It doesn’t seem that long ago I was reviewing the GoPro Hero 6, the one that came with my ill-fated GoPro Karma drone (may it rest in briny peace).
But here we are on the verge of the Hero 12 Black launch, and the company has released some information on what we can expect.
Of course, any new features are subjective: what might be a ‘game changer’ for some might be pointless to another. Undoubtedly though, the biggest talking point is the supposed extra battery life the new model is touted to have. with up to 2.5 hours depending on resolution and of course, the size of the SD card being used.
Even at the full 5.3K / 60fps, GoPro says we can expect 1 ½ hours of recording time, which is not too shabby at all.
Additionally, there is an improvement in the imaging side with all new HDR support, and with the addition of the latest iteration of the Lens Mod, a 177° fields of view in 4K / 60fps. They have also increased the FOV in vertical shooting mode to keep the TickyTockers happy plus an increase in the size of the sensor gives an improvement, with an 8:7 aspect ratio offering 156° FOV in both 5.3K and 4K shooting.
10-bit colour allows a better colour depth too, and GP Log encoding with Look Up Tables (LUT) lets you maximise dynamic range prior to any colour correction in software such as DaVinci Resolve.
For me, a second biggie is the Bluetooth inclusion allowing appropriate mics and earbuds to be used for recording, as well as Bluetooth headphones / earbuds for monitoring. It’s still necessary to use the MediaMod if you want HDMI out though which is a pity. Its about time this was updated by the inclusion of a direct HDMI port in the camera itself.
To be tested for sure, and I am a little sceptical in this department, but you can apparently also synch multiple Hero 12 Blacks together via wireless using timecode. Why sceptical? Because it needs the GoPro Quik app to make this work, and I am not a huge fan it has to be said, finding a lot of the Quik functionality a little flaky. Hopefully GoPro has thrown some serious resources in this area. Once you have your synched footage you can use 3rd party apps such as, again, DaVinci Resolve or Vegas Pro to perform multi-camera editing.
The rest of the functionality seems little changed from the Hero 12’s predecessor, but I’ll wait until I have one in my hot little fist before passing any judgement in that area.
Pricing seems to have stayed at about the same which is a good thing, especially considering the slightly parlous state of the Aussie Gumbo Bead currency at present. Whether it will stay at the suggested $650 or thereabouts remains to be seen of course. And if you want the new lens Mod, that’ll set you back another $170, so unless you really need it, I wouldn’t rush out and get it.
One thing I will mention is that despite a number of people suggesting otherwise, the GoPro range is not a substitute for a general-purpose camera. Yes, it can be used at a pinch for anything any other ‘normal’ camera can do, even in many cases what your smartphone is capable of (if you must). But if you have ambitions to use a GoPro for, oh I dunno, shooting a wedding say, then simply you’ll be disappointed. The GoPro (and its DJI alter ego, the Action 4) are just not designed with this sort of functionality in mind.
Hence the moniker “action camera”. So get the right tool for the job is what I am saying.
I have requested a review unit of the GoPro Hero 12 Black, and hopefully, just hopefully, I’ll have one sooner rather than later and be able to give you a full head’s up on it then.
Until that time, you can get all the specs etc here.