GoPro’s Anamorphic lens makes it straightforward to get trendy cinematic motion pictures

GoPro’s Anamorphic lens mod is lastly in the stores, finishing the set of lenses the corporate teased when it introduced its Hero 13 action cam. On the time, probably the most vital change to the newest version of its best-selling digital camera was the power to connect a collection of lenses and ND filters. Of all of them, I used to be most intrigued by the Anamorphic Lens Mod ($130), pitched as a lens for “professional-level inventive filmmaking.”

Identical to the remainder of GoPro’s HB-Collection lenses, it’s straightforward to take away the Hero 13’s base lens and substitute it with the a lot thicker Anamorphic lens. (It additionally comes with entrance and rear caps to retailer it safely when not hooked up to the digital camera.)

Given its dimension, it’s price noting that this might imply a few of your third-party circumstances and equipment won’t fairly wrap across the physique of the Hero 13 as soon as the lens is hooked up. Nevertheless, it didn’t notably have an effect on the burden distribution after I mounted it on my tripod, however I used to be nonetheless cautious about how uncovered the entrance glass aspect is.

As soon as locked in, the Hero 13 switches to the suitable digital camera mode, maximizing settings and calibrating exactly to the lens. You continue to have latitude in video settings, although: You’ll be able to seize video in 5.3K as much as 60fps and 4K as much as 120fps for slow-motion cinematic scenes. If you wish to go to city, you may also report GP-Log in 10-bit and should you’re shopping for a $130 accent, you are most likely eager to eke out all the things the Hero 13 is able to.

Happily, that is GoPro, and the corporate made it quite simple for even newbies to seize and share usable footage with its most uncommon lens. The Hero 13 Black de-squeezes the footage whereas being captured, making for simpler enhancing. (De-squeezing is correcting the oval-shaped distortion of your video footage attributable to anamorphic lenses.)

Not solely does this streamline enhancing post-production — it’s able to share after you’ve completed recording — it additionally means the video preview on the Hero 13 reveals it unfurled, making framing simpler, too. The lens can be suitable with GoPro’s digital picture stabilizing tech, HyperSmooth, though the corporate recommends combining it with a gimbal for even smoother footage. In order for you full management, you may also shoot in normal lens mode and manually de-squeeze footage in post-production.

And because it’s a real anamorphic lens (and never only a very, very large lens), it could actually seize lens flares, too, with that anamorphic streak that’s turn out to be JJ Abrams’ trademark. It helps make my footage appear to be it got here from a cinematic video digital camera, not an motion cam.

The drawbacks are minor. As I discussed earlier, I fear about damaging the lens, though it does have a hydrophobic, anti-reflective coating. Additionally, I discovered probably the most engaging alternatives for exhibiting off these horizontal lens flares are often taking pictures footage at night time, or sundown. Sadly, the Hero 13 isn’t probably the most succesful low-light digital camera, which means my efforts to seize cool cityscape site visitors produced outcomes that had been somewhat too shadowy. For the very best footage, broadly, I’d max out ISO at 800 and shoot in 10-bit mode to try to salvage as a lot element as doable.

The HB-series Anamorphic lens mod is out there now for $130, whereas a $350 HB-Series Lens Collection bundle comprises all three lenses and an ND Filter 4-Pack.