GoPro’s Max 2 accessory bundle has dropped to $369 at Amazon, putting a 360-degree action camera and a pile of practical add-ons within $70 of the standalone camera’s listed price. Best Buy and GoPro have the bundle at roughly the same level.
The deal matters because the Max 2 is the kind of camera that wants accessories immediately. A 360-degree camera captures the scene around it rather than forcing the shooter to point the lens at the right subject in the moment. That is the appeal for bikes, boards, cars, hikes and other situations where framing a shot by hand is optimistic bordering on fiction. The catch is that mounts, batteries, poles and storage are not optional for many of those uses.
The bundle includes the Max 2 camera, a four-foot extension pole, two protective lens caps, two high-capacity batteries, a 64GB microSD card, a curved adhesive mount, a mounting buckle for GoPro mounts, a mounting finger adapter, two thumb screws, a wrist lanyard, a microfiber cloth and a USB-C cable.
The standalone Max 2 package includes many of the smaller basics, but it has fewer mounts, one battery, no microSD card and no extension pole. The extension pole and an extra battery cost $75 when bought separately, according to the listed accessory pricing, so the bundle clears the $70 gap before counting the memory card. That is the arithmetic here, not magic.
What the Max 2 does
The Max 2 records 360-degree video at up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per second. It can also shoot 180-degree 4K video at 60 frames per second. Like other GoPro cameras, it works with the company’s broader mount ecosystem, which is useful if there is already a drawer somewhere full of adhesive pads, buckles and questionable helmet rigs.
Audio comes from a six-microphone array that records sound from every direction and automatically reduces wind noise, according to the product details. The camera can also use Bluetooth microphones, including compatible earbuds, instead of relying only on its built-in mics.
GoPro lists a 1.82-inch LCD touchscreen for checking footage and changing settings. The camera is waterproof down to 16 feet, which covers swimming and surfing use without adding a housing under the stated limit. Battery life is listed at 66 minutes when recording at full 8K, or 90 minutes at 5.6K resolution.
The lenses are replaceable, which is less glamorous than a resolution spec and probably more relevant after the first crash. For a camera meant to be mounted in exposed places, a damaged lens should not automatically mean retiring the whole device.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
