GoPro has remained the leader in the action camera industry, ever since the company’s first camera release in 2004. By silencing their competition from the initial conversation, GoPro has climbed its way to be one of the most recognizable brands in the photography industry. Best known for their “Hero” action camera, GoPro has recently released the latest edition into this lineup-- the Hero 8 Black. This camera now makes GoPro the most advanced action camera on the market, by making a few subtle but noteworthy changes from their previous models. In this article, we will outline GoPro’s evolution in the past couple years and the journey they have taken from Hero 6, 7, and now to their Hero 8 model-- with the most evident changes of each camera being its resolution capabilities, image stabilization features, and design changes over time.

It was rumored that GoPro was going to make their Hero 8 model capable of 4K video recording at 120fps and full HD at 480fps. Although this rumor didn’t come to fruition, there is definitely nothing to feel seldom about when it comes to the Hero 8’s 4K at 60fps, 2.7K at 120fps, and 1080p at 240fps.  The main feature to take note of here though is the 4K maximum video bitrate at 100Mbps. This is the fastest to ever be featured in a GoPro model, making it even more of a direct competitor with DJI’s Osmo Action camera which was released in early 2019 with similar characteristics.

GoPro introduced their HyperSmooth technology in their Hero 7 model, but have only enhanced it in the Hero 8 by naming it HyperSmooth 2.0. This smooths out any abrupt or bouncy movement during filming, by giving your video a clean and easily digestible video for your viewer to watch. Now available in all resolutions and frame rates, HyperSmooth 2.0, gives your video the stabilization it needs to look like a high-quality cinematic masterpiece. 

One of the main differences from the Hero 6 to the Hero 7 Black, is that the newer model of this camera is actually black. For instance, previous Hero Black models were silver  in color. This was confusing when referring to the ‘Black’ edition camera, since the color ‘Black’ coined it as the high-end mode and not necessarily the color of the camera itself, when compared to GoPro’s Silver and White models. However, it wasn’t until the Hero 7 model that GoPro finally decided to make the actual color of the camera match its name. Additionally, the Hero 7 model was completely redesigned from the Hero 6 model to enhance its audio capabilities. For instance, the microphone membrane has been altered to amplify the quality of sound by providing more natural mid-tones and natural bass. 

GoPro released their advanced HyperSmooth technology in their Hero 7 model, which has been claimed by many to be some of the best stabilization technology available in an action camera. Perfected in their Hero 8 model, GoPro still came out guns blazing when they debuted it with the Hero 7. Even though the HyperSmooth system is digital and not optical, GoPro’s main claim is that it allows you to capture videos with what seems like the stability of a gimbal, without actually having one incorporated into the device. In addition, the Hero 7 has an innovative feature called Time-Warp, which combines the HyperSmooth and Timelapse video settings. This setting processes videos within the camera itself which, in turn, allows you to adjust speeds and create shareable time-lapse videos without the hassle of endless files and post production processing.

Much like GoPro’s Hero 7 and 8 models are very similar, the same goes for their Hero 5 and 6 model. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years though, is the GoPro’s sensor size-- like the Hero 7 and 8 models, the Hero 6 has a 12-megapixel sensor. The resolution on the Hero 6 model is quite similar to the Hero 7 and 8 as well, as it can shoot 4K video at 60fps as well as, slow motion and 1080p filming at 240fps. At the time of its release, this resolution was considered ‘expert level’ so it comes as no surprise that GoPro would continue to carry these recording features throughout their newer models as well.

At the time of its release, the Hero 6 was deemed to be revolutionary in terms of its image stabilization. This model used the same mechanism that was found in the Hero 5, which was simply called Electronic Image Stabilization; however, it performed better in the newer model.  Although it was improved from Hero 5 to 6 models, it still had a long way to go which is where GoPro introduced HyperSmooth in order to mend this issue.  .