The long-rumored GoPro mirrorless camera is real, and it’s here – the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS blends GoPro’s classic design with a one-inch sensor and a Micro Four Thirds mount. However, while that mount that has hundreds of options, not every Micro Four Thirds lens is compatible with the ILS.
- Manual focus only
- No focus-by-wire lenses
- Lenses over 250g require extra support
- Lenses over 50mm not yet tested
So, when choosing lenses for the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS, there are a few key caveats to keep in mind.
First, the ILS doesn’t have electronic contacts – which means it doesn’t support focus-by-wire lenses. In turn, that means that autofocus lenses won’t work with the ILS, even in manual focus mode, which removes popular MFT options like the best Olympus / OM System lenses and Lumix lenses from the list of possibilities.
Secondly, GoPro recommends using an external lens support system for optics over 250g – a compromise that comes with using the smallest yet mirrorless camera. While larger lenses can be used with the ILS, those heavier optics will need a third-party support such as SmallRig's lens support, rods, and base plate.
Finally, creators need to go into the ILS menu and tell the camera which lens is mounted – otherwise, the HyperSmooth stabilization won’t work – so it’s best for creators to choose a lens that comes from GoPro’s official compatibility list.
Another worthy note? GoPro's lens testing for the ILS has focused on lenses 50mm and under, so telephoto lenses may have varied performance.
Those caveats remove a lot of lens options for GoPro’s first mirrorless – but there’s still a long list of manual-focus Micro Four Thirds lenses to choose from. Using a mix of hands-on reviews and GoPro’s confirmed compatibility list, these are the best lenses for the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS.
Best lenses for the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Under 250g
The ILS' crop factor makes getting a wide shot tricky, especially if you don't want the curved barrel distortion of a rectilinear fisheye. But the Lawoa 6mm T/2.1 Zero-D Cine is built to minimize barrel distortion and does a remarkably fantastic job at it.
The optics on this lens are fantastic with minimal barrel distortion, little abberation, and no vignetting.
The other reason that the Laowa 6mm makes an excellent pair with the GoPro ILS? The lens meets that under-250g requirement. The lens is compact, yet it still has a lovely metal construction.
Serious filmmakers will appreciate that this lens is built for cinema, including two geared control rings for focus and aperture that are designed to work with accessories like follow focus.
Read our full Laowa 6mm T2.1 Zero-D review
The Laowa 7.5mm f/2 Compact Dreamer is the lens that I used when testing out the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS. The lens is remarkably small and lightweight, but it still feels well-built.
The 7.5mm creates a rectilinear view that's rare to get without distortion. I did spot some noticeable barrel distortion occasionally when the camera moved, and perspective distortion is still apparent, but overall this is a very wide lens that doesn't have an overly obvious fisheye look to it.
What I really loved about this lens, though, was the lens flare. I was able to get colorful rainbows and streaky bursts of light when directing this lens towards the sun.
Read the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS review for more sample shots taken with the ILS and the Laowa 7.5mm
The Laowa 4mm f/2.8 Fisheye is one of the widest GoPro-recommended lenses for the ILS. This 4mm will create a 12mm full-frame equivalent with HyperSmooth off.
The Laowa will look a bit different on the Mission 1 Pro ILS than it did in our hands-on testing, however. The crop factor on the ILS will cut off most of the circular fisheye look. The ILS has a 1.5x crop factor to get to a Micro Four Thirds equivalent (rather than the full-frame equivalent of 3x).
By our calculations, that will crop off almost all of the black frame except right at the very corners. But while the 4mm won't look like a standard circular fisheye, that extreme barrel distortion will still be in effect on the ILS.
That, combined with an affordable price point and lightweight design, still makes the Laowa 4mm a contender if you don't mind the crop and darkened corners.
Read our full Laowa 4mm F/2.8 Fisheye review
Best lenses for the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Over 250g (require support)
Any lens over 250g should be paired with an external support system – the GoPro ILS body is just too small to handle the heavy optics. GoPro doesn't make its own, but recommends a model from SmallRig.
GoPro's first mirrorless camera isn't submersible like earlier action cameras, but the camera is splashproof if paired with a lens that also has weather-sealing. There are very few weather-sealed lenses that sit on GoPro's compatibility list, but the Irix Cine T1.5 is one of them – and it's a fantastic lens.
Its lens' T1.5 aperture will go a long way in helping the ILS' 1-inch sensor to gather the most light and create background blur. This 30mm creates an excellent cinematic look with minimal focus breathing.
The biggest complaint coming from the Irix 30mm review is that the lens is a bit soft when shooting at T1.5; while the sharpness was still plenty enough for 8K footage, the ILS' crop factor will exaggerate that softness a bit. That means scenarios requiring the very sharpest subjects will want to step down a bit.
This lens is also a hefty one and will require using an external support system; otherwise, the heavy optics will stress the ILS mount.
Read our full Irix Cine 30mm T1.5 review
Cine lenses are pricey, but the 7Artisans Vision 50mm T1.05 is rather affordable considering its full metal construction and bright T1.05 iris.
The Vision 50mm has large gears built for accessories like follow focus systems, and that focus adjustment is buttery smooth – though we did spot some focus breathing in our testing.
But the footage coming from this lens has lovely character. Bokeh has a bit of a swirl to it, and contrast is excellent.
While the lens performs well for the price point, there is some colored fringing. The lens tends to look sharpest at T2 rather than wide open – but the crop factor on the ILS may warrant pushing that a bit narrower.
Again, this lens weighs more than 250g, so be sure to factor in the cost of a lens support, rods, and baseplate.
Read our full 7Artisans Vision 50mm T1.05 review
One area where the Mission 1 Pro ILS crop factor comes in handy is with close-ups. This macro lens is one of the most affordable macro options that still sits with a focal length under 50mm for the best performance on ILS.
Reviews Editor Gareth Bevan actually rigged this affordable lens up to a film scanner, but didn't notice a difference in sharpness compared to pricier optics.
Image quality won't be perfect coming in as an ultra-affordable option, but this lens is well-built, extremely well priced and works with the ILS when using an added external support system.
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Read the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS review, or check out the Mission 1 Pro for a fixed-lens option.
