live burst. Rather special treatment than a regime. To use, you need to install the GoPro App. It is arranged in the same way as Live Photos on iPhone. You select a frame, the program selects 1.5 seconds of material before and after that. The output is a photo with video context. It looks impressive if the object in the center is static, and the world around it is moving.
Super Photo. She’s the same. Auto HDR mode. Takes literally bright pictures in different lighting conditions. Tone mapping and noise reduction. Superphoto has been optimized, now it works better with dynamic subjects.
Feature Updates
Updated Hyper smooth. HERO7 stabilization has now been improved and works with other modes. The algorithm was reworked to apply to 4K at 60 fps. Before that, the camera could not do that. Crop is the same. 10% Increased resolution for live streaming. The camera now streams in Full HD. Stream live social media from the epicenter of your holiday. The camera understands Russian. Voice control is now easier and more intuitive. Often voice services take a long time to learn to recognize Russian speech. Gopro did everything in advance, and the action camera will be controlled by voice from the start of sales.
Equipment
The package has gone up, except for one detail. The box now contains only one adhesive mounting platform. HERO7 was curved and flat, HERO8. only curved. These platforms attach the camera to the helmet.
The rest of the package is the same: Camera Battery Curved adhesive mount Mounting buckle USB-C cable Mounting screw
The battery can power HERO7 and 6, but not vice versa. The camera will be able to work, but will show notifications asking you to use original batteries.
conclusions
Gopro HERO8 Black has become a natural continuation of the line. The main changes were in the design of the case to free up microphones and reduce the size. Redesigned algorithms for software, and Hyper smooth works in all modes. Now it will also be smooth in 4K. Simple automatic modes have been added for everyday use. A clear tool to avoid digging through the settings and focus on shooting.