I have no affiliation to GoPro, other than being a customer of theirs, but, since GoPro stated over the last few months that they will be releasing a refreshed line of Action Cameras next month, it started me thinking about what they mean by ‘refreshed’ and what improvements or upgrades may be included in the new cameras. Does GoPro intend to just tweak their product line, or will it be a more substantial upgrade? It does not sound like they will be introducing new products, that they will just be improving the present lineup of cameras. Will the arrival of the DJI Osmo Action delay, change or influence GoPro’s plans?
Some of the features that could possibly be added to the Hero range (depending on hardware space constraints, as well as price point) are:
1. An audio in jack.
2. A front screen with the functionality of the DJI Osmo Action.
3. Increased water depth that you can use the camera at, without a cover.
4. More useable space for the screen on the back (smaller bevel area surrounding image).
5. A design change for the thumbscrews, to increase ease of use, especially when trying to remove the thumbscrew.
6. Increased resolution to maybe 6 or 8K.
7. Increased slow mo speeds at higher resolutions.
8. Increased Timelapse options at different resolutions.
9. Slight upgrades to the stability and ease of removal of the lens.
10. A slight reduction in price.
11. Stability in all formats and resolutions.
12. 4k in all resolutions and formats.
13. Improved battery life.
14. Improved audio without an audio in jack.
15. Try to resolve the slight overheating issue.
When the DJI Osmo Action came out, many GoPro users suggested that DJI had built a Hero, given the incredible similarities between the cameras. It was also suggested by some people that DJI had just tried to improve on things users did not like about the Hero. Will GoPro return the favour and do the same, by improving what customers find lacking in the Osmo Action? It will be interesting to see if the arrival of the only real contender to the Action Camera crown has worried the people at GoPro.
Will GoPro change their 360 camera, the Fusion? The camera leading the field of consumer 360 cameras at the moment is the Insta360 One X, which has been on the market for over a year and has seen competitors come and go since then. Customers keep buying the Insta360 One X over most of the other cameras and seem to love the user experience of that camera. The App has been heralded as the best app of its kind on the market, so far. Users also love the Flowstate four axis stabilisation that these cameras have, GoPro has excellent three axis stabilisation. Other features that are popular on the Insta360 One X is the size, form factor, price and ease of use, so much so that customers are willing to compromise a little bit on image quality. It is probably safe to say that GoPro will not be bringing back the Session line of cameras, though some customers may like if they did. Could upgrades and improvements to the Fusion, be the best option for GoPro this year, given that there would need to be substantial improvements to the Hero, since last years 7 Black for people to upgrade from the 7 Black to the 8? Will GoPro bring back a version of the Karma Drone? Either way the upcoming GoPro Product Launch will be interesting to see.
Gallagher Photography 