I love action cameras, but GoPro's new merger means I'm canceling my Mission
1 pre-order here's why

Date:
Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Description:
I'm not sure I can trust that GoPro consumer cameras will be supported in the future it sounds like the company will have other priorities.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter GoPro has been acquired by private company Starman Optical, an optical photonics specialist Though describing the deal as a "merger", Starman has paid $285 million cash The merged company plans to leverage its IP across "defense, government, robotics and aerospace markets" It's been no secret lately that the action camera
maker GoPro has been in financial trouble . As such, the news that the
company has been acquired might seem like cause for celebration for action camera fans but once you start looking closer, things quickly appear a
little less rosy. In fact, this news has convinced me to hold off on purchasing any of the Mission 1 cameras, which went up for pre-order this week.

In a statement put out on September 1, GoPro announced its acquisition by Starman Optical Inc, a private optical photonics company. Though the deal was called a merger, Starman paid $285 million cash for the ailing action camera company, in a deal that also took care of the company's considerable $92 million debts. It's the tone of the statement that really has me concerned.
In it, GoPro seems to downplay its status as a producer of beloved consumer cameras, opting instead to describe its work as "industry-leading imaging solutions featuring innovative, advanced optics, market-defining technology and an associated IP portfolio." Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full
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This certainly aligns with Starman, a company that develops optical transceivers and related infrastructure, and describes itself on its website as 'Manufacturing America's AI Infrastructure'. And it makes it sound a lot like the plan is for GoPro to pivot away from consumer cameras and into
optics and AI infrastructure.

An included quote from GoPro CEO Nick Woodman does not allay my worries. He says: "We expect this merger to enable GoPro to grow across consumer, commercial and defense markets as a leading American imaging and optical solutions company, addressing important areas of national security related to cameras, optics and AI infrastructure. We're excited to combine with the Starman team to capitalize on this opportunity and play an important role in America's future." You may like GoPro Mission 1 Pro review: a premium rugged action camera at a cost GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS review: brilliant video,
tough trade-offs These Prime Day deals make the GoPro Hero 13 Black a better buy than the Mission 1

Sure, he mentions consumer cameras once, briefly, before mentioning a lot of other things in much greater detail. And the release assures us that GoPro "will continue to fully support its existing consumer products and its subscription and cloud platform". But we've all heard that one before. The future of GoPro cameras The GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS being tested by our own Sam Kieldsen. (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen) I was genuinely pretty excited for the new GoPro Mission 1 series . It felt like a bit of a fresh start for a company that had been struggling to innovate, and frankly was having its lunch eaten by the likes of the excellent DJI Osmo Action 6 . Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The idea of an action camera that could take Micro Four Thirds lenses was genuinely new and interesting and while my style would be a more traditional action camera like the Mission 1 Pro , it was nice to feel like GoPro was innovating again, after years of inarguable stagnation spent releasing slightly different Hero variants.

But GoPro cameras aren't just about the cameras themselves. A massively important aspect is the ecosystem; many features of the cameras require the Quik app (or at least are made much easier with it), and action cameras in general require a lot of accessories and mounts in order to be useful.

If I buy a Mission 1 camera, can I be sure that the app is going to keep
being compatible with my devices? Is GoPro going to keep providing firmware updates, and will it still be producing accessories for the camera five years down the line?

This merger announcement simply doesn't give me any confidence that this will be the case. So, I'm holding off on a Mission 1 purchase for now and I hope to be proven wrong. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Today's best camera deals GoPro Mission 1 529.99 429 View See all prices voucher gift GoPro Mission 1 Pro 499.99 View See all prices GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS 599.99 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/cameras/action-cameras/i-love-action-cameras-but-gop ros-new-merger-means-im-canceling-my-mission-1-pre-order-heres-why


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