Exploring the New Features of the GoPro Hero 12: Is it Worth the Upgrade in 2024?
Just a few days ago, GoPro released their new flagship camera, GoPro Hero 12 Black, which the community had highly hyped with every leaked photo and specifications. According to all the leaks, it was supposed to have a 1-inch sensor, 8k video, and a much bigger back LCD screen. Unfortunately, all those rumors turned out to be fake, and seeing what GoPro Hero 12 Black offers is pretty disappointing.
Many people think it’s just a minor upgrade from its predecessor, Hero 11 Black, and some believe it’s the same camera and that all new features could be quickly introduced with a new firmware update.
So, what’s unique about the latest GoPro 12? And most importantly, is it worth upgrading if you already have an older model?
GoPro Hero 12 Black – What’s new?
Up to 2x longer Battery life – Thanks to improved power management, GoPro extended the battery performance when continuously recording. According to GoPro’s official website, you can record up to 70 minutes in 5.3k 60 fps, plus over 1.5 hours in 5.3k 30 fps and even 2.5 hours in 1080p 30 fps. When you lower the resolution and frame rates, you can achieve better results.
Let’s not forget that GoPro Hero 12 Black has a new Enduro battery. This type of battery is designed to withstand cold weather environments and provide much longer runtimes than all other unofficial batteries. Additionally, it is capable of fast charging, so you spend less time charging your camera. While GoPro Hero 12 Black offers improved battery performance, it may be unpleasant.
For some people with an older GoPro like Hero 9, 10, or 11, isn’t it better to buy 2-3 spare batteries and save yourself the hassle of upgrading? Typically, having a few extra batteries for a GoPro is a must-have. Extended battery life is still a welcome improvement, though, and it is nice to see that GoPro tries to focus on the reliability of their cameras; perhaps one day, they will address overheating as well.
MAX Lens Mod 2.0
MAX Lens Mod 2.0 is an optional accessory that, unfortunately, doesn’t come in the package with GoPro 12. It is a separate lens for your GoPro camera that gives you an even wider 177° field of view and unbreakable video stabilization called MAXHypersmooth. The new edition of this accessory isn’t limited to 2.7k 60 fps video anymore as it was in its first generation.
The new version allows you to record up to 4k 60 fps, a much-needed improvement. However, it is not only the resolution that got improved as now it is also capable of recording a slow motion video in 1080p 120 fps. Extra frames per second might be helpful because the previous version could only shoot 1080p or 2.7k up to 60 fps, which wasn’t enough.
Thanks to the new 8:7 sensor, GoPro MAX Lens Mod 2.0 offers a broader and taller perspective called MAX HyperView. It is a perfect setting for capturing an immersive POV, where you want to show your video how you see it with your own eyes. MAX HyperView does have some extreme distortion on the edges, so it shouldn’t be used for non-pov shots, though. Additionally, MAX Lens Mod 2.0 also boosts HyperSmooth video stabilization and provides 360-degree Horizon Lock in different digital lenses such as Wide, SuperView, and Hyperview.
It is worth mentioning that GoPro 11 or 12 do have 360° Horizon Lock, but these features are only available in the Linear field of view, which is pretty cropped and should instead be used for cinematic shots.
If sharing your videos on social media is more vital for you, then MAX Lens Mod 2.0 can capture a Vertical video in a 9:16 aspect ratio without the need to rotate the camera or deal with your mounts anymore. Want to shoot something for YouTube?
Then, with just one finger swipe, you can change to a 16:9 aspect ratio again. Pretty cool. Yet the most significant improvement of the new MAX Lens Mod 2.0 is that it is more resistant to scratches; according to GoPro, it is 2x more resistant than the first.
Back in the days when I first reviewed this accessory, I immediately knew that it was just a matter of time before you eventually scratched it. One little mistake and replacing it can cost you another $100.ouch. That being said, if the new MAX Lens MOD 2.0 is really 2x more scratch-resistant or it is only marketing nonsense, we will see.
Moreover, the new lens is also covered with Hydrophobic coating, but what does it mean, you may ask? Well, it repels water droplets from the surface of your lens so that you can have a clear, unobstructed view of your scene. Believe it or not, nothing is worse than discovering that your fantastic video clip is entirely ruined by a single drop of water in the center of your frame.
HDR Video in 5.3k and 4k
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. This feature is handy when you have many harsh shadows and strong highlights in the scene. Every camera tries to expose the scene to the best possibilities, and most of the time, it works well.
However, when you point the camera partly at the bright sky and dark shadows, the camera gets confused and doesn’t know how to expose it correctly, resulting in either overexposed or underexposed scenes. That is where HDR video comes into play, so what it does is tell the camera to make three different exposures of your scene.
It exposes for the scene, then for the sky, and once again for, the shadows, blending it all.
This way you won’t have an overexposed white sky where you can’t see the clouds etc. This setting may be helpful when you record inside your car or ride an MTB bicycle in a forest or any other dark environment. I am going to do some comparison side-by-side shots against Hero 11 soon.
GP-Log color profile – for advanced color correction and LUTs
HERO12 Black supports Log Encoding with GP-Log, a Rec. 709 color profile that should rather be used by people who are already experienced when it comes to editing their videos and color correcting them in 3 rd party software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve or Final Cut Proetc. That being said if you don’t intend to personally adjust the colors, contrast, and saturation of your videos then you shouldn’t use that setting in the first place as it’s aimed for pro summers only.
GP-Log Encoding is a color profile that retains more dynamic range than any other GoPro color profile. This is especially helpful when the scene is very bright and the subject could be overexposed or oversaturated. What GP-Log does is record a “washed-out” video that retains all the details in the brightest and darkest parts of the scene. Typically these details could be easily lost when using a standard GoPro Colour and it would be impossible to fix it while editing so GP-Log gives great flexibility in post-production. If you prefer to instantly use your footage as it is then this setting is not recommended and requires extra work.
New TimeCode Sync
If you ever happen to have multiple GoPro Hero 12 Blacks lying around, then it is possible to use a precise TimeCode synchronization in some editing software such as Premiere Pro. Thanks to that, it is easy to sync up multiple cameras at once, showing what each camera was recording at a specific time from a different angle.
Once again, this feature is mainly focused on a professional market and won’t be helpful for an average consumer. I think the next time you see some Moto sports or any other TV show where GoPro might be involved; then they are probably going to use that feature.
Bluetooth Audio Support
You can also use GoPro Hero 12 Black to wirelessly connect to a microphone/headphones such as Apple Air pods or other Bluetooth Devices that support standard Bluetooth protocol, Hands-Free Profile v1.8 (HFP), and Headset profile v1.2 (HSP). In other words, you can record your voice with your headset and send the audio to your camera even if you are 10 meters away. It doesn’t sound as good as a dedicated microphone, but it still might come in handy. Let’s say you are driving a car and plan to record yourself from the outside; then, you can still vlog and tell a story. GoPro 12 records two separate audio tracks, one from the camera and the other from the headset, and you can decide for yourself which
one sounds better.
Alternatively, it is now easier to control your camera with Voice commands such as “GoPro Take a Photo” or „GoPro Start Recording.” In the past, it used to be that the camera couldn’t hear the voice command due to the wind, distance, or quiet voice, and you had to yell at the camera to be heard. Since you speak to a headset, then it is just so much easier to do.
Yet, you are serious about vlogging with your camera. In that case, I am still going to recommend a more professional approach where, unfortunately, you will have to spend some extra money on it. For the best audio possible, you are still going to need to invest in a GoPro Media Mod and external Microphone, but it is going to give you the best results.
Integrated ¼ 20 Mounting
Perhaps it doesn’t sound like much, but GoPro 12 has finally got a built-in ¼ “ Tripod thread, and we have all been waiting for it for a couple of years now. GoPro has finally listened. The new mounting system lets you mount your camera on all of your regular GoPro mounts just like before, thanks to the mounting fingers, but when you fold it back, you can use the ¼ inch thread to mount it on a tripod head.
According to GoPro’s official website, this accessory is only compatible with GoPro 12, but since it has the same body design, it’s compatible with all the previous models as well. So, if you have GoPro 9, 10, 11, or even GoPro MAX, then this accessory can make your camera a bit more versatile. It’s priced at around 20 $, but if you are a GoPro subscriber, you can purchase it for half the price on the official GoPro website.
GoPro Hero 12 Black – Is it worth it?
The reason why I started this article with disappointment is that, for someone like me who tests a new GoPro camera every year, the GoPro 12 is just a minor improvement over the GoPro Hero 11 Black. Honestly, I find it quite hard to think of the new features or what’s unique about the camera cause, in reality, it’s so marginal that I could say it’s almost Hero 11 Black with a newer software update. I am pretty sure that if only GoPro wanted, they could implement all of those new features to their GoPro 11 Black cameras, but this is business, and they need to make money. Of course, they won’t. Of course, GoPro Hero 12 Black is capable of all the other features introduced with previous cameras, such as Timewarp, Horizon Lock, Autoboost, and so much more. I just wanted to focus entirely on what’s new about Hero 12, and as I said, not really that much.
Suppose you have a GoPro Hero 11 Black and are thinking about upgrading. Perhaps you shouldn’t do that. You would be better off waiting for a new model. However, if you have a GoPro 9 or even 10, you will feel the difference, as Hero 11 Black was already a huge step forward. Currently, I feel like GoPro has reached the limit of what it can do with the GP2 Processor and its current sensor. If they want more significant improvement, they would have to make some hardware changes. You may make the camera bigger to accommodate a 1-inch sensor, etc.
If you are interested in ordering GoPro Hero 12 Black and would love to support my work, here is an Amazon affiliate link; this way, I will have a small commission.
Pros:
- HDR Video for difficult lighting scenes
- GP-Log for severe color correction
- Improved Battery performance
- Integrated ¼ inch thread
- Vertical 9:16 Aspect Ratio
- Compatible with GoPro 9/10/11 accessories
Cons:
- Not much of an improvement over the GoPro 11
- Still 5.3k 60 fps, 4k 120
- The same 1/1.9” CMOS image sensor
- No GPS
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