By now everyone knows that GoPro have announced their new Mission 1 cameras are coming. The public will get their hands on them at the NAB in Las Vegas on April 19th, however before you rush out and buy a model, you need to know who these cameras are aimed at and which model is best suited for your needs. You also need to be aware that the pricing of these models is going to be much higher than your GoPro Hero line of cameras. So let’s dive in, take a look and hopefully answer all of your questions about this new line of cameras.
Who should buy these cameras?
Make no mistake, these cameras are aimed at the Prosumer levels and are a grade above the “Hero” line of cameras. If you own a GoPro camera and use it for filming yourself going for a walk, film family vacations and just basically use it as a point and shoot camera… then the Mission line of camera’s may not be for you. These cameras are specifically designed for the creators that want to up their cinematic filming game. They might just offer “too much” for your basic needs. So, if you’re a casual shooter that just likes to hit the “Quik Capture” button and start recording, then with these models, you’d be paying a premium price for premium features that you may in fact, never use. On the other hand, if you’re a semiprofessional user and looking to up your filming game, then this is exactly the type of camera you should be buying as you’re going to get the most use out of the Mission 1 line of camera from GoPro.
So let’s take a look at the models on sale!
The Mission 1
This is the budget model of the 3 mission cameras. Don’t get me wrong, it features the same 1” sensor, GP3 processor, resolution and 50MP photos as their flagship model. However certain frame rates and resolutions are not supported. So, you’re looking at a camera that’s limited to 4K 120FPS Open Gate filming (I’ll talk more about that later), 8K 30FPS, 1080P 240FPS 16:9. If you are an amateur user who uses their current GoPro as a point and shoot…. Then this is the model you’ll want to aim for. It offers all the benefits of the latest models while keeping the price point a lot more reasonable.
The Mission 1 Pro:
GoPro are touting this as their “Flagship” camera. This is the model that most people will likely be getting (myself included). It’s the same camera as the Mission 1 but with 8K 60FPS, 4K 240FP and 1080p 960FPS in 16:9. It also supports 8K 30FPS and 4K 120FPS open gate capture. This seems to offer the best high end frame rates and resolutions and is really for the professional creator who wants to seriously up their cinematic creation game.
The Mission 1 Pro ILS:
The same specs as above but with an interchangeable lens system that supports Micro Four Thirds lenses. This model is aimed at professional cinematographers who are no strangers to changing lenses and manually pulling focus. This will likely be the costliest camera and that’s before we even mention the costs of 3rd party lenses that most cinematographers will need to buy for the camera. This is not for the causal user and due to the ILS (interchangeable lens system), it is not meant to be a rugged waterproof action camera but more of a professional video creation tool. However this does not have the higher frame rates of the Mission 1 Pro model due to the fact it’s using 3rd party lenses.
What else is new with these cameras?
Well, it’s quite the list and we’re going to quickly dive in.
All cameras are equipped with a 50MP 1” sensor with native 1.6µm pixels and massive 3.2µm fused pixels. This enables incredibly low light image capture with 14 stops of dynamic range.
GP3 processor results in lower thermal heat generation and incredible battery life. It also detects “what” you’re filming and adjusts the image quality and settings based upon what it detects. It can even detect when you’re underwater and adjust the color profile to match (no more need for underwater filters!)
Smoother 32X slow motion with burst slow motion of 960FPS in 1080P. Non burst slow motion filming of up 120FPS at 4K or 60FPS in 8K (in certain models)
Open gate filming for filming using the entire sensor. This gives you greater flexibility when reframing and editing in post. The base model camera (Mission 1) supports 4K 120FPS open gate.
Incredible Run Times. GoPro claim that the new processor is so efficient, that you can film for 5+ hours in 1080P 30FPS or 3+ hours in 4K 30FPS (settings dependent).
13 filming modes including dive mode and vlogging mode (which enables face tracking to keep you in frame!)
Video that supports HLG HDR, 10 bit color and up to 240Mbps.
4 Microphones for stereo recording, noise reduction and 32-bit float audio to prevent audio clipping. Support for HFP V1.9 and Super Wideband Speech for high fidelity wireless audio.
Burst photo capture of up to 60 photos per second!
Increased waterproofness up to 66ft on the Mission 1 and Mission 1 pro camera models.
14% larger, brighter OLED rear display.
Larger buttons for glove wearing ease of use.
Anything else we should know?
Well yes, because we haven’t even touched on the all new accessories and batteries for the cameras.
The camera can use the exact same batteries as the GoPro Hero 13, however there is a new “Enduro 2” battery that offers 25% more capacity too. There’s also a new dual battery charger that supports fast charging (something we’ve wanted for quite some time and now finally have).
The Mission Pro Grip: This turns your camera into a point and shoot camera by adding a grip and a shutter button. We’ve seen this before from the competition and GoPro have hopped on the bandwagon. This also includes a vertical mounting system, access to the cameras mounting fingers and provides extra protection for your camera as it’s essentially a metal cage.
The all new Media Mod: Because the camera is larger, a new media mod is needed and it addresses quite a lot of issues. You no longer have to spend 5 minutes disassembling the camera to get to the SD card and battery. Now there’s a 1 button open and release! 3 i/o ports (one for 3.5mm line in, 1 for timecode line in, 1 for headphones to monitor audio directly). 4K 60FPS HDMI out 3 additional multi pattern microphones that can work in conjunction with the Missions 4 onboard mics for superior sound quality and noise reduction.
Light Mod 2.0 Longer lasting (33%) and ready for the most demanding of low light videography offering up to 200 lumens and a new diffuser design.
Fluid Pro AI Gimbal compatible.
Volta 2.0 compatible for up to 9 hours of filming time in 4K 30FPS.
New GoPro wireless Mic system. 24-bit/48KHZ audio with dynamic noise reduction. These can connect directly to the camera using Bluetooth or you can use with the RX unit. These also have an RX unit which can be directly connected to the USB-C port of your phone. They also offer a safety track mode at -6DB (something I love having on my current wireless mic system). Adjustable gain for balancing your sound levels and preventing overdrive.
New “M” series ND filters which also offer automatic detection and camera setup (with manual overrides).
When is the release date?
2 camera models will be available for pre-order on May 21st with them hitting store shelves on May 28th. These will be the Mission 1 and the Misson 1 Pro. The bundle “Mission 1 Pro Grip Edition” (which comes with the Grip naturally) will also be available at this time. Although a limited pre-order window was available for a few hours on April 17th it seems.
The Mission 1 Pro ILS is expected at the beginning of Q3.
The bundles of the Mission 1 Pro Creator edition (includes media mod 2.0, , volta 2.0, Wireless Mic system) and Mission 1 Ultimate Creator edition (includes Fuild AI Gimbal, Wireless Mic kit, Light mod 2.0, Media Mod) will also be available at the start of Q3. Additional accessories will be made available throughout the year…
What are the expected prices?
The million-dollar question! Although GoPro hasn’t revealed the pricing yet, the limited pre-order window had a price of $699 for the Mission 1 Pro. That’s a pretty hefty chunk of change but it seems about right for a prosumer model cinematic camera.
I would expect the Mission 1 model to be at least $100 cheaper than the Mission 1 Pro. I don’t even want to guess at the price of the Mission 1 Pro ILS.
Is the Hero line dead?
Apparently not! GoPro staff have said that the Hero line is still going strong and if that’s true, we could still expect a Hero 14 in September. If true, likely it would have a GP3 processor inside it, but it’s unknown if it would sport a 1″ sensor. I’m surprised that GoPro said the Hero of cameras has not been replaced, but rather that the Mission 1 is its own line of cameras. It could very well be that GoPro still want to make an action camera for the $300 to $400 market.
Final thoughts?
The fact is, people have been asking GoPro for better solutions in low light and GoPro have just stunned with this new camera line announcement. They have literally tackled every sore point (small sensors, media mod design) and not only provided a solution, but they’ve also thrown in more on top of that (the wireless mic system being a HUGE surprise that I wasn’t expecting).
I only wish GoPro would take pre-orders right now as I for one, can’t wait to get my hands on a … (checks notes…) GoPro Mission 1 Pro Ultimate Creator Edition… I may have to start selling my blood to pay for it, but I’m game as this new line of cameras, are a game changer!
Please note that the above article is based upon personal opinion, experience and what limited information has been released so far. Not everything in this article may be accurate… except for the parts where I talk about how totally awesome I am. That’s only inaccurate in the sense that I may have made some seriously vast understatements. This article may contain links to external sites. If you purchase goods from said external sites, I get a small fee for said purchase. This money is used to fund and support Demonview.com and related channels. It will also help pay for my next camera purchase (and at nearly $700, I need all the help I can get!). You should be proud to support such efforts and know that you’re helping my business out. You should also feel good about reading all this tiny print as it means you’re someone who is very detail oriented and people probably look at you with the upmost respect. If they don’t, then that’s their loss as they are just being very very silly indeed and not paying attention to how awesome YOU are. I’m hungry now and I feel I should get myself some toast and coffee. By the way, it’s home baked whole wheat toast with crushed up walnuts which in all fairness, is actually pretty tasty. I’m also wondering if I should add a pinch of ghost chili to my next homemade bread making effort because….. why not? You only live once (unless you believe in re-incarnation).
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