GoPro Mission 1 (Pro) to become better still camera with firmware update

The GoPro Mission 1, the Mission 1 Pro ($699 on Amazon) and the Mission 1 ILS with interchangeable lenses are primarily marketed for video recording, as is typical of action cameras, but with their modern 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, the cameras can also capture RAW photos of quite impressive quality, which can be edited relatively easily thanks to the flexible DNG format.

We have already had a chance to try out the Mission 1 Pro, and identified several issues when taking photos, ranging from the cumbersome menus for setting the shutter speed and the excessively slow shutter speed in automatic mode to the very long shutter lag when the resolution is set to the full 50 MP. With a firmware update GoPro is now making improvements in at least some areas. Above all, the update introduces a burst mode that allows up to 100 photos at a resolution of 12 MP or up to 20 RAW images at 50 MP to be taken in quick succession.

GoPro promises shorter shutter lag after the firmware update and a new shutter sound that replaces the shrill beep. The Mission 1 ILS gains official support for anamorphic lenses, allowing digital image stabilization to be used with them as well. After the update, the GoPro Mission Monitor App for iPhone and iPad can be used wirelessly to remotely control the camera and view a larger preview image. This update is a step in the right direction, but more extensive control over shutter speed is still missing – a minimum shutter speed cannot be set for automatic mode, while direct access to manual shutter speed without going through the menu is unavailable.