Here’s a quick movie pitch: Action Cam Man—a hybrid action-thriller shot entirely from the POV of a motorcycle guy’s helmet-mounted GoPro as he scoots around town and fights with his neighbors.
It’d be kind of like Hardcore Henry (which was shot on a GoPro 3) meets Tangerine in how it approaches long-take action sequences but with an authentic slice-of-life feel with its GoPro camera gimmick.
No, not interested?
Okay, cool, well if anyone were interested, GoPro has just announced its new flagship GoPro HERO 10 Black, which would actually be perfect to shoot the damn thing.
And while GoPro only released the GoPro HERO 9 Black around a year ago, this new HERO 10 is another nice improvement for aspiring content creators, POV-action cinematographers, and your wide array of adventurers looking to take advantage of the best action cam video and photography functionality currently on the market.
Let’s take a look at this new GoPro HERO 10 and how it might be useful for film and video professionals.
The New GoPro HERO 10
Let’s start with the biggest specs and features first.
GoPro’s headline for this new HERO 10 is “speed with ease” as its latest offering is indeed faster and more powerful with a new GP2 processor that should speed up just about all of its functions.
With this new processor, the HERO 10 is now capable of recording 5.3K video at up to 60fps (the GoPro HERO 9 Black could only muster 5.3K/30p for reference). You can also shoot 8x slow-mo at 2.7K and even grab 19.6MP stills from the 5K 4:3 video.
Here are the recording and frame grab specs:
- 5.3K60, 4K120, 2.7K240
- 15.8MP frame grabs from 5.3K video
- 19.6MP frame grabs from 5K30 4:3 video
From the photography side, the HERO 10 will shoot 23MP photos in some familiar photo modes as well including burst, night photo, superphoto, and RAW. With the GP2 and its 3D noise reduction, both your photos and videos recording should do better in low light with less noise too.
What Else Is New?
Overall the new HERO 10 should indeed be faster than its predecessor with double the frame rates compared to the HERO 9 Black. It will also include faster transfer functionality (30% faster Wi-Fi offloads), advanced local tone mapping and 3D noise reduction, and just faster boot-up and functionality times overall.
For anyone seriously considering the HERO 10 for any sort of action videography whether that be recreational or professional though, the HERO 10 will feature new HyperSmooth 4.0 in-camera stabilization for different settings including:
- 5.3K30
- 4K60
- 2.7K120
I’m also a fan of some improved in-camera horizon leveling with GoPro’s Linear + Horizon Leveling digital lens, which can tilt limit increase from 27 degrees to 45 degrees for those same settings.
Also, quite intriguing for anyone looking to shoot vlog-style video content or to selfie-stick livestream, the HERO 10 will include a new, faster front display with higher frame rates for more fluid previews. This is actually a quite nice and useful feature for real-time monitoring or just checking to make sure your shot is looking good.
Comparison to GoPro HERO 9
A big question for many looking at this new HERO 10 will be just how much it compares to past GoPros like the HERO 9 Black or older. And, truth be told, the HERO 10 is an improvement, but I wouldn’t say that it’s such a game-changer that you need to trade in your old versions right away. (After all, an action cam should be something you can invest in for several years due to its durability and quality.)
The biggest improvements that the HERO 10 offers over the HERO 9 or other past versions mostly have to do with improved processing, better slow-mo, smoothness, and the aforementioned improved front LCD display.
The battery is the same removable 1720mAH Lithium-Ion battery, the TimeWarp video remains unchanged, and most of the design and functions are pretty much what you’d find on the 9.
The only other piece worth mentioning perhaps is a new lens cover which should help keep your glass hydrophobic and scratch-resistant. Plus, you can remove it to clean it out too.
Thoughts for Film and Video
For any interested film or video professionals, this GoPro HERO 10 is indeed another step forward for the action cam brand. Its camera technology is getting better and its smoothness is indeed quite impressive.
I don’t know if it’s actually realistic to green-light a HERO 10 shot Action Cam Man feature for display on cinema screens across the world yet, but overall it’s getting closer!
Also, as we dive into the specs and pricing, it’s worth mentioning that the HERO 10 still comes in at a reasonable price point that makes taking a flyer on this GoPro, or any of the recent past offerings, a fine investment for any video-heads looking to add some additional action cam coverage to their films or projects.
Specs, Pricing and Release Date
- New GP2 Processor
- 23MP Photo
- 5.3K60p Video
- 4K120p Video
- 8X Slow-Mo
- HyperSmooth 4.0
- TimeWarp 3.0
- Front Facing LCD Screen
- Build-in Mounting
- Voice Control
- 1080p Live Streaming
- Voice Control
- Auto Upload to the Cloud
- Built-in Mounting
- Webcam Mode
- Touch Display
- Mod Ready
It will be available for $399 with a subscription, or $499 MSRP.
The GoPro HERO 10 is set to launch internationally on Sept. 16, 2021.
Are you excited about this new GoPro HERO 10 Black? Or do you think you’ll invest in or stick with an older action cam version? Any features that stand out to you?
And finally, please let me know what you think about Action Cam Man! Is this a great idea that needs to happen? Do you know any producers with money to throw around on an insane DIY action/slice-of-life concept? Let me know!
