The Hero 8 Black: A Revolutionary Action Camera from GoPro

Like we've seen on the DJI Osmo action, we've come to expect high-quality video and stabilization from our action cameras. And the Hero 8 Black is no exception. On the inside, you'll find the same custom P1 processor that's been around since the dawn of six, but GoPro continues to push it further. This means even better electronic stabilization without changing the 10% crop. It's now called Hyper Smooth 2.0 and it works across all frame rates and resolutions.

But that's not all - there's also a new Boost mode that makes the stabilization even better. However, this comes with an additional crop. On top of that, there is automatic horizon leveling, just like you might find in a 360 camera. This doesn't happen in the camera itself but rather is an option within the editing settings of the mobile app. Unlike a 360 camera, this will crop your footage depending on how crooked it is. But for many shots, it makes a real improvement.

GoPro's Hyperlapse mode has also evolved in version 2.0 and it's now both more fun and easier to use than ever before. You can now set the speed automatically based on the amount of camera movement, which is great. You can still set it manually if you prefer, but if you want to just go create a quick Hyperlapse and know you're gonna get good results, just leave it on auto. It works really well, and one of the coolest features is that you can now slow the Hyperlapse down to real-time at any point by tapping an on-screen button while you're recording.

One of the coolest features of the Hero 8 Black is not actually something about the camera itself, but about the new line of accessories coming out. GoPro is calling these mods, and this is going to be a way to add everything from microphones to lights to even a selfie screen onto the Hero 8 Black. Unfortunately, none of these mods were available for testing by the time of this review, but there is one I'm really looking forward to - it's called the Medium Mod, which adds an integrated shotgun microphone as well as two cold shoes for attaching other accessories. It also has a 3.5mm microphone input and both USB-C and HDMI outputs.

This is significant because GoPro wants to make it clear that this is not just an action camera - it's more than that. They want to appeal to creators who are using GoPros to tell stories that aren't traditional action sports stories. And they're doing a good job of appealing to those types of creators beyond the extreme athletes. The mods are obviously a big component of that, but even without them, the Hero 8 Black is a pretty solid vlogging camera.

The new microphone located on the front right beneath the lens is also a significant improvement. The audio quality is really good and it picks up dialogue very well, even in some tricky situations. This should be a good test of the Hero's new audio capabilities - existing microphone or not. Speaking into the Hero with a loud sound behind me, I'm pretty impressed with how it came out.

Of course, you can have great video and stabilization, but if you don't have a way to handle all the footage, you're not going to have a great experience. Fortunately, this is somewhere where GoPro has excelled for a while, and they're just continuing to get better at it. The new version of the mobile app now incorporates quick stories, so you no longer need a separate app for that. And once the mods roll out, assuming they live up to expectations, you'll have an ecosystem that is much more mature and complete than really what we've seen from an action camera before.

That's why I think this Hero 8 Black is so good - it's not just that it's more than an action camera, but also more than a camera. GoPro has really outdone themselves with this new device, and I'm excited to see where they go from here.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the GoPro Hero a black and yes it's really good after the hero 7 black introduced hyper smooth stabilization I wasn't really sure where GoPro could evolve from there but thanks to a very smart rethinking of the physical design as well as some improvements across the board the hero 8 stands a good margin above the hero 7 and it's probably the best action camera you can buy right now well the hero 8 looks largely the same it hides one key improvement underneath and that is the built-in mount so that's right you can now ditch the mounting frame entirely now this has caused it to grow a little bit in size compared to a naked Hero 7 but it is actually smaller than a hero 7 in the frame and since GoPros are 99% of the time going to be used and mounted to something you do get a small but noticeable size advantage with a new hero 8 because of that integrated mount but more importantly you can now swap a battery or a card at any time even if the camera is mounted to something the lens also protrudes a little bit less from the body so it is slimmer overall and despite that the glass is now actually twice as strong according to GoPro but it's no longer removable so if you want to add a filter like a neutral density or a polarizer or a diving filter you are going to need a different frame or other solution for that the hero 8 black isn't a totally new design like the Hero 5 was compared to the hero 4 it still looks very much like a hero 7 but from a usability perspective it offers the biggest improvement since the integrated touch screen on that note the hero eights touch screen is the same it's nothing new I would have preferred a wider 16 by 9 screen like we've seen on the DJI Osmo action I guess we'll just have to wait for the hero 9 for that on the inside you'll find the same custom P one processor that's been around since the hair of six but GoPro continues to find ways to push it further that means even better electronic stabilization without changing the 10% crop it's now called hyper smooth 2.0 and it works across all frame rates and resolutions but there's also a new boost mode that makes the stabilization even better but it does come with an additional crop and on top of that there is automatic horizon leveling just like you might find in a 360 camera this doesn't happen in the camera itself but rather is an option within the editing settings of the mobile app now unlike a 360 camera this will crop your footage depending on how crooked it is but for a lot of shots it makes a real improvement GoPros hyper lapse mode called time warp has also evolved in version 2.0 and it's now both more fun and easier to use than ever before so it can now set the speed automatically based on the amount of camera movement which is great you can still set it manually if you prefer but if you want to just go create a quick hyper lapse and know you're gonna get good results just leave it on auto it works really well additionally you can now slow the hyperlapse down to real-time at any point just by tapping an on screen button while you're recording but one of the coolest features of the heroic black is not really something about the camera at all but about this new line of accessories coming out the GoPro is calling mods so this is going to be a way to add everything from microphones to lights to even a selfie screen onto the hero eight black now unfortunately none of these mods were available for testing by the time of this review but there is one I'm really looking forward to it's called the medium mod and this adds an integrated shotgun microphone as well as two cold shoes for attaching other accessories a 3.5 millimeter microphone input and both USB C and HDMI outputs so it's going to be a great tool for for vloggers and other people who are using GoPros to tell stories that maybe aren't your traditional action camera extreme sports stories and that's actually something GoPro reiterated often at the hero eight press event they want to make it clear that this is not just an action camera it's more than that and I would say that more than any other GoPro before the hero white black has done a good job of appealing to those types of creators beyond the extreme athletes so the mods are obviously a big component of that but even without them the here wait black is a pretty solid vlogging camera and that's not just due to the new stabilization which helps for those walk-and-talk shots but also because of this new microphone located on the front right beneath the lens the audio quality is really good and it picks up dialogue very well even in some tricky situations so this should be a good test of the hair weight blacks new audio capabilities existing microphone on the front hopefully you can hear me right now there's a very lot waterfall behind me and I'm not talking about a particularly loud voice such as my voice I have no idea what this hero sounds like hopefully it sounds great I don't we'll take a listen and find out but this is we talking into the hero a flax new microphone with a very loud sound behind me so there you go so you can disagree with me in the comments but after having a chance to listen to that I'm pretty impressed with how it came out that was a very loud environment and it actually doesn't sound like it was all that bad listening to the clip so with no external microphone facing into the source of the noise that was pretty good I'm impressed so good job on the audio GoPro of course you can have the great audio and the great video and stabilization but if you don't have a way to handle all the footage you're not going to have a great experience fortunately this is somewhere where GoPro has excelled for a while and they're just continuing to get better at it so the new version of the mobile app now incorporates quick stories so you no longer need a separate app for that and once the mods roll out assuming they live up to expectations you're going to have an ecosystem that is much more mature and complete than really what we've seen from an action camera before and that's really what makes this hero 8 black so good it's not just that it's more than an action camera it's also more than a camera hey thanks for watching this video for more on the here wave black you can find our full review up now on digital trends calm and be sure to LIKE and subscribe if you want to see more videos from digital trendsthis is the GoPro Hero a black and yes it's really good after the hero 7 black introduced hyper smooth stabilization I wasn't really sure where GoPro could evolve from there but thanks to a very smart rethinking of the physical design as well as some improvements across the board the hero 8 stands a good margin above the hero 7 and it's probably the best action camera you can buy right now well the hero 8 looks largely the same it hides one key improvement underneath and that is the built-in mount so that's right you can now ditch the mounting frame entirely now this has caused it to grow a little bit in size compared to a naked Hero 7 but it is actually smaller than a hero 7 in the frame and since GoPros are 99% of the time going to be used and mounted to something you do get a small but noticeable size advantage with a new hero 8 because of that integrated mount but more importantly you can now swap a battery or a card at any time even if the camera is mounted to something the lens also protrudes a little bit less from the body so it is slimmer overall and despite that the glass is now actually twice as strong according to GoPro but it's no longer removable so if you want to add a filter like a neutral density or a polarizer or a diving filter you are going to need a different frame or other solution for that the hero 8 black isn't a totally new design like the Hero 5 was compared to the hero 4 it still looks very much like a hero 7 but from a usability perspective it offers the biggest improvement since the integrated touch screen on that note the hero eights touch screen is the same it's nothing new I would have preferred a wider 16 by 9 screen like we've seen on the DJI Osmo action I guess we'll just have to wait for the hero 9 for that on the inside you'll find the same custom P one processor that's been around since the hair of six but GoPro continues to find ways to push it further that means even better electronic stabilization without changing the 10% crop it's now called hyper smooth 2.0 and it works across all frame rates and resolutions but there's also a new boost mode that makes the stabilization even better but it does come with an additional crop and on top of that there is automatic horizon leveling just like you might find in a 360 camera this doesn't happen in the camera itself but rather is an option within the editing settings of the mobile app now unlike a 360 camera this will crop your footage depending on how crooked it is but for a lot of shots it makes a real improvement GoPros hyper lapse mode called time warp has also evolved in version 2.0 and it's now both more fun and easier to use than ever before so it can now set the speed automatically based on the amount of camera movement which is great you can still set it manually if you prefer but if you want to just go create a quick hyper lapse and know you're gonna get good results just leave it on auto it works really well additionally you can now slow the hyperlapse down to real-time at any point just by tapping an on screen button while you're recording but one of the coolest features of the heroic black is not really something about the camera at all but about this new line of accessories coming out the GoPro is calling mods so this is going to be a way to add everything from microphones to lights to even a selfie screen onto the hero eight black now unfortunately none of these mods were available for testing by the time of this review but there is one I'm really looking forward to it's called the medium mod and this adds an integrated shotgun microphone as well as two cold shoes for attaching other accessories a 3.5 millimeter microphone input and both USB C and HDMI outputs so it's going to be a great tool for for vloggers and other people who are using GoPros to tell stories that maybe aren't your traditional action camera extreme sports stories and that's actually something GoPro reiterated often at the hero eight press event they want to make it clear that this is not just an action camera it's more than that and I would say that more than any other GoPro before the hero white black has done a good job of appealing to those types of creators beyond the extreme athletes so the mods are obviously a big component of that but even without them the here wait black is a pretty solid vlogging camera and that's not just due to the new stabilization which helps for those walk-and-talk shots but also because of this new microphone located on the front right beneath the lens the audio quality is really good and it picks up dialogue very well even in some tricky situations so this should be a good test of the hair weight blacks new audio capabilities existing microphone on the front hopefully you can hear me right now there's a very lot waterfall behind me and I'm not talking about a particularly loud voice such as my voice I have no idea what this hero sounds like hopefully it sounds great I don't we'll take a listen and find out but this is we talking into the hero a flax new microphone with a very loud sound behind me so there you go so you can disagree with me in the comments but after having a chance to listen to that I'm pretty impressed with how it came out that was a very loud environment and it actually doesn't sound like it was all that bad listening to the clip so with no external microphone facing into the source of the noise that was pretty good I'm impressed so good job on the audio GoPro of course you can have the great audio and the great video and stabilization but if you don't have a way to handle all the footage you're not going to have a great experience fortunately this is somewhere where GoPro has excelled for a while and they're just continuing to get better at it so the new version of the mobile app now incorporates quick stories so you no longer need a separate app for that and once the mods roll out assuming they live up to expectations you're going to have an ecosystem that is much more mature and complete than really what we've seen from an action camera before and that's really what makes this hero 8 black so good it's not just that it's more than an action camera it's also more than a camera hey thanks for watching this video for more on the here wave black you can find our full review up now on digital trends calm and be sure to LIKE and subscribe if you want to see more videos from digital trends\n"