By Jonas Ward
The GoPro Hero8 Black is not the latest and greatest GoPro, but it comes close to it. With fantastic image stabilization technology compared to older models, this camera is a great buy if you are looking for a 4K recording capable action camera.
The build quality of this camera is fantastic. With a metal housing and a responsive touch screen on the back, this camera feels like quality when you hold it in your hands. The top shutter button is tactile and very easy to push. The glass lens cover does not have a ridge, so be careful not to break it if you drop it against something hard. This camera is waterproof to 33ft because of its build quality.
The technical specs of this camera are great. It doesn’t beat the new GoPro Hero 9, but it comes super close, and it still a great action camera if you are in the market for one. The Hero 8 Black comes standard with Hypersmooth 2.0, which is GoPros proprietary image stabilization software. It provides super smooth video recording compared to a normal action camera. Shakes, bumps, and jitters are a thing of the past with this camera. The Hero 8 shoots full HD photos at 20 Megapixels and can record up to 4K quality videos.
The Hero 8 comes standard with a Timewarp 2.0 feature which captures long periods of video, like a sunset, and renders it in a fast-forward state automatically. Timewarp 2.0 can also be used to slow down video so you can view the action in slow motion. The Hero 8 Black also comes standard with a Night Lapse Video feature, so you can record the night sky and actually see it move before your eyes. The Hero 8 Black comes equipped with three microphones designed to block out wind noise, and it comes with one MicroUSB slot for your videos and pictures. All of this for 299$.
This camera is very good, but there are a few things that bother me. The Hero 8 comes with voice control software. This means it can automatically start recording, turn itself on, or turn itself off. When I first got this camera, it would turn on at random because it was picking up my voice. It would then sit in the carry case all day and drain the battery just in time for me to use it. In the settings, you can turn off voice control.
The Hero 8 comes with the GoPro app. This allows you to transfer video directly to your phone from the camera. I would not recommend doing this unless you must. It chews up battery life extremely quickly, and it also takes a long time to charge. I bought this camera to record YouTube videos, and it’s great for that, but when recording in 4K, it goes through battery life rather quickly. I mostly record video in 1080P, which is still full High Definition.
If you can get over the battery life situation, this is still a fantastic camera for the money. It can be optioned with many different types of hardware because of the GoPro mount. The camera also comes at a more affordable price too compared to the new Hero 9. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who doesn’t want to spend the extra money for the Hero 9 but wants a very capable 4K quality action camera.
APN 