September 2023 - DemonView

The Hero 12 finally went on sale today, admittedly it’s a pre-sale with the actual camera not hitting shelves or shipping until the 13th. However GoPro were pretty forthcoming with all the details about their latest flagship camera. So the question now is whether or not people will be upgrading. Well, in this article we’ll be looking at the good, the great and the terrible decisions that GoPro seem to have made and my thoughts on these changes.

THE GOOD:

Increased battery life.

So turning off wireless connections, hypersmooth, screens and voice control.

5.3K 60FPS can now shoot for up to 70 mins compared to 35 mins on the Hero 11

4K 120FPS can now shoot for 58 minutes compared to 28 mins on the Hero 11

Slight increases by 13 – 14 minutes in 4K 30FPS and 1080p 60FPS

A lot of people have been pretty impressed by this and GoPro claim to have reworked power management from the ground up. So with some other power saving changes made (more on that in a moment), this is a pretty impressive jump in battery life in some pretty impressive frame rates and resolution.

Max Lens Mod 2.0

4K 60FPS Hyperview in 177 degrees with horizon lock.

Again, something a lot of people were wanting. Now this Max Lens Mod 2.0 is a GoPro 12 exclusive which is strange to me. After all, the Hero 12 is using the same processor and sensor as the Hero 11. However it’s possible that this performance is only possible in the reworked power management so this could explain why the Max Lens Mod 2.0 is not backwards compatible.

New mounting fingers.

1/4 inch tripod mounting adapter now built into the mounting fingers. While this doesn’t seem like a huge upgrade, it will expand compatibility for the camera when using a lot of 3rd party mounts. So it’s a simple upgrade, but a good one.

Expanded 8:7 modes.

So even star trails now supports 8:7 modes. This adds a lot more options when editing your video footage as now you have the ability to reframe even more of your shots.

Night effects photo modes.

So now when you use the night effects option to record night effects video, a still photo will also be automatically generated showcasing your shot. So an excellent option when it comes to posting to social sites as you no longer have to get a screen grab, you’ll now get a separate photo of your night shot.

Hypersmooth 6.0

The new hypersmooth has improved the Auto boost function by processing 4X as much information. This means your footage is even smoother than before. Hopefully this will also solve the horrible panning issues that hypersmooth is well known for.

THE AWESOME:

Live Preview:

Preview while recording is back! Yes, for all the complainers out there, you can now preview your footage while recording. Handy for setting up shots if you’re filming solo as now you can monitor your shots and ensure that your camera angles are properly set up while recording.

Bluetooth Audio support:

Now you can use your Bluetooth headphones as a microphone. This is a pretty huge update as you no longer need to use the media mod for external audio. You can also control the camera via voice commands using your Bluetooth headset. This will be huge for moto vloggers. You can also record your Bluetooth audio and external audio as a separate track and record sound using the camera mics too. So this will really benefit the more professional creators who work with multiple audio tracks.

HDR video and GP LOG Video Mode:

HDR is going to give you fear better shots in different lighting conditions. The Gp LOG formats gives you the flattest recording option in 10bit for much better color grading in post production. GoPro will be releasing some LUT’s to support this

Improved navigation menu’s:

Menu’s have been improved and cleaned up, so now it’s much easier to adjust settings on your camera. There is also a built-in display specifically to let you know what footage has been uploaded to the cloud and what is still waiting to be uploaded.

TimeCode Sync:

So for those using multiple cameras or timecode supported devices who need to sync their cameras up, this is a huge advantage for professional creators.

New Sequence photo mode:

Before with a sequence of photo’s, image information was shared across the photo sequence. So in timelapse photo modes, there was no sudden jumps in color or lighting during the timelapse sequence. However this meant that if you wanted to grab an individual photo from a sequence, you may not have been getting the optimal color and lighting for that one shot. So with the new sequence mode, each photo is taken individually and color and light corrections are applied individually.

THE BAD!

NO GPS SUPPORT ON BOARD!

Gyro data is still there, but no GPS. So likely you’ll need to use the app or a new remote to record GPS data. This is pretty much what we’ve seen from the competition who also didn’t have GPS support built in. Instead GPS data had to be logged via the camera app or a GPS remote. However the results have been less than optimal. I feel that this change was made to reduce overheating (no longer logging GPS data while the camera is recording) and increase camera runtimes. There is a new FCC application for a new remote, so we’ll see what that brings. Hopefully with the new Bluetooth 5.2 on board, range and connection won’t be an issue.

So my overall opinion on the camera is this. The Hero 12 has some very interesting new features, however the only hardware change is the Bluetooth upgrade and the removal of the GPS chip. For someone who is an avid aviator, the removal of GPS is a very big blow. On the other hand, I use a Bluetooth aviation headset, so the ability to record ATC and cockpit talk while the camera is mounted outside the airplane is compelling. In fact I predict a lot of people will want to ditch their media mods and use Bluetooth mics…. and then go back to using a media mod when they realize how terrible Bluetooth microphones sound.

I ordered a GoPro Hero 12 due to the fact I want to give viewers of my website and channel an in depth review. However if I wasn’t a creator… I’m honestly not sure I would have purchased one. A lot of my viewers seem to feel the same way. Maybe when the camera arrives I’ll change my mind, but as of right now, I’m just not feeling it…

Are you looking forward to buying the GoPro Hero 11… I mean… GoPro Hero 12… when it’s released in the next 2 weeks? Well GoPro are betting big on this one… by making this their smallest update yet.

Let’s take a quick look at the specs of the Hero 10, Hero 11, and the alleged specs of the Hero 12.

GoPro Hero 10	GoPro Hero 11	GoPro Hero 12
5.3k 60FPS	5.3k 60FPS	5.3k 60FPS
8 Bit	10 bit	10 bit
1/2.3″ CMOS	1/1.9″ CMOS	1/1.9″ CMOS
Timelapse 4K	Timelapse 5.3K	Timelapse 5.3K
Rear Display 2.27″ Touch LCD	Rear Display 2.27″ Touch LCD	Rear Display 2.27″ Touch LCD
Front Display 1.4″ Color LCD	Front Display 1.4″ Color LCD	Front Display 1.4″ Color LCD
		HDR Video
Aspect Ratio 16:9 4:3	Aspect Ratio 16:9 4:3 8:7	Aspect Ratio 16:9 4:3 8:7
Max Lens Mod	Max Lens Mod	Max Lens Mod 2.0
Hypersmooth 4.0	Hypersmooth 5.0	Hypersmooth 6.0

As you can see, on paper, all 3 models are pretty similar. The main difference between the Hero 10 and Hero 11 was that the Hero 11 had a taller sensor with allowed for an 8:7 shooting aspect ratio. There was an increase to 10bit color and some built in camera effects (night trails, light painting etc). While the taller 8:7 sensor could be considered a significant hardware upgrade, I’m not convinced that the other features (in camera effects, 10bit color) couldn’t have been implemented into the Hero 10 with a firmware upgrade.

Now we have the Hero 12. Which on paper, seems to be a Hero 11 in every single regard. This is a huge costs savings for GoPro as it means they haven’t had to spend time and money with developing, testing or implementing new hardware features. In fact, just about everything “new” with the camera would be on the software side of things. There will be one or two new accessories no doubt (the Max Lens Mod 2.0 has all but been confirmed) and the Hero 12 will have HDR video shooting capabilities (the spec sheet also claims LOG, however the packaging doesn’t mention this at all).

Top 5 reasons why all of the above actually GOOD for the end user!

1: Due to the time saved by NOT investing in new hardware and testing, GoPro have had the time to build upon a stable and proven platform. This means that the GoPro Hero 12 may be GoPro’s most reliable and stable camera yet.

2: Even though there’s no major hardware changes, there still could be other changes under the hood, for instance new thermal compounds and materials could help run the camera even cooler as could a redesigned PCB.

3: Professional users have been requesting LOG for a long time, now they may finally get it. Prosumer will finally be able to avail of HDR video.

4: GoPro will have new accessories for the new model. A Max Lens Mod 2.0 has been confirmed (and advertising seems to suggest it may even offer nightlapse capture). A new remote is also on the way according to the FCC filing.

5: Those who have invested in previous model cameras will find that for the most part, their accessories still work and are supported by the Hero 12 (batteries, cases, selfie sticks etc), so no need to invest in newer accessories if you don’t want to.

Top 5 reasons why all of the above is actually BAD for the end user!

1: No new obvious hardware innovation from GoPro. This may be the “slightest” update of their camera yet. This does kinda make you feel a bit “ripped off”. It’s hard to justify an investment in the latest Hero 11… I mean…. Hero 12.

2: GoPro used to set the bar and they set it high. With these incremental updates, the competition is just edging closer and closer. This makes it hard to justify staying with GoPro regardless of whether you’re a loyal fan or a casual user. We’ve seen the Osmo Action 4 release with a larger sensor which may offer better low light capabilities. GoPro seem content with giving users a recycled camera so to speak.

3: You really can’t help but feel that all of these “new” features of the Hero 12 could have just been implemented into the Hero 11 with a firmware update, after all, it’s the exact same camera. Some blue sparkles on the camera housing doesn’t mean a darn thing.

4: If GoPro have been saving time and money by turning a Hero 11 into a Hero 12, couldn’t they have put the time and money into improving the GoPro app? What’s it been? 2 years and we still can’t make a Multi Clip Edit in 5.3K without black clips appearing in our final edit?

5: If this new camera really is a Hero 11 with a locked out firmware upgrade…. Will future camera’s follow this trend When do we get a subscription model basis of “You can activate Hypersmooth 9.0 and 8K resolution for just $20 a month”. You can scoff at that if you want, but in the back of your mind… you know BMW has done it with their “heated seats”, Tesla has done it with their FSD … what makes you think GoPro won’t try this? After all, they admit the saving grace of their company has been their GoPro Plus subscription…

So at the end of the day, the GoPro Hero 12 may be GoPro’s biggest gamble yet. In short, by not investing (seemingly) in any significant new hardware, they have potentially saved time and costs on research and testing with their latest model camera. So to me it seems they have taken the GoPro Hero 11, written a “12” on the side of it and have passed it off as a brand new camera. If this works, then GoPro stand to make a nice profit from the sale of an old camera, as a new model camera. Investors will be impressed for sure.

However it may also blow up in GoPro’s face. Even before the camera announcement, people (myself included) were excited by the prospect of a significant GoPro hardware upgrade. Not only has that rug been pulled out from under our feet, but when the official specs were finally leaked, it seems a lot of people (myself included) were seriously underwhelmed. A lot of people are under the impression that the GoPro Hero 12 is just a re-dressed GoPro Hero 11. No matter what extra software tricks are up the camera’s sleeve, the incentive to buy just isn’t there. So GoPro may just learn the hard way why it’s not a good idea to quit impressing their customers and lack of sales will hit GoPro where it really hurts.

Now all of the above is pure speculation, the GoPro Hero 12 may have some serious tricks up its sleeve and be able to knock our socks off. GoPro may have spent the last year winding back and ready to deliver a serious clout in about 2 week’s time when the camera is finally released. All the naysayers may end up eating their own words in spectacular fashion……… however… as of right now…. It just doesn’t feel like that’s likely.

Month: September 2023

The Hero 12…. a worthwhile upgrade?

The GoPro Hero 12 GoPro’s biggest gamble yet?