Tag: GoPro Max

Four new GoPro’s in 2024. What to expect!

Posted on by DemonView

At the last investor relations call, GoPro confirmed there would be four new cameras released this year. However, what can we realistically expect from these forthcoming models? Well, I’m here to break it down for you based upon what GoPro themselves have had to say on the matter as well as some knowledge not readily available anywhere else.

It’s finally arriving!

Camera 1:

What’s been confirmed?

No rumors here! Nick Woodman already confirmed there will be an “Entry Level” model introduced mid 2024. This is outside of the normal GoPro release target of September, so it looks like GoPro could be trying to release the camera to target the summer months and budget conscious consumer.

What to expect!

In my opinion, there is no doubt this “entry level” camera will be based upon the popular Hero 12 platform. However, it will likely have important shooting options removed and well as accessory support. It will still likely use the popular GoPro mounting options (built in folding fingers, maybe with a ¾ camera thread too). I would expect though that the camera will not have media mod options or support for the GoPro Mic Adapter or support for the Max Lens Mod. Slow motions and 5.3K may be off the table (so no chances of people setting up their camera incorrectly and having it overheat). So we’re possibly looking at a 4K and 1080P model camera with maybe basic photo options (no raw support). Since the Hero 10 currently sells for $250, I would expect the entry level camera to have to target the $200 or less price point. Any more than this, and people will want all the features (and more) of the Hero 10.

Camera 2 & 3!

What’s been confirmed?

No surprise here, the Hero 13 will be along in September (which is GoPro’s usual release date for their mainstream cameras). Let’s not forget though, last year, Nick Woodman did say that they were working on the Max 2 camera and that it would be “worth waiting for”. Co-incidentally, there was (a now removed) article talking about work on the Max 2 all the way back in March of last year. It seemed to be in the prototype phase at that point, but if this is true, then it would be realistic to expect the sucessor to the Max this year.

What to expect!

With the Hero 13, it may be finally time to get a camera redesign. The Hero 9, 10, 11 and 12 all shared the same form factor. The design wasn’t without issue, especially where the media mod was concerned. Having to remove the entire media mod from the camera just to access the battery and SD card was a huge pain. This is an area that GoPro need to look at and improve. I doubt we’ll see a huge improvement in terms of resolution or frame rates, just simply based on the fact that so many people try to edit their footage on budget $300 mobile devices. It’s no use releasing an 8K camera shooting at 240FPS if no one can edit the footage! With that, I would expect several improvements in terms of color (HDR 2.0) and the GPLOG profile being even flatter, the usual (but entirely unnoticeable update to hypersmooth). However, if the Hero 13 finally gets a GP3 upgrade (a bit too soon in my opinion) then we can expect a Max Lens Mod 2.0 compatibility, but with HDR (2.0) support. We may finally get a camera capable of outputting 4K in webcam mode or using the media mod which many people would immediately love.

With the Hero Max 2.0, well this gets interesting. Remember that removed article I mentioned about the Max 2.0 prototype. Well at the time, they were running it using the GP2 chip. So I would expect the Hero Max 2.0 to feature higher frame rates than previous models (in Hero mode at least) with a 4K Hero mode. I would expect some of the features of the Hero 12 to make it to the Hero Max also. So HDR support, in camera night effect shots, and bluetooth audio support. GoPro really need to make the Max something special, but already there may be bad news. The original Hero Max always had GPS issues when exporting footage, with the Hero 12, the GPS was removed to help prevent overheating issues, and I would expect this GPS removal to also be present in the Hero Max 2.0.

The fact that the Hero Max 2.0 will also be using the GP2 chip, would indicate to me, that the Hero 13 will also be sticking with the GP2 chip.

Camera 4!

What’s been confirmed?

Nothing. Nada! Zero! However if we look at GoPro’s past releases and their claim to want to produce more “niche” camera’s, then I think it’s save to say the GoPro Hero 13 mini would be on the cards. The Hero 11 mini sold quite well and was a favorite among people looking for a smaller camera that had a smaller footprint. Although it lacked photo mode and GPS support, that didn’t seem to deter buyers and they were happy to purchase. GoPro have no doubt realized this is a good sales route to support and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hero 13 mini on shelves this year.

What to expect!

Well 1 of 2 options.

Option 1: The most realistic expectation would be a Hero 13 mini. Although people were happy to purchase the Hero 11 mini, they soon became very unhappy with their purchase. The built in battery was a constant source of issues for many users, whether it be the battery dying in the camera and not recharging or the fact that you had to wait for the camera to recharge before you could use it. There was also no Webcam support. I think GoPro will have learned from these mistakes and basically release a camera with the issues of the previous model addressed. So, webcam support may be an option in this model. However, what I’d really like to see is a removable battery. This way even if there is a battery failure, you can simply replace the battery rather than send the entire camera back to GoPro for replacement. Having the video mode bells and whistles of the 13 black supported too will make this model a great contender for many FPV pilots.

Option 2: The 1” sensor model. This is something that people have been requesting for years. A GoPro with a larger sensor for shooting better video at night or in low light situations. However the issue with 1” sensors is the inablity to focus on close objects. Vlogging with a 1” sensor using a selfie stick would require quite a long selfie stick indeed due to the focal lengths involved with a 1” sensor.

This truly would be a “niche” camera for GoPro and one that may prove to be problematic for users who don’t understand the optical issues at hand. With a larger sensor onboard though, without upgrading the processor, GoPro may have to even cut back on video and photo modes for such a model and I don’t think people would be happy with that (although putting 1080P and 2.7K on the chopping block may be an option). A 1” sensor would also be ideal for those ultra slow motion shots that naturally require more light due to the high frame rates involved.

Final thoughts:

It will be an interesting year for GoPro. I’m not sure they really hit the sales figures that they wanted last year and there is some really tough competition on the market at the moment. GoPro have always had the habit of releasing a model every year with just incremental updates. Last year, apart from the GPS removal, there was no significant hardware updates from the Hero 11 to the Hero 12. Instead the Hero 12 was given completely new firmware to enable new features and modes on the camera. While this caused some major backlash and disappointment from customers initially (myself included) the Hero 12 has weathered the storm and those that purchased it, are happy with the performance. This is also a sign that GoPro’s small engineering staff were hard at work designing something truly special for this year. I really do hope that they can deliver on expectations this year.

GoPro have their sights set on the future and to survive, they need to be innovative and offer something that customers feel they “must have” from their action cameras. However, they are still on the back-foot in the software department and are losing ground to their competitors. So big risks may not be something they are willing to look at. This worries me as if you don’t take big risks, in the face of stiff competition, you are doomed to die a slow death. I don’t want to see this company fade away to obscurity or be bought out by a bigger company only to be closed down. Let’s hope that 2024 is the year that GoPro well and truly impresses their customer base and more.

The GoPro Max 2! What can we expect?

Posted on by DemonView
It’s coming, so what can you expect?

By now it’s no secret that the GoPro Max 2 is coming. This was confirmed by Nick Woodman himself in the last investors relations call. When asked if the GoPro Max 2 was coming, he said that it was and that it would be “Worth the wait”. There may be actually quite the wait though as according to GoPro’s own product roadmap, the next camera coming will be an “Entry Level” camera mid 2024 with 3 cameras possibly coming Sept 2024. That would indicate the Hero 13, Max 2 and one other camera, possibly another Bones or Mini model.

So with no clear indication of when the Max 2 will arrive, what can we at least expect for the Max 2 to provide us in terms of specs and hardware? Well luckily that one is a little clearer thanks to some insider leaks, good hard detective work and just come plain common sense. So with that in mind, let’s look at some of the possible features of the GoPro Hero Max 2.

1: New Sensor and Processing Chip.

This is hardly surprising given the age of the original GoPro Max. However early indications have revealed that the GoPro Max 2 designers have been using the 5.3K Sony Sensor that’s currently offered in the GoPro Hero 12, as well as the GP2 chip also being used in the Hero 12. If true, that has a number of implications which I’ll cover shortly, but it’s also a little concerning in a way. The GP2 chip will be 4 generations old by the time the Hero 13 rolls out (being introduced with the release of the Hero 10). That’s not to say there isn’t a lot of power left under the hood, but when you expect a 4 generation old processor to the heavy lifting of stitching 2 separate images together into one seamless video, you worry about having to overclock the processor resulting in overheating issues or to keep things running cool, eliminating some features from the camera (such as the removal of GPS from the Hero 12).

2: The Removal of GPS.

Although GPS stats were a fun thing to play with, GoPro never had much support for GPS and Telemetry information in their app. Their app only had the barest of stickers available. If you wanted access to all of the GPS and Telemetry information you had to look at 3rd party software such as the excellent GoPro Telemetry Extractor software. If that GP2 processor has to be overclocked or pushed to it’s limits to support a 360 camera, then just like the Hero 12, we can expect GPS support to be dropped. Then again, GoPro were never really able to solve the GPS issues associated with the Hero Max anyway, so dropping GPS support might be a huge headache and time saver for GoPro.

3: Even better stitching with less chromatic aberrations.

The GoPro Max featured the Sony IMX577 sensor which was a 12.3mp sensor. The Max 2 is rumored to be using the Sony IMX677L sensor which is actually much taller and is a 27.5mp sensor. In theory, this means that selfie stick removal and top stitching could be more effective with less curvature of the lenses given the fact that the IMX677L is a much taller sensor. This would mean less image stretching during the stitching process.

4: HDR Video

This one goes without saying. With the 360 competition already offering this on previous models (and the Hero 12 being the first GoPro to support this) the Max 2 will have to offer a HDR video option. However, this means that GP2 processor will be under some extreme pressure to perform perfectly. Given that HDR requires at least 2 exposures to be combined into one image, if you multiply that by 2 separate lenses, that’s 4 times the work the GoPro Hero 11… and that’s before stitching too. So it’s possible that GoPro may scale back some features when the camera is recording in HDR (such as no live preview for instance).

5: In camera effects (Star Trails, Light Painting, Vehicle Lights etc).

One of the greatest features introduced with the Hero 11 was the “in camera” night effects. The GoPro Hero 12 not only retained this cool little feature, it now allowed you to shoot some of these using the Max Lens Mod 2.0 for an even wider FOV when using these modes. One of the greatest features the GoPro Hero Max 2 could have is letting users film these scenes in glorious 360. The end result could be out of this world!

6: Bluetooth audio support.

In the past, external audio on GoPro’s 360 cameras simply wasn’t supported. This was likely due to the fact that plugging in external cables or microphone adapters would result in stitching errors within the 360 image. The simplest way to solve this issue is to give the GoPro Hero Max 2 the same Bluetooth Audio support that the Hero 12 currently has. This would allow users to record audio via the camera mics but have a separate audio track for Bluetooth headsets. An essential “must have” for Max 2 users as this would allow them to record from an external audio source without the need to run cables into the camera or have issues with image stitching.

7: No major increase in resolution or frame rates.

Now this may surprise some people, especially those who’ve read the usual rumor mill tripe where idiotic lazy writers just double the specs of the previous model GoPro. This never actually happens and there’s a very good reason for that. Most people are editing their GoPro on budget mobile phones. If GoPro were to present an 8K camera shooting at 120FPS encoded at a high bit rate in HEVC…. the complaints would be endless “I can’t edit footage on my phone…”. So GoPro will likely keep the resolution in the 5.7K to 6K range at most. Just enough to give the camera an edge on the competition but still allow people to edit footage on their $300 mobile phone.

So these are the most likely things we’ll see from the Hero Max 2 when it’s finally released. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one thing I’d personally love to see on my Max 2 wish list. That’s accessory support. When the original Max was released, accessories were few and far between. You could have some plastic lens protectors and a larger selfie stick…. and that was about it. The Max 2 is a chance for GoPro to make some intelligent design choices and sell some additional accessories for the camera.

With less curved, less protruding lenses, there’s a possibility to actually have ND filters for the Max 2, this would be a huge bonus for users who want truly cinematic looking 360 footage complete with pleasing motion blur.

Should GoPro redesign the Max 2 so that the power port was nearer the base, then the ability to use external power banks or even the Volta itself without visible stitching issues would be a huge bonus.

The GoPro USB-C passthru door (GoPro’s best ever invention in my opinion) or similar for the Max 2 would also be welcome. This would allow users to externally power their Max 2 for those 360 night lapse shots.

A GoPro mount with an LED light built in. It’s unlikely that you could add a media mod or cold shoe to the GoPro Max 2 without having those stitching issues, but if you had an thin LED light that could attach to a selfie stick with the GoPro Max 2 mounted on top of that light, that would turn your 360 camera into the ultimate vlogging camera. In fact, maybe this is a design that could solve the Max Media Mod issue. Rather than a case that surrounds the camera, have something much lower profile that the camera actually sits on. One that offers a light, front and rear microphones also. The Media Base! I’m guessing that’s too radical an idea though and we may have to wait for the GoPro Max 5 for something like that to be introduced.

In the meantime, GoPro have a lot of work to do to make the Max 2 competitive in this market. I for one though, am looking forward to seeing what GoPro comes up with.