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amazon GoPro Hero8 Black reviews
The Hero7 Black was GoPro’s greatest output in years and introduced HyperSmooth, a type of electronic image stabilization (EIS) so good you wouldn’t even need a gimbal, not even for the simplest of runs or rides. This is a very handy innovation that has reset the standards for EIS and action cameras in general.
That begs the question: Where does GoPro go from here?
Enter the 400 Hero8 Black, which gets the first physical makeover since Hero5 Black back in 2016 and features a built-in mount; say goodbye to the mounting bracket. It is also compatible with a fresh line of accessories dubbed Mods, which transform the camera into a powerhouse vlogging and storytelling tool.
HyperSmooth 2.0, which is now operational at all frame rates and resolutions, stands in rapid ascension of EIS, taking another step forward alongside optional horizon leveling.
About a year ago, the Hero8 Black is being very much compared to the Hero7 Black within these and a fair number of other features. The great thing is that GoPro’s latest flagship has proved that the company that started it all in action cams still knows how to outsmart and dominate its competitors, which include DJI, Yi, and many others that seem to spring up every other day.
New User Interface and Design
The new design feels mostly the same, but it comes with a crucial functional improvement hidden from your sight. There are two tabs that will be folded out to form traditional GoPro mounting hardware that are recessed on the bottom and hidden from view. With the previous, the camera would be put into a case or frame first before mounting.
This has marginally increased size compared to the naked Hero7 and is smaller than the Hero7 with frames. While the GoPro is almost always somehow attached, usually helmets or selfie sticks, there is a little size-wise gain for Hero8 over previously mounted models.
That also offers one more increase in user-friendliness, allowing you to get to the memory card and battery without having to remove the chassis. The new side door design allows you to swap batteries and cards without even taking the camera off whatever you’re using it on. These little improvements add tremendously to the user experience.
The lens has not changed but is set behind thicker protective glass and twice as stiff as it was before. It also protrudes from the body, making the camera slimmer overall. Effectively, that means you can’t remove or replace the glass anymore, so if you’re using filters, you will need to get a separate frame.
Improvements to the touch interface include easier navigation with a new preset menu that lets you call up different modes quickly for different situations. In addition to the default modes, you can also save up to 10 global presets for different shooting styles or activities and label them. Four customizable buttons on the screen also provide quick access to functions like stabilization, zoom, exposure compensation, white balance, and much more.
GoPro definitely has the best touch interface in its class learn yet how the Hero8 is even better at this. Every now and then, you do hit the wrong button due to the lack of screen real estate, but operating such a camera is easy.
The thing I’m not very happy with is actually the LCD screen. It’s the same base unit that’s been around since Hero5 days, and it is starting to show its edge. It’s just too small, and the aspect ratio is wrong for video. The DJI Osmo Action showcases that outshines the large 16:9 display, and I would expect GoPro to rivet that into the Hero8.
That aside, the Hero8 Black really raises the bar in action camera design as it surely will be going well into the future.
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GoPro HERO8 Black Waterproof Action Camera with Touch Screen 4K Ultra HD Video 12MP Photos 1080p Live with Accessory Bundle – 1 Additional GoPro USA Batteries + PNY 64GB U3 microSDHC Card: Buy it now
HyperSmooth 2.0 TimeWarp 2.0
Just as HyperSmooth is the reason to buy a GoPro Hero7 Black, HyperSmooth 2.0 is what will make you covet the Black Hero8. It provides better performance of stabilization without changing the number of crops (10%). If you do not mind a more important crop you can go even further with the new Boost Mode and GoPro claims that this will be surprising for the track recording.
Not that I found it needed, but whatever test put in Hero8, from mountain gliders to running tracks, standard HyperSmooth 2.0 handled without any issues. It has never been easier to get such professional quality results with very little effort. All this means, “Your video is going to look like an official GoPro promo”.
Leveling, too, takes stability to the next level. Borrowed from the GoPro Fusion 360 cameras, it is, however, not seen in 360 applications. It is not automatically enabled; however, it can be turned on in the GoPro mobile app. Of course, unlike the 360 camera, here the Hero8 is limited in the field of view it has to work with, so extreme horizon balancing will cause noticeable cropping of footage. It has never been an issue for me, though, in practice, and using horizon balance results, more often than not, gives a shot that is more polished. It saves the day for when it’s just not possible to get the camera mounted or held perfect.
That is my favorite new feature, but it’s not about practicality; it’s all about fun, and I’m referring to TimeWarp 2.0. It’s like the TimeWarp mode that was incorporated into Hero7 Black, this will permit the creation of a steady-motion time-lapse video or hyper-lapse, which looks unbelievable in playback.
Version 2.0 adds a couple of nice little tricks. First, it calculates the time-lapse rate automatically depending on how much the camera is moved. Secondly, you can slow down in real-time by tapping an on-screen button, then hyper-lapse it again with another tap. What it means is fairly simple, but it is lacking in great majority of hyperlapse modes and apps-it will be great to bring key subjects or moments in focus or create theatrical punch lines about your journey. And, last but not least, it is just fun to play with.
Really cool is this LiveBurst feature. Before pushing the shutter button recording a few frames is buffered, after which a video clip of 1.5 seconds before and after the press will be saved. Like Apple’s Live Photos, you can then select one frame or save the entire 3-second video clip. Not really that useful to me, but it might strike a chord with others.
Goplay brings some improvisation to the SuperPhoto standard mode in pictures, making them HDR ready. This feature now greatly reduces, if not completely eliminates, ghosting when moving subjects are taken. I didn’t test this feature much during my research, but the stills from this SuperPhoto mode are magnificent, and the ultra-wide lens gives a very different perspective that one won’t find on the internet.
Camera in motion
Many of the newer and more exciting features of the Hero8 Black cannot be found inside the camera, but rather in Mods. So far, GoPro has announced three of them: Media Mod, Display Mod, and the last in this line to be announced recently, Light Mod, all dedicated to lighter usage for less action-sport-obsessed GoPro pals.
Since publishing this review, I have had the chance to use Light Mod, though I don’t need Media Mod to mount it on the GoPro. The Light Mod, however, is equally valuable in terms of being retrieved off the camera, thereby allowing me to light my subject differently, or to use as a torch. The tiny LED shines in three gradual levels of light intensity, with the highest level unbelievably bright, and the strobe mode can also work just as well as a light for your bicycle. The package also includes a diffuser, which diffuses the light quite well, but then, that’s such a small light source; you still will have harsh shadows.
A built-in shotgun microphone is the unique offering of Media Mod, while offering a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a microphone and two cold boots for accessories. HDMI and USB-C ports provide video and data options.
The Display Mod has the old LCD BacPac glory during its HD Hero days. It puts a screen on the back, but it pops upwards into selfie mode. It’s bigger than the front screen of the built-in DJI Osmo Action but its battery also powers it so it isn’t going to drain the camera’s power.