GoPro Hero 13 Black Hands On: The Most Versatile Action Cam Yet, But It Comes at a Cost

Magnets . Of course , it would be magnets . GoPro has a new action cam , theHero 13 Black , and on its face , it looks a hellhole of a lot like last year’sHero 12 Black . However , the new charismatic mounting system is one of the most significant change to the ironware in eld . There areeven more attracter in the raw “ Contacto ” charging door that will earmark uninterrupted index , even underwater .

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While not magnetic , the company ’s full - slate first - political party lenses extend unequalled camera effect that greatly expound versatility . Unfortunately , each ADHD - on is separate , cost the already expensive $ 400 activity River Cam even more . You do n’t get any of the raw magnetic latch in the boxwood . Instead , each costs $ 25 , with a separate clod joining mount ask for $ 40 . That Contacto outfit hold out for $ 80 separately . Want a new lens ? You ’ll necessitate to pass between $ 70 and $ 130 individually .

The GoPro Hero 13 Black comes with a whole slate of new accessories, all of which will cost a pretty penny.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black comes with a whole slate of new accessories, all of which will cost a pretty penny.Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo

GoPro Hero 13 Black Should Now Shoot For Longer with Even More Slo-Mo

If price is n’t a care , the new Hero 13 Blackis still a step up from the previous contemporaries . The fresh GoPro has a 10 % large stamp battery at 1900mAh than the Hero 12 . The fellowship promises you could get over 2.5 hours of shooting at 1080p or 90 minutes of 4 1000 at 30FPS . It should also be better for more extreme temperatures , but GoPro also says you ’ll see the most drastic advance when shooting at the eminent 10 - bit mode than the stock 8 - bit .

The new GoPro has new sensor capableness but is not as flashy as the extra accessories . It can still captivate 5.3 K at 60 FPS and 4 one thousand at 120 FPS . It keep the vertical shooting from the Hero 12 , but now it supports burst slo - mo up to 5.3 K at 120 FPS and 900P at 360 FPS . The self-aggrandizing new addition to optical quality is support for HLG HDR with its 10 - bit recording and wider color gamut . For longtime GoPro drug user who objurgate the loss of GPS tracking , it ’s back now . Users can supply GPS information as bugs on their videos through the Quik app .

The company has made a few touch to the software , but this year ’s mainline GoPro is easily the most versatile it ’s ever been . The magnetic mounts attach to the folded annex of the GoPro ’s underbelly . To put it flat out , they ’re so damn handy ; I never require to screw in another mount again . GoPro invited me out for more than two hours on the back of a speeding jet ski . The television camera never even rattle from its riding horse on my chest . One repp severalise Gizmodo he make it out for skydiving , and the camera never threatened to detach . We ’ll see for ourselves how stable it is , but it makes a good first impression .

Gopro Hero 13 Black 2

Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo

The New GoPro Lenses Will Impact How, Where, and Why You Shoot

The $ 100 Ultra Wide Lens Mod is the same as last twelvemonth ’s Max Lens Mod , though the good news is the older lens is still compatible with the 13 . What you wo n’t get is the Modern auto - detect feature article that automatically change context when you put on a raw lens . It does n’t sound like a big deal , but not have to pitch through setting is extremely ready to hand when you ’re out and about .

I also used the $ 130 Macro Lens Mod and some of the New ND Filters , which admit four of various neutral concentration types between ND4 and ND32 for $ 70 . Macro does make a difference when you snaffle shot up close with its variable nidus . It seem best at about a hand ’s breadth from the camera , even with the add optical aberration at the border . The ND filter — used for adding a subtle signified of speed to shots — fuse with auto - detect is specially interesting . The television camera will suggest to exploiter if they should go up or down a filter found on their light level .

The one missing piece of the teaser is the Anamorphic genus Lens . That huge , bulging add - on with accompaniment for widescreen video , as if to turn your action camera into a movie tv camera . That ’s not available yet , and we wo n’t see it until sometime in 2025 . I saw the lens in person , and the image do n’t do justice to how massive it is . I did n’t get to test out its filming capabilities ,

Gopro Hero 13 Black Lenses 1

Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo

The GoPro Hero is a Smaller 13 Black, But Still Shoots 4K

GoPro is facing more rivalry than it has in the past tense from companies like Insta360 . TheInsta360 Go 3Soffers the most pint - sized portable photographic camera that supports 4 K with a obliterable camera pod you may confiscate magnetically with extra mounts . In reception , GoPro breed the new $ 200 Hero camera . It ’s smaller by about 35 % than the Hero 13 Black and weighs 86 Hans C. J. Gram , or a little less than .2 lbf. . It has the common GoPro mount fingers , but it ’s overlook the new charismatic attachment full stop of the Hero 13 .

It ’s best to think of the Hero as the same thing as its more expensive sr. brother but slimmed down . It can fool away 4 K and 12MP photograph , though its slo - mo is limited to 2.7 K at 60 FPS . It has a put forward survivability underwater of up to 16 feet . Its battery lifespan is up to 100 minutes of recording on its high-pitched video mise en scene at way temperature .

I did n’t spend any time shooting with the Hero , and it made me wonder if the minor camera is a simple rethink equate to the Hero 13 Black . Both camera are up for preorder on Wednesday . The Black 13 will start send on Sept. 10 , while the Hero will be around by Sept. 22 . The lenses , save for the anamorphic , will be usable on Sept. 10 .

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