GoPro’s first mirrorless is coming – and creators will only have to wait until next month to get hands-on with one. During an update to investors, GoPro Founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman revealed that the company’s first mirrorless camera, the Mission 1 Pro ILS, will debut in September.
GoPro has already revealed the upcoming ILS, but Woodman’s statement narrows down when the highly-anticipated camera will arrive, as previous announcements only indicated a “third quarter” announcement.
Woodman’s confirmation of the Mission 1 Pro ILS timeline, however, also reveals a new detail: The Mission 1 Pro ILS will come with several tools for previewing shots and checking focus, including a new app for pro-grade monitoring tools.
Dubbed the GoPro Mission Monitor App, the app is coming to the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad and serves as a tool for previewing and monitoring footage from GoPro’s upcoming mirrorless camera.
“Mission 1 Pro ILS supports more than 300 readily available Micro Four Thirds lenses along with GoPro’s award-winning in-camera HyperSmooth video stabilization,” Woodman said. “The combination of HyperSmooth video stabilization with such a broad range of lens options in a small, durable 8K camera body has created enormous excitement and anticipation within the industry. And customers will only have to wait until next month to get their hands on it when Mission 1 Pro ILS launches in September.”
GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: What we know so far
While the Mission 1 Pro ILS has yet to hit store shelves, there’s quite a bit of information already available on the upcoming camera, thanks to the launch of GoPro’s similar fixed-lens cameras.
The Mission 1 Pro ILS houses the same 50MP one-inch sensor as the already available Mission 1 Pro, with 8K30p and 4K120 open gate, jumping up to 8K60 and 4K240 without open gate. But the ILS pairs that same sensor with a Micro Four Thirds mount.
The Micro Four Thirds Mount, however, will change a few key features compared to the fixed-lens cameras in the series. The swappable lenses make GoPro’s usual fixed focus design impossible. Instead, the Mission 1 Pro ILS is manual focus only, geared towards filmmakers already comfortable with focus pulling, zone focusing, and accessories like follow focus.
The other key sacrifice in trading the fixed lens for a mirrorless mount is that the Mission One Pro ILS won’t be submersible – though GoPro has said that the setup will be splash-proof if paired with a weather-resistant lens.
The manual focus design and specs like 8K30p open gate are clearly targeting video creators over photographers – GoPro is calling the ILS a “compact cinema camera.” In fact, GoPro says the Mission 1 Pro ILS will be the world’s smallest rugged mirrorless camera.
The specs for the ILS suggest the upcoming mirrorless will come in at 197g / 6.9 oz without a lens – and measure 89.6 W x 58.7 H x 46.1 D (mm) (3.4 x 2.3 x 1.8 inches). That puts the ILS a little larger than the fixed-lens Mission 1, but it comes in at a lighter weight without the lens.
Beyond the lens, focus, size, and durability, many of the ILS specs match up with the Mission 1 Pro. The ILS will be able to pair those swappable lenses with GoPro’s HyperSmooth stabilization. Even the design of the ILS looks every bit a GoPro, including screens on both the front and back of the camera.
Woodman did not share an expected date beyond “September” for the ILS's arrival. The camera is expected to retail for $699 / £599 / CA$949 / AU$1099.
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