GoPro - HERO13 Black

Go for the 12 Black from the Hero 4. It’s got way better stabilization, longer battery life, and sharper video. If you’re comparing, the 12 is more battery-efficient and handles bright lighting better, which is great for both water and stainless steel surfaces compared to the 11. Yeah, the Hero 13 has slightly better low-light performance, but unless he’s filming at night, it’s not really worth the extra cost really. If you’re getting two GoPros, I’d go for two Hero 12s to keep the video quality consistent. One can be overhead for cooking and the other gets close-ups? or for fishing, one can be chest-mounted while the other is set up for wide shots. [10 Best Action Cameras to Invest in 2025: Full Guide and Review](https://alaskanarrows.com/10-best-action-cameras-to-invest-in-2025/) would be useful too. But if you want a more budget-friendly option, a Hero 12 + Hero 11 Mini is a good combo—same great video, but the Mini is lighter and easier to mount so he can be creative with it ya know . For accessories, is he editing on his phone or laptop? That might affect which accessories are worth grabbing too but a suction cup or magnet mount for kitchen shots, and a Floaty Case or Waterproof Dome for underwater footage. Tldr: 12 black is the best, get two of them and a floaty case plus suction cup as accessories

I don’t necessarily agree that the latest one would be the best because though the 13 Black is the newest “best” model its upgrades over the 12 and 11 are minimal i.e. slight improvements in HDR/color and uses the same Enduro battery which is already in the 11 and 12. So the best would be to get the 11 Black. But if your budget is still too tight for that you can go for a more compact Hero 11 Mini that keeps the performance up but without the screens. If you’re looking for more then you can try [10 Best Action Cameras to Invest in 2025: Full Guide](https://alaskanarrows.com/10-best-action-cameras-to-invest-in-2025/) Cheers and sorry for the long long reply!

Googling and surfing Reddit for reviews, seeing so much hate and under-appreciation I've decided to expand a little on my personal experience of what is essentially a great action cam with a simplified use and form factor... Bought the Hero 4K this month mainly for a MTB enduro event, mounting it to my Giro Fixture helmet on the front under the visor (not on the visor itself as its wobbly). Remember this mounting method as it'll make sense further down the review For what it's worth, when clips are ported directly from SD to your PC, the footage is entirely usable. It behaves exactly how a non-stabalized action camera would - bit shaky, standard field of view, nothing noteworthy or exemplary. The Gopro Quik app and its accompaning auto stabilization feature is absolute joke though. I would say it is akin to the early 2010s Youtube stabilization feature, which makes any clip that isn't a walking vlog unusable. I could try to stabilize clips on the PC using aftermarket software but I can't be bothered - like the cam purpose, the user wouldn't want to go the extra mile. The FOV is more than usable, the mild shakiness is tolerable and has a nice 2017 (start of mtb vlog era) to it which I don't mind at all, especially since I only use helmet cam and not chesty. If you look at Jack Moir on the big Y-tube, he has some new videos using this Hero 4K and even at warp speed, its usable footage. For the size, weight, simplicity and overall value the Hero 4K can't be beat. I was considering the Dji Osmo 3 and Insta360 Go3 but both cost at least 2x the price of this and were also 2x the weight and bulk. If you're not using a chesty, and only helmet mounted, you'd find this a strap on and go mini cam that serves its own niche pretty well.

Additional note 1: Gopro 2024 4K doesn't support bluetooth external mic but I found that the inbuilt mic combined with a dead cat muff is more than sufficient. Again, nothing magical but totally usable and not garbage. Additional note 2: At the battery saver 1080p setting this camera will last a respectable 12-20 hours if you use the quick capture (record from power-off) feature and record short, 1 to 3 minute snippets - like most of us do out on the trail. Under warm trail conditions* 30 deg C. Additional note 3: The touchscreen on this Hero 4K is much more sensitive and usable compared to the flagship Hero cameras. Don't know why, but its close to Dji's level of usability. Additional note 3.5: This review is educational, and it is essentially a comparision to other action cams with similar form factor and purpose - e.g Go3 (bulky), Osmo 2 (outdated hardware), 11 Mini (not reliable), Session 5 (old), all of which have their major pros and cons.

I have the 13 black and i don't think i need anything else for now. It has mostly all i need. But in terms of complaining, damn that app has bugs and laggs a lot. They really need to start improving it to make it more stable.

Because they're like the Apple of action cameras. They make amazing products and then just have weird flaws and people are either used to them or despise them. For example, the cameras overheat badly. Look at the bones, that thing gets maybe 5 minutes of stationary runtime and disassembling it to put it in a better case is nearly impossible to do without destroying it. Many people also just prefer how other cams look. I think the osmo Action 5 does better in darkness, for example. All this to say I do use a 13 and I'm going to buy a media mod for it because I like the camera and the subscription is decently cheap to act effectively as a log of all of my bike rides ever. $50/yr to stick a terrabyte of 4k LOG into the cloud every month is worth it.

One big complaint here (been using GoPro13 for about 7 months now)... It overheats so, so easily. :(

I just had to buy a new GoPro 13 just because my GoPro 9 died off for no reason, red light of death. It won’t charge and turn on, it happens for sudden. Now I realize that Insta360 X5 could do much more angles so I gave GoPro away and try Insta360 for a first time

Hi, I’d be happy to help. I have the entire action range and GoPro 13 etc. Couple tweaks for the action 4 is always film in 4:3, not 16:9, also set your white balance manually, if sunny use 5600k. I’ll post some videos of my action 4 and can totally help with any setting suggestions if you like my footage. Additionally I have the action 5 and GoPro 13 if you either return exchange I can still help. [DJI action 4 manual settings video test](https://youtu.be/b5FI-nYrAvQ?feature=shared) [same roads, DJI action 5 test](https://youtu.be/WH3UN2RFo7s?feature=shared) [GoPro 13 black in 5.3k](https://youtu.be/v5zUyY4Efeg?feature=shared)

Hi friend. I motovlog with my motorcycles so very similar. I’ll share my experiences. 1. Honestly super easy, I use a 512 gig card and two batteries, the card is good for about 9 hours, the two batteries about 3 hours. For extended run times I simply remove the battery and use a power bank in my pocket / Velcro on the bike with a usb c cable. To edit you’ll use da Vinci resolve free, on pc, and Quik on your phone. 2. No, you can make a reel in about 2 minutes with Quik. I first make the video in da Vinci resolve, then I make a reel after for YouTube shorts in Quik. 3. The recommended mount is a PGY tech super clamp mount. This will go on your handlebars front or rear pov or your seat for rear facing. 4. For camera, get the GoPro 13 bundle at Costco. Here’s what my videos look like, think similar for you mine just has an engine (ha). Quik camera settings. You’ll do 4k 30fps superview, iso 100-800, exposure -0.5. [my motovlog channel - GoPro 13 Vespa demoing these settings ](https://youtu.be/ialAD5lKksA?feature=shared) Reach out here or on YouTube anytime I’ll answer super quick, I leave my phone on by my desk. My longest recorded bike ride was over 4 hours, camera plugged into power bank, no issues. My final tidbit, someone mentioned the insta 360 x4. I own this camera also and I do not recommend it for your use case. It’s great for like 30 second to 2 minute videos but editing beyond that is an absolute nightmare. A 256 gb card gets 2.3 hours of recording time, so my longest ride would have been about 512 gigs total. To sit down and edit this would be a weekend event(not fun for me). I dislike the reframing versus the GoPro on my helmet and backup camera on my handlebars facing me, but to each their own. I’m not saying don’t get it, I honestly would still need a regular pov action cam in addition to the x4 though. One COOL tidbit about the x4 is simply multi cam mode, it will record like a “picture in picture” of your two views in front of you and behind, though keep in mind this is all at lower quality than either a GoPro 13 or a DJI action 5, as the insta 360 has only a half inch sensor. If you use it beyond sunny days the quality drops dramatically Here’s an example of my insta 369 using multi cam mode, notice the quality is much less than even a GoPro 10. [insta 360 x4 bike Picture in Picture multi cam mode](https://youtu.be/PDqeC795ONY?feature=shared)

I like my GoPro 13, my GoPro 10 broke and they replaced it with a 13 through my subscription. Only issue is the replacement took an actual month, a MONTH, and countless emails between support, honestly about 24 emails. As a direct comparison, my DJI drone broke and DJI replaced it via NEXT DAY AIR, after 2 emails. I literally had a claim submitted the night before and got my replacement the next afternoon. I have tracking numbers for both as proof. 30 days versus 1 day replacement times.

I own a insta 360 x5 and the quality honestly isn’t the same as my GoPro 13. The insta 360 uses 8 bit color, 30fps max. GoPro uses 10bit color at 60. The GoPro has much better color science right out of the box.

What do you have currently ? I can provide settings. 4k 30 Ev -.5 exposure Sharpness low Denoise high ISO 100-1600 night Idk 100-800 day Shutter auto [motorcycle at night GoPro 13 example settings](https://youtu.be/hlWSRe3uBsQ?feature=shared)

Hi op, one issue is you’ll now no longer be waterproof. I use the DJI mic 2 internal recording inside my helmet to a GoPro 13. You can check the sound here. [action camera with DJI mic2 inside helmet no wires retains waterproofing](https://youtu.be/y7ENSoDiaUg?feature=shared) Use the mini as the second camera, the 11 black as your main. I have a 13 as main and either an action 4 or insta 360 as handlebar.

I honestly regret buying a GoPro. I can't believe I've wasted so much money on it. It can't even record something for more than 10 minutes about turning off before it gets too hot. Also, I can't upload anything without it turning off after 5 minutes because it once again gets too hot. Let alone how many steps it takes for the auto upload to take place anyway, it's just ridiculous. I film bartending videos in an air-conditioned room, so it's got nothing to do with me being outside in the sun. It should be the most simplest thing to record ever; however, the GoPro just can't hack it. I bought it brand-new GoPro 13 in January and the support I'm getting from the company is absolutely trash...

I purchased a GoPro Hero13 Black simply because of the extensive support and accessory ecosystem which exists for the GoPro. I have mine in a 200m Isotta housing with the Isotta lens adapter and an AOI UWL-03 Pro wet lens for wide angle video. Isotta float arms / tubes, and a pair of Backscatter MW-4300 lights. Also have the Backscatter Sharp Wide Lens Pro which can accept Backscatter's color filters for compact / shallow use, though I mostly use it with the lights and deeper rated lens. I'm not a particularly skilled video editor, but I can usually correct color problems in post.

I always shoot at 60fps on a HERO13 and never have an issue, unless the camera is stationary and doesn't have good airflow. In that case I'll ensure it has shade, and will remove the battery door to allow heat dissipation. Any waterproof device overheats easily. iPhones, Android phones, any action camera. You just have to use logic and ensure adequate ventilation.

I’ve seen the difference. Over-saturated, over-sharpened, over-processed. No thanks