If you know a bit about action cameras and their brands, you do not need any introduction to GoPro. This is a famous brand all across the globe for its incredible cameras and their features. These features are usually brand-new to be found in any previously existing cameras in the market.
GoPro action cameras are one of the most versatile cameras globally, and one of the most recent additions in this family is GoPro Hero8.
Hero 8 has all the signature features of Hero 7 but with mild improvements. The video quality, audio quality, TimeWrap, and HyperSmooth stabilization improved performance perceptive with other software up-gradation.
Besides all that, Hero 8 has new built-in mounting fingers (no frame requirement), Voice control, 1080p live streaming, and the capability of shooting videos at 4K /60p and 1080/240p, waterproof structure for depth up-to 10 meters, and a lot to discuss.
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GoPro Hero8 Black Review
There are many things in this camera which can be discussed, but here are a few details about this action camera to help you to know more about it:
Design and built
One visible difference in this model of the Hero series from others is that it can be used without holding mounts or casing. Before Hero 08, the user had to put their GoPro in a plastic casing if they wanted to attach it with any accessory.
With the modified design of this camera, it can be used frameless. This update didn’t affect the weight much, but there is a slight increase of few millimeters in the physical dimension. Hero 8 Black weight is around 126 grams, whereas its physical dimensions are 66.3 mm x 48.6 mm x 28.4 mm (W x H x D).
The camera’s size is slightly thicker, but still, it is thinner than the Hero 07 in its frame.
One thing which is guaranteed with any model of GoPro is its durability and ergonomic engineering of design. GoPro has nice metal built with smooth finishing on the surface. To give the camera extra protection, the camera has a finished cover made up of rubber attached to its front and rear edges.
A heavy-duty camera
Hero 08 Black doesn’t need any additional casing, yet it is strong enough not to get damaged by regular drops and bumps.
With the change of size, the ports and buttons are also different, unlike the previous models. Power and mode buttons are shifted to the right side from the left side. Now the battery door is on the right side instead of the left side. This battery port houses the USB-C port, a micro-SD card port, and the battery itself.
This model doesn’t have any HDMI port. Removing the battery door, the adapter can be plugged into the Hero 08 black to charge it. An SD card can be inserted or removed, and a third-party microphone can be connected with it. Once closed properly, water or dust cannot enter the camera.
Most camera settings can be controlled using the very responsive and intuitive 2 inches touch screen LCD. GoPro Hero 08 Black’s screen is a few mm bigger than the screen of GoPro Hero 7. Though the slight change in size and design is refreshing, there is a drawback.
With Hero 08, you cannot attach any 3rd part lens. In case the original lens is broken or damaged, it cannot be replaced because of the new narrower design.
HyperSmooth 2.0
HyperSmooth video stabilization functionality is electronic video stabilization, eliminating the need for gimbal even when you are shooting on a very rough path. It was the prime reason to buy Hero 7.
The good news is that Hero 8 has an updated version of HyperSmooth. No matter how rough shooting situations are, HyperSmooth 2.0 is capable of handling it pretty well.
There are three modes of stabilization for this feature :
- On(crop 10% from the Wide lens angle to eradicate any bumps)
- High
- Boost (crops more than On to remove camera bounces when you’re doing something extreme) slow-motion footages are also stabilized when shot at 120fps and 240 fps. More stable shoots can be achieved with this flagship and improved version of Hypersmooth.
TimeWrap 2.0
Already existing TimeWrap of Hero 7 is refreshed for Hero 8. Now, there are automatic sensors in the camera to detect motion and then adjust the speed. With a new update, the camera uses the new auto interval detection that uses an in-built accelerometer to add more frames at the speed at which your video-lapses are recorded.
There is an addition of real-time video with TimeWrap, which helps to switch to regular video instantly.
Hero 8 black video details:
The majority of the new features in GoPro Hero 08 Black are related to video shooting. All these features enable the photographer to get high-definition professional-level results without any extra effort.
Video quality:
The camera video results are 4K/60p, 2.7K/120p, and 1080/240p video at up to 100 Mbps bit rate. The video quality is excellent and smooth. The 100 Mbps bit rate is around 25 points more than Hero 07, making the video-sharing from this camera much faster.
Video preset:
GoPro Hero 08 Black comes with standard presets for each type of shooting. For video mode, there are 4 types of presets:
- Â Standard – 1080/60/Wide. The best mode to shoot the fast-moving objects
- Activity – 2.7k/60/SuperView. Highly recommended for fast-moving objects and wide-angle shooting.
- Slo-Mo –Â 1080/240/Wide. Best for fast-moving objects and action shots.
- Cinematic –Â 4k/30/Linear. To give the cinematic touch to the footages, this mode capture the videos 16:9 aspect ratio (all other preset capture in 4:3)
Shooting a video with any of these modes is just a click away. Besides these modes, you can save up to 10 custom modes in presets settings.
Lens:
The digital lens of GoPro Hero 08 Black is an Ultra-wide lens. But unlike the cheap end camera, the field of view of this lens can be changed as per the photographer’s requirement. This digital lens supports SuperView, wide, linear, and narrow photography.
Waterproof design
Shooting underwater with Hero 8, you don’t have to worry that water will damage the camera and its systems. This camera can be used 30 to 33 feet underwater without needing any extra protective layer or waterproof cover.
Better shock resistance
GoPro claims that this camera has better shock resistance than any of its predecessors, making it a more suitable camera for shooting in adventures such as hiking, cycling, etc. The camera lens is un-replaceable, but the Corning Gorilla Glass lens cover is 2x stronger than regular glass, ensuring dual protection.
Mods and mounts also add additional protection besides providing ease to the user.
Improved audio quality
The audio quality of the camera is also upgraded from Hero 7. In this camera, the front-facing mic is positioned better to capture the audio in front of the camera more precisely. Another improvement is the addition of wind resistance features.
This helps the mic to capture voices and sounds more accurately and eliminates unnecessary sounds in the background. Besides several customization options for the camera, many new voice commands are added to ease the user.
Touchscreen
There is a 2 inches touchscreen for the camera. The type of display is LCD. This screen turned out a little turn-off. First, this screen is relatively tiny, and secondly, this screen is very sensitive underwater compared to previous generations of GoPro.
This can annoy the user a lot if he takes Hero 8 for shooting underwater. This issue can be temporarily eliminated by using voice control – not underwater, of course.
Battery and usage time
The camera uses a 1220 mAh lithium-ion battery. This battery is of slightly higher capacity than Hero 7 because Hero 8 requires more power to operate. The recording time for the camera is 70 minutes at 4K/30.
Battery life can be stretched to 2 hours 20 minutes at 1080P, i.e., lower-resolution footage or TimeWrap videos. This battery life is not very appealing, and we highly recommend you keep an extra battery with you during your shoot. The charging time for this battery is 3 hours.
Live streaming
You can directly send your shooting Full HD 1080p resolution. These shoots can directly be sent to Facebook, YouTube, or your favorite streaming platform.
GoPro Hero8 Black Specifications:
- Weight: 0.35oz (10g)
- Dimension: 2.61 x 1.91 x 1.12 in (66.3 x 48.6 x 28.4mm)
- Widescreen Video Capture: Yes
- Optical Sensor Type: CMOS
- Face Detection Details: Blink Detection technology, Face Detection AF/AE, Smile Capture.
- Digital Video Format: H.264, H.265, HEVC
- Recording time: 74 minutes at 4K/30 / 2 hours 20 minutes at 1080P30
- Image Recording Format: RAW
- Interfaces Provided: USB-C
- HDR Mode: SuperPhoto + HDR
- Navigation system: GPS receiver
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution: 12.0 MP
- Widescreen Video Capture: Yes
- Underwater usage: up to 30ft
- Wi-Fi built-in: 2.4GHZ/5GHZ
- Exposure Modes: automatic and program
- Storage type: Micro SD
- Shockproof: Yes
- Waterproof: yes
- Focus Adjustment focus free.
- Underwater Use: Yes
- Scene Detection Technology: Yes
- Voice control: Yes
- Slow-motion recording: Yes
- LiveBrust: Yes
- Self-Timer Delay: Yes
- Microphone Operation Mode: stereo
- Wind noise reduction: Yes
- Microphone operation:3-mic system
- Battery: 1220 mAh
- Shooting Speed: 30 frames per second
- Maximum Resolution: 60 fps
- HD Video Support: 4K
- Display: LCD
- Display Form Factor: built-in
- Screen Diagonal Size: 2 in
- Touch Screen: Yes
- Wireless Interface + Bluetooth + Wireless LAN: Yes
- Connectivity Features: Live streaming, remote control via mobile devices, wireless image upload to the cloud server, wireless video upload to a cloud server
Pros:
- better than ever image stabilization
- several new modes
- automatic horizon leveling
- side access to battery and card
- camera interface can easily be customized
- software improvements
- built-in waterproofing
- practical design
- easy to use
- better low light image processing
- Improved HDR
- twice shock resistance
- great battery life
Cons:
- During recording, the camera gets very hot
- The 2 inches LCD screen is small
- Un-replaceable lens
- Touchscreen doesn’t work effectively underwater
- No onboard HDMI port
Inside the box:
- HERO8 Black Camera
- Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery
- Curved Adhesive Mount
- Mounting Buckle
- USB-C Cable
- Thumb Screw
Final verdict:
Go Pro is an industry leader when it comes to top action cameras, and GoPro Hero8 is the proof. Currently, this camera is the best non-360 action camera. If you want a camera with all up-to-date and advanced features, buying Hero 8 will be a beneficial investment.
Like all other previous GoPro cameras, Hero 8 stands out as an action camera with its incredible features. Such as improved stabilization via GoPro’s new HyperSmooth Boost, better than before video / audio quality and performance, RAW image output, Full HD live streaming, Mods accessories, Time Wrap 2.0, digital lens, waterproofing, better battery life, and several other things.
GoPro hero 8 <- Affiliate Link 🙂 addressed the weak points in Hero 7, which resulted in a significant software update and better than every camera result for a GoPro. The user of this camera is also capable of customization – for example, which options he wants on the screen.
Hero 8 shows functional upgrades to its best features and packed it all into a camera that much easier to use. If you are a vlogger or into photography in general, we highly recommend you to buy it asap.
