Last year, I had two reasons to write an article about the new GoPro Hero 7 Black ($399.99). The first reason is because I wanted to help myself and you to figure out if we needed a new GoPro. Secondly, because I wrote an article about the – 6 Best Action Cameras – a couple of months earlier, and the GoPro Hero 6 Black was my top pick at that time.
Around this time last year, I received an e-mail from GoPro. The company was releasing the new GoPro Hero 7 Black. As you might know, I’m very interested in action cameras and what those companies, such as GoPro, Sony, and Nikon are doing to make our videos even better.
To understand more about this new action camera, I decided to do a review based on several videos I watched made by the super-lucky people who got to use the action camera before everyone else.
What is new?
GoPro Hero 7 Black is coming out with many new features for GoPro fans. The first difference we can notice in the new product is that the GoPro Hero 7 Black is really black.
Aside from that fun fact, I’m focusing on the features I believe are the most important for skydivers and people who practice extreme sports.
New Stabilization
I’m always thinking about skydiving. Being real with you guys, I don’t believe the new GoPro Hero 7 Black will show that much difference in the stabilization during skydiving. When skydiving, we are falling through the air, and it is very smooth. GoPro Hero 6 Black has already done a great job with that.
However, the new GoPro Hero 7 Black Hypersmooth Stabilization is much more useful when we are running or riding our bike on dirt roads with the camera. Also, if you want to make shots in 4K60, yeah, the difference is enormous. It really makes a significant difference shooting a mountain bike video with the new GoPro Hero 7 Black.
GoPro Hero 7 Black – Stabilization Modes:
- Hypersmooth: 4K/60, 1080P60, ETC
- EIS (from before): 1080P/120FPS, ETC
- No Stabilization: 1080P/240FPS
TimeWarp or Hyperlapse
GoPro gracefully improved this feature on the new GoPro Hero 7 Black. The new action camera records video instead of taking pictures like the GoPro Hero 6 Black and older versions do.
Generally speaking, the new GoPro Hero 7 Black puts the video together, creating a smoother experience for the user. This new feature solved the issue of when the camera moves or changes angle during the hyper-lapse. Also, we can set up the speed of the video, making it faster or slower depending on the circumstances.
New User Interface – UX Design
Navigation of the new user interface seems more straightforward. People who have been testing it are saying that it’s more comfortable to use. I haven’t tried it yet, so it’s hard to give a real opinion on it. Pictures from the camera showing the display look good and very intuitive.
Portrait Mode
To be honest, I’m a little afraid of it. What this mode does is change the format of the video if you move your camera from horizontal to vertical. My concern is that it will move during a skydiving jump. When I’m going from head up to head down, during the exit of the airplane or when I’m carving from belly to head down… I hope I can configure the new GoPro to block this new feature when I’m not interested in it.
Time Clips
I heard a lot of speculations about this new feature. GoPro’s reasons for this new mode is to help people reduce the large video clips and to support the Quik Software to figure out the real action inside the clips. GoPro research shows that many people keep recording videos with no real action for 20 min to grab only 30 seconds of action. With this new feature, the company is trying to make people reduce the length of the videos and focus on the real action when recording.
Photo Countdown Timer
Yes, yes, yes. Gopro decided, after years and years, to have a timer option to take photos. From now on, we all will be able to be in the picture with our skydiving crew.
Super Photo Mode
I’m not sure about this. I believe this is more marketing buzz than anything else. Nonetheless, GoPro Ambassadors are saying that this feature is incredible. The ambassadors from GoPro agree that – if you use it when you are moving fast or if the camera is moving to much, this new feature is marvelous to help us take better pictures. If this is for real, it will definitely help us to take better photos using a GoPro.
The new GoPro Hero 7 Black lets you pick one of 4 options to create a better picture.
– High Dynamic Range (HDR)
– Local Tone Mapping
– Multi-Frame Noise Reduction or,
– No Processing.
New Audio/Mic Improvements
For those people who use GoPro to record videos, vlogs or however, this improvement is excellent. I’d never created a video using only the GoPro microphone. In my opinion, it still sucks. There is a guy who did some tests. If you are interested in this feature more than I am, go to Audio Mic GoPro Hero 7 Test.
As you know, we are in a skydiving blog, and we can’t talk during skydiving. By the way, I wrote an article, the 10 Myths about Skydiving You Shouldn’t Believe. Check it out if you are curious about skydiving fact and fiction.
Apple MFI Integration
Do you remember how hard it is to connect your smartphone with GoPro Cameras? Yeah, I do too. Apple users, we have good news. The user interaction with Apple products is smoother with the new GoPro Hero 7 than any other camera made by GoPro. The camera was made to integrate with Apple products. The new GoPro features faster pairing and the synergy between GoPro and Apple has improved compared with other versions.
I’m sorry for Android users, there is nothing new for you guys.
GoPro Hero 7 Livestream
I was expecting this for so long. There are a few fellow skydivers who work for GoPro who skydive at the same Drop Zone I do. I’ve saw them testing this new feature two years ago. Finally, we will be able to use it.
That was my first thought. Sadly, GoPro only allows live streams at 720P. I know, this resolution sucks. But I’m still going to do it anyway to show off my canopy skills during the sunset load.
Just to be clear, this new action camera needs an outside network to stream videos. The user needs a mobile phone with internet paired with the Hero 7 or to be connected in a WiFi network.
How to LiveStream with GoPro Hero 7 Black
New Resolution
I’m not impressed by this part, and there isn’t much to say about it. The new resolutions are:
– 1440P/120FPS
– 960P/240FPS
– 960P/120FPS
– 720P/240FPS
GP1 – Chip
The GoPro chip had a significant change last year. To be fair, I wasn’t expecting anything new for the new action camera. The GoPro Hero 7 Black just came out with an extra 1GB of RAM. This upgrade makes possible the new features offered by the action camera.
Speed/Map Overlays
Do you know that you can add the speed and the map in a video? Great feature for downhill sports. The news is that you – finally – can use the GoPro app on your smartphone to integrate Map and Speed into your video. Finally, I don’t have to use my desktop computer to do it.
Should I Buy the New GoPro Hero 7 Black?
It’s hard to say Yes or No. There are a lot of things on the table to analyze before making the decision. What I believe is that there are a lot of changes from GoPro Hero 6 to the new GoPro Hero 7 and it is clear that GoPro has improved upon the Hero 6 setup.
The big deal is to determine what you need your camera for. For example, most of the time I shoot 1080p footage. There is not much benefit in buying a new camera for the 4K/60 stabilization. The second point, I’m a skydiver. I don’t really care about the microphone. Those changes will not help in my case.
However, if we want to live-stream our sunset canopy flight and landing, then yes, we will need the new GoPro Hero 7 Black or, we might just buy a mount for your iPhone and set it up during the sunset’s high pull. Just be sure to be aware of all issues it can cause and talk with someone with more experience before doing this.
Photos make me think a little bit, but to be honest, I use Adobe Lightroom for all the pictures I share on Social Media.
What I would recommend is to buy the New GoPro Hero 7 Black if you have a GoPro Hero 5 Black or older version of the camera. The new model for sure will upgrade your shots and videos.
Camera Model Comparison
There is more than one Model for the new GoPro Hero 7. Compare all — GoPro Hero 7 Models — and pick the one is fits you best.
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