Action camera maker GoPro has had to compete with the all ubiquitous smartphones since the time they came into existence. But now with the launch of their Hero 8 Black flagship camera, the competition is also coming from within. The new GoPro Max offers a 360 shooting capability making it appear to be the most appealing offering in the market currently. So what’s the point of having the same flagship line of Hero Black products we ask. And the answers lie in the details.

GoPro has ensured that the flagship remains flagship even if the GoPro Max takes all the wow factor. The company has kept a lot of interesting features limited to GoPro Hero 8 Black. First, now you get “burst” mode for photos and photo night modes, and even LiveBurst only in Hero 8 Black. While other models get a time lapse, the Hero 8 Black also gets the night time lapse mode. To take it a step further, GoPro has turned the Hero 8 Black a perfect device for vloggers with some of its features. The first step towards this is by improving video stabilisation to the extent that you would probably want to get rid of your gimbals. TimeWarp, a motion time-lapse, has been added to create spectacular videos.

You can also now record videos in 9:16 orientation for Instagram stories and Snapchat videos. An orientation lock helps from accidentally changing the orientation and aspect ratio. But one thing that’s made the biggest difference for vloggers is the addition of a front-facing microphone. The new microphone not only improve the audio quality immensely but cuts wind and ambient noise to the extend not seen before any such compact camera. Capturing reactions during action videos is even more fun now.

But if you want to really go pro with your video and audio quality, GoPro has now made mounting external devices super simple. The Hero8 Black is introduced along with a new Mod system. Mods attach directly to the camera. The basic Media Mod adds a directional microphone, a 3.5mm mic port, HDMI video output, and two cold shoes, a Display Mod adds a front-facing color LCD.

There’s also the Light Mod, which is a battery-powered LED light. It simply slides into one of the cold shoe mounts on the Media Mod. While we couldn’t test out the mods so far, the options are a good enough reason for you to upgrade to the Hero 8 Black.

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Software improves

GoPro continues to use the same image sensor for the Hero 8 Black as we’ve seen in the previous model. However, software improvements show the immense improvement in image and video quality. Colours are now truer to life than before. GoPro has managed to reduce distortion in ultra wide video and image modes. That allows you to capture more into your frame without making your subject look weird. The video quality is further improved with stabilization now available even for 4K footage at 60fps. GoPro has managed to give Hero 8 Black the much needed fire power to keep at its flagship promise. The camera continues to have some limitations in low light but offers you enough options that you can use it not just for action shots but also for vlogging or just capturing your holiday experience. GoPro has added the mounting clips within the camera which means you can dump the external cage and can now have a smaller and sharper looking GoPro.

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