The GoPro Hero8 Silver Review: A Balanced Action Camera with Some Flaws

When it comes to action cameras, price is often a major consideration for consumers. One brand that has managed to strike a balance between affordability and feature-rich performance is the GoPro Hero8 Silver. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the camera's features, functionality, and overall value.

One of the standout features of the GoPro Hero8 Silver is its touchscreen interface. While it's not perfect, the camera's touchscreen allows for easy navigation and adjustment of settings on the fly. However, in our testing, we found that the touchscreen wasn't always responsive, particularly when using the camera outside or in wet conditions. Additionally, the touch screen can be finicky to use, with some gestures being more intuitive than others.

Another area where the Hero8 Silver shines is its durability. The camera's rugged design and sealed ports make it well-suited for outdoor use, including mud, dust, and dirt. We also appreciate the inclusion of a waterproof case that allows the camera to be taken underwater without issue. This feature alone makes the Hero8 Silver an attractive option for those who plan to use their action camera in aquatic environments.

One of the trade-offs for the Hero8 Silver's affordable price is its build quality. While it's certainly not the sturdiest camera on the market, the Hero8 Silver still feels solid in the hand and can withstand a few rough handling. However, we do note that some users have reported issues with the camera's port sealing system, which could be a concern for those who plan to use their action camera extensively.

In terms of image quality, the Hero8 Silver delivers decent results without being blown away by any particular aspect. The camera's sensor and processor are respectable, but they're not top-of-the-line either. In our testing, we found that the camera produced some noticeable noise and artifacts in low-light conditions, although this was hardly a major issue.

One area where the Hero8 Silver truly shines is its compatibility with GoPro accessories and mounts. The camera includes a quarter-twenty tripod mount, which is more than many other budget action cameras can claim. Additionally, the Hero8 Silver is fully compatible with GoPro's Style gimbal and other mounting systems, making it an excellent choice for those who already own these accessories.

However, there is one major caveat to consider: compatibility with a specific gimbal system. In our testing, we found that the Hero8 Silver would not fit in our existing gimbal without some serious modifications. While this isn't a deal-breaker for everyone, it's an important consideration for those who rely heavily on their action camera's integration with other devices.

Finally, we should note that the Hero8 Silver does feature stabilization – albeit not always reliably. While the camera's manual mode allows users to adjust settings and potentially enable stabilization, we found that this system wasn't always successful in our testing. If you're looking for a camera with rock-solid image stabilization, there are better options available.

In conclusion, the GoPro Hero8 Silver is a solid action camera option for those on a budget. While it has its flaws, including inconsistent touchscreen performance and mediocre image quality, it's still an excellent choice for anyone looking to capture high-quality footage without breaking the bank. If you're willing to overlook these minor issues, the Hero8 Silver is a great value that won't let you down – but be sure to consider your specific needs and any potential compromises before making a decision.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWow I wish there was an action camera that was cheaper than the GoPro but also waterproof without a case wait what there's $100 option the akka so brave v what's up everyone I'm never do that if I can figure it out you can figure it out so the main reason why I even recommend a GoPro at all this day and age is if you want an action camera that is waterproof without a case it's really the only option you have and that is the one thing the one thing GoPro has going for it well imagine my surprise when a few days ago while browsing Amazon I came across the akka so brave v which claims to be waterproof up to ten meters without a case but before we get too far we need to get this camera out of its box again the acha so brave is pretty beefy as far as action cameras go though the body does give me some confidence in the claim that it is waterproof the port door does seem to have a seal and the lens also has a cover covering that precious precious lens now I purchase this on Amazon for $89 and one of the surprising things about the camera is that it feels pretty good for a budget camera it's not the highest quality camera ever but it also doesn't feel super cheap and I've checked out a few cheap action cameras one of the new things about the brave over there v50 is that the back does have a two inch LCD touchscreen now we'll talk more about this in the pillars of something-or-other but it's not the best quality touch screen I've ever used however I do appreciate the thought of putting one on there another thing that a camera company can do to win me over is put lots and lots of accessories in the box a trend that I hate is when legitimate companies include almost nothing in the box and honestly that's one of the reasons the higher-end guys are losing out they want you to spend so much on an action camera but then you almost have to spend twice as much it's just the camera to be able to actually use the thing afterwards you know with mounts and adapters so real quick to get us all on the same page let's cover the basic specs of the brave 5 now this will be quick because I couldn't find any internal specs anywhere even the Aqsa website doesn't list them which is probably not a good thing the brave has a 20 megapixel camera no clue on the sensor or the processor and like I said that's probably not a good sign it can record in 4k 24 frames per second 2k 30 frames per second 1080p up to 60 frames per second and 720p up to 120 frames per second it does have the ability to do time lapses and take pictures it also claims to have electronic image stabilization which is always a favorite of mine and we'll see how well it works later included our two 1,050 milliamp hour batteries that should get a recording time of 90 minutes it also has a micro HDMI and mini USB on the side for charging and maybe using a microphone or exporting this out to another monitor also included is Wi-Fi functionality with a Naga so branded app but I have learned not to install a random camera apps to my phone anymore so we'll just have to trust them on that I don't just install random crap them a phone anymore but we all know what's coming what separates the action cameras from the not-so action cameras actually think of a better line for that later first up ease-of-use I love an action camera that is easy to set up it fits a pain to use I just won't use it and more than likely that's not just me but that's most of us the main thing recent cameras in this niche have going for them is really really nice functional touch screens and that's something else the GoPro really nails it on is the functionality of their touchscreen interface it's really great however the October 85 wall having a touchscreen it's not the easiest system I've used I mean it works but it's really hard to tell what the images on the camera mean the touch screen isn't always responsive and touching a little check mark or the a kinda confirm or deny your thing is really kind of hard especially when you're outside in the middle of action so I appreciate they did it but it's not the best durability generally one of the things that's first sacrifice on the altar of price lowering is build quality and that's unfortunate because action cameras that can't take a hint aren't really worth anything at all now something the brave does have going forward is it feels pretty good I held it under water for about two minutes today and it still works perfectly fine one of the things that does make me nervous about it is when we cracked open the port afterwards there was water inside of it now that could have been partly because I opened it while the outside was still wet however it looked like some water had been leaking in there anyway so it's reported functionality underwater is not maybe as good I would still put it in the case if I was gonna take it underwater now one of the things is it does feel very robust for the price and having the ports sealed makes me feel more confidence and using it outdoors not just in water but if you're gonna take this thing outdoor you don't really have to worry about mud or dust or dirt or anything works pretty well now as mentioned earlier it does come with a case that allows you to take it even further underwater and it makes it much more durable and I'm a pretty big fan of that next up compatible with my GoPro Style gimbals and accessories okay here's the part where the akka so has broken my heart yes it comes with a waterproof case yes that waterproof case can be attached to GoPro mounting systems and something else that's really nice is it does have a quarter twenty tripod mount which is more than some budget action cameras from bigger companies can say however one of the main reasons I want an action camera that is waterproof without a case is my action camera spend 80% of their life in a gimbal and I assumed to make this thing waterproof they had to make it wider and one of the problems is it will now not fit in my gimbal and that's a pretty tough pill for me to swallow like the whole reason I would want this to be waterproof or that a case is that it can go in my gimbal without having problems now if you don't use a gimbal that's not a really big deal it will still function with all manner of GoPro styled mounts it will work with regular selfie sticks it will work with everything else perfectly fine just not my specific gimbal next up decent not perfect image quality obviously another way to cut the budget is to use cheaper processors and cheaper sensors let's see how well the camera actually works filming with it now I'm not a pixel people by any stretch of the imagination and I cut a lot of slack for a sub hundred dollar action camera when it comes to image quality and the IQ so brave isn't terrible this is the audio out of the akka so brave v audio test one two three four it's not the worst camera I've ever used it's not the worst budget camera I've ever used the image quality is okay not fantastic but it's okay and finally stabilization stabilization is one of my favorite things of all time now the Aqua so brave does say that it has stabilization built into it I was able to find it buried into the photo settings not the video settings but I'm not sure that it actually works in video I did try a clip where I was walking with the stabilization off and a clip with stabilization on and I can't tell the difference so it reportedly has stabilization I just maybe I'm using it wrong but I couldn't get it to work so I'm gonna say it doesn't have stabilization so alright so should you get an October a 5 the way I would recommend the October a 5 to you is if you only have $100 and you really want to have an action camera that's waterproof without the case yes the October a 5 would not be the worst option your only options are go pro or the brave 5 if you can't afford a GoPro then the brave 5 is not the worst the problem is it's not gonna work with a gimbal the image quality is okay it's not fantastic but it is functional if you're okay with an action camera that's not waterproof that a case I'd still recommend the e light as the best budget action camera out there but sometimes we all have different needs so waterproof without a case but ok I'd recommend it that way thanks for watchingWow I wish there was an action camera that was cheaper than the GoPro but also waterproof without a case wait what there's $100 option the akka so brave v what's up everyone I'm never do that if I can figure it out you can figure it out so the main reason why I even recommend a GoPro at all this day and age is if you want an action camera that is waterproof without a case it's really the only option you have and that is the one thing the one thing GoPro has going for it well imagine my surprise when a few days ago while browsing Amazon I came across the akka so brave v which claims to be waterproof up to ten meters without a case but before we get too far we need to get this camera out of its box again the acha so brave is pretty beefy as far as action cameras go though the body does give me some confidence in the claim that it is waterproof the port door does seem to have a seal and the lens also has a cover covering that precious precious lens now I purchase this on Amazon for $89 and one of the surprising things about the camera is that it feels pretty good for a budget camera it's not the highest quality camera ever but it also doesn't feel super cheap and I've checked out a few cheap action cameras one of the new things about the brave over there v50 is that the back does have a two inch LCD touchscreen now we'll talk more about this in the pillars of something-or-other but it's not the best quality touch screen I've ever used however I do appreciate the thought of putting one on there another thing that a camera company can do to win me over is put lots and lots of accessories in the box a trend that I hate is when legitimate companies include almost nothing in the box and honestly that's one of the reasons the higher-end guys are losing out they want you to spend so much on an action camera but then you almost have to spend twice as much it's just the camera to be able to actually use the thing afterwards you know with mounts and adapters so real quick to get us all on the same page let's cover the basic specs of the brave 5 now this will be quick because I couldn't find any internal specs anywhere even the Aqsa website doesn't list them which is probably not a good thing the brave has a 20 megapixel camera no clue on the sensor or the processor and like I said that's probably not a good sign it can record in 4k 24 frames per second 2k 30 frames per second 1080p up to 60 frames per second and 720p up to 120 frames per second it does have the ability to do time lapses and take pictures it also claims to have electronic image stabilization which is always a favorite of mine and we'll see how well it works later included our two 1,050 milliamp hour batteries that should get a recording time of 90 minutes it also has a micro HDMI and mini USB on the side for charging and maybe using a microphone or exporting this out to another monitor also included is Wi-Fi functionality with a Naga so branded app but I have learned not to install a random camera apps to my phone anymore so we'll just have to trust them on that I don't just install random crap them a phone anymore but we all know what's coming what separates the action cameras from the not-so action cameras actually think of a better line for that later first up ease-of-use I love an action camera that is easy to set up it fits a pain to use I just won't use it and more than likely that's not just me but that's most of us the main thing recent cameras in this niche have going for them is really really nice functional touch screens and that's something else the GoPro really nails it on is the functionality of their touchscreen interface it's really great however the October 85 wall having a touchscreen it's not the easiest system I've used I mean it works but it's really hard to tell what the images on the camera mean the touch screen isn't always responsive and touching a little check mark or the a kinda confirm or deny your thing is really kind of hard especially when you're outside in the middle of action so I appreciate they did it but it's not the best durability generally one of the things that's first sacrifice on the altar of price lowering is build quality and that's unfortunate because action cameras that can't take a hint aren't really worth anything at all now something the brave does have going forward is it feels pretty good I held it under water for about two minutes today and it still works perfectly fine one of the things that does make me nervous about it is when we cracked open the port afterwards there was water inside of it now that could have been partly because I opened it while the outside was still wet however it looked like some water had been leaking in there anyway so it's reported functionality underwater is not maybe as good I would still put it in the case if I was gonna take it underwater now one of the things is it does feel very robust for the price and having the ports sealed makes me feel more confidence and using it outdoors not just in water but if you're gonna take this thing outdoor you don't really have to worry about mud or dust or dirt or anything works pretty well now as mentioned earlier it does come with a case that allows you to take it even further underwater and it makes it much more durable and I'm a pretty big fan of that next up compatible with my GoPro Style gimbals and accessories okay here's the part where the akka so has broken my heart yes it comes with a waterproof case yes that waterproof case can be attached to GoPro mounting systems and something else that's really nice is it does have a quarter twenty tripod mount which is more than some budget action cameras from bigger companies can say however one of the main reasons I want an action camera that is waterproof without a case is my action camera spend 80% of their life in a gimbal and I assumed to make this thing waterproof they had to make it wider and one of the problems is it will now not fit in my gimbal and that's a pretty tough pill for me to swallow like the whole reason I would want this to be waterproof or that a case is that it can go in my gimbal without having problems now if you don't use a gimbal that's not a really big deal it will still function with all manner of GoPro styled mounts it will work with regular selfie sticks it will work with everything else perfectly fine just not my specific gimbal next up decent not perfect image quality obviously another way to cut the budget is to use cheaper processors and cheaper sensors let's see how well the camera actually works filming with it now I'm not a pixel people by any stretch of the imagination and I cut a lot of slack for a sub hundred dollar action camera when it comes to image quality and the IQ so brave isn't terrible this is the audio out of the akka so brave v audio test one two three four it's not the worst camera I've ever used it's not the worst budget camera I've ever used the image quality is okay not fantastic but it's okay and finally stabilization stabilization is one of my favorite things of all time now the Aqua so brave does say that it has stabilization built into it I was able to find it buried into the photo settings not the video settings but I'm not sure that it actually works in video I did try a clip where I was walking with the stabilization off and a clip with stabilization on and I can't tell the difference so it reportedly has stabilization I just maybe I'm using it wrong but I couldn't get it to work so I'm gonna say it doesn't have stabilization so alright so should you get an October a 5 the way I would recommend the October a 5 to you is if you only have $100 and you really want to have an action camera that's waterproof without the case yes the October a 5 would not be the worst option your only options are go pro or the brave 5 if you can't afford a GoPro then the brave 5 is not the worst the problem is it's not gonna work with a gimbal the image quality is okay it's not fantastic but it is functional if you're okay with an action camera that's not waterproof that a case I'd still recommend the e light as the best budget action camera out there but sometimes we all have different needs so waterproof without a case but ok I'd recommend it that way thanks for watching\n"