GoPro Finally Unveils New HERO8 Black and MAX 360 Action Cam

GoPro announced its newest camera offerings this morning, the new HERO8 Black and the MAX cameras, during a Live Steam event. The HERO8 Black promises to be your vlogging companion with new expansion mods and the MAX is advertised as a 3-in-1 shooter: a Hero Camera, 360 camera, and vlogging camera all in one dual-lens unit. 

GoPro HERO8

In addition to being 14 percent lighter than its predecessor -- and waterproof up to a depth of 33 feet -- the GoPro HERO8 Black sports some new features. They include Digital Lenses, which allow you to choose between Narrow, Linear, Wide, and Superview settings at the tap of a button, and built-in mounting, which allows for a Media Mod (with shotgun-mic performance, 3.5mm mic and HDMI-out ports, and two cold-shoe mounts), a Display Mod with a flip-up screen (perfect for vlogging and selfies), and a Light Mod (an LED light that can attach to the camera). HyperSmooth, introduced in GoPro HERO7, has been updated to HyperSmooth 2.0 -- now with a new level called "Boost," which can be activated with a tap on the screen. The HERO8 Black also supports live streaming in Full HD.  

No news yet on how to trade up that HERO7 you may have.

Tech Specs: Hero8 Black

• 4K 60fps, 4K 30 fps, 2.7K 120fps, 2.7K 60fps, 1440p 120fps, 1080p 240 fps, 
• Max Video Bit Rate: 100 Mb/s in 4K and 2.7K
• Format: MP4 (H.264/AVC), MP4 (H.265/HEVC)
• 8x Slo-Mo
• TimeWarp 2.0
• 1080p live streaming
• HyperSmooth 2.0
• Night Lapse Video
• 12MP + SuperPhoto with Improved HDR.
• RAW Photo capture
• SuperPhoto (optimization through intelligently applied HDR, tone mapping, and noise reduction)
• 3.5mm Audio Mic In with Media Mod or Pro 2.5mm Mic Adapter
• Wake On Voice and Voice Control
• Time Lapse (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 seconds; 2, 5, 30, 60 minutes)
• Custom Presets
• LiveBurst (records 1.5 seconds before and after a shot)
• HDMI Video Out with Media Mod
• Waterproof up to 33 feet
• 8x Slo-MO
• 3-mic processing

The GoPro HERO8 Black is priced at$399.99. It is now available for pre-order with a shipping date of October 15, 2019. Mods will be available to pre-order December 2019.

GoPro MAX

As we reported in August, the price of the GoPro Fusion (GoPro's earlier 360 camera model) dropped, potentially hinting at a new release for the 360 camera model, and indeed it came this morning as the GoPro MAX. In fact, while you can still buy cases, grips, and mounts for the Fusion, the Fusion camera can no longer be purchased on the GoPro site.

The GoPro MAX promises to "ignite your creativity" with "smoothest video ever" and "the widest lens yet." Boasted as a 3-in-1 camera (Hero, 360, and Vlogging Camera) by having dual lenses, the MAX offers 5.6K 30p 360 footage, 270-degree PowerPano for panoramic shots, horizon leveling on camera, six microphones build-in to capture stereo sound, and MAX TimeWarp, all in a camera that is waterproof up to 16 feet.  

It's worth noting that compatible housing is currently offered in the GoPro store for the HERO8 Black but not for the MAX. Other noted differences include the lack of a 3.5mm Audio Mic In on the Max and no Live Burst on the MAX.

Tech Specs: MAX

• 5.6K (Spherical) 30fps, 1440p 60fps, 1080p 60fps
• Max Video Bit Rate: 78 Mb/s (1440)
• Format: MP4 (H.264/AVC), MP4 (H.265/HEVC)
• Max HyperSmooth
• ​16.6MP 360 Photo / 5.5MP Hero Mode Photo
• 270 degree 6.2MP Panoramic Photo
• Time Lapse: 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 seconds
• Max TimeWarp
• Waterproof up to 16 feet
• Horizon Leveling On Camera
• 2x Slo Mo
• 1080p Live Streaming
• 6-mic processing

The GoPro MAX retails for $499.99. It is now available for pre-order with a shipping date of October 25, 2019.