Go Pro Release the New Go Pro! Come in No.7
Go Pro today officially announced the new Go Pro Hero 7 Black, Silver and White editions. With the current trend being "leaks" and "oops, I left it on the bus", I was pleasantly surprised to see this email as I knew nothing about it. I've been far to busy with other things lately.
I did notice a couple of weeks ago that Go Pro had pulled the Hero 6 from its website so should have realised then I guess. I don't get the "head's up" like the bigger boys. Still, here is it...come in number 7, your time is now!
Main Features
Not a bad little upgrade from the Hero 5 Black for me at least and it's the same size as its predecessor. That helps a lot with all the add-ons and accessories as the batteries are also the same. I really like some of these additions and can see some real innovation to get the creative ideas flowing.
Shooting Size and Speed
Like the Hero 6 before it, shooting 4K 60p is fast becoming the norm and something I particularly like in all my cameras. 1080p at 240fps is still fantastic for an action camera but it's a shame they didn't go any faster.
I only hope they have somehow managed to implement "Linear View" into the 4K shooting mode. Although that would mean having a larger sensor from which to crop and straighten and this has the same sensor as the Hero 6.
You can now shoot video in portrait mode (vertical) which is great for Instagram fans.
Memory
Go Pro have doubled the on-board memory from 1gb to 2gb or RAM meaning it will process and make decisions that much faster. They have also added a "MiFi (!?) chip. This should help with live streaming and stabilisation.
Image Stabilisation
"Hypersmooth" is very cool and if the video above is anything to go by, it does its job well. This will be welcomed throughout the crazy, hard-core extreme sports enthusiasts who like to film their own demise exploits ; )
You still get a 10% crop as it does it's thing but the Go Pro Hero 7 will now stabilise in 4k! As a bonus, it appears that the rolling shutter is dramatically improved too! Nice.
Hypersmooth will also work in the new Time Warp mode which is a fancy way of saying time lapse...
Time Warp
Another feature that is making its way into a lot of cameras and Smartphones over the past couple of years is "hyperlapsing". This is basically a moving time lapse and looks pretty cool!
I have a couple of shots taken using this method that you can see in my review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Adding the Hypersmooth stabilisation is much akin to me using the Freevision Vilta G with my older Go Pro Hero 5.
I can only imagine that combining the two would give you incredibly smooth hyperlapse/moving time lapse footage!
Live Streaming With the Go Pro Hero 7
In the increasing age and maturity of social media instantaneousness (new word), this is a feature that will no doubt be welcomed. You can now live stream all your crazy antics as they happen allowing for some super cool bloopers to be seen live! All via WiFi and the Go Pro app.
As a wedding photographer and filmmaker, I can see this becoming very handy for couples on their big day. A series of Go Pro Hero 7 cameras dotted about the place filming and recording everything live is in order I think. It's the future I tells ya!
Brides Beware!
Just be careful when offering this service to your guests and especially don't mention it on the invite. You'll have no-one at your wedding as they all watch it at home!
I only wish they had this camera in my skydiving days. Although saying that, I think seeing my malfunctions/reserve pull live would have given my parents a heart attack!
Audio
By removing the small plastic, waterproof film that covered the mics, the sound has improved a little and is apparently less "muffled".
Silver and White
Go Pro have also released two "lesser" versions of the Hero 7 which have ever-decreasing features as the colour fades from Black to Silver to White.
Launch Price
A good move by Go Pro to reduce the Hero 7 Black to $399 on launch. That is $100 less than the Hero 6 which wasn't particularly well received. The Silver Edition comes in at $299 and the White Edition just $199. Hopefully, at these prices, the company's stock value may start to increase in value again after a drop from $12 to $6.
The Go Pro Hero 7 may only a small (but pretty cool) upgrade from the Hero 6, but for me and my Hero 5, I may just be adding this to my kit bag.