GoPro announce new HERO 7. What, When and Where

GoPro or NoGO?

by Aaron Macarthy Beards
GoPro have announced three new action cameras: The Hero 7 Black, Silver and White in an attempt to turn around the struggling company's fortunes.
At the top end is the new flagship GoPro Hero 7 Black. The Black’s 12-megapixel sensor is the same as the Hero 6. The custom GP1 processor is also the same as the Hero 6. In fact, the video capabilities are the same as the Hero 6. 4K 60-frames per second, 2K at 120-frames per second and 1080P at 240-frames per second. Oh, and it will set you back £380.

However, the main difference between the new Hero 7 Black and lasts years Hero 6 Black is, what GoPro call, “HyperSmooth stabilisation.” GoPro claims it will function as efficiently as a mechanical gimbal, whatever your activity. However, to achieve this the Hero 7 Black utilizes software stabilisation. Whilst footage captured on the device might be as smoothed out as a mechanical gimbal the process of digitally cancelling out vibrations means cropping footage. We will have to wait and see how well ‘HyperSmooth’ works before we can suggest throwing out your mechanical gimbal.

The Hero 7 Silver, £280, and the Hero 7 White, £180, both loose HyperSmooth. The drop in price also means dropping the Blacks GP1 sensor and downgrading to a smaller 10-megapixel sensor. The Silver shoots up to 4K 30fps, while the Hero 7 White maxes out at 1440P 60fps. Both the White and Silver also lack the Black’s front-facing status LCD screen. The Hero 7 White also does not have GPS.
In 2018, there are dozens of companies all competing for the title of ‘best action camera’
GoPro will hope that the new Hero 7 series will recapture the public's interest. The company have been struggling for a while. In January 2018 they let go 200 to 300 employees due to the failure of their Karma Drone project and for the past few years, the company has faced several profit warnings. GoPro’s new camera line is an attempt to reduce its product offerings. As well as launching the New Hero 7 line the company also announced it was phasing out its Session cameras.

However, despite the reduced line-up and new cameras, many of the same problems remain. Whilst GoPro’s cameras are fantastic bits of kit they have so many competitors it has become hard to stand out. When the GoPro Hero 2 was released, in 2011, the company had only a handful of competitors. Now, in 2018, there are dozens of companies all competing for the title of ‘best action camera’.

Additionally, there are literally hundreds of cheap manufacturers who sell action cameras for under £100. Whilst these devices lack the video quality of a GoPro, many consumers are happy to pay 3-4x less for a reasonable quality action cam.

You can preorder all three new models immediately and delivery is expected on the 2nd of October. Strangely, this isn't the quickest way to get one. The new line up will go on sale in bricks-and-mortar stores on the 27th of September (internationally) and on the 30th of September in the USA.
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