Experience the thrill of capturing life’s adventures like never before with the GoPro Hero 13 Black. While not a radical overhaul of its predecessor, this action camera packs a punch with significant enhancements in lens versatility, mounting ease, and battery life – all crucial elements for seamless content creation. This detailed review delves into the specifics, uncovering whether these improvements are enough to reign supreme in the action camera arena and if it justifies an upgrade for existing Hero 12 Black owners. Let’s dive in and explore the features that make the Hero 13 Black a compelling option for both seasoned adventurers and aspiring filmmakers.
GoPro Hero 13 Black Design: Magnets, Finally!
The GoPro Hero 13 Black boasts dimensions of 71.8 W x 50.8 H x 33.6 D (mm) and weighs a mere 159g, mirroring the dimensions of its Hero 12 Black predecessor. While externally similar at a glance, subtle design changes distinguish the two. The signature blue specks of the Hero 12 are gone, replaced by an all-black aesthetic. A new, heatsink-like design element on the front, below the camera sensor, immediately draws the eye. GoPro clarifies that it’s not actually a heatsink, however. The front and rear display sizes and the placement of the record and mode buttons remain unchanged, as does the battery door.
The most significant design upgrade is undeniably the introduction of magnetic mounting. Located at the base of the camera, alongside the traditional fold-down mounting fingers and ¼-20 mounting threads, this magnetic latch significantly simplifies the process of swapping mounts. In practice, it proved to be more secure and user-friendly than competing solutions. However, the magnetic system’s susceptibility to attracting and retaining sand and other particles presents a minor drawback that requires careful cleaning.
The lens cover mounting system echoes that of the Hero 12 Black, with the addition of helpful blue alignment dots on both the inside of the cover and the camera body, making attachment seamless. Backward compatibility between the Hero 12 and Hero 13 lens covers is maintained, but it’s crucial to note that the new lenses are not backwards compatible with previous models.
GoPro Hero 13 Black Camera, Features, and Performance: Minor Improvements
Beneath the surface, the Hero 13 Black’s core specifications remain largely consistent, maintaining the 27-megapixel sensor and GP2 processor of its predecessor. While this might imply a lack of substantial hardware upgrades, GoPro has skillfully leveraged software advancements to enhance the user experience. New features include an impressive Burst slow-motion video mode, capable of recording at up to 400 fps at 720p and 360 fps at 900p, along with 120 fps at 5.3K.
The addition of HLG HDR video, an improved LOG profile, and enhanced customization options for presets contribute to greater creative control. The refined audio tuning options provide more flexibility in capturing high-quality soundscapes, while the revamped Quick Capture feature streamlines the process of initiating recordings or switching to idle mode in an instant after powering on/off using the Quick Capture function. Furthermore, the Hero 13 Black incorporates Wi-Fi 6.0, promising faster transfer speeds, and makes a welcome return of GPS functionality with overlay support.
In terms of performance, the Hero 13 Black offers minor but noticeable improvements over the Hero 12 Black when using the standard lens and basic settings. While the differences aren’t drastic in standard video/photo mode recording, enhancements in HDR recording are apparent, producing more vibrant and accurate hues. However, the performance limitations in low-light conditions persist. The camera struggles to perform optimally in darker environments, a key area where the competition has made greater strides. Despite these issues, GoPro continues to leverage its impressive HyperSmooth 6.0 stabilization, offering remarkably smooth footage in well-lit scenarios.
The addition of the new 1:1 aspect ratio video recording option presents a notable advantage compared to the previous 8:7 ratio and is available with the use of the Ultra Wide Lens. This functionality simplifies content creation for diverse social media platforms. Daylight video quality maintained its typical top-notch standard resulting in punchy colours. It should however be noted that the heating issue remains largely unchanged, with performance potentially affected by high ambient temperatures. Still photography also remains effective in daylight scenarios.
GoPro Hero 13 Black Lenses: Enhanced Versatility
The introduction of new lens options marks a significant evolution in the GoPro’s capabilities. The available lenses include the Ultra-wide lens, the Macro lens, several ND filters, and an upcoming Anamorphic lens. Offering greater versatility and creative potential than ever before these are a substantial upgrade to the user experience, although costing extra. The lenses feature automatic detection, allowing the Hero 13 Black to optimize settings upon attachment.
The Ultra-wide lens provides a 177-degree field of view, similar to previous Max Mod lenses, but now adds a much requested 1:1 aspect ratio. This is exceptional for action sports settings, although ultra slow motion recording isn’t available with it.
The Macro lens, a game-changer for the GoPro, enables close-up shots previously impossible. The adjustable focus ring and focus peaking features allow for accurate focusing on subjects. Though the minimum focus distance of 11cm isn’t extremely close, it’s an impressive capability for an action camera.
The ND filters (ND4, ND8, ND16, and ND32) provide creative control over exposure and allow for cinematic motion blur. The camera automatically detects which filter is attached leading to optimized settings. Combined, the use of these filters provided more cinematic results.
Finally, the Anamorphic lens, slated for release in 2025, promises a 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio with in-camera de-squeezing, creating breathtaking cinematic footage. This, unfortunately was unavailable to be tested in this review.
GoPro Hero 13 Black Battery Life: Slightly Better
The Hero 13 Black incorporates a new 1,900mAh Enduro battery, resulting in a noticeable, albeit not dramatic, improvement in battery life. The incompatibility of this battery with previous GoPro models represents a downside. While GoPro claims significant gains, real world testing yielded a continuous recording time of approximately 37 minutes at 4K resolution (8:7, 60fps) before overheating caused shutdown while stationary. During active use, such as on a motorcycle ride, the improved airflow extended recording time to approximately 50 minutes.
GoPro Hero 13 Black Verdict
The GoPro Hero 13 Black, while not a revolutionary upgrade for Hero 12 Black owners, introduces considerable versatility through its innovative lens system and improved mounting and battery life. It’s ideally suited for daytime adventures where its exceptional video quality and features shine, providing content creators with superior control. If low-light performance is paramount, more suitable options exist on the market. The lens attachments offer a game-changing boost to functionality, creating a compelling case for this upgrade.
