If you’re into outdoor activities, you’ve probably used, if not own a GoPro. Each year the company refines its offerings with more features and capabilities. This year with the Hero 11 series action junkies, content creators and budget-conscious users are all catered for. The three cameras are the Hero 11 Black, Hero 11 Black Creator Edition and Hero 11 Black Mini.
You’d be forgiven for looking at the hardware and assuming we’re looking at an evolutionary change, not revolutionary excitement but there’s a lot you can’t see on the surface.
The Hero 11 Black comes with improvements in many areas, the Hero 11 Black remains unmistakably a GoPro by looks while now better than ever for a variety of uses.
The Hero 11 Black Creator Edition is a camera and accessory bundle designed to help content creators and streamers to hit their audience with the best quality video content. It includes the Hero 11 camera, an optional directional microphone, external mic input, HDMI port for connecting to external displays, a high-output LED light and two cold shoe mounts for mounting additional accessories.
The Hero 11 Black Mini is a smaller and lighter version of the Hero 11, that offers the same video qualities with a few minor downgrades to camera specs.
Across the range, you’ll get a larger sensor than the previous generation of GoPro. What this means for users is that the camera delivers over 1 billion colours in 10-bit colour video at up to 5.3K resolution at 60 frames per second in both HERO11 Black and HERO11 Black Mini and 27-megapixel photos in HERO11 Black. This also gives users the option of an 8:7 aspect ratio, reducing some of the fish-eye looks of the footage and increasing the vertical field of view considerably.
In previous GoPro reviews, we’ve noted just how good the HypersSmooth technology is and that, again, has improved. So much so (our review is coming soon) that there is little need for a gimbal these days unless you’re really pushing life to the limit. There are new time-lapse effects allowing you to capture light and star trails or do light painting.
A new feature I felt was extremely well thought out, was the addition of easy mode. It automatically adjusts a lot of the settings for you, making the GoPro a point-and-shoot camera to capture all your adventures. Pro mode allows you to tweak all of the settings to suit your preferred capture method and environment.
Something that has been an ongoing concern for GoPro users for several generations of GoPro cameras is the battery life. While it has generally improved with each iteration of the camera, it’s still not something you can comfortably take out for long periods of filming; until now. With the Enduro battery being included in the Hero 11 and Creator Edition boxes, as well as an inbuilt Enduro in the 11 Mini your filming time has increased noticeably. GoPro are quoting recording times are extended up to 38% in the Hero 11 Black, of course, this will vary depending on the quality of video you’re capturing as well as some other variables.
GoPro has been working incredibly hard on its subscription app and features for some time. The new features included don’t just allow you to automatically upload your footage via Wi-Fi when your camera is charging, but it also creates highlight videos automatically. If that’s not exactly to your wants or needs, then you’re also able to edit the videos in the cloud without needing to download the footage to your phone.
There are a number of other highlights with a GoPro subscription that include:
- Live streaming via private links
- Exclusive savings on new GoPro cameras
- Damaged camera protection (replacement if it’s destroyed)
- Up to 50% savings on GoPro camera, accessories and lifestyle gear at GoPro.com
Keep in mind that the subscription is $69.99 a year, making it a great value option if you’re buying a GoPro Camera.
The Hero 11 Black is available today at $649.95 (AUD) for GoPro Subscribers and $799.95 MSRP.
The Hero 11 Black Creator Edition is also available globally today at $929.95 for GoPro Subscribers and $1099.95 MSRP.
The Hero 11 Black Mini will be available at GoPro.com on Oct. 25 for $499.95 for GoPro Subscribers and $649.95 MSRP.
