GoPro Hero 13 Black: the best action cam yet

GoPro, also known as the indestructible little camera that could, has been upgraded to the Hero 13 Black. It might still pack the same 8:7 sensor with 5.3K video and 27MP photo resolution, industrial-strength image stabilisation and waterproofing up to 10m. But it also comes with a few new nifty new tricks that’ll surprise and delight. Here are my first impressions after spending a few weeks with it.

Being a GoPro, you can access a vast ecosystem of accessories. This time, the range has been increased to include a new lineup of smart lenses and filters. These include an Ultra-Wide, Macro and Anamorphic Lens, plus 4 ND filters. These are called smart lenses because they lock into place over the Hero 13 Black’s existing lens. It auto-detects which lens/filter is attached and tweaks camera settings accordingly. This alone is huge news for anyone who has spent an age dicking around with camera settings after fitting a lens mod. With these new smart lenses, it’s simple to set and forget.

The other nifty new feature is the quick-release magnetic mounting mechanism. Mounting the GoPro to tripods and helmets is now several bazillion times quicker and easier. There’s also improved battery life and heat management. The new 1,900mAh battery allows the Hero 13 Black to shoot 5.3K video for up to 1.5 hours or Full HD video for around 2.5 hours.

While some camera wonks might express disappointment at the lack of 8K video support, the flipside is that you get Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR support with 5.3K video. This helps pull out lost detail in highlights and shadows and can really help add extra detail to captured video. Improvements to video processing hardware also give users a 720p 400fps Burst Slow-Mo mode. Uploading captured footage is also much faster (GoPro says up to 40%) thanks to Wi-Fi 6 support.

While the Hero 12 lost GPS capabilities, the folks at GoPro wisely decided to add them back to the Hero 13. This means a video overlay showing speed, altitude and G-forces can be superimposed over the captured video, which is a definite bonus with action footage.

If you’re an existing GoPro Hero Black user, the new Hero 13 Black will be instantly familiar because it’s pretty much identical size-wise to the Hero 12. That said, it is a tad heavier at 159g (which is still plenty light enough for almost anything you’re likely to need.)

Its new and improved battery isn’t backwards compatible with the earlier GoPro models, so you cannot use older batteries with the Hero Black 13. It’s a small niggle, but given the extra gains in shooting time, it’s something that most will see as a good thing.

The Macro Lens Mod drops the focus distance to just 11cm – an impressive 4x closer than the stock lens. Video bloggers will probably find this lens mod a boon as it allows for more close-up detail, and you’re not always trying to keep the camera a safe distance from your mug to keep everything in focus. The Anamorphic Lens Mod is not available, but at the launch, the demo footage filmed with it got a super impressive cinematic widescreen quality, so I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The ND filters add cool motion blur effects, which can help make action footage that involves speed seem even faster and more exciting.

The other non-lens accessory is called the ‘Contacto’. It swaps out the battery hatch, replacing it with a magnetic charging catch so you can use a bigger battery for longer shooting times. It’ll work with most existing USB chargers or external power banks and is waterproof to 10m (that said, you’d need to find a waterproof power bank or get a super long USB cable).

There’s 5.3K video capture up to 60fps, which can be bumped up to 120fps or 4x slow motion via the new Burst Slow-Mo video mode. In the Burst Slow-Mo menu also offers 400fps at 720p or 360fps at 900p. Because these are burst modes, your shooting time with them is limited to 5 seconds in 5.3K or 15 seconds for 720 or 900P.

In short, there’s enough new stuff to make the GoPro Hero 13 Black a compelling addition for anyone wanting a super compact, durable/high-quality video camera built to withstand being used underwater and other extreme conditions. That the Hero 13 Black will play nice with smart lens mods and most existing GoPro accessories makes it a real winner.  The lack of support for older batteries holds back what is an otherwise exceptional action camera from scoring our supreme Gold award, but it still comes very highly recommended.

https://gopro.com/en/nz/shop/cameras/buy/hero13black/CHDHX-131-master.html