GoPro Mission camera explodes onto the scene – but where does that leave the classic GoPro Hero after 13 generations?

GoPro has just announced a new camera – the GoPro Mission 1 – in three distinct variants. The first two are both tiny 8K cinema cameras, but simply tweak the specifications between each other. The third goes all out and allows interchangeable lenses.

"GoPro is entering the premium end of the digital imaging market in a significant way" says the company's Senior VP Pablo Lema, and he isn't wrong about the step up from the GoPro Hero13 Black. That camera was slipping down the best action cameras league to newer competition from the likes of DJI, but the new Mission 1 boasts a 1-inch 50MP image sensor, which, GoPro tells us, offers up to 14-stops of dynamic range.

Backed up with the new image processing chip, the GP3, the company has previously shown, the Mission 1 Pro / Pro ILS cameras can even record 8K at 2x slow mo, through 4K at 8x slow mo (which, for the avoidance of doubt, means 240fps) right up to 960fps for 1080p (for up to 10 seconds). (The Mission 1 not pro is 8K30 at its limit and correspondingly less capable at slow motion too).

The improved GoPro specs don't stop at frame rates either. Data can be stored at 240Mbps, enabling HLG-HDR, 10-bit color and GoPro's GP-Log2, as well as support for Timecode sync.

There is an open gate sensor, which might help with image stabilization (the whole sensor's image is captured, not just the 16:9 that is being used). Sound recording is via four built-in microphones that pull in 32-bit float, as well as support for Bluetooth 5.3 mics.

On the other hand, is the design really that different from its predecessor (in so far as it has one) the GoPro Hero 13 Black?

To be honest, I'm not sure the bodies are as different as you might imagine if GoPro tells you the camera has a new name. The pictures tell you a fair bit there, but another clue for this journalist was the number of comparisons GoPro themselves made to the Hero series. To me, that implies this is seen as a successor, but one intended to make a splash (and it is waterproof to 20m / 66ft – except the ILS).

Now 'Mission' might seem a very topical name at this point in NASA's Artemis cycle, or if you happen to live in central San Francisco, but otherwise it's just a new name we'll have to get used to.

My theory is that GoPro weren't super excited by the idea of reducing the price of the previous 'Hero' model, so it thought that the upgraded model should have a new name. Then there is no need for GoPro to sideline its predecessor to obviously – and the company's cycle of reducing prices on the older model could break.

That doesn't explain the other new camera though – the Mission 1 Pro ILS, which boasts an interchangeable lens. That is a new feature for these compact cameras.

More than that, the swappable lens uses the MFT (Micro Four-Thirds) system, on a one-inch sensor, meaning that it's a bigger lens than the sensor. Presumably, this is essential because MFT is an established size, and GoPro is not in a position to establish a new lens size. DJI used MFT for the Inspire 2 drone, and users like me took advantage of the existing lens system when working.

Perhaps oddly, though, the GoPro cameras won't be capable of adjusting the focus on this system, presumably because the extra parts add size and weight. (It shouldn't be forgotten, though, that the camera system that the DJI Inspire 2 drone carried around supported MFT lenses with powered focus and zoom.)

Is ditching AF really a good idea?

Is getting rid of a feature like AF – key to the usability of cameras for many – really a brilliant idea?

To be fair to GoPro, the company is only really offering it as a way to help a niche gain access to interchangeable lenses. So it's a 'this or nothing' kind of choice, and most people would take the chance to choose themselves over simply not having access to the choice.

I suspect, though, that for many active sports fans the 13 capture modes in the cameras will be more than enough by way of settings, while those using the interchangeable lenses are less likely to be in a rough-and-tumble scenario, so won't mind stopping to check their focus.

Lest we forget, there are also other action cameras that have addressed some of the issues (like low light) that GoPro is finally taking on here. Check the very impressive DJI Osmo Action 6 or the Insta360 AcePro 2, the latter of which even has an equivalent to the point-and-shoot grip that GoPro has also just announced.

Check out our full guide to the best action cameras that are on sale now