GoPro Mission 1 series crams a one-inch sensor into the smallest 8K open gate cameras yet – including GoPro’s first-ever mirrorless camera!

GoPro has crammed its iconic stabilization and durability into three cameras with one-inch sensors – and one of them is a mirrorless camera. The GoPro Mission 1 series evolves the action camera giant's lineup into the next generation using 50MP, 8K60p one-inch sensors inside the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro action cameras and the Mission 1 Pro ILS mirrorless cinema camera.

All three cameras use the same sensor – a one-inch sensor with a Quad Bayer design capable of taking up to 50MP stills – and the new GP3 processor. That sensor and processor combo is mixed with the stabilization and durability that GoPro is known for (though the Mission One Pro ILS won’t be waterproof), but also tweaks some of the complaints among Hero users, including up to 5 hours of recording time.

The Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro are both high-end action cameras that feel like a natural evolution of the Hero series. But the same sensor and processor will also be coming to a varrioless variant in the fall, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS, which is set for launch later in 2026, which mixes that one-inch sensor with a Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

The Mission 1 series, announced on April 14, is a monumental change for the company, which has used the Hero name since its first-ever camera in 2004 – only straying from the Hero name with its 360 cameras like the GoPro Max and GoPro Fusion, and the Karma drone.

The GoPro Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1

Using the same one-inch 50MP sensor that will also feature in the mirrorless variant, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro is the flagship of the two action cameras, with video specs that top out at 8K60p, slow-mo at 4K 240 fps, and 1080 at 960 fps. That feature list includes open gate, which GoPro says uses every pixel on the sensor for more cropping flexibility for creators who need to deliver video in multiple aspect ratios. 10-bit color with GP-Log2 is also included.

Those video specs have enough resolution that, if users don’t want to use the 50MP still photo mode, the stills pulled from the 8K footage are still 44MP. Similarly, bursts are up to 60 fps. RAW photos are supported, while SuperPhoto supports HDR JPEGs.

The Quad Bayer sensor design is one that allows four neighboring pixels to be used as one, powering a lower resolution mode that tends to create less noise than shooting at the maximum resolution. For the Mission 1 sensors, a 12MP photo mode and 4K Open Gate use those larger combined pixels for better low light quality,

Alex Cashman, Senior Manager of Image Processing at GoPro, says that the larger sensor doesn’t just bring the low-light performance that fans have been asking for, it’s also the “highest dynamic range ever from a GoPro” at up to 14 stops.

But, GoPro says that the Mission 1 Pro is the smallest, lightest, and most rugged 8K Open Gate cinema cameras yet. The Mission 1 Pro weighs 207g / 4.3 oz – that’s only about 48g / 1.7 ounces heavier than the Hero13 Black. The body measures about 80.1 W x 52.1 H x 44.3 mm.

Like the Hero13 Black, the Mission series uses LCD screens at both the back and front of the camera. The user interface has been revamped as well, and users will find controls to shoot in manual mode with shutter speed and ISO, along with GoPro’s intelligent capture auto modes geared around specific types of shoots, including vlogging, underwater dive, low-light, and subject tracking. The mobile GoPro Quik app is also supported in the new series.

Thanks in part to a new Endura 2 battery – which is backwards compatible with the Hero13 Black – and the improved efficiency of the new processor, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro can record 1080p30 video for as long as five hours on a charge, which is 70 percent longer than the Hero13 Black, and 4K30 for three hours.

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GoPro’s HyperSmooth electronic image stabilization continues in the Mission Series, and the Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 are also both waterproof to 20m / 66 feet without additional housing.

The Mission 1, without the Pro in the name, carries most of those same features but dials down the high-end video specs. The more affordable version tops out at 8K30, and Open Gate isn’t available in the highest resolution but is available for 4K modes, including the 120 fps slow-mo mode.

Both the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro will use ultra-wide 15mm equivalent lenses with fixed apertures and fixed focus, similar to the view from the longstanding Hero series.

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS

The GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS carries the same sensor, processor, stabilization, and battery life of the fixed-lens – but swaps out the 15mm lens for a Micro Four Thirds Mount. Using a lens mount that already has a long history will allow the Mission Pro ILS to access hundreds of different compatible lenses, such as those from OM System and Panasonic, at launch.

The Micro Four Thirds sensor is larger than the one-inch type inside the Mission series, so lenses attached to GoPro’s first mirrorless camera will have a 3x crop factor. A 50mm lens attached to the GoPro mirrorless, for example, will look like a 150mm lens thanks to the smaller sensor.

Swappable lenses will allow the GoPro mirrorless to tackle a variety of shots that the brand’s fixed lens compact cameras haven’t achieved in the past, including macro and telephoto shots. Wide-angle shots will be harder to accomplish, but not impossible – there are a handful of Micro Four Thirds zoom lenses that start at 7mm, which would be 21mm on the GoPro mirrorless.

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Removing the lens creates another key difference from the fixed lens Mission cameras as well as the past GoPro Hero cameras: How the camera focuses. Past GoPros have used fixed focus because the smaller sensor and ultra-wide lens leave much of the image in focus. The GoPro Mission 1 ILS won’t have fixed focus, but it won’t have autofocus either – the mirrorless will be manual focus. Manual focus is common on high-end cinema cameras, but the in-between cameras that cater to vloggers and beginners tend to use autofocus.

Since GoPro isn’t building the lens for the Mission 1 Pro ILS, the mirrorless camera isn’t submersible like the fixed lens cameras in the Mission series – at least, not without extra housing. GoPro did note that, if the body is paired with a weather-resistant lens, then the camera will be splash-resistant.

GoPro Mission accessories

,Like the stabilization and durability ratings, there’s another key trend that carries over from GoPro’s Hero Era to the Mission Era: accessories. And there are several launches with the new Mission series. All three cameras will have the traditional GoPro mounting fingers as well as the more recent magnetic mount and a tripod mount, so the new models will be compatible with more than 50 existing mounts.

One key GoPro first is that the company is launching its first wireless mic. Four built-in mics capture audio internally, including 32-bit float audio, on all three new cameras. But, creators can elevate the audio with the new GoPro Wireless Mic Kit, which has two transmitters, a receiver and a charging case. The wearable mics themselves weigh less than 10g, which is about the weight of two sheets of computer paper. The mic system is rated for distances up to 150m / 492 feet.

Like earlier GoPros, a new Media Mod will be available, which adds in a three-mic array as well as a cold shoe slot. A vertical mount adapter gives the GoPro Mission – and the Hero12 and Hero13 – a magnetic vertical mount. And, GoPro will even allow creators to turn it into a point-and-shoot camera with a Grip Edition accessory that makes the Mission 1 Pro feel more like a compact camera.

The Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 will be available for pre-orders beginning on May 21, with shipping expected for May 28. The GoPro Mission 1 ILS does not yet have a firm launch date, but it is coming in the third quarter of 2026, so sometime between July and September 2026.

GoPro has not yet shared pricing details for the new Mission series. The cameras will be sold in multiple configuration bundles, including options paired with the new Mic.

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