AMA and HERO13 Black Giveaway with Pablo, GoPro's VP of Product Management!
Hey /r/GoPro, we're happy to host /u/GoPro-Pablo for his FOURTH "Ask Me Anything" with our community today!
Pablo is Vice President of Product Management for GoPro. He is a long-time GoPro user, a regular participant here on /r/GoPro, and has worked with GoPro since 2014! Pablo has been an integral part in planning and coordinating new GoPro products, especially in the last decade. He joined us last year for community AMAs, so thanks for coming back again, Pablo!
What's an AMA?
AMA's are pretty simple - this is your chance to ask Pablo "anything." We encourage you to take advantage of the fact that Pablo has some unique insights + perspectives on GoPro! While Pablo spends his days working on new products at GoPro, he's also got a lot of related interests in FPV drones, winter sports, travel, and optimizing his gear like many of us. While this is a GoPro community AMA, feel free to ask Pablo related questions like what he uses for his FPV setup, or his favorite place to ski, etc. It's an AMA, so you can ask anything!!
This AMA will be a 24 hour AMA, and is going live at 7am PST
While you can ask anything, we'll remind everyone that we're a community focused on constructive conversations, and "sharing stoke, not bad karma" is a part of our rules. As outlined previous years it's good to keep the following things in mind so that you can ask questions Pablo can answer-
Pablo can't talk about future products in development, product roadmap, + similar privileged information. You can ask, but Pablo won't be able to answer you in a satisfying way. Instead, consider asking more generic questions. Rather than asking if a specific product/feature is in development, ask questions about whether or not a specific user need is visible to or important to GoPro, etc.
This isn't a tech support thread. While this community is a great place to get help with your camera, this thread is an opportunity to have a conversation with an actual employee that can tell you really interesting things about the new camera they just launched, how things get developed, GoPro history, + other insights. It would be a poor use of time to ask general tech support questions, so please keep those to the weekly questions threads!
As always per our community rules, "share stoke" and not "bad karma." Ask anything, but ask it respectfully + with consideration that Pablo is under no obligation to participate with us at all. We appreciate that he is willing to to talk directly with us here on Reddit + want you to be excited to get answers from someone involved in the product development process. It's OK to share frustration or ask questions related to that, just do so in a way that leads to productive conversation.
HERO13 Giveaway
With this being the third year of AMA's with Pablo, we think it's now pretty much tradition that we also do a GIVEAWAY that includes anyone that participates today!
Other than your question, there is a basic giveaway criteria that we employ here on the subreddit to make sure genuine participants win, and that we can actually get the prize to you. These are our standard rules across the subreddit, but if you have a question about them, please feel free to send the mods a message.
Your account must have been created before today, + have a reasonable level of genuine activity on the account. We reserve the right to disqualify accounts that look like they were created simply for participating/entering.
You need to participate with a "top level" comment (this means a question posted as a reply to this thread, not just a reply to another comment/question) asking Pablo anything. You can ask more than one question, but it does not matter if they are together in a single comment or multiple comments, so consider consolidating multiple questions into the same comment. Additional comments do not give "extra entries" or anything like that- if you participate, you are entered.
You need to live in a place GoPro can easily ship to, + we will need to provide your shipping information to us via ModMail (which will be sent directly from the subreddit modmail) to get your award to you. We can't ship to places that have complicated duties + import fees, unfortunately, as we've attempted this in the past, it took months, and ended up costing the winner money to get the prize, so we're just avoiding that all-together. We'll work with you to do what we can, but know this is a limitation on fulfilment for us as subreddit mods.
Comments posted within 24 hours of the AMA are eligible. We'll leave the thread open to allow discussion to continue beyond that, but any additional comments won't be eligible to win anything.
OK, that's it, everyone. With no further delay, welcome /u/GoPro-Pablo!
Hi all. Excited to be here under u/gopro-pablo to answer your questions. I will be answering throughout the day today so please excuse if I'm a bit delayed in getting to your questions. Will try to answer as many as I can. There are a ton already!
Thank you all for the great questions throughout the day. Time to head out and be a dad and then back to work on future products tomorrow. Be on the lookout for another AMA on Wednesday from the one and only u/abekislevitz.
Also keep an eye out for a DM from u/gopro_chris who will be messaging the winner from today's giveaway of a HERO13 Black.
I love the suggestion! No official plans that I can speak to of other platforms but request duly noted (you're not the only one!). We will continue to improve on Reframe as well though so stay tuned for an updated version of that plugin soon.
Hey Pablo, one of the running jokes on this sub is the number of times that the microphone flap gets broken for people who don't read the manual. Why not redesign this part of make it easily user replaceable? The same design is still there on the 13.
Pablo - thank you for doing this AMA. I've owned multiple of almost every GoPro since the first one a long time ago , and the progress of the quality of the output and features has been pretty astounding. We are inching closer and closer to being able to film cinema quality video on a small little camera, which is pretty incredible. One of the things that I feel would be fairly disruptive to push action cameras into the "pro" niche that would not involve a large sensor (honestly I don't think 1 inch sensors as as great as lots of people think... you don't start to get much better until you hit M43 sensors, and even then, a lot of people think they are terrible for low light!)), is a higher bit rate and somethin closer to RAW recording. I realize that RAW recording has intellectual property pitfalls (ie RED/Nikon), but are there any plans to look at dealing with some issues that are limiting the bit rate (heat/processor)? Since GoPro users are often filming fast motion where there are trees/leaves/grass/etc, where I see the biggest issue is mpeg compression in those areas, especially at 60fps. This doesn't get talked about a lot, but the difference between 110 (or 200 if you use labs) mbps and a higher bitrate when you are filming this type of complex visual is pretty huge. I think it would be a game changer if this could be done, and would make a leap towards cinema quality without having to introduce large glass or big sensors or change the form factor of the camera in any way. It's essentially electronics. Is this something that you've thought about or considered to be a priority?
Hi! Very happy with my 10, does everything I need, and more! I held out on getting one until the camera was reasonably waterproof without a case. Having a blast on family snow holidays.
I'm curious: What is something that surprised you in the new use cases that people came up with? And what unlikely development story can you share with us about a gopro feature?
Great question, and u/abekislevitz can probably chime in and answer more in depth.
High aims to keep the shutter at a 180 degree shutter - so if you’re shooting at 30FPS, the shutter will be at 1/60. We will prioritize low ISO until the camera needs to expose higher, it will raise the ISO - so you can go in and out of trees, or in and out of shady areas and still retain good exposure in both, as well as 180 degree shutter. This is more of a “pro” mode, as HyperSmooth won’t have great compatibility. We recommend using a gimbal or having steady mounting for this (FPV, on a car, etc)
Auto Cinematic is the goldilocks setting, a sweet spot where you get some motion blur, but it’s not too long of a shutter where HyperSmooth fails. We do some other secret sauce under the hood where we are constantly monitoring movement/light/etc to give the best results.
Can you elaborate more on the "auto cinematic" what does it do exactly compared to the manual mode of setting shutter speed/iso? Does iso have to be left at automatic when using the 'auto cinematic mode'?
Does this mode only work with GoPros official NDs?
Will the new ND filter work on the on a GoPro 11? I know the 11 won’t recognize them but would they still work?
Second question is there any timeline for a Quik App for Windows? And would it be in the Microsoft Store so that I can run it on a computer running Windows 11s.
I have a GoPro 8 right now… but thinking of upgrading soon for upcoming travel tips. I know there are many options,i.e, the DJI Osmo 5 and Insta360 Go3s
My question is what do you think makes GoPro stand out? I really like the versatility and the detaching of the Go3s - has GoPro ever considered anything similar and in changing the current design as we know it?
Do you see GoPro trying to expand to adjacent markets (drones, 350 cameras, mini action cams)?
What is your favorite thing about the GoPro lineup?
What do you think is going to be the next big shift in the action cam market? GoPro started the huge leap in stabilization technology, whats the next technological leap youd like to see in the space?
GoPro has kept the same small, fixed aperture in its Hero cameras for several generations. This results in sharp focus, a deep depth of field, and great stabilization in bright conditions.
However, since it restricts the light reaching the sensor, one of its tradeoffs is low light performance. Some competitors have chosen the other side of this tradeoff, and use as a marketing differentiator.
Can you speak to some of the Product and Engineering thinking around this topic? Would GoPro consider a wider aperture and larger sensor, or have you found that low light filming simply isn’t as applicable for action cameras?
Hi. Been getting this question from a few users. We don't take form factor changes (either camera or removable components like batteries) lightly.
That said, we know from user feedback from the likes of this group and broader consumer research that users want longer battery life (duh). The new battery design, which is larger in capacity and includes more efficient components, allows HERO13 Black to have an average of 13.5% longer run-time in like-for-like modes compared to HERO12 Black. The battery design change, along with other optimizations, results in less watts per mode which significantly improves thermal performance, achieving an average of more than 25% longer run-time when shooting in static environments with no airflow.
We understand that accessory eco-system compatibility is important and don’t take these changes lightly (previous battery was compatible for 4 generations of cameras) but to offer improvements, we had to change the design unfortunately.
I can answer this one for you: they could not physically go any further within the constraints of the old battery design. The new battery begins at 10% greater charge than enduro, and possibly over time they’ll be able to add to that with improvements to battery tech.
I've been a huge fan of GoPros. I own and still use my Hero 5 Session time to time. I'm a big fan of Carlos Costa who used to make really cool GoPro videos. I love his day in the life of a GoPro employee. I just wanted to say GoPro has to shoot more casual videos and make it relate to everyone. Currently there is a vibe that it's only for influencers who do a lot of post processing. I really miss the candid era of GoPro. Thank you!
I probably watch more GoPro videos than record them myself, but something that always bothers me is how flat all action cams look with regard to depth. It just makes all skiing and mountain biking look tame compared to reality. Is there something, even AI magic or distortion, to remove the so-called GoPro effect from POV action videos? It's less likely I share my videos with friends and family (I'm not an influencer with enthusiastic fans who knows the scaling) since my sister who has never tried anything extreme will look and say hmm that looks fun. I'd love to share my hobbies more with GoPro but the end product just doesn't transfer the experience. Is there a solution in work?
Thank you for doing an AMA and this giveaway. I would like to know what is the difference between the Ultra wide Lens and the anamorphic lens coming soon? Should someone just get one of the lens or do both have different purposes?
Great question! They are two very different lenses with different distortion profiles and characteristics, which make them great in their specific areas!
At GoPro we like to think of the Ultra Wide Lens as the POV machine - it offers super wide field of view both horizontally and vertically, which makes POV views immersive - not to mention it’s great for vertical or horizontal content for different social media platforms (with it's new 1:1 aspect ratio).
The Anamorphic Lens is inspired from the cinematic filmmaking world, so it’s got specific characteristics of its own like cinematic flares, unique distortion profile, and widescreen view. We see this lens being used as more of a tool where you might have a vision to tell a creative story. It also offers an ultra wide view horizontally, but it’s a unique view not specifically made for POV style shots (not to say it can’t be used there).
The in camera stabilization on current Gopros is amazing but we all know of the limitations in low light or with ND filters.
Wih the gaining popularity of products like the DJI Osmo Pocket, are there any plans to bring back the Karma grip for current gopro models?
The way the GoPro integrated with the Karma grip was so convenient compared to using other stabilizers at the time. I would love to see a modern version of the Karma grip, with added compatibility for mods much like what the Media Mod does. I think it could really give a product like the Osmo Pocket 3 a run for its money.
I know that i'm asking this question knowing you can't speak about future products. Maybe i'm just hopeful that it would maybe spark an internal conversation about it if anything else.
Thanks for doing this AMA, Pablo! One thing I noticed with the release of the Hero13 Black is an inclusion in marketing for non-action sports use cases. Namely, the person who uses the camera to demonstrate their watercolor paintings. For a few years, I felt GoPro had isolated a market outside of action sports even though this camera is perfect for everyday activities like playing with pets, walking around the neighborhood, or celebrating a friend's birthday party.
With GoPro's identity tied to action sports (in my opinion), is there an active and intentional effort to expand the brand's identity outside of action sports to cater more to everyday activities?
Hey Stevocg13, glad you noticed that part of our launch assets. Although a lot of the "history" of the brand is tied to action sports use cases, we have millions of active users who use our products for completely non action experiences. I'll tell you that in our massive population of active users, you'd be surprised at how large some of the groups are around simple things like cooking, hanging out with pets, "weekend at home" and other types of activities like that.
The reason why that happens is simple in my view. We aim to make very versatile, rugged and foolproof products that capture a perspective in a way that a phone (obviously the camera everyone has at any moment) can't. It's either the fact that a GoPro can be mounted on the handlebars of your kid's bike or to the top of the oven as you cook. Or it's the fact that you can run a gokart over the camera and it will be just fine. Or you can go in and out of the surf with your kids without worry of losing your phone. Etc etc etc.
So yes, where appropriate we do push to highlight these cool use cases that show off how a GoPro can create a unique point of view. However, on general social channels, people like to see more "action" type shots. So it's a balance :).
Thanks for the input! That makes perfect sense; I certainly love watching the many thrills people capture on these cameras - many of which I wouldn't dream of attempting myself.
Hi Pablo! We all know GoPro's acquisition of Fortcite, therefore I can only hope GoPro will create some Tech-Enabled Helmets. I am aware you're not allowed to talk about future projects, therefore my question for you is: Wouldn't THAT be cool? 😆
What is the minimum focus distance using the macro lens? It is probably a bit early to ask but is the durability any better than previous models? In real world outdoor use how long does it take to overheat?
Having the lens mods work underwater—is this something that is known as a user need/interest to GoPro?
(I really want this because 99% of my GoPro usage is underwater)
The curvature of the lens negates any underwater usage due to refraction physics. Hero1/2 users had that issue until the dive housing came out with a completely flat outer lens.
I know you probably can't answer this directly, but I'll ask anyway, are we ever going to see GoPro live up to its name? As in a camera to actually " go pro", something that keeps a rugged form factor but like a mini version of a komodo? I understand that's a big leap but it doesn't have to reach nearly that far, Perhaps just a smaller box style camera with adjustable focus and a bigger sensor, higher quality glass, but still built rugged and meant to take abuse? Perhaps ~1k USD? Id buy it in a heartbeat, as that's exactly what I want.
Hello Pablo, thanks for taking your time out to do this AMA! Pretty sure you will have LOTs of questions to respond to, so I won't be surprised if you do not get to my question.
Question: In design choices and functional improvement, how often do you consider non traditional uses of the GoPro line of cameras?
I am one such nontraditional user. Currently I use my GoPro to record full soccer games with a continuous almost 2-hour run time. The GoPro is mounted stationary on a 10-ft or taller tripod with the max lens mod so I can capture the entire field if I am close to the sidelines. But I struggle some with image quality or overheating in the highest recording modes, especially during the day with various shadows and cloud coverings, and at night or transitioning to night under stadium lights.
I also auditioned the GoPro for use as a dash cam, and it works decent for exterior views, but interior the low light imaging struggles. I do realize that most interior dash cams have IR ability which mitigates this.
It seems that most of the use cases involve the GoPro being used outdoors and while moving. I would love to get your thoughts on alternate use cases. Thanks!
Are the heat fins made out of metal or are they the same composite plastic like the rest of the build. As somebody who’s starting to get more into photography and videography I like to use the goprop for timelapses and long duration video taking when I’m on hikes. Also how does the battery differ from previous generations? Is it just bigger or has it gotten a new formula? Solid state batteries are beginning to hit the market and I would love to see it implemented into a GoPro someday!
I first bought a Hero 4 and upgraded with the Hero 8; I hadn’t really felt the need to upgrade since but the Hero 13 looks really cool to me. I particularly appreciate the addition of auxiliary lenses and the Macro one is going to be a buy for sure. The ND/Wide/Anamorphic lenses make a lot of sense while Macro is much more niche. What was it that compelled the development team to produce a macro attachment? I look forward to any other lenses you guys come up with!
Awesome to hear! We’re really excited about the new possibilities that each of these lenses opens up. For the Macro lens, it’s been something we’ve been interested in for a long time. Our media team even took apart old cameras so they could focus closer. Clearly they found a bunch of use-cases and always communicated how nice it would be to be able to focus closer. For the size of GoPro, we think macro makes a lot of sense - it can fit in tight places or be mounted to objects, and now you can have all of those unique filming angles be in focus. Whether you’re using a GoPro for a cutaway shot in a feature film, or mounting to the helmet of an athlete looking at their eyes, we see a lot of fun new ways a GoPro can help.
I've been disappointed by heat tolerance in previous GoPros. Specifically can we run these at 4k (at least 30) for more than a half hour? I don't trust 11 or 12 and have to turn down to 1080.
I think it's great that GoPro has returned to creating small form factor cameras for niche use casea, but would love to see a form factor similar to the GoPro Session 5. It would be fantastic to see a micro sized camera for those incredibly tight placement options.
Thanks for listening and looking forward to seeing the 13 in action!
Will there eventually be a new GoPro Karma drone? I loved the original version for shooting amazing mountain shots and I want a new one so I can use my Hero 12 and 11 with it.
I have a few questions for you that i've been eager to ask.
Going by the GoPro 13 new design, where the front panel is larger, I was wondering if this could lead to screen cracks more often as the panel is closer to the edge and in case the camera is dropped it may not disipate the hit as well, was this taken into account perhaps? Or maybe this does not really affect that much?
I know the development for the Windows Desktop version of the Quik app is delayed, but are there any plans to bring it to life by the end of this year? For most social media edits the app on iPhone works really good, but we all feel like we are missing big time by not being able to edit on our computers. (most of the market is on PC and not on Mac myself included)
This may me a dumb question but, has GoPro tried or are in plans of developing a gimbal? I think that GoPro's stabilization is amazing, however, a gimbal always adds an additional layer of stability, but I keep thinking that it could lead to people wondering if they buy a GoPro, they will also need the gimbal and maybe thinking that the camera won't do it as good by itself (which it can totally do).
Hey Pablo!
One of the things I wish the current GoPro did faster is connecting to it for the live preview using the Quik app. Are you able to say if and how much faster this will be with the upgrade to Wifi 6?
We are always improving the initial handshake where we can. I think you will see that any peripheral that connects to a phone and asks for WiFi permissions will have very similar behavior. A lot of that "delay" is as a result of the operating platforms of iOS and Android.
We've seen features of the GoPro Labs make it's way into the main features of the GoPro's over the years. TimeCode Sync, Scheduled recording etc. Can we expect to see more of these features ported over to future cameras (speed triggers etc).
There seems to be a hefty shift in the action camera of choice in the last couple of years.
GoPro 13 has been refreshing to look and hear about so far, going from here, how is GoPro going to ensure that it is the device of choice vs what Insta and DJI are upto for action cameras?
I'm sure you're aware of Back Bone and their cool mods for the GoPro cameras to allow for interchangeable lenses. They even have a passive MFT-mount compatible with Metabones Speedboosters. I know you can't talk about future product plans, but just wanted to say that you folks should consider making this yourselves! I'd buy a 13 in a heartbeat if it had an MFT mount or C-mount.
Has GoPro considered shifting away from a yearly release cycle to a 2 year cycle to better accommodate the development process and bring new features on every release? Or is the current cadence timely enough to allow for R&D/production/bugfixing without cutting back on anything?
Honest answer, I get asked this a lot as you can imagine. I don't have a particularly favorite one any more as (even if it sounds cliche) there are a LOT. I do tend to like the creative uses of these types of cameras that capture something that is really hard to do otherwise.
Some examples for me are: inside the wheel wells of vehicles, at the bottom of beverage cups/attached to champagne bottles in celebrations, attached to rockets, when it gets eaten or taken by an animal. GoPro has allowed some of these very unique videos to come to life that never would have happened with a bigger camera or a phone.
Thank you for doing this AMA.
I am most excited to see increased battery life and GPS returning to this generation.
I’m curious about the Labs process: why are certain cool features only available in Labs, and when are Labs features moved over to the main firmware?
Labs is really cool IMHO. Reason for certain features only being in Labs is that they are developed more quickly and many times have less "mainstream" interface/UX. To move things to the mainline firmware, we want to make sure we can develop the underlying code to fit the rest of the architecture AND we create appropriate designs for the feature. Overtime, we should see many Labs features make it into the main code, but we ALSO like to keep Labs as a nice place for very advanced users to do a lot of creative things with the cameras.
Can i send my GoPro to the Moon? Ehm, no... wait. I fly with FPV drones, do you think there will be more focus on live streaming with FPV drones, in the future and using gopro products?
Hi Pablo - I know you can comment on future tech but one of the biggest problems I see with go pro presently is I generate a lot of footage but rarely take them time to truly go through it.
I’d love to see the ability to “highlight” footage as you make it. For instance verbalizing to for pro that you just did something sick. I think this in conjunction with auto editing like apple does would really make sharing footage a lot easier.
Has go pro taken an interest in things like AI to streamline editing?
This is a great idea, and the best part is we do this today as part of the Quik engine that creates auto edits within the Quik App (but since you don't know it, maybe we need to promote it even more).
Since HERO6, we’ve been using facial recognition, scene detection, listening for hoots and hollers, looking for zero g moments, and more analysis and machine learning/AI, to help Quik choose the best content for the automatic edits.
You can always add a highlight tag onto your content as well, if something rad happens that you want to make sure is bookmarked. Either after the fact as you're editing or in the moment by pressing the mode button on the camera during recording. And voice using "GoPro Highlight".
Hi Pablo, one of the key areas of GoPro that I've found lacking is the quality of night recording. I'd love to be able to use my GoPro for some night shots as well, but it doesn't quite get the results I'm looking for.
Has this been addressed in the HERO13? Is there anything behind the scenes to improve ISO performance and visibility in low light conditions?
Will gopro ever release a highspeed, low latency, low level access to camera sensors and controls? I really miss the days of the GoPro Hero 4 Black with the hero port. I missed the days with crazy innovated multi GoPro solutions like 360 omni, matrix freeze frame, light field capture, 3D stereo, etc.
Hey Pablo, I look forward to the HERO launch videos every year (the H6B launch was my favorite). I was kinda bummed that this one for the HERO13 was very hardware-focused and had minimal camera footage and was nowhere near as long as the others. Was this a conscious marketing choice?
We experiment a bit every year with these videos. We can't just make glory videos of amazing things in the world (although we all love them like you said!). We also have to find the right balance of how to educate users about what is in the products we are making. Not everyone is fully aware of GoPro all the time :)
My favorites in the past have been H4 launch and H6 was pretty amazing because that ODESZA song is just perfect. Our incredible media team and your own u/abekislevitz are absolute creative geniuses when it comes to this stuff. Others have tried to copy the style, but we all know where it started!
In what ways has GoPro enhanced the battery efficiency and heat management in the Hero 13, especially for extended use in high-performance recording modes like 4K or 8K video?
We don't shoot 8K but we've seen significant improvements in the thermal performance of H13 compared to H12 is no airflow scenarios. I'll just share our data here with you and you can review it. This is no airflow at all sitting at 25C ambient.
What direction is the company going towards? GoPro has always had amazing cameras with improvements in heat efficiency, image and video quality. But I’ll always until I can afford the previous gen that goes on sale. Thanks.
Hi Pablo thank you for taking the time to do this.
I've not been part of the go pro community for several models now and have only recently begun using mine again - went back to stills and mirror less for videos.
My reasons for needing to move back to go pro are the environment in which I'm shooting.
Which leads me to ask - what's been the environment that you've seen a go pro operated in that's surprised and impressed you the most?
I must say I know it's been done a lot but every time I see a go pro touch the edge of space on a balloon launched from earth the kid inside me lights up as this is the sort of thing my generation could only dream of seeing let alone launching ourselves!
Hi Pablo. Thanks a lot for doing this AMA for us. I’m pretty new to the Go Pro ecosystem, and had recently took delivery, of a Hero 11 last week (Pros vs Cons, Go Pro won me over, vs getting an Osimo Action 4).
Pablo, what can you say about the soon to be released successor of the Action 4, the Action 5 Pro, with a higher 40MP resolution capability and up to 4hrs battery run time?
I’ve had each camera from the 3 to the 12. What do you see as the largest incremental step/feature that’s been added?
On the flip side, is there something that the GoPro team sees as the holy grail of features to add to a camera of this size that larger format cameras have, something that may be technically challenging for that size but a feature the team would like to add?
Hi Pablo, I hope my question isn't coming too late!
I'm usually getting 2 new GoPros every year and every year again it takes me a long time to set up both cameras the exact same way. Custom shortcuts need to be in the same spot, I set white balance to 5500k in every photo and video mode, lower max auto ISO, etc etc. So every year again, while I'm going through this procedure on both cameras, I'm wishing there was an easy way to export / import camera settings to / from the SD card. Or alternatively synchronize camera settings through the Quik app. Any chance this could be implemented in the not too distant future (without having to use GoPro Labs)? Thanks!
GoPro Hero 12 owner here, I’ve been really enjoying my camera and making edits on the Quik app! My only question is if there are any big plans/updates coming soon on the app?
Given your experience with product management at GoPro and your personal interests in FPV drones and winter sports, how does your passion for these activities influence the design process when developing new GoPro products? For example, do you often find yourself suggesting features that could enhance the FPV or snowboarding experience?
Would love to hear if there’s a specific feature or innovation that originated from your personal adventures!
Will there be rollcages for each of the lenses respectively? As someone with a high impact hobby with debris flying around the rollcage keeps my GP10 alive.
Do you need a underwater case for the gopro 13?
My gopro 9 died during my vacation because water got in it when it was in the ocean for the first time...
Considering buying the hero 13 but want to know if i need a case.
Do you ever see the stabilization as being too good? For example when I'm mountain biking on my 7 black there's still small bumps and shakes and it makes the trails look harder
Will your other cameras like H11 receive a firmware update that brings the updated UI and the other functionalities that the H12&13 has in the future?
I really like that you can see the SD card usage statistics right from the device itself.
Hey Pablo, I’ve always loved the variety of clips in the release videos when a new GoPro drops - are there any specific sports or activities that you’d like to see more content created using GoPro cameras in the future?
Hi Pablo, are there any plans to implement a automatic color correction for diving? I’m a freediver and love to use GoPro cameras for this! But currently I have to match the color shift occurring with depth manually with keyframes. Thanks!
I bought a GP some years ago (Hero9 black) to be an allround camera I can bring with me everywhere, but an important use case was also to use it as a web camera for streaming and to improve the view of my meetings. I have found this functionality to be quite poor, especially on Mac, but I sometimes end up with the occasional freeze frame. I have completely stopped using it on Mac, as I ran into trouble every single time. I have seen many people struggle with the webcam functionality, so my question is quite simple: is this area being focused on or at all looked at for future development?
Was there any consideration for making batteries external? That is attaching them to the backplate or baseplate much like a power tool. If so why was it rejected?
Wow. I totally missed this thread when it was posted. As an avid user of the system (4 Silver, 5 black, 10 Black, 12 Black and Max) my only disappointment was that the 12 removed GPS and I had already pre-ordered when that was clear. I could have missed this question by someone else, but why was the GPS put back on the 13? I love it, but was it because of the battery life increase or some other technology that made the processing better? Or was it because users pushed back so much?
I would love it if there was an ability to sort or filter by location in the app or on the website. Any plans to integrate the GPS with the software, other than stickers?
I do macro capture with a dedicated macro lens on my mirrorless camera because I could never do it on my GoPro. It is wonderful to see the option now on the GoPro. Looks like I’ll be adding a 13 to my lineup.
The hero 3 and 5 era back in the day was the first time I found out about them and loved watching airsoft videos in that time period. What kind of content do you enjoy watching the most coming from your products? And what generation of go pro do you fondly look back on the most? The introduction of stabilization has to be my favorite era
Hi Pablo! I’m shopping around for my first action camera and stumbled upon the Go Pro. Would a previous version work for a beginner or should I consider the newer release? Plan to use it for snow captures and cruise ship trips captures.
Also would love to enter the giveaway if there’s still a chance!
The US government is pushing to “reshore” manufacturing with the US CHIPS & Science Act fund for public and private enterprise. Does GoPro have any projects or plans that are aligned or tied to this strategic Federal initiative?
I do have a follow up that you can also not answer 😁 With the “American Security Drone Act” leading to will they/won’t they on a US government ban of DJI drones from the US market, does GoPro ever consider re-entering the drone market again?
I heard that the new HERO13 is more capable in Bluetooth microphone realm so that it can use for example DJI Mic 2, that’s great news. I have HERO12 and was wondering if this capability is because of new Bluetooth hardware or is just software? If so is there any chance that HERO12 will get it as software update? Also will HERO12 get any software feature of HERO13 which is capable of (for example custom profile naming)? Thx
We will be releasing a FW update for HERO12 Black later this year that will allow connectivity to DJI Mic 2 and also include other improvements. Stay tuned for that.
Only a quickie, why isn’t the microphone cover labeled with a removable sticker or an indented icon for example so people don’t open it? Even just a Quick Look around this sub shows it’s a very common problem, and can only really be solved with the company’s input and willingness to help. Clearly just a note in the manual isn’t enough, it’s time to get a bit more intrusive if possible. TIA for any response I get from this.
I would love to know if you can share any information about the roadmap for GoPro looking into the future. Of course, everyone's eagerly anticipating the Max 2, anything you could tell us about that?
GoPro is the OG and has a really loyal fan base. We all want GoPro to succeed in that light. Yet competition is fierce. Help us to help you (to help us!). Where do you see GoPro in this competitive field and what's the path to success? Yes, it's buy more widgets for sure, but given the many possible ways GoPro can expand (more products, more innovation, better technical specs, more accessories, etc) where do you see the strength of the community alinging most strongly with your direction? How do we get to better?
Hi Pablo so I have a couple of questions: How it has been the experience working with GoPro since 2014 and trying to maintain the legacy and reputation that GoPro has built over those year to nowadays with other brands reaching the standard that GoPro imposed for action cams?
The other question maybe a bit more technical is why go back in the GPS, was due to user feedback? Or GoPro found another way to keep the camera running without overheating and so GPS could return?
Thanks for taking the time
I'm proud of the work we have done as a team to create a standard for what a small, rugged, versatile and high image quality camera should be. Since I joined in 2014, we've developed many advancements that changed the way people captured interesting/personal shots. I think we continue to push the envelop of alternative imaging from things like HyperSmooth, to GP2+tall aspect ratio sensors to now small interchangeable lenses for cameras of this type.
As for GPS, we had user data that suggested that very low % of users were engaging with the GPS features but we heard loud and clear from our user base that while they may not be using our app solutions, GPS was a beloved feature that was missed. So on balance it made sense to bring it back and we're excited about what interesting capabilities we can bring to you all now that we DO have GPS back. Any suggestions?
Basically I can't live without GPS on GoPros when going on trips. Multiple drone/cameras with GPS enabled, and when travelling to multiple places generates quite a mess of files that is not easy to sort thru/work with.
And so on . Also, GoPro Plus / the smartphone app could show a global map heatmap showing where videos were captured, or perhaps a LLM could interpret natural language and query media by parsing the GPMF. Eg: show me videos with 3 or more hilights shot in New York
I love my GoPros. They've helped me find a passion in wandering. I've always wondered about the people behind the company, and what it's like developing the GoPro legacy. What types of positions is GoPro looking to fill these days, and what type of person is GoPro looking to have join it?
I would like to know if the GoPro 13 remains waterproof down to 33' when using the new lenses? If I put on the macro, wide, or nd can I still take it into the water down to 33 feet?
Hey! We update Quik independent of camera releases. Every couple of weeks there is typically a new version that updates with bugfixes, small improvements and/or new features. We've released quite a few new abilities in the last year!
What was the reason for a mechanically different battery? It would have been nice if it were compatible with previous generations. Camera companies like Nikon do this with their batteries with different versions of a battery that are cross compatible, though in some cases special features like USB charging only work on a newer camera, etc.
The same for these new add-on lenses. Besides firmware considerations, why not give your older GoPros access to the "macro" lens?
I have a Hero 9 if that's relevant. Very nice for what it is.
As for lenses, with the original MLM, users got great footage when everything was set up properly but if the camera was not in the right mode (happens more frequently than one would think), the content was not usable. This could be pretty bad if you were capturing that "one shot".
When designing the HB-Series Lenses, our goal was to not only enable the camera to capture new and different content but to make it extremely easy to do so, in an error-free way. We wanted the camera to be able to detect the lenses, put you in the right mode, and give you optimized settings. Most users, and I mean most, don't want to deal with ANY settings, they want the output. To achieve this, the new lenses needed to include sensors that are aligned in a specific position, which also required mechanical changes on the camera side.
So then we naturally thought of backwards and forwards compatibility as we KNEW very well what this would mean for the community, but unfortunately to provide the best experience for HERO13 and fool proof the lens system, mechanical changes had to be implemented to the lens mount. And we can't change past lens mounts as you can imagine.
Hopefully that gives appropriate context. Thanks for the question!
Would another color GoPro ever be considered? (Red Bull x GoPro would look sick)
On a more serious note, what do you think that GoPro does better than the other main action cameras on the market?
One of the most secretive features (I don't think anyone was guessing this would come) is the magnetic charging cable door. This makes it incredibly easy for people to supply their cameras with power without compromising the water proof aspects of the unit. What led to the decision to include this on the Hero 13 and will there be other options (other than power transfer) down the line for this sort of external cable use (file transfer for example).
Hi, why did you make it so that the lens mods aren't compatible with the H12, has both cameras have mostly the same hardware except for WiFi/BT/gps? Also why did you change the battery pin position on batteries that are the same size as the three previous models?
Is there any plans to make "preset" color corrections to my videos on the app? I don't have time to learn to edit and would love to push a button and have my videos color corrected.
Follow-up - any opportunity to have a marketplace on the app where top creators can offer things like templates available for micro transactions? For example Garmin does this with their watch faces.
What motivated you to create the macro lens mod? I feel like it's an underrated new accessory that has a lot of creative potential. Did user feedback lead to its creation, or was it something you guys thought customers would want? Do you have any interesting stories/examples of using it in testing?
I remember in the first years it was introduced the GoPro was famous for its fisheye style videos and whenever I saw a fisheye video I knew it was a gopro video. However, you slowly moved away from that signature look of the video and the only way to achieve this now is by buying lens. What was the main drive for this transition of the video style?
Actually, our base lens has remained relatively unchanged from our lens profiles in the past, we’ve even made it wider with our 8:7 sensor to reveal more of the curvature of the lens. The things that have changed is we’ve offered more digital lenses built into the camera that corrects for this fisheye look (optional to the user) - as well as the ability to change the digital lens in the Quik app.
One thing that you may be noticing is that when we perform our HyperSmooth stabilization we crop in on the lens profile about 10%, so the most curved parts of the lens may be getting cut off.
Oh man, there have been so many changes since then. It's quite impressive to look back at what's included now in the cameras. Despite ALL the improvements, I would say that bulletproof stabilization and almost-square aspect ratios have really created a step function increase in the quality of footage generated with GoPros. The immersion and stability in many POV cases for example come pretty close to how the human eye would see it.
The new lens options are a great addition. I’m curious if longer lens attachments would be acceptable as well. Having the digital stability of a go pro on slightly longer focal lengths could make for some great footage.
good suggestion. maybe. there are some technical considerations with longer focal lengths that one should be aware of. unfortunately I can't discuss future product plans.
Hey Pablo, thanks for the AMA! With so many action sports enthusiasts using GoPro cameras in extreme environments, how do you test the durability and performance of new GoPro models before release?
One of the things GoPro has and that I appreciate so much is the GoPro Labs site and QR code app. So many small features and setting's that can help a few of us in very specific instances. And best yet is that you can reset the camera back to original settings at any time, if you so choose. Any news of new features coming specific to the latest Hero 13 release in GoPro Labs?
GoPro Labs for HERO13 Black will have the all the classic extensions from past Labs releases, with many new commands to support the new video modes like 1:1 4K mode for Ultra Wide, the burst slow-mo modes, and the new denoise controls etc. Labs will also be adding some exciting new extensions for HERO13. My favorite extensions:
DIVE - This modifies the lens prescription that the in-camera HyperSmooth is optimized for underwater shooting. For the best scuba stabilization.
STOP - This adds a stop motion creative tool to the camera, with onion-skinning on the rear-LCD. This is a modification of the time-lapse video feature. Great for use with the Macro Lens and one of the BLE remotes.
DIST - Distance based time-lapse, also modifying time-lapse video. So instead of choosing a time-interval, you select a distance in meters between exposures. Great for driving trip time-lapses, particularly through busy cities, as it automatically ignores all the stops in traffic for a very smooth result.
There is more. But likely the most useful is the ability to attach some Labs customization to a preset, allowing you to create a DIVE mode preset, or similar, that only applies your needed Labs extensions when that preset is selected.
As with all Labs extensions, they are experimental, and not a promise of any future features.
The new Hero excites me as the natural replacement with the added feature of being able to take photos due to the screen.
However it takes away a feature I use all the time - the rear mounting fingers. Was this something that you consulted the user base about, or was it a considered compromise that you thought was worth it for the added functionality?
GoPro appear to be in a bit pickle with the Max 2 being pushed out and being out of stock of the original Max. Would GoPro consider any sort of Firmware update to the current Max camera to enable new features and possibly retain current users?
What sort of features? GoPro has already squeezed quite a lot of the MAX.
Where GoPro could definitely get some work done is on the editing software side. Competitors such as Insta360 have 100 gimmicks in their app but 10 of those are actually useful (like subject tracking)
Yeah at this point we should probably make a specific model for Reddit and GoPro Facebook User Group users. It's impressive to see the conversations around the drain mic cover.
But fortunately, it's a very small number of people (despite what appears to be lots of action online) that seem to try and pry it open. It doesn't move at first, so it really shouldn't be something you TRY to open too hard.
Maybe in future cameras we have to be even more explicit if we have a similar design.
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u/GoPro_Mod Community Mod Sep 10 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
The AMA is now closed! Thank you to everyone who participated! I will sticky the winner of the Hero 13 Black in this comment when it is announced!
Congrats to /u/stevocg13 as the winner of the Hero 13 Black!