The name GoPro has stood for high-quality action cameras for years. You can find out more about how the manufacturer’s current two models, Hero13 Black and Hero, differ here.
- The GoPro Hero13 Black is the manufacturer’s current top model, while the Hero is a new, much slimmed down version of it.
- The GoPro Hero lacks many important features that the Hero13 Black has. The range of functions is extremely limited.
- However, the GoPro Hero is around 200 dollars cheaper than the GoPro Hero13 Black.
The term “GoPro” is now synonymous with high-quality action cameras with the recognizable, rectangular format. The manufacturer’s current range includes two action cameras – the GoPro Hero13 Black and Hero. The two cameras differ in many different ways – it is important to have an overview of this before deciding on one of the two devices. We will explain all the differences between the two devices in detail.
There are already differences in the hardware equipment of the two cameras. The GoPro Hero13 Black comes with a 2.27-inch display on the back and a 1.4-inch screen on the front. The Hero only has a display on the back, which is only 1.76 inches in size. The Hero also has a smaller battery at 1,255 milliampere hours than the Hero13 Black, which has 1,900 milliampere hours. Because of this difference, however, it only takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the Hero – the Hero13 Black needs three hours.
Equipment and size
The Hero13 Black has three microphones for video and audio recordings, the Hero has one less. In addition, the cheaper camera does not support WiFi 6, has an older Bluetooth version (5.2 vs. 5.3 for the Hero13 Black) and does not have GPS. However, both devices have a USB-C port. There are further differences in the mount: the Hero only has regular mounting eyelets, while the Hero13 Black also has a ¼-20 mount and magnetic mounting options.
There is also a difference in terms of water resistance. While the GoPro Hero13 Black is protected against submersion at a depth of up to 10 meters, the Hero can only be taken 5 meters below the water surface. In addition, the Hero13 Black is compatible with all current GoPro mods, while the Hero is not. The Hero is also smaller: it measures just 56.6 x 47.7 x 29.4 millimeters, while the Hero13 Black is 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6 millimeters. At 86 grams, it also weighs only about half as much as the 154 gram Hero13 Black.
Video features
One of the main purposes of the GoPro Hero13 Black and Hero is to record videos. Both devices have a camera sensor for this purpose. The Hero13 Black has a camera resolution of 27 megapixels with an aperture of f/2.5 and an adjustable focal length of 12-39mm, while the Hero has 12 megapixels with f/2.3 and a focal length of 15mm. The more expensive camera can record videos in a maximum resolution of 5.3K at 60 fps, while the cheaper model can record videos in a maximum resolution of 4K at 60 fps.
The Hero13 Black has many more image formats available: Videos can be recorded in 8:7, 16:9, 9:16 and 4:3, whereas the Hero only has 16:9. What the Hero also doesn’t have is the horizon lock, which allows you to rotate your camera 360° without the image rotating. The Hero13 also has effects for video recordings such as star rails, light painting and auto light trails, which are not available on the Hero.
But the cheaper camera comes with even more limitations. There are no digital lenses and no time-lapse or slow motion recordings. The camera cannot record HDR videos either, and there is no zoom, no live stream function, no scheduled recordings, no pre-recording and no webcam mode. All of these features are available on the Hero13 Black. The Hero also only has one video mode, while the Hero13 Black also supports the video modes “HDR video with HLG”, “continuous photo slo-mo” and “video loop”. At 50 Mbit/s, the maximum bit rate of the cheaper Hero is also much lower than that of the Hero13 Black – it reaches 120 Mbit/s.
Photo and audio functions
Even those who take photos with the GoPro Hero have to expect limitations. We have already mentioned the lower resolution of the cheaper model. HDR shots are not possible here either, and photos cannot be taken in RAW format, which is better suited for post-processing. There is also no self-timer and photos cannot be taken at intervals. All of this is available with the more expensive Hero13 Black.
With the Hero you also cannot control the exposure and other properties of the photo, and night shots or time-lapse photos are not possible. In the audio section, we have already mentioned that there is one less microphone available. The Hero also does not have wind reduction compared to the Hero13 Black. There is also no stereo audio, and RAW audio cannot be recorded either.
Price and availability
The GoPro Hero13 Black is already available for around 450 dollars. You can pre-order the GoPro Hero now for around 230 dollars a month; it will be released on September 22nd.
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