GoPro has released a free firmware update for its MISSION 1 Series that rebuilds how the cameras shoot stills. Alongside it come new exposure tools in the MISSION Monitor app and anamorphic lens support for the MISSION 1 PRO ILS.
The biggest change is Rapid Photo. GoPro says all MISSION 1 Series cameras now have a zero-lag shutter, capturing the frame the instant you press the button. Shutter lag has always been a weak point for action cameras as stills cameras, so this matters. Holding the button now fires Continuous Shutter: more than 100 frames at 12MP or more than 20 RAW frames at 50MP. A new on-screen buffer indicator warns you when you’re close to the limit, and there’s a new shutter sound to confirm each shot.
GoPro is pushing the update alongside its Point-and-Shoot Grip. The grip has a rubberised metal frame and two cold shoes, and turns the camera into a handheld compact for street and travel work. It’s sold on its own or as part of the MISSION 1 PRO Grip Edition.
The free MISSION Monitor app for iPhone and iPad adds four monitoring tools you’d normally find on a dedicated field monitor: a histogram, a waveform, an RGB parade and false colour. GoPro singles out the RGB parade for GP-Log2 footage, where colour casts are hard to spot by eye. The app can now connect to the camera wirelessly for live preview, too.
For filmmakers, the latest GoPro Labs beta firmware adds anamorphic lens support to the Micro Four Thirds-mount MISSION 1 PRO ILS. Supported squeeze ratios are 1.33x, 1.5x, 1.6x, 1.8x and 2.0x, with presets for switching between anamorphic and spherical lenses. HyperSmooth stabilisation still works, and the firmware writes pixel aspect ratio metadata so Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve desqueeze the footage automatically. An on-camera desqueeze preview is coming soon.
We’ve been shooting with the MISSION 1 PRO ILS for our ongoing MISSION 1 series. Slow shutter response was one of the main things holding it back as a stills camera, so we’ll be testing the update and reporting back.
GoPro MISSION 1 Series update key features
- Rapid Photo: zero-lag shutter response (all MISSION 1 Series)
- Continuous Shutter: 100+ frames at 12MP, 20+ RAW frames at 50MP
- On-screen buffer indicator and updated shutter sound
- MISSION Monitor app: histogram, waveform, RGB parade, false colour, wireless connection
- GoPro Labs (MISSION 1 PRO ILS): anamorphic support at 1.33x, 1.5x, 1.6x, 1.8x and 2.0x, with HyperSmooth
GoPro MISSION 1 Series update price and availability
All three updates are free and available now. The camera firmware comes through the GoPro Quik app or GoPro’s update page. The MISSION Monitor app is on the App Store for iOS 18 and later. The anamorphic firmware can be downloaded from GoPro Labs. More on the cameras is on GoPro’s MISSION 1 page.
