Photographers have asked for a waterproof compact camera with a large sensor for years. I think we may finally be getting one – in an unexpected form

The GoPro Mission 1 Pro with the point-and-shoot grip accessory.

The one point-and-shoot category that has weathered the storm of smartphone photography (pun intended) better than most is the waterproof compact camera. I’ve been writing about cameras for more than ten years, and one of the cameras that I’ve seen requested repeatedly is a waterproof compact with a larger sensor.

But with the launch of GoPro’s Mission series with one-inch sensors, I have to wonder, are photographers finally getting that wish, just in an unexpected form?