GoPro has announced the full release of its updated firmware for the HERO10 Black, introducing support for the Max Lens Mod, new frame rates and lens modes.
The firmware, which has been available for public beta, has now been released in full. Users can now use the Max Lens Mod, which gives full 360-degree horizon levelling and simultaneous ultra-wide FOV. Other cameras do now feature full horizon levelling, but they all need to crop in quite extensively. The Max Lens Mod is a way to get both the best of both worlds.
New to the Max Lens Mod over the HERO9 is that 60fps is now available in both 16:9 and 4:3 modes. With a near 155-degree FOV, it's possible to get some extremely immersive POV shots when combined with a post-processed dynamic stretch or manual lens correction.
Additionally 5.3K standard lens modes now gains a Superview mode of its own, allowing the widest standard FOV on the camera without the Max Lens Mod with the dynamic 16:9 stretch. This is one of the best go-to POV modes on the camera now. Furthermore 24p (23.98) is now available in all modes.
Users might wonder why it has taken so long for the Max Lens Mod firmware to arrive. The reason is that the new processor has meant that the code to support it has had to be written from the ground up. If you look at the image the Max Lens Mod produces without the mode being turned on in-camera, you will realise just how complicated the processing for this is. It isn't simply a case of reframing a rectangular image because the lens is actually producing a circular picture due to its width. There's a lot of complex mathematics going on.
Upgrades to the camera can be done within the Quik app, or downloaded manually through the GoPro website. For more information about the update visit GoPro's blog.