Action camera brand GoPro has pulled off a pivot, branching off the longstanding Hero line to launch the Mission 1 series of cinema-action cameras, complete with the first mirrorless GoPro. But if GoPro has anything to say about it, it’s this: GoPro isn’t done yet.
The shift to the Mission 1 series couldn’t have come at a better time for GoPro, which is facing serious financial struggles and looking for a potential buyer amid a downturn in sales. Yet, amid the company’s struggles and the biggest GoPro launch in years, the company is still looking towards what’s next.
“We’re going to continue to build from there,” GoPro’s senior vice president of product management Pablo Lema told me. “We've got exciting new products coming in different categories that are not even Mission. We're excited to put the same power that we put into Mission One into those new products when they come out and see how the world takes them. I think they're gonna want them.”
While GoPro couldn’t talk specifics about what’s next, Lema’s comments hint that GoPro is still working behind the scenes on what’s next, even amid a financial downturn and the company’s biggest launch in years.
The Mission 1 series is, Lema said, the GoPro that fans have been asking for since the Hero7 Black. The move to Mission jumps to a larger one-inch sensor, along with specs like 8K and slow-mo down to 960fps.
Among the series is perhaps the most unusual GoPro yet: the Mission 1 Pro ILS mirrorless camera. While GoPro’s first mirrorless was teased alongside the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro, the ILS isn’t set to make its debut until September.
The ILS carries much of the same specs as the Mission 1 Pro, including the same sensor, resolution, and frame rates, but slices off GoPro’s usual ultra-wide for a Micro Four Thirds mount.
GoPro fans have been asking for a camera with a larger sensor for years, and the Mission 1 series marks that much-requested shift – though Lema says there’s still space for "Hero-like” cameras in GoPro’s line.
“What we do best at GoPro is to be authentic listeners of the core user base that uses these products and what they need,” Lema said. “We have the best relationships with some of the best videographers in the world. And from them, we can get all the input on what we need to go next. If there's a next Mission, if there's a Mission after that.”
“And that's where we're cranking on, so we're excited to get those out when it comes,” Lema continued. “But first, we'll get ILS in the hands of folks and start to build out that powerline. And then we'll see what goes from there. We continue to work as hard as ever on our products.”
The Mission 1 launch comes as GoPro faces a downturn in sales. The company’s stock market filings suggest that the company could “be required to significantly reduce, restructure, cease operations, or seek protection under the Federal bankruptcy laws” if the company doesn’t manage to turn things around.
The Mission 1 cameras – and the unnamed future products Lema alludes to – aren’t the only solution that GoPro is working on. CEO Nicholas Woodman says that he fully supports GoPro’s search for a potential buyer or merger.
This is part four of a four-part series on the GoPro Mission 1 series and what’s next for GoPro. Read more about GoPro’s first mirrorless camera, the future of the Hero line, and why the Mission 1 is the biggest launch in years.
You may also like
Take a look at the best GoPro camera or the best action cameras.
