Although you may never release footage in 8K, that resolution allows you to reframe shots for 4K output or vertical video platforms. For example, you can punch in a subject’s face to add emotion to a shot, or publish in 4K to both YouTube and TikTok without compromising quality. It also offers 4K at 240 fps and 1080p at 960 fps, with incredible super slow-mo that’s ideal for action content.
In daylight, it delivers more cinematic footage than any action cam I’ve tested, including the larger sensor, faster lens, new (GP-Log2) 10-bit setting, and higher 240Mbps data rate. With all this, I was able to capture footage with accurate, natural colors and soft, filmy grain. The video was easy to adjust in post, helping me reduce highlights and reveal sharp shadow details.
The Mission 1 Pro is slightly better in low light than DJI’s Action 6 due to the larger sensor. Although not good in the dark of night, it shines in dimly lit landscapes like a forest at dusk, as you can shoot at higher ISO and shutter speeds than other action cams. The result is clear footage with minimal stabilization artifacts.
8K also helps with the GoPro’s subject tracking, as it keeps the subject sharp when cropping. However, it sometimes fails to lock the subject in low light. Another intelligent capture mode is Dive, which tunes video stabilization and color correction underwater. I tested the Low Light mode which promises high quality footage in challenging lighting conditions. This helped a bit at night, but the footage was quite grainy in shadow areas.
DJI’s HyperSmooth electronic stabilization is still the best of any action cam. In good lighting, it delivers gimbal-like smoothness even with jerky activities like mountain biking, skiing, windsurfing, drones or motorbikes. In dim light, I only noticed occasional motion blur artifacts.
GoPro also developed the Mission 1 with photography in mind. If the lighting is sufficient you can shoot RAW or JPEG at the full 50MP resolution or dial down to 12MP for extra sensitivity in low light. I took many photos in difficult sunlight and night conditions and found that it produced clear and color accurate results. However, the lens is at least twice as wide as most compact cameras, so you’ll need to get closer to your subjects.
As for audio, the GoPro Mission 1 series now has four microphones, including two front-facing stereo mics, a new rear-facing mic for capturing vlogging audio, and another bottom mic for additional wind noise reduction. It can capture sound internally using 32-bit float, so you won’t hear clipped sound even amid gusty winds. Bluetooth 5.3 allows connecting wireless mics from the likes of GoPro (with its new mic) and DJI, while also supporting wired mics via the USB-C connector.
The built-in mics on a GoPro are important, as it is complicated to record natural sound any other way for action and extreme sports. The Mission 1 did that job well, capturing my voice and environmental sounds with high fidelity.
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