A headline feature on the GoPro HERO5 Black and HERO5 Session cameras is in-camera video stabilization. It’s designed to smooth out the vibrations and jerkiness you get when you’re filming on the move without a gimbal.
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These are by no means the first cameras to have built-in stabilization. The leading smartphones like the iPhones have had it for a long time, as some other action cams also have it; the Sony FDR-X3000, for instance, uses optical stabilization where the lens moves to compensate for vibration, which is a different way of tackling it.
In both the GoPro HERO5 models, the onboard stabilization takes a software approach. With these, algorithms go to work to smooth out the footage as it’s being recorded. A common side-effect of doing it this way is that if it’s not done well it can end up looking it was shot through jello. On both of these models (unlike some later models), you can disable the in-camera stabilization if you like, so you’re not stuck with it if you don’t want it. But there aren’t any options for choosing the aggressiveness of the correction or the type–it’s either on or off.
GoPro is also launching a standalone gimbal as part of its Karma drone package (the gimbal will also be sold separately, without the drone). It’s likely to be far more effective at smoothing out footage because it works quite differently, by reducing the movement before it gets to the camera. But it also adds significantly to the cost, whereas the built-in software stabilization is included as a standard feature in both of the HERO5 cameras.
- Stunning 4k video and 12MP photos in single, burst and time lapse modes charger not included
- Durable by design, Hero5 black is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meter) without a housing
Examples of the GoPro HERO5 Stabilization
I’ve been curious to see how well the stabilization works. But I found that shooting in isolation with one camera made it hard to assess how effective it was. So I decided to rig up a couple of cameras side-by-side to get a direct comparison.
The cameras are on the same dual side-by-side mount, so they’re subjected to the same movement and vibration. The settings are identical in both cameras except for the stabilization feature being enabled or not. They were shot at 1080p60.
Cycling
This is the most dramatic improvement in the experiments I’ve done so far. Even on a relatively smooth, paved road, cycling can add a lot of vibration. But despite the speed and pervasiveness of the vibration, a lot of it often involves relatively little, albeit constant, movement. That’s easier for software algorithms to profile and counteract.
In this example, the onboard stabilization really comes into its own. There are still bumps and some jitter, of course, but there’s a very obvious improvement, with the stabilized footage being much more usable.
I should mention that the cameras were mounted on the bike’s handlebars for this one, not on my helmet, which is another popular way to capture cycling footage.
Driving
At least on a paved road, a car’s heft, tires, and suspension system do a pretty good job of reducing the kinds of constant vibration you get on a bike. So even without the stabilization turned on you can end up with pretty smooth footage (unpaved roads can be a very different matter, of course).
The improvement is less obvious in this one, but it is there.
Walking
It can be very difficult to smooth out the movement in handheld footage because it’s not just vibration that can be the problem–it also moves the camera up and down, side-to-side, and potentially introduces a bit of swinging panning.
Not surprisingly, the resulting footage in this one is still pretty bouncy, although it is better.
Which Video Modes is Stabilization Available In?
Stabilization is not available as an option in all of the video modes in the HERO5.
Most notably, it’s not available in 4K footage or some of the highest FPS options.
Here’s the full list for the HERO5 Black:
| Resolution | FPS | FOV | Stabilization? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4K | 30 | Wide | - |
| 25 | Wide | - | |
| 24 | Wide | - | |
| SuperView | - | ||
| 2.7K | 60 | Wide | ✓ |
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| 50 | Wide | ✓ | |
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| 48 | Wide | ✓ | |
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| 30 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| 25 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| 24 | Wide | ✓ | |
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| 2.7K 4:3 | 30 | Wide | ✓ |
| 25 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 1440p | 80 | Wide | - |
| 60 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 50 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 48 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 30 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 25 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 24 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 1080p | 120 | Wide | - |
| Narrow | - | ||
| 90 | Wide | - | |
| 80 | SuperView | - | |
| 60 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 50 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 48 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 30 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 25 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 24 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Linear | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 960p | 120 | Wide | - |
| 60 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 50 | Wide | ✓ | |
| 720p | 240 | Narrow* | - |
| 120 | SuperView | - | |
| Wide | - | ||
| Medium | - | ||
| Narrow | - | ||
| 100 | SuperView | - | |
| 60 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 50 | SuperView | ✓ | |
| Wide | ✓ | ||
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 30 | Wide | ✓ | |
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 25 | Wide | ✓ | |
| Medium | ✓ | ||
| Narrow | ✓ | ||
| 480p | 240 | Wide | - |
Things Worth Knowing
The software works by cannibalizing the areas just outside the visible frame as necessary (I have a more detailed explanation of it here). For that reason, it crops the usual Wide FOV by 10 percent.
You can turn video stabilization on or off, but it’s not reversible later. So, for example, you can’t film with stabilization on and then decide that it has introduced some unwanted effects and that you’d prefer to use a high-end stabilization plugin in Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere later.
If you plan to use stabilization options in Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere, or some other video editing app, you’ll often be better off filming without the onboard stabilization. The original vibration and movement is often actually easier for those plugins and functions to profile than adjusted, post-stabilized footage.
RELATED: See how the HERO5’s video stabilization compares with that of the HERO6.
Wrap Up
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how effective the HERO5s’ built-in stabilization is, and in some cases, the improvement is quite dramatic. It’s certainly not perfect–there’s still a bit of the jello effect at times, and it works better on some footage than others, but it’s not bad.
The Karma’s 3-axis gimbal will undoubtedly offer much better performance again, but even if you buy it as a standalone gimbal, without the drone, it adds a considerable expense of at least a few hundred dollars.
The good news is that even without that gimbal the new HERO5s offer much smoother footage out of the box.
- Stunning 4k video and 12MP photos in single, burst and time lapse modes charger not included
- Durable by design, Hero5 black is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meter) without a housing
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New Model: GoPro HERO12 Black
Released in September 2023, the HERO12 Black is GoPro's newest model.
- 5.3K60 / 4K120 / 2.7K240 Video
- 27MP Photos
- Waterproof to 33ft/10m
- HyperSmooth 6.0 Stabilization
- Shoot 5.3K60 & 4K120 video at up to 120Mbps bitrate
- HDR video up to 5.3K30
- Horizon Lock keeps level even during movement
- Take 27MP photos (5568 x 4872 pixels)
- 1/1.9" CMOS sensor
- Waterproof to 33ft / 10m, so you can take it swimming, paddling, surfing, or snorkeling without a separate housing
- Built-in mount point
- HyperSmooth 6.0 In-camera Video Stabilization creates smooth video without a gimbal
- Shoot up to 8x slow motion
if the problem presist do a manual FW update with an empty microSD, this work on my GoPro Hero 5 ( 1080p 30fps but stabilization stop working
Any idea on whether the quality of FCPX stabilization is better than what you get from the GoPro 5 stabilized?
I’ve been shooting in 4k, expecting to stabilize in post in FCPX, but didn’t know if the GP5 stabilization was good enough to save me some time (or if it was better…)
I haven’t yet done a side-by-side comparison specifically on the same (or side-by-side) footage, but I’m inclined to prefer the extra control you get in FCPX. The catch, of course, is that it’s more time and more post-processing to do it that way–doing it in camera is much more convenient. It’s also worth mentioning that the in-camera stabilization doesn’t work in the 4K modes.
I also am waiting for my Karma Grip to arrive and wonder if I even need IS when using it. Any idea?
The Karma Grip will provide much better results. Best to use one or the other–not both at the same time.
I cannot figure out how to turn on Image Stabilization on my new GoPro Hero 5. Perhaps I’m in a mode that doesn’t do IS…like 1080 wide. If it’s applicable will it show up in the IS mode as an option to turn on or off?
Also, do you think the image quality is compromised with the IS on? I had an old Hero 3+ and some of my video was absolutely unusable because of the shake. Screw that! But is there a downside to using IS? I know you said it crops wide, but aside from that do you know of any?
Thanks!
There are a few different ways to turn it on, including via the mobile app, etc. For probably the simplest:
1. Put your camera in video mode. 1080 wide will work fine as a starting point. There’s a full list of compatible video modes further down this page.
2. On the back screen of the camera, swipe from the right side to open options like Protune.
3. From the Protune screen, swipe from right to left once more to the Video Stabilization screen. The power icon at the bottom of the screen is the toggle. If it’s a dark gray, it’s disabled. Tap the icon to make it white and enable stabilization. When you go back to the regular video live view, you’ll see a stabilization option has been added to the right of the screen.
As for downsides, it depends. In many uses, it’s an improvement. But the stabilization can introduce its own odd jello-like look which you might object to more than the original shake. It all depends on what you’re after. If you plan to apply stabilization later in post-processing with something like Final Cut X or Adobe Premiere, you’ll be better off leaving it off in the camera.
The side-by-side video comparison really helped me in my decision to go for Hero5. Good work with that.
Iam aiming at buying Karma as well but unfortunately, its not yet available in Indian market.
Glad it’s helpful. And yes, the Karma will be interesting, but it looks like it’s going to be a while before it’s available in any market after GoPro had to recall all of them due to some of them losing power mid-flight.