GoPro and smartphone manufacturers are plagued by the same problem.
Think of the latest top of the range in the world of telephony.
Excellent performance, excellent camera, contemporary design, battery life that can handle even the most demanding days.
Yet, in the following year, we expect something to change. Let companies do better. May they surprise us.
And it’s difficult because, when you have a product that is already of the highest level and does everything excellently, understanding where to put your hands to further enrich the user experience is a complex activity.
This also applies to GoPro.
We already liked the Hero 11 Black a lot, although it had two obvious limitations: shooting in low light conditions and overheating with prolonged use.
GoPro Hero 12 Black, officially arriving on the market on September 13th, try to do better, without however distorting – understandably – what was done last year.
The GoPro Hero 12 Black review
449,99 €.
This is the price of the new arrival.
But the question we need to answer is not “is it worth it?” but “should I upgrade or keep the 11?”.
This because GoPro Hero 12 Black easily maintains its role as market leader: continues to be high-performance, compact, versatile and simple to use. Perfect for shooting of all kinds, especially those in extreme conditions. Just like last year’s version.
The point is to understand what is new and what has remained unchanged.
The similarities
Aesthetically they are the same.
Same dimensions (71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6 mm). Same weight (154 grams). Same Water resistance up to 10 meters.
And then we have due display, the main one of 2.27 inches positioned on the back, and the secondary one, of 1.4 inches, which is instead in front. And both continue to be perfectly visible in the sun, so you will have no difficulty understanding what you are framing or setting the camera without going through the application.
As per tradition, only the rear screen is touchscreenwhile the front one is used to monitor what you are recording, while displaying information on the format, resolution, battery and space on the SD card.
The controls are always intuitive, so in a few seconds and a handful of touches you can choose the desired settings, relying on a capacitive screen that proves to be very responsive.
We also find again the 1,720 mAh Enduro batterydesigned to allow the GoPro to operate even at low temperatures, the microSD card slot and the USB-C connector for charging: three elements that you find hidden behind the side door, a door that features the same hermetic closure seen in previous models .
On the other side we find the on/off button, which also allows you to change the modes, while above we have the shutter/record button.
They complete the picture the 1/4-20 thread and the hooks necessary to combine GoPro with an increasingly vast range of accessories.
Even inside something has remained unchanged: the processor, the GP2, is the same as the Hero 11 and the Hero 10 and continues to offer excellent performance, without any slowdowns whatsoever. We then find the same 8:7 sensor It is again 3 microphones which guarantee a more than decent performance, although not comparable to the use of an external microphone. And if you’re wondering if you can do it, well… yes: GoPro Hero 12 Black can be connected to external microphones via Bluetooth, including Apple’s AirPods and any other pair of wireless earphones you have. This also allows you to use voice commands as well as tell what is happening while you are recording.
The differences
What else is new?
First of all video and photo in HDR, so as to have more details in the shadow areas.
We are not faced with something revolutionary, this is true; after all, we also find HDR videos on smartphones but the point here is to offer something more to users, expanding an arsenal that is already very large.
GoPro Hero 12 Black allows you to record video up to 5.3K at 60 fps, allows you to exploit the HyperView to have a very wide field of visionallows you to use the full 8:7 sensor for later decide in post production which portion to keep and offers vertical recording to be ready for social use. Furthermore, the newcomer allows you to Record vertically even when mounted horizontally. Just select the 9:16 format and you’re done.
Now you can also take advantage three Night Effects namely Star Trail, Light Painting and vehicle light trails; a good way to bring home something original even in the dark, but keeping in mind that in low light conditions the Hero 12 Black still struggles a little.
However, the stabilization remains impressive. HyperSmooth 6.0, the latest evolution of GoPro’s stabilization system, integrates Autoboost, which analyzes the scene four times more frequently than with HyperSmooth 5.0. All this to ensure the widest possible field of view, reducing the crop whenever possible.
You can then count on the 360° horizon lock for even more stable clips.
Photo taken with GoPro Hero 12 Pro
For professionals it comes there GP-Log con the LUT. What does it mean? That you can record videos in Log, i.e. in a low-saturated and low-contrast format, and then act in post production by applying the LUTs – Look-Up Tables – made available by GoPro to give tone, life and atmosphere to the footage.
We end with autonomy.
In these few days of use we have not had the opportunity to fully test everything that GoPro promised, namely:
- 70 minutes recording at 5.3K @60fps with HyperSmooth 6.0 enabled;
- 58 minutes recording at 4K @120fps with HyperSmooth 6.0 enabled;
- 90 minutes recording at 5.3K @30fps with HyperSmooth 6.0 enabled;
- 155 minutes recording at 1080p @630fps with HyperSmooth 6.0 enabled.
We noticed it anyway a tendency to become less warm after extended periods of timewith the battery that didn’t give us any problems during our bike ride or even during our hour of training in the gym.
However, we reserve the right to carry out further tests and then update this review.
It Max Lens Mod 2.0
Let’s dedicate a few words to him too, it Max Lens Mod 2.0. The module that you can apply to your GoPro Hero 12 Black to expand the field of view up to 177°, with support for video recording in 4K at 60 fps.
We will be brief: we really liked it.
Once you start using, it becomes difficult to give it up precisely because it broadens the field and allows us to capture a greater portion of the environment around us while we do any active activity, from cycling to walking, from skateboarding to skiing.
It’s true, it was there before, but now the field is broader – 177th against the previous 155th – and it’s more scratch resistant, lighter and more compact.
The GoPro Hero 12 Black review: conclusions
GoPro Hero 12 Black is undoubtedly a beautiful geman action cam that is not yet perfect but which is perfected every year trying to meet the needs of its audience, mainly made up of athletes and video makers.
As anticipated, we can therefore only tell you this: worth the €449.99 requested.
However, if you already have a Hero 11 Black, know that we are not faced with an unprecedented generational leap. Therefore, consider the upgrade only if this year’s innovations, such as HDR or GP-Log, are vital for you and/or the work you do with your GoPro.