GoPro’s mysterious ‘cinema camera’ has finally been revealed. What’s its purpose, where does it fit into the new range, and what could it mean for the company's future?
GoPro’s new GP3-powered cameras have been subject to a lot of speculation recently, after the company began posting images and video taken with the new cameras. But until now, nobody had any idea what form the devices would take.
Speculation was rife as to whether GoPro was entering the professional sphere, Blackmagic Design-style, or whether it was producing a micro-sized camera in the same vein as Sony’s RX0 series.
Well, now we know. The 2026 lineup will take the form of three cameras: the Mission 1 Pro, the Mission 1, and the Mission 1 ILS. What’s notably absent is any mention of a HERO14. GoPro told me that the Mission series represents a new direction for the company, and one that it’ll be focused on going forward.
It's important to mention though that the HERO13 will remain part of GoPro's current lineup of cameras for the forseeable future.
A brief rewind. The action camera market has changed hugely since GoPro first devised the genre back in the noughties. The competition from DJI and Insta360 has become intense in recent years, with much of the camera community feeling like GoPro had fallen behind.
In fact, GoPro has recently instigated another round of employee layoffs in the name of further restructuring. There’s a lot riding on the new cameras, and it wouldn’t be unfair to say that it’s make-or-break time.
Instead of fighting over purely the action/sports camera market, GoPro has decided to sidestep the market a little. While the new cameras can still be used as ‘action’ devices, the focus now is very much on cameras that can be used for general filming, vlogging, cinematography, and photography while still retaining a tiny form factor. There’s even a new wireless mic system to go along with them.
Before I go into the differences between the cameras, one of the commonalities between them is the new 50MP 1” 8K sensor, which is capable of pixel binning to fuse the native 1.6 µm pixels into massive 'virtual' 3.2 µm ones for improved low-light performance. Pixel binning is one of the secret sauces behind low-light performance in modern CMOS chips and it is good to see it implemented here.
The new cameras will be capable of recording 8Kp60, a notable step up from other cameras of this size. 240 fps in 4K is also featured, along with a burst slow-motion mode in 1080p that can record 960 fps at a high bitrate and quality. The Mission 1 Pro and Mission 1 Pro ILS can also record 4K120 in 4:3 'Open Gate' mode.
In a change from the HERO series, the new sensor has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which will reduce reframing options slightly from the square ratio of the HERO13. However, one of the limitations of any new camera is always going to be the availability of a new sensor that could fulfill all of the manufacturer's requirements.
Interestingly, there’s a new Enduro 2 battery, which is also fully backward compatible with the HERO13. Speaking of battery life, GoPro is claiming that in 1080p30, the Mission 1 cameras are capable of 5 hours of runtime and over 3 hours in 4K30.
It’s obvious from those figures that the new GP3 processor has produced very serious and competitive gains in performance that finally brings GoPro in line with its competition, assuming these gains bear out in the real world.
Most video modes on the new cameras are said to run for the maximum runtime without overheating, even without airflow. This is another notable improvement over past models.
The three new cameras won’t all be released simultaneously, instead being spread throughout 2026. The first camera to market will be the Mission 1 Pro. If there ever was a parallel to a HERO14-style device, the Mission 1 Pro is it.
Outwardly, it does have similarities to the HERO line, but it is slightly increased in size, and that’s because it houses the brand-new 1” sensor. A larger sensor obviously requires trade offs in terms of size and weight, particularly when it comes to the lens. The Mission 1 Pro can be used for POV, featuring GoPro's widest lens to date with an FOV of 159 degrees.
I was told that the hyperfocal length of the Mission 1 Pro is similar to the HERO13, although it’s hard to see how that would be possible without increasing the f/stop of the lens. This will be important from a vlogging/selfie viewpoint, since it might mean having to hold the camera further away to ensure focus.
The front lens protector on the Mission 1 Pro is replaceable in a similar way to the HERO series, with the option of using ND filters. All three cameras will use GoPro’s multi-mounting system, with fold out fingers, magnetic clip, and 1/4” screw all being options for attaching the cameras to different mounts.
The Mission 1 series can withstand dive depths of up to 20 metres (66 feet, note that the Mission 1 Pro ILS is weatherproof outside of a housing). Apparently it can in fact survive further, but the water pressure then begins to depress the operation buttons. However, GoPro has also created a housing that allows the cameras to be taken much deeper. On the same subject, the cameras now have a specific mode for diving, with its own colour science and face detection to ensure better exposures and colour reproduction. There's now also a specific HyperSmooth mode for underwater use as well.
It might seem a small thing, but GoPro has also ensured that the power and record buttons stand prominently from the body to ensure tactile feedback even while wearing thick gloves.
The Mission 1 Pro ILS is the ‘cinema camera’ variant in the lineup and won’t be released to the market until around August. It uses the same base body as the Mission 1 Pro, but instead of a fixed lens it features a Micro Four Thirds lens mount.
The Mission 1 Pro ILS is for people who want to be truly creative, with the ability to use any one of the many MFT lens options out there, including the ability to mount it to telescopes. The shot of the moon during one of GoPro’s early promos was a standout, and now we know how they achieved it.
The caveat is that because the camera uses a 1” sensor, the crop factor on any lens you use will be around 2.7. Clearly, this will mean that truly wide-angle lenses will be difficult to find unless you use one of Laowa’s 4mm fisheye models. That said, the Mission 1 Pro ILS won’t be the camera you use for self-shooting, instead that duty falls to the Mission 1 Pro.
Another limitation is that there’s currently no autofocus capability. For people like me, that isn’t an issue since I almost always use manual focus for the types of situation the Mission 1 Pro ILS is aimed at. But it might be a significant disappointment for some.
The Mission 1 Pro ILS is still just as ruggedized as the Mission 1 Pro. The only limitation in terms of weatherproofing will be the capability of the lenses you use with it. As previously mentioned, the ILS model can’t be used underwater without a housing.
Lastly, there’s the Mission 1. This will also be released to market in Q3 of 2026 and it represents the lower-cost model of the lineup. The Mission 1 uses the same GP3 processor and sensor as the other two cameras, but is slightly less capable, with slow motion being limited to 120 fps in 4K (Open Gate and 16:9) and 240 fps in 1080p.
The Mission 1 series cameras all now feature PD2.0 fast charging, as well as the ability to use GoPro’s famed LABS firmware. LABS, for those not familiar with it, is an alternative firmware that users can download and access camera features that aren’t available on the standard units.
For example, you gain full control over tone mapping, gamma setup, fine tuning of noise reduction to name but a few of the literally hundreds of options. LABS gives users absolute control over the camera setup, including recording bitrate settings, which can also be boosted further over the stock firmware.
On that note, the standard firmware allows recording of up to 240 Mbps, which is double that of any of the equivalent cameras from DJI or Insta360. Combined with the new GP-log 2 and 10-bit colour, the Mission 1 series should theoretically offer considerable grading potential.
Another addition to the lineup, and one I think is a great move by the company, is a new wireless mic system. This is capable of seamlessly connecting with the cameras and can record an on-board backup of audio in 32-bit float format. The microphones are magnetic in design, and the whole system now brings GoPro's cameras fully in line with the competition.
As I mentioned at the top of this article, the Mission series cameras represent a make or break time for GoPro. The specs of the Mission 1 Pro would appear to show that the company has addressed most of the criticisms of its past cameras, while also exceeding expectations in some areas as well.
The question will be whether there’s enough demand for a camera like the Mission 1 Pro ILS, especially given the lack of autofocus. Certainly, the inclusion of 240 fps 4K recording and 960 fps in 1080p could potentially make the Mission 1 ILS the lowest cost ultra-high frame rate camera on the market.
That sort of slow motion capability could make the ILS a go-to ‘stunt’ camera for TV and film production, and I think this is one potential use case that the company is eyeing up. Will that be enough to put the company firmly back in the game? We will have to wait and see.
We will also have to wait and see on that other crucial question, pricing, though not for long as this will apparently be announced at NAB in a few days' time. Availability data is solid though. The Mission 1 Pro will be available for pre-order on May 21st, with shipping beginning on May 28th. The Mission 1 Pro ILS will follow in Q3 of 2026.