Some gadgets dont feel like they can sustain an annual release schedule.
This year, GoPro finally seems to have learned its lesson, with its biggest shake-up in years.
Theres also a cinematic anamorphic lens set for release next year.
The catch is these lenses all cost extra.
Since the camera already comes with its own set of fingers, its pointless without multiples.
That way, you wont have to un-thread and re-thread the fingers built into your camera each time.
Its a bit of an expensive proposition, but if you could afford it, it works well.
But because these are all add-ons, the camera itself does feel like a typical incremental update without them.
Thats a bit disappointing, since the real effective cost of the camera is a little misleading.
But the versatility of the equipment with its add-ons does lessen the sting a bit.
In unaltered footage, I cant really tell the difference when the Mod is applied vs. when its not.
The Macro Lens Mod, by contrast, is entirely new.
In practice, I found this just produced a fuzzy picture.
But to me, it works best in photos.
Im not complaining about that.
The third promised HB-series modular lens is the anamorphic one, which is set for release next year.
Itll let you capture 21:9 footage and make it easier to incorporate effects like lens flares and soft corners.
Finally, theres the ND-filters, something that Ill admit I dont have a lot of experience with.
The macro lens made for delightfully detailed photos taken during an evening stroll.
Hopefully, the anamorphic lens lives up to those expectations.
The downside here is the cost.
This year, GoPro has redesigned the battery to be a little bigger and a lot more efficient.
As for actual runtime numbers, those are a bit hard to narrow down.
GoPros arent really intended to run continuously on the same options until they shut down.
Should you buy the GoPro Hero 13 Black?
If youre not yet in the GoPro ecosystem, its an easy recommendation.
Theres also the chance that GoPro will abandon the HB-Series lenses in the future.
If you buy into all of these now, will they still work on future models?
And could we expect any other new lenses after the Anamorphic Lens releases?
