GoPro remains the world’s most popular action Point-of-View camera brand. But the competition is mounting and the brand needs to consistently innovate to maintain its lead. Recently, it launched a new flagship model, the Hero 13 Black, and a back-to-basics model, the Hero 4K, which is surprisingly well priced. Here’s what our testers think.
We’re a little surprised, but suitably impressed with GoPro’s new model launch frequency. How much more can you add to compact, light, wearable video camera that hasn’t already been added?
Well, the answer to this question can be found in the updated Hero 13 Black, and the new Hero 4K. The former brings new features and improved functionality, while the latter essentially sees GoPro take features away to make it less complicated and more affordable. We’ll discuss each separately because that’s really what they deserve.
GoPro Hero 13 Black
New additions from the GoPro Hero 12 Black include new add-on lenses. They are Ultra-wide, a four-pack of Neutral Density filters, a Macro lens with a manual focus ring and an Anamorphic lens. Also new is a magnetic latch mount and higher-resolution slo-mo capture at up to 400 frames per second! There’s also a bigger battery that can be charged without removing from the camera, increased resolution to 5.3K, improved stabilisation, the reintroduction of the GPS Data overlay and more efficient upload/sharing capability. Note: The lenses and magnetic latch mount need to be purchased separately as well as the battery door that allows for in-camera charging.
We had a GoPro Hero 13 Black for nine days without the new lens add-ons and were able to take it on various rides in the Johannesburg area. We captured footage that ranged from a social women’s ride at Cradle Moon to high-speed, flat-out descending of the Flow Line and Enduro Line at Asidlale. We’ll share that edited content on our video platforms soon.
In the meantime, here are the takeouts from our testers:
- Super high-res video quality and great at stabilsing rough terrain footage. In fact, this is one of the highlights of this model – exceptional image stabilisation and clarity.
- Has screens on front and back of the camera, which really helps with making sure you have everything you want in frame. No reason to not have the camera perfectly positioned now.
- It has three microphones, which produce excellent audio quality.
- You can buy an additional mount that is magnetic, which makes it easier and faster to take the camera off of where you mount it. This allows you to quickly capture something next to or behind you by hand, or easily review your footage from the camera. This was possibly the most exciting feature for us! GoPro doesn’t recommend using this for higher-risk bumpy capture, but we used it on the most gnarly, rocky descents we could find during our test period and found the magnet to be incredibly powerful, with not even a hint of rider anxiety.
- The app has definitely also been improved, making editing and exporting your footage a lot easier.
- You can build your own presets on the app or on the camera and make it fully customised to how you want your footage to look.
- It has three different modes: Video, Slo-mo Video and Photo. But it also has several sub-modes to choose from, depending on what you are shooting, where you are shooting and when you are shooting.
- It’s also super rugged in construction and waterproof up to 10 metres.
- The bigger battery offers longer recording time – up to 2hrs 30 minutes of continuous recording. We never used it for that long, but it did gives us greater peace of mind.
- The lens also has a special hydrophobic layer that repels any water and keeps the footage clear in wet conditions.
Price: R10 999
For full details on the new GoPro Hero 13 Black, click here.
GoPro Hero 4K
Remember when GoPro launched its first POV camera? Well, some of us do and it was a big thing! Of course this was 20 years ago when video technology in a small box was rudimentary. It was an exciting time though – the prospect of being able to capture and share footage of our rides. Of course the editing and sharing was to become the greatest challenge as it was time-consuming and we could only really share it on YouTube.
A generation and a half later, GoPro has returned to basic with the Hero 4K, a simpler, smaller, lighter camera but with all the modern technology to ensure high quality footage. Of course uploading and editing via the app is also immensely faster and sharing on Instagram and Tik Tok offer a far greater audience.
The camera has been stripped down to a basic 4K 30fps with 2x slo-mo capability that can also take 12-megapixel photos. For many, that’s enough.
At 86 grams, it’s even smaller and lighter to the GoPro 11 Mini, which was launched in 2023 but didn’t quite have the success that was expected. We had new GoPro Hero 4K for the same nine-day period as the new Hero 13 Black, which received our priority attention. We would have liked more time with this model, but our testers were able to get a reasonable grasp on it. Here are their key takeouts:
- It’s super small and light and great for helmet mounting. It’s small enough to mount under the peak of a trail-style or full-face helmet.
- You can’t change any settings, so it is very simple and just point and shoot. This is great for someone that’s not tech-savvy or just wants to capture ride footage without any complexity.
- Works very well with the app. The app is called Quick and it allows you to rapidly edit and post a video anywhere (IOS or Android) – essentially eliminating the biggest obstacle in the early days of GoPro’s existence.
- You can’t remove the battery – it’s integrated. This isn’t really an issue, but for our testers it was notable as they have become accustomed to removing GoPro batteries.
- The battery life is really good for how small the battery is (at least 90 minutes of recording time).
- Waterproof up to five metres.
- Stabilisation of the raw footage isn’t fantastic, but this can be adjusted once you run it through the app.
- The replaceable lens also has a special hydrophobic layer that repels any water and keeps the footage clear in wet conditions.
- It has two microphones and delivers good sound.
- It has touchscreen functionality.
Price: R4 999
For full details on the new GoPro Hero 4K, click here.
There’s no doubt that the GoPro Hero 13 Black and the GoPro Hero 4K add value to the GoPro range at either end – Enthusiast or Expert. From a South African perspective, GoPro remains the market leader in the POV camera segment and offers the best range for mountain bikers. Earlier this year the brand changed local-distribution hands from Omnico to Core, which also distributes Apple and DJI.
After having used GoPro cameras consistently over the past two years, we’re impressed with both cameras. We’re hoping that a new generation of GoPro users is enticed by the simpler, cheaper Hero 4K.
Note: Prices shown are accurate in December 2024 and are obviously subject to change.
