GoPro’s Anamorphic lens makes it simple to ...

GoPro’s Anamorphic lens mod is lastly available for purchase, finishing the set of lenses the corporate teased when it introduced its Hero 13 action cam. On the time, probably the most important change to the newest version of its best-selling digital camera was the power to connect a number 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.”

Similar to the remainder of GoPro’s HB-Collection lenses, it’s simple 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 connected to the digital camera.)

Given its dimension, it’s price noting that this might imply a few of your third-party instances and equipment may not fairly wrap across the physique of the Hero 13 as soon as the lens is connected. Nevertheless, it didn’t significantly have an effect on the burden distribution once I mounted it on my tripod, however I used to be nonetheless cautious about how uncovered the entrance glass component 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 possibly can 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 as well document GP-Log in 10-bit and in the event you’re shopping for a $130 accent, you are most likely eager to eke out the whole lot the Hero 13 is able to.

Fortuitously, 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 appropriate 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 as well 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 huge lens), it could seize lens flares, too, with that anamorphic streak that’s change into JJ Abrams’ trademark. It helps make my footage seem like 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 enticing alternatives for displaying off these horizontal lens flares are often capturing footage at evening, or sundown. Sadly, the Hero 13 isn’t probably the most succesful low-light digital camera, that means my efforts to seize cool cityscape visitors produced outcomes that have been a bit of too shadowy. For the most effective footage, broadly, I’d max out ISO at 800 and shoot in 10-bit mode to attempt to salvage as a lot element as doable.

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