GoPro - HERO11 Black

I have a GoPro 9, 10 and two 11’s and had a DJI Action 4 at the end of last kayak fishing season. I don’t care how anyone regards GoPro in relation to DJI or Insta360, I care about my own experience. I chose to stay with GoPro. Edit: I forgot that picked up a GoPro Max on super deep discount at Best Buy after I decided to sell my Action 4 and stay in the GoPro camp.

My 9, 10 & 11 are awfully good to me.

So obviously it's known that GoPro has been regarded as not being as good as DJI or Insta360 these days but as a GoPro user I really can't seem to think of many deal breaking issues. So I'd like to ask people what they think. I don't want people to just say "DJI better" without giving any real reason. What is it exactly that makes GoPro the butt of all jokes in the action camera market? The only complaints I can think of is overheating but what I'd like to say to everyone who has an issue with that is: Professional mirrorless cameras overheat at 4K 120fps in less or equal time to my GoPro Hero 11 Black many professional cameras still don't even offer 4K 120fps. So is this really a valid complaint when you can do so much in such a small form factor? The fact that I can get 30 minutes of 4K 120fps recording out on a sunny day is impressive for a GoPro especially when you take into account that cameras around the £1800 mark can only just about do that.

Maybe the MAX 2 would be a good idea for you, that way you can shoot in all directions just incase you miss anything. If you want a Hero body then go for Hero 12 if it’s significantly cheaper, unless you need gps then go for the Hero 11 or Hero 13 whatever you like. I have the Hero 11, not too much reason to go to the 13 unless you plan on using the lens mods.

Look for a 2nd hand Hero 11 black. That's going to be your best bet. It also has the taller 8:7 sensor, 10 bit color and "in camera" night effects which can look great for motorbike videos. For better picture (HDR) look at the Hero 12 black (however note that the Hero 12 does not have built in GPS).

The GoPro Hero 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are all the same size and use mostly the same accessories (HB series lenses for the Hero 13 are not backwards compatible, nor are the Hero 13 batteries backwards compatible). Dive cases and mounts are all the same. If you have a dive case for a Hero 9 or 10, it will fit the Hero 11, Hero 12 and Hero 13. The Hero 9 and 10 have the same sensor. The Hero 11, 12 and 13 also all have the same sensor which is just a taller version of the sensor used in the Hero 9 and 10. The proper settings will make all the difference when filming in different lighting scenarios. Filming in a flat profile and color grading in post is the best option for Hero 11 and earlier. Filming in GPLog and color grading in post will work best for the Hero 12 and 13. The GoPro Labs firmware has several tweeks (including a DIVE mode) for helping with stabilization underwater as well as color balance for the temp (color) of the water. Your sharpness should also be set to low when recording.

Your older camera uses older batteries which use older chemistry which does not work well in cold weather. Once those batteries get cold, they are incapable of outputting the power required for the operation of your camera (this affects output, not capacity, two very different things). The Hero 9, 10, 11 and 12 all have an Enduro battery option for working in more extreme temps (cold and hot). The Hero 13 has it's own larger Enduro battery as standard. The Max has an Enduro battery option. The Max has it's own larger Enduro battery as standard.

It's not about value, it's about thermal management. You're fishing (sorry to break it to you, but that's not exactly an action scenario as it means standing around for long times doing nothing), so using an action camera that requires proper setup and active airflow to keep it cool is going to be problematic (no problems if you're motorbike racing, sky diving, hitting the ski slopes etc). Here's the main differences between the models The Hero 11 features the 8:7 sensor, 10bit color and "in camera" night effects. It's compatible with the Max Lens Mod for 360 degree horizon levelling in 2.7K. Hypersmooth 5.0 and GPS. The Hero 12 is the same camera physically, but the camera firmware was re-written from the ground up (previous models used ported firmware from earlier models). It adds HDR video, Max Lens mod 2.0 capability (for 360 degree horizon leveling in 4K) Bluetooth audio, It also reduces camera load as the new firmware is far more efficient. It has improved Hypersmooth 6.0, 9:16 shooting mode, interval photo mode and timecode sync. There is no GPS in the Hero 12. The Hero 13 features the same as above but returns the GPS to the camera. The camera itself has been redesigned with an extra heat sink added for better thermal management. It also introduces HLG HDR, New Vocal enhancement mode, Upgraded WiFi 6, Upgraded Bluetooth 5.3, Burst Slow Motion, automatic lens detection and camera setup when using the HB series lenses (ND filters for perfect motion blur everytime, cinematic anamorphic widescreen lens, Wide Angle Lens for 360 horizon lock in 4K). 1:1 shooting ratio when using the wide angle lens, larger longer lasting enduro battery and magnetic mount capability. I'd honestly go with the 13, it's going to give you far more filming options with better thermal management. The ability to quickly and easily swap the camera between mounts is also a huge advantage when it comes to filming.

The best GoPro you can afford. I would aim for the Hero 11 or later as that has the same 8:7 framing options (great for pov) and the "in camera" night effects as well as 10 bit color.

Just use the Hero 11 or later. Set up properly, I've filmed for around 7 hrs in 5.3k 30FPS (using a waterproof extended battery pack) with the Hero 13.

Get the newest GoPro you can afford (I wouldn't go earlier than the GoPro Hero 11). Since you'll be on a jet ski, get a waterproof case for your GoPro. They may be waterproof up to 33ft but take into account the force of the water hitting the camera if you come off said jet ski. That may exceed the pressure rating for the camera. So yeah, protect your camera with a waterproof case.

Don't get a Hero 9, it was GoPro's worst camera and suffers from audio issues and reliability issues. Too long to get into at this point, but it forced GoPro to redo their entire support site due to the amount of complaints about the Hero 9 that were received. Go for the GoPro Hero 11 if you're looking for a 2nd hand camera, it has the newer GP2 processor, the taller 8:7 sensor and "in camera" night effects. The Hero 12 supports HDR video modes, bluetooth audio. However the Hero 13 is better as it's a camera redesign with upgraded thermal dissaption, a larger longer lasting battery, automatic lens detection and camera setup (when using the HB series lenses), Burst slow motion up to 400FPS, upgraded Bluetooth 5.3, Upgraded WiFi 6 and is compatible with the Anamorphic Widescreen Lens and up close Macro Lens.

For what it's worth, there's lots of people out there who buy action cameras with no idea what SD card to use, how to look after an SD card to prevent corruption and then go and blame the camera. The Hero 11 was a far better selling camera than the Hero 9 due to performance increases as well as the socio-economic climate at the time. To say the Hero 11 is more problematic than the Hero 9 is just an outright fallacy. GoPro had to REDESIGN their support forum to hide the amount of issues with the Hero 9. That's how bad the Hero 9 was. The Hero 10 was a "fixed" Hero 9 with a faster processor and resolution bump. The Hero 11 was built on the solid foundation of the Hero 10 and improved upon it with the taller sensor, in camera "night" effects. People who know anything about GoPro's know the Hero 11 is a far better camera than the Hero 9. People claiming the Hero 11 is worse than a Hero 9 are people who have completely failed to do any valid research.

Get the Hero 11. It's got the taller 8:7 sensor, 10 bit color and "in camera" night effects which will elevate your filming game. The taller sensor is better for reframing shots in post without having to worry about "cutting off" important footage.

the barely any improvement, the chipset is still the same since the 10, no more session, the bones was US only, customer service is not what he used to be, bitrate is meh, you need to "hack it" to unlock some feature, but the worst is that they still overheat a lot, and it kill the battery dji is far from perfect, they overheat too, but less, they have way better battery (not in autonomy, but with gopro you never know how long the battery will last) and customer service is better as for insta, I couldn't say, they doesn't look that great on paper mirrorless are better in almost everyway, but I wont use one where it may fell, take dust/water etc, the gopro or osmo/action are light and can take a beating.

Definitely the GoPro Hero 11

If you only asked a couple days ago walmart had a deal on the HERO 11 for $222 That was a great price even better than Amazon Renewed.

If you like doing advanced stuff or play around with that -maybe a little nerd- GoPro is the way to go. I have a Hero11 Black and I am just a hobbyst once you learn to use Gyroflow (free tool) , you will never record a video using hyper smooth again lol.. I always rec 4k 8:7 and I love it. You can then: stabilize, 16:9 or 9:16 , use or not GoPro reframe plugin to get superview or hyper view, make it dynamic. And if you do some python thing or ask IA to get it done, you can get interesting scripts for: overlays, frame by frame analysis, denoise, etc. , in a batch script. I also love qr scripts with labs fw. And night recording gets really improved with them (disable NR and post process it, and do so with color grading). You also have log recording , wide gamut and few other settings. RAW audio was useful once: if you go shooting guns or something were sound is not as common as someone talking etc. But I needed it using an old hero5 black. Idk how does Hero11 behave in that situation. Using a windslayer improves sound in a windy environment or speedy activity like biking etc. The cons are there: overheat, maybe low battery duration when recording 4k (around 30 to 40 mins) , and sometimes buggy , specially when it gets hot. All of this has its workaround. Why is GoPro doing wrong? Because market says so. If you want a camera for Instagram, the DJI or insta360 got better. And that what majority people want. Quality video and custom settings are far superior in a GoPro, even as a hobbyst, in my opinion. That's why I still choose it.

I have the hero 11 black, but I usually shoot with normal settings. Have you attached a lens filter or is it some settings that you tweaked to make it look the way it does ? Or am I a noob & this is just some edit post production ?

MTP is completely garbage and has always been complete garbage, it's also 21 years old now. Go Pro just doesn't give a single flying fuck about the comfort of their customers because back when they started they where the only ones offering that video quality, so customers to just sucked up the bullshit. But now there are like 6 more companies that offer that quality so customers don't have to take Go Pro their bullshit anymore. Want to hear even more bullshit? I got a Hero 11 black and if you connect that over a usb cable to your computer and keep the battery in during file transfer it will drain the FUCKING battery, and if it goes dead your file transfer will fail even though it perfectly works without a battery because ONLY then it decided to get power over usb. Plus if you keep the battery in, high chance it will overheat and you still have a failed transfer. You know why it overheats? Cause it can take 3 hours to do the file copy since that garbage MTP copies at like 900 kb/s or. You know how I get my stuff of my Go Pro's? I take the sd card out and slam it in to one of my DJI drones, then connect those to my PC. Fuck go pro. Such a bullshit arrogant American brand that should just die already.

I film and make hiking videos and have a ton of cameras. I do not like iPhone footage. Looks too sharpened and saturated to me. I used a GoPro for years. My current one is a GoPro Hero 11 Black and I absolutely love it. The 9 & 10 were buggy. The 8 was solid but the 11 is so much better. The 12 and 13 don’t have enough upgrades to justify. For better footage, set the field of view to linear. Gets rid of the fisheye look. Set sharpness and saturation each to -2. Set color profile to natural. Get smooth, steady shots and don’t swing it around like crazy. It’s a great starting point. Once you get the settings dialed in, you just need to press record for 99% of shots. So it’s easy to use. It’s durable and waterproof and small also. I don’t mount it to anything (unless I’m climbing or rappelling). I got a cheap tripod/extension handle off Amazon and just carry it. You won’t want all your footage to just be a straight ahead shot anyway. I just bought an action 4 but the verdict’s still out on that. If I were to recommend one camera it would be the DJI osmo pocket 3. I absolutely love it. But it’s pricey and if you’re starting out the GoPro will do good enough.

It….depends. I make outdoor videos and here are the cameras I use; iPhone. Yeah. An iPhone. It’s always on you. It has zoom, macro and does decently at night. Stabilization isn’t that bad either. You can even install apps that give you full manual control of the camera if you really want to geek out. Plus you probably already have one, and if so, it’s money already spent. This is basically the best camera for most beginners out there. No investment and it’ll get a picture that’s probably more than you need starting out. The real tricky part gets into making videos out of clips. You need an editing program and to learn how to edit. Start taking shots and playing with editing and see if you like it. Then get a camera if you do. GoPro - I have had most from the 5 to the 11. I’m a big fan of the 11. Depending on the model, you can get a great camera or a glitchy mess (the 9, for instance had an electronic pop sound that ruined audio). Small, rugged, waterproof. You have to play with some settings to get a really good picture, but once you get it dialed in it’s basically one button press to record and a second to stop recording and that’s about it. It’s also great in full sun/harsh lighting that you’ll often encounter outdoors. Also has great stabilization. Minuses are low light. The sensor is really small so it starts falling apart when it starts getting dark. (Surprisingly, I find the phone works better in low light that almost all my cameras. It does it digitally, but it does it pretty well. So I just switch over to phone when the sun goes down.). Poor battery life, so you have to take spares. DJI Osmo pocket 3 - get a full frame quality image in an action camera sized package. This is my go to camera. Great stabilization (although it’s a gimbal so it takes some getting used to). Since it’s mechanical stabilization, it works even in low light. Larger sensor than an action camera so better low light performance. It even provides some bokeh/depth of field. It’s great in low light and full sun. Cons - it’s not waterproof and it’s somewhat fragile. To get a good image I’ve had it tweak a ton of settings and I shoot in D log then use a recovery lut to restore color and provide better dynamic range. So it’s not as user friendly as an action camera. DJI action 5 pro - waterproof, great battery life, better low light than full sun. Good stabilization. Cons - I can only get a good image out of this using D log and in overcast or shaded light. In full sun it just looks super soft and…almost faded. And the white balance always seems off whether I use auto or manual. People swear by the Action series, but man, I can’t get it to work for me. Insta360 x4 - great if you want a super sharp, super saturated, blown out highlight warpy image with a shitty stitch seam right in the best spot. I hate 360 cameras. Maybe they’re great if you’re doing a Red Bull commercial, but I can’t find a use for mine. Full frame camera - this is the cream of the crop. Great image, good low light, decent stabilization depending on what you use. I have a Canon EOSR with a 35mm f1.8. I get star lapses and eye melting macros with it. However, the stabilization isn’t great and it’s not good in full sun, so I use it as a b cam. Cons - expensive as hell. Fragile. Not waterproof. Not good for full sun exposure. Probably not a good camera to start. I’d recommend starting with your phone. Learn composition, lighting and all the other basics of videography. Try your hand at editing. I love it. Lots of people do. Lots of people absolutely hate it. If you enjoy it, I’d look into a GoPro if you do more action-y stuff and/or are not too serious about it. If you absolutely love it and want to dive in go for the osmo pocket 3 (or 4 if it comes out soon.)

I have used GoPros for a while now. They’re great, inexpensive, rugged cameras that produce a good image. Depending on the model, you might have glitches (like the audio popping in the 9) or it could be a workhorse (like my 11). The 11 is my favorite but the 12 and 13 don’t have enough upgrades for me to change, so I can’t comment but I’ve heard good things about them. GoPros especially excel in harsh lighting conditions. Low light, not so much. I have a pocket 3 and absolutely love it but it’s more fragile. And not waterproof. To get a good image you have to use Dlog and a recovery lut, but it looks great. The GoPro looks pretty good right out of the camera. I have an action 5 pro and haven’t been very happy with it. It works much better than the GoPro in lower light, but not as good as the GoPro in full sun. The white balance looked off (in auto or manual) and the image just lacked detail. I just learned that I didn’t have it in high bitrate though. I’m testing that out now and it seems to have addressed the issue. I also shoot it in Dlog and apply the DJI rec709 recovery lut. The battery life is much better than then GoPro. So really, you’d probably be fine with the action or the GoPro. One thing on the action 6; it has a larger sensor than the 5 but it’s just taller so you can shoot vertical and horizontal at the same time. So if you’re just shooting vertical, I don’t think it’s much of an upgrade from the 5 pro. I’ve also seen a few people saying they actually preferred the image of the action 4. So you might not have to get the latest action and could still get a great image while saving some cash. That said, they did just release some new firmware upgrades to the 6 like 8k recording. I wonder if they didn’t rush it because of the US ban on DJI. It might continue to get uogradess

I have an 8, 9 and 11. I would dump the 8 for $50. Non replaceable lens and 2019 batteries. How do I get this deal?

I'm on the odd number after the 8. I think early next year but I haven't seen an exact date. I got the 11 for $99 at Costco after the 13 came out.