It’s that time of the year again. Fall brings us, along with decorative gourds, new GoPros. Other brands such as DJI have been threatening to eat GoPro’s lunch, recently, while the past couple of revisions of GoPro’s signature camera have largely been iterative.

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  New design doesn’t require special housing for mounts, Image stabilization is even better than before, New Mods attachments provide more versatility

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  Camera gets very hot while recording, New fixed lens isn’t as easy to repair as prior models, May not be as rugged as earlier GoPro cameras

GoPro made something of a comeback with the Hero 7 Black, and the Hero 8 builds on that success. While the core camera remains the same, the whole user experience feels much more refined.

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  Practical new design, Improved stability, Easy to use while maintaining pro features

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  New design renders some accessories obsolete, No onboard HDMI port, Battery life remains “acceptable”, Front-facing display only available with aftermarket accessory

The action camera market may now be a two-horse race since DJI launched the Osmo Action, but when it comes to stabilization, GoPro just took the lead with the Hero8 Black. What’s more, GoPro has innovated with its tried and tested design while still nailing the basics, and supporting higher frame...

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  Superb image stabilization, Built-in mount that folds away neatly, Great video quality, Plenty of modes

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  Rear screen could be bigger, There are cheaper action cams!, Lowlight performance could be better

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  Integrated mount, Ridiculously good stabilization, Automatic horizon leveling, Side access to battery and card, New "mod" support

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  Small, 4:3 LCD screen

Overall the GoPro Hero 8 Black is definitely the recommended buy over the Hero 7 Black given the relatively minor price difference, no question here. However, I’m not sure there’s a huge reason for most people to upgrade from the Hero 7 Black to the Hero 8 Black.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Hero 8 Black is another step forward from previous iterations of the GoPro hardware. With the capacity to produce up to 4K video, this isn’t a lightweight toy – it’s a device that can and will work for everyone up to a semi-professional in video production.

GoPro Hero 8 Black: Lots of small improvements add up to a significant upgrade for GoPro’s flagship camera

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  Fold-out prongs mean you don't need a cage to mount it, Better video stabilisation, New timelapse features are great

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  Won't fit older GoPro cases, A little pricey

The Hero 8 Black is the best GoPro yet, but without its Mod accessories, it's only a minor update on its predecessor. The more streamlined design, new microphone and improved app are all big bonuses, while pros will appreciate the higher max bit-rate and 1080p livestreaming.

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  Best-in-class digital stabilization, Time-saving Capture Presets, Unique time-lapse modes, New built-in mount, Improved microphone, New Media Mods

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  Sub-smartphone picture quality, Poor low-light performance

It might not look it from the outside, but the Hero 8 Black is quite a significant upgrade over the Hero 7 Black. The new built-in mounting fingers alone might be reason enough for some people to upgrade.

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  Adaptable design, Waterproof, rugged body, Excellent video stabilisation, Very good image quality in good light, Intuitive interface, Robust companion app

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  Low-light performance could be better, Priced a bit high

No single upgrade in GoPro’s new flagship camera will surprise you. There is no “new killer feature” that sets it apart from either the competition or last year’s Hero7 Black. It doesn’t even have a built-in selfie screen (although you can buy one as a new add-on “mod.

I have mounted it on the dashboard of my pickup and use voice commands and my granddaughters won't ask me who was driving while I shot pictures up stream along the Mississippi while crossing at the Quad Cities.

Got this for recording my motorcycle rides. The quality is great, stabilization is so good.

Gopro hero 8 black is great. The stabilization feature is very good

I bought this to use on a ski holiday. First off - light level in good light its ok, still artefacts present in footage but ok. As the light starts to decrease you rapidly see a deterioration in quality - and yes that's at the best capture settings. Next to useless at dusk.

Having fallen for the hype about the Hero 8 I have found out about the shortcomings with the camera. Once you have recorded your data you cannot download it to a computer and view the MP4 files as they are unsupported.

Great little camera for travelling . I had the hero 7 white before so I was used to the go pro tech. I'm glad I chose to spend a little extra this time. The quality of the videos is awesome. I do think the battery runs out quite quickly though.