GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS Waterproof Housing: Why Outex Is Already Compatible

GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS Changes the Action Camera — And Makes Universal Camera Gear More Important Than Ever

The new interchangeable-lens GoPro points toward a future where creators mix cameras, lenses and technologies more freely. Outex was designed for exactly that future.

For years, choosing an action camera usually meant accepting a tradeoff: extraordinary portability and ruggedness, but limited choice in lenses, sensor size and creative control.

The new GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS changes that equation.

GoPro's first interchangeable-lens camera takes the compact architecture that made the company famous and adds a Micro Four Thirds lens mount, a 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, professional video capabilities and access to an enormous universe of optics. GoPro describes the MISSION 1 family as compact cinema cameras rather than simply action cameras, signaling an important shift in how creators may think about equipment going forward.

And for Outex users, there's another important point:

You don't need to wait for a new waterproof housing to be designed every time a new camera arrives.

Outex's patented waterproof camera housing system is already designed around virtually any camera and lens—film, DSLR, mirrorless, medium format, cinema and now unconventional hybrids such as the GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS. Instead of designing a rigid enclosure around one particular camera body, Outex uses interchangeable covers, optical glass ports, domes and accessories that can be reconfigured as your equipment changes.

GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS: Why Creators Are Paying Attention

The headline feature is obviously the interchangeable Micro Four Thirds lens mount, but the new GoPro represents something bigger.

The MISSION 1 PRO ILS combines a 50MP 1-inch sensor and GP3 processor with 8K video, including 8K Open Gate recording at up to 30 fps, 8K 16:9 at up to 60 fps, and very high frame-rate options including 4K up to 240 fps. It also supports 10-bit GP-Log2 recording, RAW photography and professional workflow features such as timecode synchronization.

Open Gate capture is particularly interesting for today's content creators because recording more of the sensor gives editors greater freedom to create different compositions for traditional widescreen video, vertical social content and other formats from the same source footage. Reviewers have also praised the overall image quality of the new 1-inch sensor, especially compared with traditional action-camera imaging.

Then there's size. At only about 197 grams before adding a lens, the MISSION 1 PRO ILS introduces interchangeable optics into places where a traditional mirrorless or cinema rig may be impractical. Think vehicle rigs, unusual POV positions, drones, behind-the-scenes capture, macro work, remote cameras and compact B- or C-camera applications.

The lens mount dramatically expands the creative possibilities as well. Wide angle, macro, telephoto, anamorphic and specialty optics become possible, and adapters can further expand the range of lenses creators may be able to use. That means a tiny GoPro body can suddenly participate in workflows previously reserved for much larger camera systems.

There's a Catch: The Interchangeable-Lens GoPro Isn't Waterproof

Ironically, one of the most important differences between the MISSION 1 PRO ILS and traditional GoPros is created by the very feature that makes it so interesting.

The interchangeable-lens MISSION 1 PRO ILS is weatherproof, not waterproof.

The fixed-lens MISSION 1 and MISSION 1 PRO can retain GoPro's familiar waterproof characteristics, but opening the front of the camera to interchangeable lenses changes that equation. Reviewers consistently identify this as one of the ILS model's biggest compromises.

That's where a universal waterproofing platform becomes particularly relevant. → See how Outex waterproofs your GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS

Outex is waterproof to 10 meters / 33 feet and designed not just for underwater photography, but for surf, boats, beaches, rain, snow, mud, sand, dust and other environments where expensive camera and lens equipment needs additional protection.

And because the Outex architecture isn't molded around one specific camera body, the same underlying system can accommodate compact cameras today, larger mirrorless systems tomorrow, or emerging formats like the MISSION 1 PRO ILS as technology evolves.

GoPro's New Camera Validates a Bigger Trend: Modularity Wins

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the MISSION 1 PRO ILS isn't the GoPro name on the front.

It's what the camera says about the direction of content creation.

Professional creators increasingly mix technologies instead of committing to one closed ecosystem. A filmmaker might carry a Sony or Canon mirrorless body, a cinema camera, a GoPro, an iPhone, several generations of lenses and specialized optics—all on the same production.

Vintage lenses are finding new life on modern digital cameras. Small cameras are becoming cinema cameras. Phones are increasingly legitimate production tools. Cinema cameras are getting smaller. Computational imaging is improving rapidly. And lens adapters are allowing optics designed decades ago to work with cameras nobody could have imagined when those lenses were manufactured.

The pace isn't slowing down.

That makes future compatibility increasingly valuable.

Traditional rigid underwater housings are generally engineered around a specific camera body. Upgrade the camera and you may need another housing. Change the body dimensions significantly and the investment can start over again.

Outex takes a fundamentally different approach.

The system uses interchangeable covers, front optical glass ports, rear glass, domes and accessories. Front ports attach according to the lens rather than being permanently positioned for one camera configuration, with standard sizes supported from 49mm through 105mm and dome solutions available for fisheye, hooded and other specialized lenses.

Change the camera. Keep the system.
Change the lens. Change the appropriate port or adapter.
Add another capability. Add another module.

That philosophy increasingly resembles the direction cameras themselves are heading.

From Film Cameras to GoPro: One Waterproof System

That's the bigger Outex advantage.

An Outex system isn't purchased because you own one particular Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Leica, Panasonic, Hasselblad, RED, Blackmagic—or now GoPro.

It's purchased because you create images.

Outex supports virtually every major camera category: film, DSLR, mirrorless, medium format and cinema cameras, along with an enormous range of lenses. The same ecosystem can support multiple cameras rather than forcing creators to duplicate complete waterproof systems every time their equipment changes.

That becomes especially valuable for professionals who regularly work with several cameras on the same assignment.

Your A-camera might be full-frame mirrorless.

Your B-camera might be cinema.

Your specialty camera might now be a MISSION 1 PRO ILS.

Tomorrow it might be something that hasn't even been announced yet.

Outex was intentionally designed so your waterproofing investment can evolve with that equipment rather than becoming obsolete because a manufacturer moved a button, enlarged a grip or introduced an entirely new camera category.

The example below shows a Camera Pro Kit + Dome + Cable/Tether + Tripod Mount system being used at the ACC Swimming Championships by professional photographer and Nikon Ambassador Andrew Hancock. You can see more about that shoot in our Blog.

Protect the Image Quality You Paid For

Universality wouldn't mean much if it compromised image quality.

That's why Outex uses optical glass ports and domes rather than plastic or acrylic viewing surfaces. The front port attaches directly to compatible lens filter threads, positioning the glass with the lens in much the same way as a photographic filter and allowing the optical position to change with the lens rather than remaining fixed to the housing.

For lenses that require dome ports—including fisheyes, lenses with permanent hoods and other specialized designs—Outex offers interchangeable optical glass domes with adapters and clamps.

That's increasingly important as cameras such as the MISSION 1 PRO ILS push compact imaging into higher resolutions and more sophisticated professional workflows. If you're shooting 8K, RAW or Log because image quality matters, the optical path in front of the lens matters too.

The examples below show photographer Finn O'Hara creating an underwater commercial with Olympic champion Maggie MacNeil using the Outex Camera Pro Kit + Flash + Cable/Tether system, connected to his above water workflow. Learn more in our Blog.

More Capability Without More Luggage

The irony of modern filmmaking is that cameras continue getting smaller while camera bags keep getting bigger.

Bodies. Lenses. Batteries. Gimbals. Monitors. Lights. Microphones. Chargers. Cables. Tripods. Drones. Phones. Computers.

Traditional hard underwater housings can add another substantial piece of equipment to that equation—and potentially another housing whenever the camera changes.

Outex takes the opposite approach. Its flexible architecture adds very little bulk compared with rigid housings and fits into the camera equipment you're already carrying. That makes it particularly valuable for travel, expeditions, destination shoots and creators who need to move quickly with multiple camera systems.

The system is also modular beyond the camera itself, supporting configurations involving tripods, lighting, strobes, triggers, remote controls, tethering, grips and other accessories.

In other words, the goal isn't simply to waterproof a camera.

It's to allow creators to keep using the workflow they already prefer—even when that workflow changes.

The MISSION 1 PRO ILS Isn't Perfect. That's What Makes It Interesting.

Early reviewers generally agree that GoPro's first interchangeable-lens camera is more specialized than universal.

There's no autofocus. There's no electronic lens communication. Manual focusing through the relatively small display requires practice. HyperSmooth performance depends partly on focal length. The smaller-than-Micro-Four-Thirds sensor produces a substantial crop factor. Larger lenses can undermine the tiny-camera advantage. And some reviewers found the extreme high-speed footage less impressive than the headline specifications might suggest.

But reviewers are also remarkably consistent about what makes the camera exciting: there really isn't much else quite like it.

A tiny, relatively affordable interchangeable-lens camera capable of 8K, Open Gate recording, extraordinary frame rates and GoPro stabilization creates opportunities that didn't previously exist in such a small package. TechRadar described the combination as compelling for cinematographers willing to trade convenience for creative control, while Newsshooter sees obvious potential as a compact B/C camera, crash camera, high-frame-rate specialty camera or drone camera.

And that's precisely why products such as the MISSION 1 PRO ILS are important.

They're another reminder that the boundaries between action camera, mirrorless camera and cinema camera are disappearing.

Buy Camera Gear for Today. Choose Accessories for Tomorrow.

Nobody knows what your next camera will look like.

Twenty years ago it may have been film.

Then DSLR.

Then mirrorless.

Now medium format cameras are shrinking, cinema cameras fit in the palm of your hand, smartphones shoot professional video, vintage lenses are being rediscovered, and GoPro has put an interchangeable lens mount on an 8K camera weighing less than 200 grams.

Technology will keep changing.

Your creative ambitions probably will too.

That's why Outex was built around a simple idea:

Your waterproof housing should adapt to your camera—not force your camera to adapt to the housing.

Whether you're shooting film, DSLR, mirrorless, medium format, cinema, a GoPro MISSION 1 PRO ILS or whatever comes next, Outex gives creators a professional-quality, modular, lightweight and travel-friendly waterproofing platform designed to evolve with their gear.

Because the best investment isn't necessarily the camera you'll own forever.

It's the equipment that keeps working when you don't.

Explore Outex universal waterproof camera housings and build a system that can grow with your cameras, lenses and creativity.