A new action camera is on the way from GoPro, and it not only comes with a new number, but improvements to battery life, video aspect ratios, and supports wireless sound, as well.
Not everyone has exploits to capture, but those of us who do typically rely on one style of camera to do so: action cameras.
These pint-sized things made famous by GoPro have changed over the years, yet typically rely on some common features. For one, they’re small, but they’re also durable and arrive with a screen to let you see the action, plus a way of mounting the camera to something where cameras don’t normally go.
Strap it to your car, your head, your arm, or your dog, or just mount the camera to a stick and bring it in any environment; action cameras are made for action, and that’s what makes them very different to any other camera out there.
Compact and durable, these things have become the common peripheral found in many an outdoor pack. Whether you’re planning on riding a bike, catching a wave, snowboarding or skiing or just maybe going for a run, you might have an action camera along for the ride.
And this week, GoPro is updating its aptly-named “Hero” camera to V12 for the Hero12 Black, a model of action camera sporting the same durability we’ve seen in V10 and V11 Hero models, gaining features on the inside.
The camera will sport GoPro’s 5.3K 8:7 sensor, a format that is unusual, but lets GoPro crop the footage to match a variety of aspect ratios. You can capture in landscape and portrait, and all without moving the camera on its side, giving you more control for how the footage looks and exports to video.
The sensor also covers a 27 megapixel photo, making it a surprisingly meaty image if you need it, with 24.7 megapixel frames from videos.
Video is likely going to be the majority of what’s captured on the Hero 12 Black, and it’ll cover 5.3K at 60 frames per second, 4K video at 120 frames per second, and a staggering 240 frames per second super slow-mo at 2.7K. GoPro’s Pablo Lema told Pickr that it couldn’t go beyond the 240fps mark “because the system would heat up too much”.
However 240 frames per second should be fast enough for most, and with a range of aspect ratios and frame rates, content creators will have plenty to work with.
There are other new features, such as a new “hyperview” that shifts the camera angle so that the bottom of the frame becomes more in view, and everything looks more first-person than ever before. Meanwhile, GoPro is adding new night effects for still shots, with light painting and star trails supported by the Hero12 Black, as well.
Capturing video no longer requires a hard-wired audio plug, either. If you have Bluetooth earphones including the Apple AirPods models, you can connect them to the Hero 12 Black and listen in. Bluetooth microphones should also be supported, if you can find them that I s.
And there’s also a new mounting option on the very bottom of the camera, sporting a standard tripod thread built into the standard GoPro accessory mount.
It’s just one of the new features the Hero 12 supports, joining improvements to video stabilisations, interval photos, and addition to the GoPro Cloud backup system, too.
GoPro will also have a new Max Lens Mod 2.0 accessory, a replacement lens that offers a wider field of view to capture more of a first-person perspective if need be, or even an angle that gets in more of the scene, all while keeping the camera durable and water resistant.
“Hero12 Black resets the bar for immersive life capture,” said Nicholas Woodman, CEO and Founder of GoPro.
“Our new flagship camera is the culmination of GoPro’s 21 years of experience and our passion for helping you capture and share your life in an immersive, dream-like way that makes you and your audience feel like you’re right there again, reliving your favourite experiences in vivid detail,” he said.
In Australia, the GoPro Hero 12 will see release on September 13, priced at $649.95 for the Hero 12 Black, while the Max Lens Mod 2.0 will cost $169.95 outright or $135.95 for GoPro subscribers.
