GoPro has long been a standard in the action camera marketplace, and for good reason. They have been innovative and high quality since the beginning. Changes made since the original have made it a very different device despite the relatively similar appearance. They have continued that tradition of progress with the company’s latest generation camera, the GoPro Hero 12 Black.
In the box, you get the documentation, a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging and data transfer, GoPro’s Enduro Battery for the camera, some standard mount accessories and the GoPro Hero 12 Black. The camera should look familiar to anyone who has used a GoPro recently. You have a rear and front-facing screen, a lens with a 1/1.9” sensor and all ports and batteries are located where you are used to.
The one new addition, which I love and have been waiting for for years, is a hybrid mounting system, giving you ¼” mounting threads in the centre of their more standard mounting bracket, which folds into the camera when you aren’t using it. So you don’t lose the ability to utilize the GoPro Accessories of old, but if you are a new adopter, you can choose any methods you want.
This camera’s specs are identical to those of the Hero 12 and Hero 11 Black, with the same resolution options, maxing out at 5.4K/60 but offering up to 240 frames per second at lower resolutions. They have the same 156 degree field of view and take the same 24MP images, They both have three on-board microphones, are both waterproof and capable of voice commands. Listing how they are similar can go on for quite some time, but how they are different is the real story here.
“The GoPro Hero 12 Black has added HDR capability to their video, whereas the 11 does photo only.”
The GoPro Hero 12 Black has added HDR capability to their video, whereas the 11 does photo only. The Hero 12 can record for 70 minutes continuously at its highest resolution before stopping. This is double the time of its predecessor, which can only do 35 minutes. The Hero 12 has upgraded to Hypersmooth 6.0 (from the 11’s 5.0), which doesn’t sound like much until you find out that it is analyzing quadruple the data of Hypersmooth 5.0, making for a much-improved stabilization system.
The GoPro Hero 12 Black has added timecode sync to its features, so if you have multiple cameras recording, editing can become so much easier with the ability to sync all of the footage up. Speaking of making things easier in the post, the GoPro Hero 12 Black can shoot in GP Log, giving you great flexibility when doing colour grading or applying LUTS in editing software.
The Hero 12 has improved its user interface for a much smoother experience, but what is more, it improved the power management of the camera to increase the battery life by up to double. They’ve added the ability to shoot in 9:16 for vertical video production and made it possible to connect Bluetooth audio to the device so you can be heard when far away from the camera and so it can hear voice commands. The only thing that is missing from the GoPro Hero 11 Black is the onboard GPS, which has been removed, presumably to accommodate some of the other upgrades.
“The Hero 12 has upgraded to Hypersmooth 6.0, making for a much-improved stabilization system.”
Shooting on the GoPro Hero 12 Black could not be easier. You can have the camera defaulted to start recording from being off just by hitting the record button rather than the power button so you start capturing the action faster. You can also remove the choice between shooting vertically or horizontally by shooting in full frame mode, a 5.3K 8:7 video format that will give you the ability to take the same footage and apply it to a 16:9 video or a 9:16 video without any loss of quality. These files are, of course, huge, but that level of flexibility is probably worth a slightly bigger SD card.
The colour accuracy on the GoPro Hero 12 Black is spectacular. The vibrant blue sky stays vibrant and blue, even on a bright day when many cameras would wash the whole scene out. The clarity of everything in the foreground and background is magnificent, but it is worth warning any newcomers to the GoPro that this is standard. Trying to get the depth of field to allow for that nice background blur isn’t really a thing here.
A thing that may be a dealbreaker for certain types of users is the super wide fisheye lens. Seeing those curves in what you know to be straight lines can be troublesome for some people. It’s not such an issue when you are out in the open, which is really the point of an action camera, so if you want to vlog with a GoPro, be out in the world. It’s better for your footage and better for your content.
“Shooting on the GoPro Hero 12 Black could not be easier.”
The sound from the internal microphones is very clear and captures vocals well, but it also picks up everything, so if you are using it to capture real life, you are in good shape. If you are trying to vlog, it’s best to find someplace that isn’t too noisy and then clean up whatever remaining ambiance there is in the post. Or, you can go the external microphone route and use a wired or wireless (via Bluetooth) mic, which will better isolate your voice. The cool thing is that the GoPro will still capture its internal microphones, so you have built-in safety.
The GoPro Hero 12 Black retails for $399 USD, but if you are a GoPro Subscriber, you can get one for $299 USD, which is $50 cheaper than the current price of the GoPro Hero 11 Black. I usually don’t immediately recommend buying the next generation of any device because companies all too often make their changes in tiny increments, making it hard to justify spending all that money for not a lot of extra in return.
With the Hero 12 Black, GoPro has added so many updates that it is an easier recommendation to make. I would put in the caveat that you should review those updates and ensure that enough of them will help you with your footage before purchasing. If you have anything before the Hero 11, the upgrade is a no-brainer.
- High Dynamic Range Video plus Photo: HERO12 Black takes its best-in-class image quality to the next level with HDR for both videos (5.3K and 4K) and photos. Great in environments with both shadows and bright light, HDR captures the subtle details of the scene that might typically blend into the darkness of shadows or disappear in the bright spots of your shot. The result is dynamic footage with true-to-life color and precision.
