A few years ago it was easy to write about GoPro, the California-based action camera company. But GoPro's had a terrible few years, losing market share to no-name knock-offs on the low end and seeing its core value proposition — the waterproof, go anywhere camera — included in almost every mobile phone. It was hard to see a way forward.

In response, the hardware company doubled down on software; rolling its handful of editing solutions into one GoPro app. It seemed an odd choice at the time. GoPro allows anyone to use its editing tools, not just GoPro customers, so at best it looked like a way to generate good will for the brand, hoping for a halo effect.

But having played with the just-announced GoPro Hero8 Black, I now think this was a genius move. In pure hardware terms, the Hero8 is almost identical to the 7 it replaces, but it has improved internals that unlock new software features. And the software brings a massive leap over last year’s camera.

Most improved is GoPro’s image stabilisation, with the terrible marketing name HyperSmooth 2.0. I honestly didn’t expect good results, as the Hero 8 is using digital image stabilisation and optical usually provides superior footage. But here, the stabilisation is the best I’ve seen. I honestly cannot believe Hero 8 footage is stabilised by software alone, it has no right looking as smooth and as clear as it does. And Hypersmooth 2.0 is now supported on 4K footage.