TESTED: GoPro Hero 10
GoPro has been a staple in action sports videography and photography for almost 20 years. Since they first came out, GoPros have been at the forefront of enabling everyday people to create high-quality content with very little fuss. The new GoPro Hero10 has taken that history and run with it.
Words: Darren Mallard
Photos: Jack Fletcher
While the new Hero10 doesn’t seem to have changed much from its predecessor, the changes are smart and enhance the usability 10 fold. With the old GP1 processor nearly five years old, it was struggling to keep up with the demands of the modern filmmaker. Inside this familiar body is the new GP2 sensor, and along with this processor comes a bunch of new features.
The GP2 processor is why the Hero10 can now shoot in 5K/60p, 4K/120p, and 2.7K/240p options. That’s right; this little cam can now shoot 5k production level footage straight from the top of your helmet. The 2.7k at 240 frames a second gives you super smooth and creamy slow-mo capabilities that would rival Clay Porter’s abilities.
While I am usually sceptical of most touch screens as they never really work unless it’s on a phone, the Hero10 exceeded all expectations. Even with my sausage fingers, I was able to adjust the settings easily. The big surprise was when I realised I could even change the settings with my gloves on.
A good touch screen is useless if the menu is a maze and major settings aren’t easy to find (I am looking at you Sony). Flicking through the menu is intuitive and will make sense to anyone, even if they have never touched a camera before. Thanks to the GP2 processor, the camera reacts at light speed when changing the settings, a massive bonus to anyone shooting fast-paced action sports.
The extremely popular HyperSmooth and Horizon levelling functions have received a boost thanks to the GP2 processor. HyperSmooth is now so good even the roughest riders look like they are riding as smooth as Troy Brosnan. The new horizon level is active to 45 degrees instead of the previous 27 degrees. Even at bar dragging angles, the footage remains perfectly horizontal. I gave the Hero10 a solid amount of shake testing, and it was nearly impossible to confuse the camera short of throwing it down a hill.
A small screen resides on the front of the camera, so if you are vlogging or shooting self-filmed edits, there is much less faffing or guessing. My favourite new feature on the front is a hydrophobic, more scratch-resistant lens cover. This new Hydrophobic cover prevents any rain droplets from staying on the lens and ruining the footage from your run. I tested this feature by dumping a lot of water on the camera and was blown away; there was not a drop stuck to the lens, and it remained clear.
What’s the point of having all these features if your footage ends up looking like it was painted using a potato? I won’t lie; I have never been a fan of GoPros native colour palette or high contrast images. GoPro must have heard these comments from users and have adjusted the images accordingly.
On previous GoPros, there were only two colour profiles, flat and “GoPro”. The flat offered a very muted profile that was easier to grade, and the “GoPro” produced punchy, high contrast images. Now there is a third profile called “Natural”, which sits right between the two and produces much better imagery straight from the camera.
A new algorithm partnered with the new GP2 processor has also given the Hero 10 quite a magical new talent. I was leaving the best to last with this new trick, local tone mapping. Instead of applying its HDR toning globally to boost low light or tweak the highlights, the GoPro now automatically adjusts the tones specific to an area. So the low lights in one corner of the frame won’t affect the image all over. Perfect for those like me who use the foreground to frame an image.
Is the GoPro Hero10 worth the $699.95 price tag? Well, when I stand back and look at the whole package, I think so. Anyone, I truly mean anyone, can use this new Hero10 with ease and produce professional-quality footage at the touch of a button. Even the most skilled videographer/photographers can use this as a B-Roll tool and get unique angles. Make sure you get the colour profiles right, and you could be the next Alex Rankin.
RRP: $699.95
From: gopro.com
Hits:
- Amazing new sensor
- Greater stability and capture options
- Far better colouring
- Better touchscreen
Misses:
- A new pricepoint
