With interchangeable lenses, a magnetic mount, and a magnetic charger, GoPro Hero 13’s biggest upgrades are on the outside. But that’s not to say nothing has changed on the inside; it gets a bigger battery with new power delivery and is priced at US$399.
GoPro has launched its flagship action camera for 2024: the Hero 13 Black, along with an entry-level, low-cost version without the bells and whistles, called the GoPro Hero, for US$199 (AU$295). Both of these cameras come with innovations that improve upon what has already been the gold-standard action camera for years.
Starting with what’s new, the Hero 13 Black now allows slow-motion 720p video recording at 400 frames per second. Read that again, 400 fps! In addition, it features a 1,900mAh Enduro battery bigger than the 1,720mAh unit that powered the previous generation Hero 12 Black.
More significantly, GoPro now also offers a Contacto Magnetic Door and Power Cable Kit for a flawless charging experience thanks to a pogo-pin style latch – which can also directly power the device even without a battery inside. Oh, and it charges underwater too.
Talking about magnets, remember how everyone seemed to love the magnetic mounting feature on the DJI Osmo Action cameras? It looks like the folks at GoPro have been paying attention, as the Hero 13 Black now gets its very own magnetic latch mounting.
Then, there are the lenses. Yes, the same lenses that you could earlier buy as third-party accessories. Quite a few configurable lens mods have been released for the new Hero Black. Starting with the first lens mod GoPro ever released, there is an Ultra-Wide Lens that increases the GoPro Hero 13’s field of vision to 177°. It also supports a 1:1 video ratio which you can crop into 16:9 or 19:6 in post editing. It’s great for those who want to shoot content in both portrait and landscape.
The newest entrant to the lens landscape is the all-new Macro Lens Mod which decreases the Hero 13’s focus distance to 4.3in (11cm), allowing you to capture those smaller subjects up close with much more detail.
Next up, there's an Anamorphic Lens that offers a 21:9 wide-angle view for an enhanced cinematic look – and of course the signature horizontal lens flare that enthusiasts often appreciate.
The cherry on top is that the camera itself will take care of “de-squeezing” the video internally, saving you the trouble in post. Most importantly for non-professionals, the Hero 13 Black will automatically change your Protune settings, resolution, and frame rate to match the attached lens mod making it that much more convenient to just point and shoot.
Then, there's an ND filter pack that can be used to unlock slower shutter speeds in bright light. It includes ND4, ND8, ND16, and ND32 filters that should be perfect for adding some sweet motion blur to an image.
This launch is a dark day for manufacturers of aftermarket accessories like the ActionBox Cine housing we saw earlier this year for GoPro Hero 9 and its successors. One might argue that GoPro ought to have launched these lenses sooner, especially because third-party alternatives have been out for a while. But you know what they say; better late than never. Right?
Internally, though, a lot remains the same. Those who were anticipating a bigger 1-inch sensor will come away disappointed here. With the same 1/1.9" CMOS 8:7 sensor and the GP2 CPU, the GoPro Hero 13 Black's core imaging capabilities are carried forward from the Hero 12 Black. The camera supports 5.3K video recording in an 8:7 aspect ratio while maintaining the same video and picture resolutions. Additionally, HyperSmooth 6.0 stabilization (which was already near-perfect) is retained.
But with this version, GoPro promises better thermal performance regardless of whether the camera is static or moving with airflow. The company claims that the new Hero 13 has longer runtimes in both hot and cold conditions. GPS has also been reintroduced. This means that not only can you look for a specific video on the basis of location, but the camera can also record telemetry information such as route, speed, and altitude, which it can later incorporate into your clip. And connectivity is improved, with faster WiFi 6 tech that enables 40% quicker transfer speeds.
Phone manufacturers often take the route of offering a maxed-out flagship device alongside a toned-down, more affordable base variant. It seems GoPro has taken a page from their book.
In our eyes, the $200 cheaper Hero 13 (no Black) makes a lot of sense for those who just want a simple, no-frills action cam. It gets a lower-spec S75N CPU as opposed to the flagship GP2 processor, and as a result it has a reduced recording resolution of up to 4K at 30 frames per second with no slow-motion choices above 60 frames per second. But it does get a rear screen for setting up and reviewing your shots.
The Hero 13 Black costs $399 (AU$593) for the camera alone, but for $599 (AU$890), you can get the camera bundled with a Volta Power Grip, Media Mod, and Light Mod. As for the accessories and modes, the Ultra-Wide Lens Mode is priced at $99.99 (AU$149), and both the Macro Lens Mod and Anamorphic Lens Mod at $129.99 (AU$193) each. In addition, the ND Filter 4-Pack will set you back by $69.99 (AU$105), while the Contacto Magnetic Door and Power Cable Kit will cost you $79.99 (AU$119).
All of it is ready for preorder at GoPro.com, with shipping and on-shelf sales starting next week.
Source: GoPro