GoPro is still going with the company’s line of popular action cameras, having released a new Hero 7 line this week. They’re the signature action cameras that many people buy to never really use properly, but for certain users, they’re not without their appeal.
The new Hero 7 line is comprised the Hero 7 Black (the top-shelf model) and the Hero 7 Silver and White. The Hero 7 features the definitive front-facing LCD panel, live streaming, timelapse mode, HDR photography and more (with a fancy new Android app to go along with).
The Hero 7 Silver and White both make do with 10MP sensors, and while the Silver can record in 4K with built-in GPS, the White model is only capable of 1080p.
As you’d expect from GoPro, they’re all waterproof, capable of voice control, and they all feature a touchscreen on the rear for easy operation (forget having to use the tiny front-facing LCD to manage your camera, that’s so 2012). Here’s the full lineup:
One of the things that always annoyed me about GoPro footage – especially from the perspective of using one to film a tradeshow or product launch – is that it’s always been shaky, and though image stabilisation isn’t new to GoPro’s cameras, it’s never been great.
With the Hero 7 Black, GoPro announced HyperSmooth mode which with fancy algorithms allows the company to proclaim “Shaky video is dead”. That’s one thing I’d love to see.
That’s not the Hero 7 Black’s only party trick though; using the company’s GP1 processor, the Hero 7 Black can record video at 4K 60 frames per second, as well as 240 frame-per-second 1080p slow-mo mode. With a new microphone membrane, the Hero 7 Black can capture audio with a greater dynamic range while cancelling out vibration noise from a mounted camera.
It’s not just a hardware update, though. GoPro has announced updates to its Quik video editor (which is really rather good), and its eponymous GoPro app to control your cameras from your phone.
GoPro’s Hero 7 line is available for preorder online and from major retailers, and will go on sale next week on September 27:
- GoPro Hero 7 Black – $598
- GoPro Hero 7 Silver – $448
- GoPro Hero 7 White – $298
