GoPro has recently launched their latest action camera the Hero 8 Black, this new camera has many new features and enhancements over the Hero 7 Black and a brand new design. Watch our unboxing and setup video to get a closer look.
Hero 8 Black: https://amzn.to/32MMBR8
Hero 8 Black Physical Changes
The new Hero8 now has built-in finger mounts that fold away neatly within itself, no more having to mess around mounting and dismounting it from a frame every time you want to change a battery, access the memory card or charge up the camera. It can go from a point and shoot to a mountable camera in seconds, this is one of my favorite features. The new Hero 8 Black is a little larger than the Hero 7 Black but when you take into conisderation there is no longer a frame is actually about the same size, even a little smaller perhaps. Due to the new folding finger mounts on the bottom, they have moved the battery compartment to the side. All ports and opening are now located under one door including the battery, memory card slot, and USB-C charging port. They have redesigned the locking mechanism, some people are not happy with it, but personally myself I really like it. It seems more secure and less likely to accidentally open. There are also new red markings so you can get a clear visual if the latch is not locked securely. I like the new door and lock however having all ports under one door is something I am not a fan of. Now if you want to plug your GoPro into a power bank or use the microphone adapter everything else is exposed whick is not an ideal situation, but it is workable. I am hoping a 3rd manufacturer party will come up with a better solution. Another big new change is the new Hero 8 Black no longer has a removable lens protector and this for many means they will not be upgrading. Sometimes depending on how you use your gopro it can be subjected to some pretty unfavorable situations and environments not to mention some of the hard knocks they can be exposed to. The front lens although durable can be damaged from time to time (personally I have broken 2). On previous GoPro’s you could easily remove it and be up and running again in minutes for about 20 bucks. Now if you damage the lens protector it will have to be sent back to GoPro for repair. Between repair and shipping costs, not to mention you camera could be gone for weeks, this is really inconvenient and I think a really large misstep on GoPro’s part.
New Features and Thoughts
Although some of the new design changes sound really negative, in actuallity I really like the new look and even more the new features. The GoPro Hero 8 Black boasts many improvements and enhancements over the Hero 7 Black. The biggest new feature, in my opinion, is HyperSmooth 2.0. I didn’t think that GoPro could improve upon the original HyperSmooth as it was already amazingly smooth, but somehow they did and it is pure magic. I did some stabilization comparisons of the Hero 8 Black versus the Hero 7 Black and it is like night and day, The Hero 8 Black is truly a gimbal killer. They have Also introduced and new and improved hyperlapse mode called TimeWarp 2.o. During my testing, I didn’t really find any improvement in the hyper-lapse itself it already did a really good job creating nice smooth hyper lapses, but what GoPro has done is introduce some really nice tools to enhance the creative process. They have added a new auto speed setting taking the guesswork out of figuring out what a good speed to set you hyper-lapse is. They have also introduced a realtime speed control that allows you to get speed ramping like effects in your hyper-lapse. It works amazingly well and is a great new feature. Other new improvements and feature are digital lenses, linear while shooting in 4K, better audio, new streamlined menu, shooting profiles among many other refinements.
This is a great new camera and by far my favorite GoPro release to date, I have enjoyed it so much that I purchased a second one. This is the first time I have ever bought two of the same model. Sometimes when filming I like to grab different angles and normally I would just use an older GoPro for the second angle, but due to the new stabilization, I want all my shots captured on the Hero8. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel and blog as we will be performing many tests and comparisons of the new Hero 8 Black. A full in-depth review will be coming in a few weeks.
