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The GoPro Hero Black series cameras created and defined the concept of action camera. It's been the best action camera around and a [WIRED reviewer favorite](https://www.wired.com/review/gopro-hero7-black-2018/) for years now. The latest model, the Hero 8 Black, brings some great new features, but the previous version, the Hero 7, is still a great camera and it's on sale right now.
I've long been a fan of the Hero 7 as my go-to waterproof camera. My family loves the water—oceans, lakes, rivers, pools, ponds, mud puddles. It doesn't matter so long as my kids can jump in it. My main camera, a Sony A7II, does not love the water. Enter the Hero 7, which doesn't care what environment you throw at it. Well, maybe don't try putting in lava, but otherwise you should be good.
The Hero 7 Black brought remarkable in-camera image stabilization and while the Hero 8 black makes some improvements to HyperSmooth, as GoPro calls it, they're not earth-shattering. The image stabilization in the Hero 7 is still going to produce great footage. Just a few days ago it was the best image stabilization you could get in a GoPro and now you can get it for less.
*(Note: When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Much like [subscribing to WIRED](https://subscribe.wired.com/subscribe/splits/wired/WIR_Edit_Hardcoded?source=deal_guides_sub), these contributions help fund the journalism we put out every day. [Read more](https://www.wired.com/2015/11/affiliate-link-policy/) about how this works.)*
**The GoPro Hero 7 costs $329 ($70 off) at Amazon**
[B&H Photo](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1430472-REG/gopro_chdhx_701_hero7_black.html){: rel=nofollow} and [Best Buy](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/gopro-hero7-black-4k-waterproof-action-camera-black/6283807.p?skuId=6283807){: rel=nofollow} also have the discount.
### Pros and Cons of the GoPro Hero 7 Black
The Hero 7 Black got 8/10 ([WIRED Recommends](https://www.wired.com/review/gopro-hero7-black-2018/)) in our review last year, but here are some of the highlights, along with some notes on what the Hero 8 Black offers if you want to spend the extra money.
**WIRED** The biggest reason to stick with the Hero 7 in my view is the removable lens cover. Not only are there a lot of third party filters out there that can improve your shots (neutral density filters, which are like sunglasses for your lens, are very handy in snow), but the one that comes with your Hero 7 Black is replaceable should you scratch it. And trust me, The GoPro is made to be used and abused, scratches happen. GoPro says the non-removable lens of the Hero 8 Black has stronger glass and is more scratch resistant, but until feedback from real world use starts to come in, I am hesitant to upgrade.
The big news back when the Hero 7 Black launched was HyperSmooth, the electronic image stabilization (EIS) system. This will crop 10 percent of the image, using that zoom to reduce and mitigate shake. You lose some field of view, but it's a vast improvement over previous attempts. The Hero 8 Black does improve this even more, and makes it available to all video modes. The Hero 7 also got rid the rolling-shutter effect that plagued earlier versions.
The microphone was also improved, reducing wind-noise. The SuperPhoto feature uses HDR to try to expose for both faces and background using multiple exposures which are then combined. SuperPhoto works well in some situations, but not all. This is one place the Hero 8 Black vastly improves on the Hero 7.
**TIRED** The Hero 7 Black isn't all roses, and now that its successor is here you should keep in mind that the new form factor may mean fewer accessories support the Hero 7 going forward. That said, there are plenty of accessories on the market today that will likely continue to be available for quite some time.
The Hero 7 is undeniably a clunkier user experience than the Hero 8, both in terms of hardware—the need to take off the mounting cage to change batteries or SD cards will never stop being annoying—and in software, the lack of customization in menus means more fiddling to change setting compared to the Hero 8.
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