GoPro Hero 13 Black Review: Interchangeable Lenses and Magnetic Mounting

Interchangeable lens strategy opens up caller shooting possibilities. Better artillery life. Magnetic mounting strategy (finally). Optional USB-C pass-through charging. Excellent Log video support. Much improved HDR mode with HLG.

Same sensor arsenic erstwhile 2 generations. Same processor arsenic erstwhile 3 generations. Low-light/indoor show is mediocre compared to competition.

The caller GoPro Hero 13 is the archetypal important alteration for GoPro's flagship action camera successful years. The institution has added an interchangeable lens system, on with caller Macro, Ultra Wide, and Anamorphic lenses, positive a acceptable of 4 neutral density filters. The Hero 13 Black adjacent autodetects which lens is attached and changes settings accordingly.

While this caller strategy is precise slick—and opens up shooting possibilities that simply don't beryllium successful anterior models—the sensor and processor stay the aforesaid arsenic what we got successful the Hero 12 and Hero 11, and successful the lawsuit of the processor, the Hero 10. In galore ways, the GoPro Hero 13 Black feels similar it is laying the groundwork for the Hero 14 Black, which makes it a large prime for first-time customers, but hard to recommend arsenic an upgrade.

Lucky 13

First the bully news: The interchangeable lens strategy is awesome. There's ever been the Max Lens mod, which offers a wider tract of view, but the caller strategy is much than conscionable an enlargement of the Max Lens. The cardinal is that the camera auto-detects the lens oregon filter you person attached and automatically adjusts settings.

You tin override these adjustments, but it's bully to popular connected 1 of the 4 ND filters (four, eight, 16, and 32) and person the camera automatically set settings to get a motion-blur effect alternatively than tweaking things yourself. (Motion blur and Hypersmooth stabilization bash not play good together; hunt the net for suggestions connected getting the champion results.)

GoPro has released 3 "lens mods” on with the Hero 13 Black: Ultra Wide, Macro, and Anamorphic. I had a batch of amusive with the Macro lens, which allows you to usage your GoPro for close-ups (close absorption region is 4.33 inches), thing nary different enactment camera tin propulsion off. The Ultra Wide is bully for thing wherever you privation a wider tract of view, similar hiking. Probably the astir breathtaking of these lenses is the Anamorphic, which I was incapable to trial due to the fact that it won’t beryllium disposable until aboriginal adjacent year.

While the afloat kitted-out GoPro with 3 lenses and 4 ND filters volition outgo implicit $800, you don't person to bargain them all. Indeed I suggest avoiding the bundles. Get the GoPro Hero 13 Black for $400 and adhd lenses down the roadworthy if you consciousness the need.

The different large quality successful this merchandise is simply a magnetic mounting adapter. It functions precise likewise to what DJI and Insta360 person agelong offered and makes it overmuch easier to determination the camera betwixt mounts. As with those different systems, GoPro suggests not utilizing the magnetic equine strategy successful high-vibration oregon high-speed environments.

Outwardly the Hero 13 Black looks a small antithetic than its predecessor. It thankfully ditches the blue-speckled overgarment occupation of the Hero 12 Black and adds a noticeable vigor descend to the front, conscionable beneath the lens. Otherwise, though, it is the aforesaid size and adjacent fits successful the aforesaid Media Mod arsenic erstwhile models.

The disappointing portion of the Hero 13 Black is that it uses the aforesaid 27-megapixel sensor and the aforesaid processor arsenic the Hero 12, and, for that matter, the Hero 11. Yes, this is the 3rd GoPro successful a enactment with this sensor and processor, which makes this a little compelling upgrade than it would beryllium with a bump successful sensor size oregon output representation quality. This means video footage inactive maxes retired astatine 5.3K resolution, and astir different video and photograph specs stay unchanged. That besides means the sensor's flaws, aka the shoddy low-light performance, are inactive present.

GoPro has a fewer tricks present and determination worthy mentioning, though. As idiosyncratic who likes to grip colour grading successful postproduction software, the new, improved Log video enactment is precise welcome. I would spell truthful acold arsenic to accidental this is the champion Log illustration I've seen successful an enactment camera. The Hero 13 Black besides has a caller slow-motion burst mode which tin grounds 5.3K footage astatine 120 frames per second. It pulls that disconnected for lone 5 seconds, though, truthful this is champion utilized for situations similar your kid going disconnected a leap connected their motorcycle oregon diving successful the pool—quick moments you privation to dilatory down later.

Another large video betterment is HDR enactment and hybrid log-gamma (HLG) HDR video. The Hero 12's HDR enactment was not great, but HLG HDR is simply a wide utilized unfastened root HDR format that offers overmuch amended compatibility with non-wide-color-gamut displays. The footage besides looks overmuch amended than the erstwhile version.

I said supra that the Hero 13 is the aforesaid size, which is existent connected the outside, but internally that's not the case. GoPro has enlarged the artillery compartment to acceptable a bigger artillery that the institution claims volition past 10 percent longer than the Hero 12's battery. I recovered this to beryllium astir true. Shooting a 4K video with the Hero 13, I consistently coaxed it for astir an hr and 45 minutes, sometimes up implicit the 1:50 people if determination was much ventilation (riding a motorcycle for example).

The other was besides true. Shooting done the model of a conveyance for instance, with astir nary ventilation, saw signaling clip spell down to astir an hour. I person not had a accidental to trial it successful acold weather, but GoPro claims improvements determination too. Overall that's astir 15 to 20 minutes longer crossed the committee than I mostly get with the Hero 12, which is great, but it's good down the caller DJI Action 5 Pro, which had nary occupation moving good implicit 2 hours and 30 minutes successful the 4K test. The Hero inactive has the worst artillery beingness successful the enactment camera marketplace and the caller battery, portion improved, besides means your aged batteries won't work, adding a sizable outgo to those looking to upgrade.

One absorbing battery-related summation to the Hero 13 Black is the caller magnetic complaint door, which GoPro calls Contacto. It's a USB-C pass-through doorway with a magnetic charger connected the outside, allowing you to powerfulness the GoPro utilizing an outer artillery without keeping the artillery doorway off. There person agelong been USB-C pass-through doors disposable from third-party sellers, but this is the lone 1 I'm alert of that's waterproof, which means if you hide you person it connected and leap successful the ocean, you won't fry your GoPro.

I should besides enactment that each artillery investigating was done with GPS disabled because, yes, GPS is back. After removing it to amended the artillery beingness successful the Hero 12, GoPro has changed its caput (or astatine slightest listened to idiosyncratic feedback, which to justice by Reddit, indispensable person been deafening).

Lastly, different awesome diagnostic is simply a caller Voice Audio mode that prioritizes your voice, muting ambient sound. It's not astir arsenic bully arsenic what you'll get from a dedicated wireless mic setup, but it's amended than erstwhile GoPros. Unfortunately, you inactive request the Media Mod kit to adhd a abstracted mic, which remains my biggest gripe astir the GoPro.

Should You Buy a Hero 13 Black?

If you're caller to action cameras, the Hero 13 Black is worthy considering. Despite being 2 years old, the sensor has the highest solution video disposable successful an enactment camera astatine the clip of writing, and it besides has the champion representation stabilization I've tested. The caller interchangeable lens strategy provides options nary different enactment camera tin lucifer (though the terms volition adhd up).

However, if you're going to beryllium shooting indoors a batch oregon astatine nighttime (think of those shot games that tally good into twilight this clip of year), past see the DJI Action 5 Pro alternatively (full reappraisal coming soon), arsenic it has overmuch amended debased airy and indoor video capabilities.

If you already person a caller procreation GoPro, well, arsenic I noted above, this feels a small similar it's conscionable mounting the signifier for the Hero 14. The successor whitethorn person much sweeping changes, similar a caller sensor and processor, on with these interchangeable lenses, which mightiness beryllium worthy the wait.