Meet the new GoPro Hero 8 Black which is a refinement of last year’s Hero 7 Black. It has better hyper smooth stabilization, it has now stabilized slow motion modes and has a smaller form factor with a clever undercarriage that folds into the mount support system to reduce footprint which is very clever. The real big changes are the Mods which are attachments that let you expand the capabilities of the camera to get a more professional kit if needed. They are relatively inexpensive but do offer a better package than what the competition has to offer.
The Slow Motion modes remain identical to the Hero 7 Black of last year as it still uses the same GP1 processing engine which was released over two years ago with the Hero 6 Black. By now it would have been ideal to see an updated processor and sensor combo to get even higher frame rates like 4k 120p and 1080p 480fps but GoPro has decided to press the last drop of juice from their custom chip investment to keep up with their restructuring goals.
GoPro Hero 8 Black Video Specs:
| Video Recording Modes: |
3840 x 2160p at 24/25/30/50/60 fps (78 Mb/s MP4 via H.264/AVC)
3840 x 2160p at 24/25/30/50/60 fps (78 Mb/s MP4 via H.265/HEVC)
2704 x 1520p at 24/25/30/50/60/100/120 fps (MP4)
1920 x 1440p at 24/25/30/50/60/100/120 fps (MP4)
1920 x 1080p at 24/25/30/50/60/100/120/200/240 fps (MP4)
1280 x 960p at 100/120/200/240 fps (MP4)
1280 x 720p at 50/60/200/240 fps (MP4) |
Media Mod:
$79.99
- Built-in directional mic delivers crystal-clear audio and reduces wind and ambient noise
- 2 cold-shoe mounts to attach your favorite lights, mics or LCD screens
- 3.5mm mic port lets you add an external mic for enhanced audio
- HDMI-out port to monitor or play back your footage
- Unique and compact wraparound design adds portable expandability and ensures mounting remains easy
- Specially designed for use with Display Mod and Light Mod for HERO8 Black, and compatible with third-party accessories
Display Mod:
$79.99
Frame the shot with Display Mod, the flip-up screen that lets you see yourself in action. Compact and perfect for vloggers, it connects to your HERO8 Black via Media Mod.1
- 2-inch flip-up screen makes vlogging easy
- Built-in rechargeable battery and micro-HDMI connector
- Folding design for easy storage and transport
- Compact and sturdy with a low-profile appearance
- Connects to HERO8 Black via the required Media Mod1
Light Mod:
HERO8 Black
$49.99
Add compact yet powerful LED lighting to your next adventure. With Light Mod, you can illuminate your subject with wide, smooth, even light and capture ultra crisp footage. Light Mod attaches to HERO8 Black via Media Mod (sold separately), or works as a handy standalone light for use with GoPro mounts.
- 4 levels of brightness—up to 200 lumens—for crisp detail
- Built tough and waterproof to 33ft (10m)
- Built-in rechargeable battery with up to 6 hours of runtime1
- Compact design is perfect as an add-on to your HERO8 Black, or as a standalone light for use with GoPro mounts
- Connects to HERO8 Black via Media Mod (sold separately)
- Maximum brightness for up to 30 seconds with Overdrive mode
- Strobe mode for signaling and visibility
- Light Specifications:
Overdrive mode: 200 lumens, 200 lux @1m
Level 3: 125 lumens, 120 lux @1m
Level 2: 60 lumens
Level 1: 20 lumens
Runtime: 1 hour at Level 3, 2 hours at Level 2, 6 hours at Level 11
Color temperature without diffuser: 5700K
CRI: 90
The mods do make it a nicer package and the aim is to get you to really buy all of them if you are a Vlogger or serious video professional. The addition of Hypersmooth 2.0 in all recording modes including all slow motion frame rates makes it the best GoPro for high speed video recording ever released. The limit of 240fps is, of course, a letdown as this camera could be an incredibly good 480fps slow motion camera even in short bursts.
GoPro Hero 8 Slow Motion Quality:
While the Hero 8 Black offers a 2x stronger front lens element to withstand scratches and hits better, the quality of the video should be identical to the Hero 7 Black besides the Hypersmooth improvements. Note that Hypersmooth crops the video image according to motion and estimates on the fly with sensors the amount of real-time correction. The result is incredibly smooth and really does away with the need for most gimbals in a camera like this.
GoPro HERO8 Black: Cre8ors Hypersmooth 2.0 Madness by Chris Rogers: → Continue Reading Full Post ←
