The advent of the Mission 1 has opened up the GoPro world somewhat and brought it more into mainstream camera land. The pending release of the Mission 1 ILS with the 4/3rds mount opens that gap even further.
What makes the GoPro somewhat unique is the cottage industry of accessories that has grown up around it, and with the Mission 1, this too will only increase in size with gadgets and gizmos designed specifically for the Mission 1’s larger body size.
One of the most often asked questions in GoPro forums generally is what accessories are “must haves” and which are “nice to have”?
This is my take on those questions – but much of course depends on what the camera usage is to be.
Must Have
In the must have category I consider a set of ND filters without a doubt. If you are not familiar with these, I have a tutorial here, but in short, they allow you to control the amount of light reaching the sensor without affecting colour. On a GoPro, which has a fixed aperture, an ND filter lets you slow the shutter speed to match the 180-degree rule for natural-looking motion blur while avoiding overexposure in bright conditions. They also help reduce the rolling-shutter effect that comes from shutter speeds that are too fast.
Now the GoPro (ands similar) camera is primarily designed as an “action camera”. The Mission 1 release has tended to blur that a little, but I consider the Mission 1 to be primarily an action camera that has extra abilities more in line with a compact than the other way around.
Consequently, as this generally means a propensity for lumps and bumps to be inflicted, a protective skeleton for a GoPro is also a must in many cases in conjunction with a lens protector. The most fragile parts of the GoPro are the LCD screens and lens, so protection for those is high on the list.
Water
If the camera is to be used anywhere in the vicinity of water, I would strongly advise the use of a waterproof housing. Yes, I know the GoPro has a waterproof rating without a housing, but it just needs a piece of grit or even a hair to get trapped in the battery door and it’s Goodnight Irene for the camera if there is water around.
I couldn’t count the number of people who have lost a GoPro due to water damage. A housing is cheap insurance.
In the same area, a floating hand grip is advised so that if you do drop the camera, it won’t descend to the depths where you cannot get it (or see it).
Mounts
One of the strengths of the GoPro is its twin “fingers” mounting system letting the camera be used in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. Two of the most popular mounts are a chest and head mount, letting you shoot footage from a personal point of view (POV). There are also mounts for surfboards, bikes, skateboards – even dogs – and having a decent suction mount gives you a lot of scope for usage.
Word of warning though; avoid “cheap” suction mounts. They are not worth it. For a car, if you want high speed action, then I recommend a mount from UK based Camera Grip (which Top gear used). I used one of these driving through Europe a few years back.
Extra batteries and properly rated SD cards are a must.
With regard to SD cards, many ask the question of what size should be used. In this case, biggest is not best trust me. It is better to have footage over a number of cards as against all your footage on one card in the camera. If that card fails, or you lose the camera, then EVERYTHING is gone – better to split your shooting over multiple cards. I prefer 644 or 128GB cards from Verbatim.
For total security, these days you can get a portable storage device to back up SD cards without needing a computer. Examples include a 256GB Gnarbox 2.0 ($899) or 1TB WD My Passport Wireless SSD ($499).
Audio
As I have stated many times, the audio component of a video is just as important as the video – and sometimes even more so.
The mics in a GoPro are “adequate” for ambient sounds, but if you want quality audio, the very best way is via a MediaMod with a cabled mic designed for the purpose. Such mics are made by companies including Sennheiser and RØDE, or if you want to use a Bluetooth connected model for capturing a subject’s speech GoPro make its own and the Sennheiser Profile Wireless also works.
I have much more information on this subject here.
Nice To Have
In the “not essential but handy to have” department I’d include such things as a dual battery charger, small portable tripod, selfie stick, polarising filter for water / glass reflection control and of course, a carry case to keep it all together.
Finally, the majority of information here also applies to the OSMO Action series from DJI.