The Top 5 GoPro Hero Cameras Compared

GoPros to Avoid

GoPro doesn't sell anything older than the Hero 12, but there are plenty of Hero 11s and even Hero 10s out there for sale on the internet. We suggest avoiding them. They may work fine, but modern accessories designed for later models won't work, and these cameras have likely been through the wringer. (They are action cameras, after all.)

The Best GoPro Accessories

Should you buy a bundle? Generally, I say no. Get the camera, figure it out, and see how you end up using it. When you find yourself trying to solve a problem, start looking for an accessory. Here are some of my favorite things that I've tested and used, but if you have favorites you think I should try, drop a comment below.

A Good MicroSD card for $50: According to GoPro's recommendations, you want a microSD card with a V30 or UHS-3 rating. That said, GoPros can be finicky about SD cards. I've had good luck with, and recommend, the Samsung linked here. Another card I've used extensively is the Sandisk Extreme Pro.

GoPro Media Mod for $100: By far my most-used accessory, the media mod does add some bulk, but in most cases this is more than made up for by the fact that you can plug in a real microphone (I use mine with a Rode Wireless). Sound quality is radically improved with this one. This may be less necessary if you get the Hero 12 or later, since those models do have support for Bluetooth mics.

GoPro Handlebar Mount for $40: I've been doing a lot more riding lately, and this mount pretty much lives on my bike these days. It's been rock solid in my testing, and beats any of the third-party mounts I've tested.

GoPro Tripod Mount Adapters for $30: Unless you have the Hero 12 or 13, which have a tripod mount built-in, you'll need a few of these to mount your GoPro to a tripod like the GorillaPod.

GoPro Floaty for $35: If you're getting anywhere near the water, grab one of these. Trust me, you will drop your GoPro, and when you do, you will glad you have this (unless the water is clear and you're a good free diver). GoPro also makes a Floating Hand Grip ($23), which not only floats but has a leash for diving or surfing.

GoPro Selfie Stick for $80: This 48-inch extension pole collapses up surprisingly small and isn't very heavy. It's the best selfie stick I've used. I rarely use it for selfies, but it makes a great monopod on soft ground, like a sandy beach.

DaVinci Resolve Studio for $300: This is my video editing software of choice. There is a free version, but I got tired of converting media to fit the restrictions of the free version. Best money I ever spent when it comes to making better videos.

Do More With Your GoPro

So you bought a GoPro, now what? Well aside from reading the manual and learning how to control it, the best thing to do is get out there and experiment. Here are a few suggestions and things I use my GoPro for regularly.

GoPro Labs: GoPro Labs is an alternative firmware for your GoPro Hero camera that enables all sort of features and experiments that allow you to do things you can't do with the stock firmware. There is some risk of instability and bugs, but I've been using the Labs firmware for five years now and never had an issue. It's like adding 10 new features to your GoPro for free. I'll reference several of my favorites in the sections below, but you can see the full list of things you can do with GoPro Labs on the GoPro Labs website.

TimeLapse Videos: After mounting the GoPro on my bike, this is my most used feature. GoPro's time lapse is incredibly easy to use (compared to most mirrorless cameras anyway) and with the Labs firmware you can do really long timelapse shots, over 24 hours if you have a battery pack to help power it.

Raise the Bitrate: By default the Hero 13 Black does not record at the highest bitrate. This is likely the reason your video looks mushy and not as clear and sharp as it should. Change that by going to the ProTune settings and pick "high" for the bitrate. If you want to go crazy you can use Labs to raise your bitrate all the way the 200 (the “high" setting in the stock firmware is 100). The caveat is that depending on your SD card, you may not be able to record that high. But every bit helps. The trade off is that cranking up the bitrate does chew through battery and can also lead to overheating, so if you're shooting in very warm conditions, you might want to dial this down. Some footage is better than no footage because you overheated and the camera shut off.

Learn Manual Exposure: The Hero 13 Black gives you full control over exposure, so take advantage of it. Play with the exposure compensation especially (called EV Comp in the settings). Try dialing it down to -1 for midday shots. Also play with max ISO. The lower you can keep this, the better your footage will look, though because the GoPro kinda sucks in low light, there are some limits here.

Improve Sound with the Media Mod: It bears repeating, but the Media Mod is the best way to get good sound out of the GoPro without investing in Bluetooth mics (which is impractical in many mounting scenarios anyway). The only time the media mod leaves my GoPro is when I'm in the water (sadly, the Hero with the media mod installed is not at all waterproof).

Is Now a Good Time to Buy?

Earlier this week, GoPro announced its new Mission 1 cameras, which offer cinema-ready features in an action camera form. The Mission 1 cameras have a new image processor, the GP3. The last time GoPro updated its processor was in 2021 with the release of the Hero 10 with used the GP2.

The GP3 is a 5-nanometer system on a chip (SoC), which matches what we saw in Insta360 and DJI's action cameras released late last year. More interesting is the claim that the GP3 will have "more than 2X the pixel processing power," which would be what you want to handle 8K (or higher) footage. The Hero 13 Black is limited to 5.3K video.

The Mission 1 cameras will have better low-light performance, which GoPro has sucked at in the past, while retaining the small camera form factor. However, it's worth noting here that GoPro has yet to mention the price and the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro aren't available for preorder until May 21. The Mission 1 Pro ILS, along with some of the bundles, will not arrive until later this year (GoPro says Q3).

If you want a GoPro for the start of the summer, the Hero 13 Black is still fine. Otherwise, I will update this guide once I've tested one, or all, of the Mission cameras.

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