Hello everyone! With some new releases on the horizon, we wanted to talk about the GoPro HERO10, what the differences are with it compared to the older models, the settings we like with it, and what we hope to see with GoPro's new releases! Read to the bottom to learn more about what the new releases may entail, it sure is big news! I have done a blog on settings for the GoPro HERO9, and while this will be similar, we also have some fun new features to discuss, as well as some things I don’t want to bore you with by repeating. If you want to get all of the information on similar considerations for the HERO9, be sure to check out that blog too. Without further delay, let's jump in!
What is new from the GoPro HERO9 to the GoPro HERO10?
The major difference between the two latest GoPro Cameras is that the Hero10 Black is created an all new GP2 processor, whereas all previous models from the HERO6-9 use the GP1 processor. The touch interface is also supposed to be more responsive, as we saw a bit of a jump with the 9, with many users complaining the touch interface was a bit slow and you had to press hard on any icons, though I personally didn’t mind this, as I always found the touch screen to be finicky and too easily manipulated on anything pre HERO8, so I welcome a more robust touch screen. Additionally, the HERO10 is slightly faster to turn on and is faster to begin capturing content. Lastly, the main visual difference is simply the new color that hasn’t been seen with GoPro before, that blue lettering over the traditional light grey. Perhaps you have a HERO5 or similar though and are wondering what updates have occurred from yours to the newest cameras. If this is the case and you would like a more in depth discussion on this, check out my previous blogs.
Now that we have discussed the differences, let’s get into some settings!
As I mentioned in my previous blog on the HERO9, the presets that GoPro has included in their action cameras are pretty decent, and as a beginner, you may not even want to worry too much about changing things up until you feel ready. Additionally, if you are reading this to decide if you want to make the upgrade to the HERO10 perhaps try working with what you have, and checking out the information below to get your current camera’s settings as close to these as you can, and decide from there if you are ready to make the switch, or want to keep practicing on your existing camera while you wait for one of the new releases coming out soon!
As a disclaimer, our blogs are all about our preferences and opinions, and we realize that we may all have different artistic approaches, preferred methods, and unique approaches for photography and videography, so this is only to give you an idea of what we like, as well as the opportunity to fine tune and learn what your favorite settings might be. That is what’s so awesome about this community, is that everyone has a unique way to shoot, edit, and present their content, and we are here for ALL OF IT!
My settings that don’t change between shooting styles:
I use the GoPro Presets as an opportunity to have a quick selection to choose from based on my activity. Will I be underwater, wanting to slow it down in post, shooting a sunset, a hyperlapse, or something else? These are all very different activities and will require some variation in your settings, but here are some things I don’t tend to change up too much between my presets.
White Balance: Some like this to be on auto, and for the most part, GoPro does a good job at this. I like somewhere between 5000-6000, and 5500 is a pretty good sweet spot most of the time. I rarely need to change this. The higher the number, the warmer the lighting. I do a lot of my shooting in, under, or near the water, so this warmer tone is preferred for my needs.
Color: I have always shot in flat before, but I have heard good things about the GoPro Color in the 9, I decided to see how it would do to move away from flat, and I am overall very happy with the color grading that GoPro sets you up with. However, shooting flat allows for more personalization and editing in post, which I do still prefer.
Resolution: I usually only shoot in 1080p. Times for shooting in 4k or 5k would be for cinematic filming or using it to vlog at home, rather than capture adventure and fast-moving moments that you may want to slow down in post-production. These higher resolutions offer better quality but this is only really useful if you are playing your footage on a projector, large screen TV, or something similar. 1080p is still great quality and just about the most popular choice for social media! You are not as limited with the restrictions on what fps you can use as you are with the 4k and 5k settings.
Field of View: I typically always shoot on a Wide FOV, but play with Superview if I am doing some really fun action shots (think mountain biking, hiking, skiing, etc). I don’t generally shoot at all in linear. I personally prefer the fisheye look you get from the Wide and Superview FOV options.
Shutter Speed: I don't do a lot of night shooting, as my passions are generally water sports related, and shot during daylight hours. However, if I was doing a night session, I would likely be manually adjusting my shutter speed to have longer exposure in order to better capture a clear, crisp image.
Sharpness: When I first got into videography and photography, I thought I needed to shoot as sharp as possible, but this is definitely not always the case. If you shoot in low, you are best off for editing in post. Medium allows for some decent editing, but shooting in sharp doesn’t leave you much room to play in post. No matter what I am shooting, I usually leave my sharpness on low or medium.
Bitrate: If you can afford the space and download ability, shoot in high bitrate. This will provide the best quality, but does take up more storage, and can take longer to download. Overall, I don’t notice a huge difference if I am only uploading to Instagram or another social media platform. However, if you are aiming to shoot for professional purposes, the higher quality can definitely come in handy for those more fancy times.
Hypersmooth and Boost: I have shaky hands, so I definitely appreciate these features to help keep my footage more stabilized and smooth, but keep in mind that it will crop your shot a bit, which can lead to a bit different picture if you aren’t careful with your framing. Make sure to play around with these settings to see which is the best for you!
These are all the settings that don’t change much from one activity to another. Now, let's get into the specifics! Again, a lot of this is the same or similar to the GoPro HERO9, so if you have played with the settings I recommended in my previous blog, you may know already which of these you enjoy using and which you prefer to make your own adjustments to.
VLOGGING (HOME/INDOORS): 4k or 5k at 30fps. If you just have your GoPro mounted at home to do reviews, updates, or other vlogs where you aren’t moving around, then shooting at a higher resolution may be something to try here. You can still shoot at 1080p and get a great image, but shooting at 4k or 5k will give you a very crisp shot. Do keep in mind that the higher you go on these, the more you risk your computer not supporting the format, so I recommend testing these out a bit before shooting a long post and then realizing you can’t transfer the file. Been there, done that! It is not a fun realization.
VLOGGING (ON THE GO/OUTSIDE): 1080p 30-60fps. You aren’t likely doing much slow motion on this setting, but if you are, consider looking at one of the options below, or playing with the fps. I definitely recommend turning on Hypersmooth and Boost on for vlogging on the go, to give yourself the best quality as possible. Also, make sure to put that front LCD screen to use!
nu bear & nu grip 4in1
NIGHT SHOOTING: White balance around 4000-4500K. ISO min at 100, and play with the max when you get to location until you find what you are happy with. This is usually around 400-800. Set your max at this number once you have found it. Recording in Flat color allows you to play with your shot more in post edit, but shooting in GoPro Color isn’t bad at night. Medium sharpness gets you a decent shot with enough wiggle room to still mess around in post if you would like.
SKATEBOARDING: 2.7K /120fps - 4K/60fps. This is one of those times I would switch to Superview, to show off everything around you! Also, Superview tends to help stabilize the shot a bit more, so bouncing around on a bike could make this FOV more desirable. I'd turn your ISO down as well, so you don’t have issues with exposure as you ride through the day.
Using neutral density filters for the GoPro HERO10® Black and Hero10 Bones allows action-enthusiasts to reduce shutter speeds to cinematic levels. The shutter 3-Pack includes three essential filters; an ND8, ND16 & ND32— ideal for mid-day or bright filming environments. The lenses directly replace the front lens element on the HERO9® & HERO10® Black Cameras. With the inclusion of ND filters in your workflow you'll always have the right tool to capture the action like @alessandrobassu_2 Credit: @alessandrobassu_2
UNDERWATER: 2.7K /120fps - 4K/60fps. I like to shoot in a Wide FOV when underwater, as Superview warps things too much for my liking. Turning your ISO down to around 100/100 for shallow water, and 100/800 for deeper water will help with the lighting issues you may face. Always keep the sun at your back if you can to enhance natural lighting and capture color better, and shoot upwards, not down. I like to turn down the EV Comp to -0.5 to reduce skin looking overbright in the sunlight underwater. This just provides a more tasteful view, rather than a bland typical shot of looking down from the surface. A couple of other pointers… turn Screensaver and Auto-Off to NEVER, so you don’t have to worry about your screen going black while underwater. If you find that your colors are still getting washed out, look into a red filter. It will help bring back the washed-out colors that you experience underwater.
nu bear & nu grip 4in1
SURFING/SKIING: 2.7K /120fps - 4K/60fps. Try to film with the sun at your back if you can, as this will help keep the color in your shot and illuminate your subject the best. Sometimes if the sun is behind the wave, you can still get a sick shot of the sun coming through the water and lighting up your shot. Make sure Hypersmooth and Boost are on, to calm your shot while out in the waves.
DRONE SHOTS: 2.7K /120fps - 4K/60fps. This may be one you want to play with as you go. If you really want to be able to slow things down, turn up your fps. You may want Superview for your FOV on this as well, but if it looks like too much for your liking, take it back down to Wide. Keep in mind your ISO Max for what and where you are shooting. It likely should be put down to about 800, but you may need to mess with this on your own and find your favorite.
SUNSETS: 1080p and 30fps. For sunset or any low light shots, it is very important that you adjust your ISO closer to the following settings of ISO min at 100 (always) and the max at around 100 as well (maybe 200). You can also adjust the white balance to closer to 6500 to get a warmer color or bring it down to get cooler colors if there are already blues and purples in your sunset that you are wanting to play with.
Credit: nu bear & nu grip 4in1
CINEMATIC: 4k or 5k and 24-30fps (60fps). This is for those of you that are getting into or already into cinematic shooting, and really want the play that 4k and 5k allow in post, as well as the crisp quality you're aiming for. Keep in mind that 4k and 5k take longer to download, aren’t compatible for viewing on all devices, and take up more storage space. If all of this is okay with you, go for it!
SLOW MOTION: 2.7K /120fps - 4K/60fps. The higher you go with fps, the more you can break down into slow motion, but the quality also breaks down slightly as well. You could go all the way to 240fps, but it would cause a drag on your quality. My sweet spot is usually 60fps if I am doing something like swimming with sea turtles, and 120fps if I am catching fun jumps off a cliff into the water, or doing more fast-paced action shots. Other settings such as ISO, WB, and Shutter Speed will change based on where you’re shooting (underwater, sunset, lots of brightness, in a jungle, jumping off a boat/cliff, etc).
nu bear & nu grip 4in1
BEST SCREEN GRABS: 1080p and 120fps or higher (although the higher the fps the worse the quality). Use flat mode (Color) then edit in post after you have found the photos you like most. I would keep your ISO low, and adjust brightness, exposure, and contrast in post.
That’s a wrap for this one! Thank you for checking out our GoPro HERO10 Settings Blog, and remember- if you don’t see your favorite hobby listed above, just try to find something with a similar dynamic, and see if those settings work for you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Did you know that GoPro has announced that they will be releasing FOUR new cameras options in the near future?! Along with the HERO and Max, they have announced that they want to get into a more professional market as well, and perhaps also look back at something similar to the session. What do you think these new cameras will look like? Do you think it is a good move for GoPro to expand or should they stick to what they have since they already have a well-established market? Stay tuned as we get into all this in a future blog post!
Let me know what you thought of this blog, and what you would like me to cover in the future! You can reach me through comments, email at hello@nu-bear.com, or via social media.
Until Next Time,
Tiki