GoPro has had a remarkable two years, producing high-quality cameras once more. The business was allegedly up for sale at one point, but they later introduced the Hero 7 with its innovative Hypersmooth image stabilization. With the help of this new image stabilization, a class of cameras that were intended to be used in the most difficult terrains can now be stabilized almost like a gimbal. GoPro returned to prominence all of a sudden. While the standard GoPro was once more becoming popular, nobody was thinking about their 360-degree GoPro Fusion. The GoPro Max, a new 360-degree camera that incorporates the best of GoPro and more, was released this year.
GoPro Max review: Design
The 2.5 x 2.7 x 1.6-inch GoPro MAX resembles a GoPro Hero 8 that has been stretched into a square and has had a second camera added to the back. It stands out in sharp contrast to the majority of 360-degree cameras, like the stick-like Insta360 One X. Due to the shape of the GoPro MAX, a selfie stick is required to use it. Thankfully, the company gave the Max folding “fingers” on the bottom so you could attach it to GoPro accessories without needing a separate case for the camera. A small tripod stick that is included with the MAX fastens to the camera base with a single screw. However, GoPro advises purchasing the $60 MAX Grip Tripod if you want consistently stick-free video. The 1.7-inch colour touch screen on the GoPro MAX serves as a viewfinder. It provides a clear preview of what you’re capturing and is simple to see in direct sunlight. All footage is captured to a removable microSD card that can be found on the right edge of the camera, just like a regular GoPro camera. The entire thing is fairly small. It is significantly heavier and taller than a typical action camera, but it is also well-built, waterproof to a depth of five metres, and it comes with a pair of plastic clip-on caps to cover the protruding lenses when not in use.
Features
However, there’s still more. This 360 camera is not only excellent, but it also functions as a 360 action camera, taking advantage of a lot of the technology that GoPro previously developed for use in its Hero Black series of cameras. GoPro claims that its HyperSmooth stabilization is the smoothest, steadiest stabilization it has ever installed on a camera. Even if you spin the camera around in the air, it has Horizon levelling, which recognizes the orientation of the camera and maintains your footage dead level. And it accomplishes this in-camera, unlike the Hero 8 Black. It’s perhaps understandable that it’s only accessible in “Hero” mode and not at full resolution because that is an amazing feat of software engineering. In terms of resolution, this camera does not support regular 4K video recording like the GoPro Hero 8 Black does. The Max records 360-degree video at a total spherical resolution of 5.6K at 30 frames per second, though it actually records at an impressive 6K, which is converted to 5.6K after the two video streams are combined. you can read our article on GoPro Max review. As well as shooting up to 1440p at 60 frames per second in “Hero” action camera mode. It should be noted that this has an odd 4:3 aspect ratio; if you prefer a resolution with a more conventional aspect ratio, you are limited to 1080p. Not only that. The camera also has six microphones so that, depending on the mode you’re in and the lens you’re using, it can record “spherical audio,” stereo, or shotgun directional audio. These outcomes are pretty impressive. Check out the video below where we put all the different options to the test if you’re curious how the microphones sound.
GoPro Max review: Image quality
Unquestionably the best in its class for still images, the Max’s PowerPano feature allows you to take a 6.2MP, 270-degree panorama with a single shutter press. Results are frequently free of artefacts, and although they lack dynamic range, they are addictively simple to take without needing to slowly rotate from left to right, as is required when taking panoramas on a smartphone. Although PowerPanos are fun to shoot, they do show the Max’s dynamic range limitations in challenging lighting situations. Beyond PowerPano, the Max can capture 5.5MP still images and 16.6MP 360-degree panoramas with either a digital 16mm “wide” lens or a 13mm “Max SuperView” lens. Dynamic range is still debatable, much like PowerPano, and depending on the circumstance, we found that color science has trouble accurately representing colors. These pictures are great for social media, but they might not hold up in more difficult circumstances.
Video quality
The GoPro Max is a 360-degree camera that replaces the GoPro Fusion and can record 5.6K video in all directions. However, it makes more sense to compare it to its main rival, the Insta 360 One X, which is slightly more expensive in the UK but slightly less expensive in the US, rather than the Fusion. The GoPro Max is thicker and shorter due to its squat design, making it more ergonomic to use as an action camera. This is probably related to the stitch-line, which is the first difference in video quality. The line on the GoPro Max is more noticeable than the Insta 360. Having said that, the GoPro Max has an advantage over other cameras in terms of video quality. With some significant cropping, the 5.6K footage allows for a comfortable 720p-grade capture. While the Max lacks an HDR mode, we found the colors to be more vibrant than those recorded by the Insta 360 One X. The GoPro Max’s footage demonstrates the great thing about 360-degree capture: stabilization appears to be sensationally steady. It appears as though the camera is floating on a gimbal or drone when there is plenty of light. Detail is stronger in the centre of each lens and weakest toward the stitch line, as is the case with all 360-degree cameras. You should be aware of that fact even though you can be loose with your framing. Additionally, chromatic aberration can appear when each camera’s field of view is surrounded by intricate backlit detail. Purple fringing is particularly obvious in the branches in the video above. The camera handled most cityscapes and rural scenes flawlessly, but the footage from the forest had the worst fringing we had seen in about a month.
GoPro Max review: Battery life
The Max has a 1600mAh battery inside; as you may have noticed, this battery is larger than the Hero 8 Black’s 1220mAh battery, making the Max incompatible with other GoPro cameras. It also needs a different fast charger from the one that works with the 1220mAh cell used by the most recent Hero cameras, which can be inconvenient if you’re already a part of GoPro’s larger ecosystem. If you’re not planning on charging it while it’s inside the Max, it also requires a separate fast charger. This probably won’t be the only camera you use to shoot 360-degree content, depending on how you plan to use it. If so, you’ll need to always have at least one spare battery on hand because a single cell cannot handle a day’s worth of shooting. Instead of spending an extra £30 on a second Max cell, we decided to leave the battery door open and connect the camera to a power bank when we weren’t shooting to keep the battery charged.
Performance
Despite issues in the past, the Max’s GP1 chip seems to be producing results here without too many issues. This chip has been used in GoPro cameras since the Hero 6 line. The camera did occasionally freeze when it was first being tested, but as more people have used it and the company has released software updates, these hiccups seem to have vanished. You might also experience the occasional UI bug or touch input issue when using the Max’s 1.7-inch LCD. While not ideal, this is more or less standard procedure for GoPro’s user experience. also, you can learn our article on GoPro Max review.
Price and availability
The Max, which debuted alongside the Hero 8 Black, costs £479.99/US$499.99, or £100/US$100 more than the 8 Black. It thus holds the distinction of being the company’s most expensive camera as of this writing. When it first came out, the Fusion was extremely expensive ($599), and the Max instantly beats it in every way.
Conclusion
The GoPro Max is currently the most user-friendly 360 camera and has tremendous potential. Its app is ideal for quickly producing high quality video, and its video quality is among the best of any 360 camera currently available. The camera’s stabilization, front-facing screen, and 360-degree filming make it almost ideal for vlogging. Hero Mode gives you two cameras in one, and the audio is surprisingly good. Even though we generally like the camera and will keep using it, it’s obvious that GoPro wasn’t quite ready when the official release date arrived. There have been complaints that certain features, particularly in desktop software, are lacking. Other fairly basic features include the absence of HDR or RAW options when taking photos and the complete manual control over shutter speed when recording video.
