REVIEW: GoPro HERO12 Black hits the nail on the head with software improvements 6u5i5o

With the concept of being a camera for fun, the GoPro HERO12 Black was launched in September 2023 with an interesting promise: the company kept the processor from last year's model and made software updates to improve the use of its action camera. O showmetech tested the device and tells you how this can be seen in practice. See what we think right now. 4i4q6w

Design and construction 5k2i6f

There were no significant changes between the 11th and 12th generation of the company's action cameras. GoPro. The 2023 version is compact and fits in the palm of your hand, or even in a pants pocket. It is also quite light and weighs just 121 grams without the battery — and 154 grams with the battery.

The 1,4-inch LCD screen, which made its debut in HERO11 Black, is also available here. The screen on the back measures 2,27 inches and comes with for the touchscreen. Navigation is very simple in general, but we'll talk more about that in the next topics.

There are accessories that can be purchased with the purchase, but the company was clear in saying that several items that can be attached to cameras launched in previous years also work on the HERO12 Black. The famous threaded for attaching accessories via screw is also still available, so in of design and construction, the camera has the same look and functionality that we have seen for a few years.

Camera 4o6p3n

The 27 MP lens for photos is maintained in the new model, but there are interesting new features for those who like to capture happy moments. It is also possible to capture frames with up to 24,7 megapixels, and videos can be captured in 1080p quality. See the changes between generations:

	GoPro HERO11 Black	GoPro HERO12 Black
Processor	GP2	GP2
FRAME RATES AND VIDEO RESOLUTIONS	5.3K: 25/30/50/60 QPS 4K: 24/25/30/60/100/120 QPS 2.7K: 24/25/30/48/50/60/100/120/200/240 QPS 1080p: 24/25/30/48/50/60/80/90/120/200/240 QPS	5,3K (8:7) 30/25/24 FPS 5,3K (16:9) 60/50/30/25/24 QPS 4K (8:7) @ 60/50/30/25/24 FPS 4K (9:16) 60/50/30/25 4K (16:9) 120/100/60/50/30/25/24 QPS 2,7K (4:3) 120/100/60/50 QPS 2,7K (16:9) @ 240/200 FPS 1.080 (9:16) 60/50/30/25 1080P (16:9) 240/200/120/100/60/50/30/25/24 QPS
Photo	MEGAPIXELS (MP) OF THE PHOTO + PIXEL DIMENSIONS: 27,13 MP (5.568 X 4.872)	27,13 MP (5.568 X 4.872) Photo frame capture from video: 24,69 MP FROM VIDEO (8:7) 5,3K
Stability algorithm	HyperSmooth 5.0	HyperSmooth 6.0

Outdoors and with good sunlight, photos are captured with high clarity. O showmetech was invited by GoPro to participate in the launch event of HERO12 Black in Parque Ibirapuera, in São Paulo, and I managed to test the 27 MP lens in its excellent quality. Look:

The selfies were also taken in good quality, and viewing previews through the smaller screen is quite a benefit. And for that super group photo, you can activate the 3 or 10 second countdown timer and wait for the moment to be recorded. There is HDR , but you can also disable it to save some battery life.

A benefit is the 9:16 aspect ratio, which allows for better content creation in a vertical format. After sending everything to the application Quik, GoPro points out that it is easier to edit content for the TikTok e Instagram. Cinematic formats in the 16:9 aspect ratio for YouTube will also be easily created and the company re that the loss of quality will not happen, regardless of the proportion that the content has.

Photo and video modes 6s1j5v

A GoPro updated the software for the release of HERO12 Black to allow for even easier use. In generation 11, the camera had two content capture modes (EASY and PRO), which are still available here. The difference is that everything is even simpler for those who don't know much about photos and videos, simply scrolling the screen to activate or deactivate the modes in less than five seconds.

And they serve this type of audience well: the Easy allows you to change the type of lens in just one touch, in addition to allowing you to change the type of video aspect ratio and recording quality in a few touches. When it comes to capturing video in professional mode, it allows:

• Adjustment of the maximum number of frames per second;
• Activation or not of HDR;
• Choosing the video aspect ratio;
• Choice of resolution;
• Activation of the stability algorithm (hypersmooth);
• More capture data such as maximum duration, scheduled capture, timer and zoom.

Professional mode allows you to save settings across modes so you can start recording the way you want in just a few seconds. It's an interesting tool for those who work serving multiple clients or produce different pre-established types of videos in their routine. And it's worth ing that the model is waterproof, with resistance up to 10 m.

As for photos, easy mode allows you to choose the lens in linear or wide mode, with this change taking place in a few seconds; In it, it is also possible to choose the countdown time between 03 and 10 seconds. Professional mode unlocks more items:

• Choice of lens type;
• Choice of output type (standard, HDR, Superphoto or RAW);
• Interval;
• Scheduled capture activation;
• Choice of timer duration;
• Shutter control, white balance, ISO, sharpness and color filter.

When using the professional photo mode, you can also configure the shortcuts on the edges of the screen to make them more suitable for your daily life. You can create modes to use in various parts of your routine and have the camera configured as needed.

Closing the subject, we can say that the GoPro thought a lot about the software HERO12 Black so that it can be used by several people: both those who understand a lot about the subject of photography and want to have greater control over the camera, and also people who simply want to have a powerful device, but still don't know much about the subject.

Photos 4l4d1l

In relation to the model launched last year, the company maintained the wide and linear lenses, which are:

• Wide: from 16 to 34 mm with wide field of view (style fisheye);
• Linear: from 19 to 39 mm, which captures photos in “normal” mode without fisheye effect.

A GoPro allows the interval between photos to be programmed up to 120 seconds. This can be programmed according to your personal taste, and I left this interval disabled here. The photos on a sunny day were incredible and there is no denying that days with clear weather will be recorded with total quality.

We can also say that the new software is better suited for taking photos at night: the post-processing work is done in real time and the result is satisfactory, but it may be necessary to make some corrections in an editing application. See this unedited content:

There's nowhere to run here: even though there is improved technology focused on this, it will still be possible to see noise in the photo that we don't see in professional photo results. Therefore, it is important to understand the target market of the GoPro with all your action cameras.

Institutional 231d17

It is possible to record content with maximum recording quality of up to 5.3K at up to 30 frames per second. However, HDR mode can only be activated in 1080p or 4K quality. It is curious that the maximum resolution does not the standard that gives value to colors, but at least the work is of good quality. A video recorded outdoors was made with total assertiveness and even when running, the image is spectacular.

1080p recording can be done at up to 120 frames per second, which makes it easier for videos to be recorded in slow motion. There is no slow motion mode in the camera: you need to capture the content at normal speed and then view the finished work in the gallery or in the app Quik for smartphones. If you use an editing application on your computer, this work can also be done without problems.

The mode of time lapse is aimed at those who like to create content in timelapse, like the sunrise or some presentation that will be converted into a faster video later. There are six ways to use this feature:

• TimeWarp;
• Star tracking;
• Painting with light;
• Vehicle lights;
• Time lapse (traditional);
• Night lapse.

It is an interesting feature that must be used with patience, as it is necessary to wait for the content to be recorded for a long time to get a good result. The algorithm remains assertive and should be used at least once by anyone who has a HERO12 Black.

Hypersmooth 55012

We arrive at the much talked about stabilization of the company's action cameras. GoPro: updated to version 6.0, the algorithm Hypersmooth It's even better than what we saw in HERO11 Black. When running in the park and doing a test with a 30-second recording, starting to run a while later, it didn't even look like I was running.

As it wants to put a camera for adventurous people on the market, the company understood its mission to deliver a Hypersmooth even more assertive than we saw in previous generations. A new feature only present in the 12th generation is AutoBoost, which identifies that the algorithm needs to be activated as soon as the camera starts to shake too much. The tip I give in this case is to always leave AutoBoost activated to have the best videos.

There is nothing negative to say about this mode: if it already worked well in previous models, here it is definitely in its best version. In the review of HERO 11 Black, I had already praised the Hypersmooth. And the GoPro He did such an assertive job that it would be a lie to say that something wrong happened in the execution of it.

Performance and screen 2ugt

With a new software version for HERO12 Black, this version still needs certain optimizations to be working assertively. for Portuguese is interesting and is still available here, but I noticed some slight delays. One of them is in the use of time lapse. And a few times, I needed to restart the camera to get it to work completely again.

It's nothing that affects the capture of content completely, but it also gives that “break in the mood”. As it hit the market in September 2023, the operating system should certainly become more optimized over the next few months. When there were no crashes (about 3 times over 10 days), the camera worked at full power.

To see what's saved on your memory card directly on your smartphone, you need to use the app GoPro Quick.

A search will be carried out via Bluetooth and pairing takes place almost automatically. For everything to be sent to the cloud, you need to create an on the company's servers and keep it activated automatically. And it's also worth ing that this new generation can connect with Bluetooth headphones so that their microphones can be used to capture audio.

Still on the app, you can fully control the camera via your cell phone: take a photo, choose the type of camera, mode and, of course, see everything saved in the camera's memory. It also works as a good photo and video editor and we've already talked more about its use in a full review, be sure to check it out.

Touchscreen is only present on the larger screen, allowing navigation within the operating system. Outdoor use is quite assertive and you can activate full functionality without needing to go into the shade. The screen on the front is very useful, but I missed some virtual buttons to make taking selfies better. It's nothing that is actually needed, but it could have been included here. Who knows in the next generation.

Battery 554u5p

We have reached the most important topic of this review, mainly due to the fact that the manufacturer itself promised a longer battery life in the new generation. In 2022, when I tested the HERO11 Black, I said that this was the great “Achilles heel” of the model.

We had a significant improvement and during an outdoor test, when turning on the camera at 10am for recording and taking most of the photos in this text, it remained active until 15pm that day.

It is interesting to note that the battery has the same 1700 mAh capacity as the item present in the 11th generation, with only a software improvement being made so that the processor uses less energy. Last year, I used a maximum of 3 hours for capturing photos. In videos, the power supply did not last more than 2 hours on the HERO11 Black. The battery is charged via a USB-C input, with a cable sent by the company. But you still need to have a power source (outlet), because the GoPro Don't send this in the box.

The battery is one of the great highlights of the HERO12 Black But of course, if you want to use it for a long time, it's worth having a charger or spare battery in your items. The company states that:

• These are the longest H12 runtimes across all modes;
• 2x longer run times before reaching thermal limits in high power modes such as 5,3K60 and 4K120;
• 15-20% longer runtimes in modes like 4K60.

Conclusion 60664y

When new products are launched annually, many people wonder if this was really necessary, given that sometimes improvements are simple. However, the HERO12 Black arrives as an interesting increment. Despite having the same 11th generation processor, we have in this model, the features are in their best versions.

I would say that if you have a HERO10 Black and think about making an improvement, the best way is to go to HERO12 Black direct. In addition to the 2023 model being cheaper at its launch price than the HERO11 Black, we have a great action camera that takes good photos, records good stabilized videos through HyperSmooth.

A HERO12 Black is being sold for the suggested price of R$3.199 (camera only) — and can be found on Magalu for R$2.879 for payment on Pix — and for R$4.499 in its version for creators (Creator Edition), which comes with some accessories. MaxLens 2.0, which expands possibilities with 36% more field of view when recording in widescreen format and a 48% greater field of view when capturing vertical video, is sold separately by R$999,99.

When you receive the model, you will realize that you have purchased an action camera that will be used at different times, with the best technologies that GoPro already placed on the market. And if you work with content creation, the investment will be recovered in a few months.

Technical Specifications – GoPro HERO12 Black 4c316w

Brand	GoPro
Córdoba	GoPro HERO 12 Black
best moods	5.3K60/4K120 5.3K30 8:7 / 4K60 8:7
HDR	5.3K (16:9) 30, 25, 24 fps 4K (8:7) 30, 25, 24 fps 4K (16:9) 60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps
Proportion	16:9, 4:3, 8:7, 9:16
digital lenses	HyperView, SuperView, Wide, Linear, Linear + Horizon Lock
Stabilization	HyperSmooth 6.0
Horizontal	360° rotation up to 5.3K30, 4K60 and 2.7K120
leveling	Up to 27°, 5.3K60, 4K120, 2.7K240, and 1080/240
Format	H.265 (HEVC)
Colors	GP-Log with LUT, 10-Bit, 8-Bit
Zoom	up to 2x
Megapixels	27 SM
Video frames	24.7MP 5.3K 8:7 Video
SuperPhoto	with HDR
Frames per second	Auto, 60/10, 60/6, 30/6, 30/3, 10/3, 30/1, 10/1, 5/1, 3/1
Interval	0.5, 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s, 30s, 60s, 120s
Others	night photo Exposure control RAW
Price	R$3.199

See also other features

REVIEW: GoPro HERO11 Black caters to all types of audiences

Check out our review of the GoPro HERO11 Black

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 28 / 9 / 23.