GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS review: Interchangeable lenses make this a GoPro like no other

James Trew for Engadget RATING : 8.2 / 10 Pros Professional image capability Compact for its class Established library of compatible lenses Rugged body Cons Lack of autofocus is frustrating Manual operation Isn’t waterproof We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. After over a decade of focus on its Hero line of cameras, GoPro is trying something different. The Mission 1 Pro ILS ($699) is its first camera with interchangeable lenses. Specifically, Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lenses, of which there are many in a wide range of prices. The initial response to the brand trying something new has been positive. However, the ILS doesn't have autofocus, it isn't waterproof and it has a large 2.7x crop factor, leading skeptics to say the ILS serves neither GoPro's core audience nor filmmakers. But all of that discussion was before I was able to test it. Now that I've spent some time with it, the question is: Who was right? Hardware and features Almost everything about the Mission 1 Pro ILS is the same as the Mission 1 Pro we already know. That means 8K/60 video, a 1-inch sensor and full open-gate (full sensor) recording for 4K output in various aspect ratios. And, of course, that insane 10-second, 960 fps burst mode. There's no change to the 2.59-inch OLED rear display and it comes with the same 2,150 mAh Enduro 2 battery. The draw of the ILS is the big hole on the front where the lens usually is. That's where you attach one of over 300 compatible MFT lenses. This isn't just a cool trick, it fundamentally changes how you use the camera. Now, you're the one responsible for making sure your subject is in focus, and in most cases, you'll be in charge of the aperture and exposure settings (at least if you want to get the most out of it). These are things that most GoPro users rarely have to think about and it's quite a shift in mindset. But as the saying goes, "with great power comes great responsibility." James Trew for Engadget The dimensions of the ILS's body are the same as the regular Mission 1 Pro, but the lens mount adds another inch or so of depth and about half an inch of height. This is all somewhat academic though, as whatever lens you're attaching to it is going to change the overall camera size considerably. Oh, and it alters the weight, of course. I tested the GoPro with two different lenses, a Laowa 7.5mm and a 7artisans 25mm. Both of these are compact in the grand scheme of things, but it's fair to say that the ILS is still highly portable (until it isn't). There are some important things to note. The ILS might be able to mount any MFT lens, but as mentioned earlier, autofocus is off the table. Also, if the lens uses focus-by-wire it likely won't work at all, as there are no connections for electronics. I have a Lumix 12-35mm that mounted fine, but the focus dial was rendered useless. Manual lenses are a must and with that a whole new way of working. Setup and workflow During setup, the camera asks you what type and focal length lens you're attaching to it. Every time you add a new lens you also need to let the camera know via a dedicated menu option. I forgot to do this a few times and it seems to interfere with things like Hypersmooth, so it's one more thing to add to your checklist. If you're new to (or have long-since left behind) manual lenses, GoPro has a few tools to help you find focus, which can be tricky on the ILS' small screen. Focus Peaking adds a colored outline on screen around anything with sharp edges. You can also punch in to a 4x or 8x zoom for a visual check. Focus Peaking works pretty well, but isn't foolproof. The 8x setting is helpful, but the punched-in image itself isn't pin-sharp, thanks to digital zoom, so it's more of a useful secondary check. GoPro's Quik app serves up a larger preview that makes the peaking colors and punch-in easier to work with. There's also a dedicated Mission Monitor app that turns your phone into a wired monitor/display for the camera. Along with an even larger preview, there are handy tools such as Zebra lines to highlight over-exposed areas. You can start and stop the camera recording here, too. Curiously, Mission Monitor tells you to connect your camera to the phone by USB before it'll open, but I found that if you connect to Quik first and preview the camera there, and then jump back to Mission Monitor, it will work wirelessly. GoPro provided the 7.5mm lens I mentioned, no doubt because once you factor-in the 2.7x sensor crop, that translates to around 20mm. This is similar to a standard GoPro and common in action and pocket cameras. Focusing with the Laowa lens using just the camera's screen was a challenge at first. Even with Focus Peaking, with a wide aperture, the shallow depth of field can make it easy for your subject to drop out of the sharp zone. Also, some subjects, like trees or detailed buildings, throw up a lot of peaking zones. Smoother surfaces like people and animals are a bit harder. At first, about half of my videos were truly in focus, several were really close but just off and the rest were unusable. The focus factor James Trew for Engadget I bought a budget 7artisans 25mm lens for comparison and I'm glad I did. On the ILS, this translates to around 70mm, which is a much tighter shot, good for subjects in the distance or close-up photography as it has a 7-inch minimum focus distance (a Hero 13 Black is 23 inches). But almost instantly, I was able to pull focus more consistently. With this lens, everything is bigger on screen, so it's easier to eyeball the exact moment it's sharp. After using this lens, I learned to get a better read of focus peaking and my success rate with the 7.5mm shot up. The focus tools are helpful, but only when you're behind or near the camera. I tried shooting vlog-style or talking to the camera when it's on a tripod and this was a whole new challenge. To change the focus you have to be in reach of the camera, but if you plan to stand further away there's a lot of back-and-forth to adjust the focus. You have to rely on checking your shot on your phone, using reference objects or employing your lens's distance scale — if it has one (and you have the confidence to use it). All of this is easier when shooting with a narrower aperture, and if your lens has true infinite focus, that's going to help if you don't want background separation. But for run-and-gun shooting and casual vlogs, finding focus is a significant speed bump. Image quality Usually with a GoPro we can talk about the image pipeline as a whole. With the ILS, a lot of your results will depend on what lens you're using. With the two I tested, however, the step up from even the excellent Mission 1 Pro was drastic. The Laowa 7.5mm is a great all-arounder that, at f2.0 is both fast and wide, and has a minimum focus distance of under 5-inches. This lens is the one I kept on the camera most, but the 7artisans 25mm truly surprised me. With its wider aperture and tighter shot I was getting razor thin depth of field that I'd usually expect from my Fuji XT-4 mirrorless. The Mission 1 Pro was a step up from the Hero line, and MFT lenses just takes things even further. There is still a lot of "GoPro" influence on the image. You can still choose the Hero-line's standard color modes and other action-cam favorites such as Hyperlapse, and super slo-mo gives you the sense that this could be the best of both worlds. With the camera set at max bitrate and 10-bit GP-Log 2, the ILS can spit out images I never thought I'd see on a GoPro. Don't forget, the ILS is also compatible with the vast ecosystem of GoPro mounts, so there's much greater versatility compared to a larger mirrorless or DSLR camera. James Trew for Engadget Perhaps the most surprising use case for me was for photography. A 50-megapixel sensor on a small, rugged body and a huge library of lenses make this the smallest, most flexible camera I have in the house. I do a lot of product photography, and for that, the ILS is much easier to reach for than my mirrorless. It's hard to believe that some of the photos it produces are coming from a GoPro. Battery life One of the major upgrades on the Mission 1 Pro was the extended battery life. Sadly, the ILS, in my testing, is nowhere near as enduring. In like-for-like settings, you can expect similar three-plus hours of recording in 4K. But once you jack bitrate up to maximum, activate GP-Log2 with higher framerates and spend more time focusing (screen active) and connecting to your phone for monitoring, the impact on the battery is clear. It still gave me a solid two hours of constant use in hot weather, but higher quality images come with other hidden costs it seems. The competition This section is possibly the hardest. In many ways, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS stands alone. If you want a rugged cam with variable aperture and some different lens options, DJI's Osmo Action 6 offers both, but nowhere near the scale of the ILS. If you want a highly portable cinematic camera with MFT support, there are niche options like the Blackmagic Micro Studio or the Z Cam E2, which are still pricey but offer more professional features. For about the same money as the ILS, you can pick up a Sony ZV-E10 which is still highly portable and has incredible continuous autofocus. The ILS doesn't dominate any of the categories it overlaps with, but it's also rare in that it can assume so many different roles. Who is it for? This is the nut that everyone's trying to crack. It's not for the regular action-cam user, that's for sure. But if you're a GoPro user that doesn't get wet or dirty, and use your camera for its portability, then the ILS is a huge creative upgrade. If you're curious about making films and want an incredibly lightweight but versatile camera, the ILS could tick those boxes. It's rugged enough to capture sports (skate filmers might love this) as you're reducing the exposure to impact and elements while still enjoying some protection. Candid filmers and documentarians looking for something they can keep with them at all times might also find the ILS appealing. Personally, I think the ILS will find a home with those who have a higher tolerance to its inconveniences but just love that it's small, can shoot cinematic footage and has a few party tricks inherited from the action cam world. It would be easy to call the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS a jack-of-all-trades, but it also has the ingredients and quirk-factor to develop a cult following. Imaginative social media creators will easily find ways to be creative with the unusual skill set the ILS offers. As for regular vloggers and YouTubers, there's a lot to like here, but your tolerance for learning how to reliably focus and successfully film yourself with it will be the deciding factor. Wrap-up James Trew for Engadget The ILS is GoPro's most interesting camera to date. It comes at a time when the company's future seems more precarious than ever. If the ILS came out 2-3 years ago, this might be a different conversation. Not because it will save the company, but because it shows GoPro is capable of trying new, risky things. The Hero line served GoPro well for over a decade, but today's creator wants and needs different tools. The ILS offers a lot of those, and with a few refinements, the ILS series could grow into something genuinely category-defining.For now, the ILS is a camera with great potential and a learning curve. It's asking GoPro fans to study up and for experienced filmmakers to make sacrifices. There's no doubt a group right in the middle can live with its peculiarities and even flourish with them. Whether that's enough to inspire a Mission 2 Pro ILS, or similar diverse products, we'll have to wait and see.