GoPro Mission 1 Firmware: Raw Burst, Faster Shutter, Anamorphic

GoPro’s new Mission 1 firmware lets you hold the shutter and capture more than 20 Raw files in 50MP mode, or over 100 12MP stills, according to DPReview. The update is free, and its message is clear: GoPro wants its Type 1 sensor cameras judged as stills cameras, not only as video tools. For photographers deciding whether a Mission 1 can replace a compact, the question is whether software can close a gap that GoPro’s video-first design opened.

What Happened

The update covers all three cameras in the line: the Mission 1, Mission 1 Pro, and the Micro Four Thirds Mission 1 Pro ILS. It is available through GoPro’s website or the Quik app. DPReview’s Mitchell Clark lists the photo changes:

• Burst capture: hold the shutter for 100+ 12MP stills, or 20+ Raw files at 50MP, with an on-screen indicator that shows when the buffer is filling. GoPro hasn’t said how fast the bursts are, and DPReview plans to test them.
• Shutter response: GoPro’s press release claims “zero-lag” response, with photos “captured the instant the shutter button is pressed,” though its footnote says results vary with lighting, motion, settings, and microSD card performance.
• Shutter sound: a “modernized shutter sound” now confirms each capture.

The ILS also gets beta support for anamorphic lenses through GoPro Labs firmware. Digital stabilization is said to work with them, and files record the squeeze ratio, with 1.33x, 1.5x, 1.6x, 1.8x, and 2.0x supported. A desqueezed preview is not included yet. GoPro says it is “coming soon.”

GoPro’s Mission Monitor app for iPhone and iPad now connects wirelessly instead of requiring a USB-C tether. It controls the new photo modes and adds histogram, waveform, false color, and RGB parade displays.

Why It Matters

Shutter lag and slow saving are what make a camera feel like a video device that happens to take photos. GoPro is addressing the first. On the second, DPReview found lag “not particularly bad” but noted that processing and saving still takes “a considerable amount of time,” and firmware may not change that.

The anamorphic work matters more for the ILS than for stills. The ILS is a compact cinema body with a Micro Four Thirds mount and no electrical contacts, so it already depends on manual glass. Squeeze-ratio metadata and stabilization that works with anamorphic lenses push it further toward cinema use, even before the preview arrives.

What This Means for Photographers

The new monitoring tools are the most useful addition for anyone shooting carefully. Histograms, waveform, and false color let you judge exposure without trusting a small rear screen, and a wireless monitor helps when the camera is rigged somewhere hard to reach. The burst depth is a real gain for action stills. Until burst rates are measured, though, it’s too early to call the Mission 1 a sports or wildlife tool.

Source: DPReview

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.