GoPro was once the darling of the action sports world. Its cameras captured everything and anything, and its latest and greatest was always greeted with some of the most insane supercut commercials the world has ever seen. At its peak, it powered the industry and beyond, emerging just as YouTube was born.
But those days are over.
The competition has heated up. Insta360 and DJI have become more household names, and have proceeded to pioneer the industry with gimbals, vlogging tools, 360-degree cameras, and all the camera tech you could dream of including in something that’s barely a quarter the size of a traditional DSLR. GoPro has been left behind, and while its market share has declined, so have its revenues, leading the company to announce that its future may not be long for this world.
Still, those grim realities aren’t slowing the company down, as GoPro recently launched its new lineup of Mission 1 cameras, which are set to once again boost both the hobbyist and professional industry. However, will they do so is the biggest question.
Answer? To be honest, probably, because it’s a cinema-grade camera inserted into a GoPro frame, and it can replace many of the cameras in the world.
The Mission 1 series of cameras feels a lot like the original GoPro, as it has leveled the playing field between hobbyists and professionals in the sense that you can capture video and photos in a way you can only do with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of camera rigging. Then, all you had to do was strap it to your chest, to your helmet, or to the side of your car and go. GoPro’s new Mission 1 series also does all that, but offers the same kind of cinema-quality capturing capabilities you’ll need once you buy the Red.
According to GoPro, the Mission 1″ is the world’s smallest, lightest and strongest 8K and 4K open gate cinema camera. Featuring the new 50MP 1″ sensor and GoPro’s new, ultra-efficient GP3 processor, the Mission 1 Series cameras deliver class-leading resolution, frame rates, runtime and thermal performance for mission-critical reliability even in the most demanding environments. The new series consists of three camera models – the Mission 1 Pro, Mission 1, and Mission 1 Pro ILS, which feature an interchangeable Micro Four Thirds lens system that is compatible with a wide range of lenses via adapters.
The idea is to give aspiring filmmakers, content creators, and regular hobbyists like me a camera that you can theoretically, with all the right skills, build into something that can rival the big giants of the camera and cinematic world. Imagine what Markiplier did to him iron lung Self-produced, shot, directed, and distributed movies, but even better with cameras that are cheap to buy and easy to use. But for everyone.
The specifications of the Mission 1 are also quite crazy, it has a 1-inch, 50MP sensor, the ability to switch between 8K30 and 4K120 open gate, as well as several other frame rates for dynamic slow-motion shots and more, the company’s new GP3 processor, better low-light performance, a 240MP bitrate and a laundry list of other points that make it possibly the most versatile action camera/cinema camera out there. around.
And, like other GoPros, a number of accessories exist to take the camera further, as well as connect it to traditional cinema equipment. As you can see in the film above, he shot a lot of stuff using a car-to-car gimbal, and diving camera using the GoPro’s frame body – the latter of which is also for my Insta 360 Ace 2.
However, what is strange about the Mission 1 series is the price.
A raid costs around $30,000. Traditional DSLRs, which many cinematographers use for commercial shooting, cost around $10,000 when you add all the accessories needed to make them work for that situation, if not more. The GoPro Mission Series starts at just $600 for the standard camera, and $700 for the Mission 1 Pro and Pro ILS. If the Mission 1 is as good as GoPro claims, it’s really a remarkable price for its performance.
But the question is, will this save GoPro from extinction? Or is it too late to the party? What do you all think?
