Palms-on GoPro Hero 11 Black evaluation: social climber
Editor’s Word
• Unique evaluation date: September 2022
• Launch value: $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95
• Official value now: $299.99 / £349.99 / AU$498
Replace: November 2024. Now two generations outdated, the Hero 11 Black is now not in the stores immediately from GoPro. It could nonetheless be discovered at a spread of on-line retailers, although. That’s excellent news, as a result of at its lower cost, we predict it represents unbelievable worth. Whereas the GoPro Hero 12 Black and Hero 13 Black have launched plenty of new options, the core expertise stays very related. Each of these cameras share a near-identical bodily designs and the identical sensor decision because the Hero 11 Black. With 5K/60p recording, 10-bit video and class-leading HyperSmooth 5.0 picture stabilization, the GoPro Hero 11 Black nonetheless holds up effectively in opposition to most of the greatest motion cameras.
Timothy Coleman
GoPro Hero 11 Black specs
Sensor: 1/1.9in (8:7 facet ratio)
Video (max decision): 5K/60p
Video (bit-rate): 10-bit or 8-bit
Video (slo-mo): 4K/120p
Pictures: 27MP
Stabilization: HyperSmooth 5.0
Battery: GoPro Enduro
Processor: GP2
The GoPro Hero 11 Black is the brand new flagship mannequin in an motion digicam vary that dates again to 2005. It is not an enormous improve on the Hero 10 Black, which is able to stay on sale for the lower cost of $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 with a GoPro Subscription. However the Hero 11 Black’s new 1/1.9in sensor does carry some new methods that’ll make it notably interesting for social media creators and people who like to paint grade their movies.
That new sensor is especially on board to spice up the Hero 11 Black’s versatility, slightly than its picture high quality. As a result of it has an nearly sq. 8:7 facet ratio, you possibly can export movies in varied codecs – like 9:16 for TikTok and Instagram, for instance – with out dropping any high quality or decision. This makes the Hero 11 Black, and doubtlessly its incoming Hero 11 Black Mini sibling, one of the best motion digicam round for capturing social media movies.
That uncommon sensor facet ratio helps another new results, too. There is a new super-wide ‘HyperView’ digital lens, which provides you the equal of a 12mm focal size. And much more helpful is the arrival of Horizon Lock, beforehand solely attainable with the Max Lens Mod, which retains the horizon in place even whenever you rotate the digicam by 360 levels. Properly, so long as you are not capturing in modes like 5.3K/60p or 4K/120p, when it’s going to apply Horizon Leveling as an alternative.
The Hero 11 Black’s different new headline characteristic is assist for 10-bit video. This characteristic is often solely present in one of the best video cameras, so is a powerful first for a GoPro. A video’s bit-depth describes the entire attainable variety of colour gradations, with 10-bit providing excess of the usual 8-bit seen in earlier GoPros. This makes it simpler for video editors to fine-tune footage and keep away from points like colour banding in skies, notably when capturing in GoPro’s ‘flat’ colour profile.
In different respects, the Hero 11 Black is extra a tweaked model of its Hero 10 Black predecessor. There are useful new ‘Simple’ and ‘Professional’ modes within the menus, with the previous making it extra of a point-and-shoot expertise. You too can now shoot TimeWarp 3.0 movies (that are successfully timelapses with HyperSmooth stabilization) in 5.3K decision, slightly than 4K. And other than the brand new facet ratio choices (you possibly can select from 16:9, 4:3 or 8:7 in-camera, or others utilizing the Quik app) the resolutions and frame-rate choices are the identical as earlier than. This implies you possibly can shoot 5.3K/60p or 4K/120p slo-mo movies.
Nonetheless, the Hero 11 Black does carry some new timelapse methods. Now you can discover Star Path, Mild Portray and Car Lights choices within the timelapse menus, which show you how to produce shareable clips on these themes. And it additionally comes with GoPro’s Enduro battery as customary, which was beforehand an elective further. This helps enhance recording occasions by as much as 38% over GoPro’s earlier battery, relying on which mode you are utilizing, and makes it extra dependable in excessive chilly. We have not skilled any main overheating points with it both, which some customers reported when utilizing a normal battery within the Hero 10 Black.
General, then, the Hero 11 Black is not a dramatic leap up from its predecessor. It is probably the most feature-packed, user-friendly motion digicam you should buy, and one of the best one round in case you shoot loads for various platforms (with totally different facet ratios) like YouTube and TikTok. However it additionally has some acquainted limitations, like low-light efficiency and fairly common on-board audio. We’re trying to do some extra testing earlier than we ship our last verdict, however this is our early GoPro Hero 11 Black evaluation.
GoPro Hero 11 Black value and launch date
The GoPro Hero 11 Black is in the stores now for $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95 (in case you purchase it with a GoPro Subscription), or for $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$799.95 with no GoPro Subscription.
You’ll be able to take a look at our in-depth information to the GoPro Subscription, however the brief reply is that it is a no-brainer, for the primary 12 months at the very least. You’ll be able to cancel at any time, however GoPro’s hope is that you will turn out to be tied into its cloud options, like automated backups and spotlight movies.
After that first 12 months, the Subscription will value $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$69.99 per 12 months, so you will have to resolve how necessary its options are to you earlier than it auto-renews. However that up-front saving definitely makes it value getting the Subscription bundle with a view to discover out.
| Mannequin | Worth (with GoPro Subscription) | Worth (with out GoPro Subscription) |
| GoPro Hero 11 Black | $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95 | $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$799.95 |
| GoPro Hero 11 Black Creator Version | $579.98 / £579.98 / AU$929.95 | $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,099.95 |
| GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini | $299.98 / £299.98 / AU$499.95 | $399.99 / £399.99 / AU$649.95 |
| GoPro Hero 10 Black | $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 | $449.99 / £449.99 / AU$699.95 |
Unusually, the Hero 11 Black can be out there in two different flavors at launch. If you happen to’re a vlogger, you should buy the Hero 11 Black Creator Version, which features a battery-grip (promising over 4 hours of 4K recording per cost), plus a directional microphone, exterior mic enter, HDMI port, an LED gentle and two cold-shoe mounts for mounting equipment. This Creator Version prices $579.98 / £579.98 / AU$929.95 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,099.95 (with no Subscription).
However the extra fascinating choice is arguably the Hero 11 Black Mini. That is successfully a normal Hero 11 Black with no entrance or rear display. Sadly, it will not be out there till October 25, when it’s going to value $299.98 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $399.99 with no Subscription.
If you happen to’re in search of a fair cheaper GoPro, the brand new ‘entry-level’ mannequin would be the Hero 10 Black, whose value has now dropped to $349.98 / £349.98 / AU$549.95 (with a GoPro Subscription) or $449.99 / £449.99 / $699.95 with out one. That is a good drop on its earlier Subscription value of $399 / £379 / AU$599.95.
GoPro Hero 11 Black: design
- Precisely the identical measurement and design because the Hero 10 Black
- Lens has identical spectacular scratch-resistance
- Helpful new ‘Simple’ and ‘Professional’ modes within the menus
If you happen to’re having a tricky time distinguishing between the Hero 11 Black and its predecessor, there is a good motive for that – they give the impression of being an identical.
For the primary time shortly, GoPro hasn’t made any notable design modifications to its flagship motion digicam. The Hero 10 Black at the very least delivered a brand new water-repellent lens coating with improved scratch-resistance. However the one design tweak this time is the inclusion of GoPro’s Enduro battery as customary.
This has been out there as an elective further for the Hero 10 Black and Hero 9 Black since November 2021, so is not precisely a brand new characteristic. However it’s a welcome addition, given its capability to spice up battery life in some settings by as much as 38% and reliably begin up in excessive chilly. We discovered these claims to ring true in our GoPro Enduro evaluation.
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However in any other case, the Hero 11 Black is bodily the identical GoPro we have come to know and love for the previous few generations. To recap, this implies you get a tricky little digicam that is waterproof right down to 10m with no case. There is a 1.4-inch entrance LCD for vloggers, which is now smoother than when it first appeared on the Hero 9 Black, due to the frame-rates unlocked by the GP2 processor. And around the again is the same old 2.27-inch rear touchscreen, which is responsive if a bit dated.
This touchscreen expertise is an enormous enchancment on the sluggish Hero 9 Black, which is once more largely due to the GP2 processor that appeared within the Hero 10 Black. And the UI does now profit from the inclusion of recent ‘Simple’ and ‘Professional’ modes.
Flip the Hero 11 Black into ‘Simple’ and also you successfully get a point-and-shoot expertise, with no management over resolutions and frame-rates. Seasoned GoPro customers, although, will need the ‘Professional’ expertise, which incorporates the host of presets and ProTune controls that allow you to resolve bit-rate, colour profiles and, sure, swap to that pretty new 10-bit mode (when capturing in 4K decision and up).
Our experiences with the Hero 11 Black have discovered it to be a cultured, charming companion. It is able to go inside 5 seconds of urgent the ability button, which is similar because the Hero 10 Black and three seconds speedier than the Hero 9 Black. The lens does certainly have fairly nice scratch resistance – throughout a mountain bike trip, we roughed up the Hero 11’s casing and the glass remained fully unblemished.
The Hero 11 Black can also be super-easy to mount on bikes and helmets, if maybe not fairly as slick because the DJI Osmo Motion 3 on this regard. Those that primarily need to head-mount their motion cam may additionally be extra within the Hero 11 Black Mini, which presents the identical capturing energy in a smaller, screen-less bundle. We’ll replace this evaluation once we’ve had an opportunity to take it for a spin.
GoPro Hero 11 Black: options
- Bigger 1/1.9-inch sensor has 8:7 facet ratio for higher vertical movies
- New 10-bit colour mode provides editors extra colour grading flexibility
- Horizon Lock characteristic now out there in some video modes
The massive variations between the Hero 11 Black and its predecessor are below the hood. And probably the most important of those modifications is GoPro’s new 1/1/9-inch sensor, which has an uncommon 8:7 facet ratio.
The brand new sensor now serves up 27MP nonetheless photographs, slightly than the 23MP ones produced by the Hero 10 Black. However this transformation is much less about picture high quality and extra concerning the added flexibility that its almost-square facet ratio brings.
In the same option to cameras just like the Panasonic Lumix GH6, the form of the Hero 11 Black’s sensor makes it a lot better for producing movies of every kind of facet ratio from one shot, notably vertical movies for TikTok and Instagram.
GoPro has successfully added 4MP of vertical decision to the Hero 10 Black’s sensor, with each cameras sharing the identical horizontal decision. This implies GoPro’s new flagship nonetheless shoots customary 5K/60p movies in 16:9 or 4:3, but additionally permits you to shoot in a ‘full-frame’ 8:7 mode and export clips later in different codecs like 9:16 utilizing the Quik app.
The good thing about this method is that, slightly than taking a crop from a horizontal body, you continue to preserve very excessive picture high quality with the vertical exports. For instance, in case you shoot in 8:7 and export a 9:16 vertical video from that footage, its decision can be about 20% increased than 4K. So this characteristic is definitely a giant boon for social media creators, notably these posting on platforms which can be stylistically totally different like YouTube and TikTok.
The additional headroom of this ‘taller’ sensor additionally brings a number of extra benefits. There is a new HyperView digital lens, which works notably effectively for immersive ‘point-of-view’ footage. And a brand new Horizon Lock characteristic (beforehand solely out there with the Max Lens Mod) now additionally retains your footage completely stage, even whenever you spin the digicam by 360 levels.
Horizon Lock is not out there when capturing 5K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p or 1080/240p video, when the Hero 11 Black will default to Horizon Leveling (which might solely appropriate the horizon as much as a 27-degree angle) as an alternative. You additionally have to shoot with the Linear lens, which has a comparatively slender area of view versus GoPro’s conventional fisheye look. However the characteristic may be very spectacular and a giant bonus in case you do numerous rotational actions, like throughout a wingsuit flight.
The Hero 11 Black’s stabilization has additionally improved in 4:3 facet ratio video and features a new AutoBoost setting, which solely applies HyperSmooth when the digicam detects sufficient shake to justify it.
The most important new characteristic alongside the brand new 8:7 sensor, although, is the inclusion of 10-bit video recording on the Hero 11 Black. It is a first for a GoPro and a helpful addition for skilled shooters who like to paint grade their movies afterwards. Reasonably than producing an instantaneous enchancment to video high quality, 10-bit video is extra about letting you make finer changes in post-production due to the additional shades of colour out there (10-bit has over one billion shades of colour, in comparison with 16.7 million in 8-bit).
Given GoPro is famend for point-and-shoot simplicity, this characteristic is subsequently a bit area of interest. It is also barely at odds with the truth that GoPro would not supply any desktop enhancing software program, and is as an alternative funneling everybody in direction of its Quik app as an alternative. However it’s undoubtedly one thing that’ll please professional shooters who want to drop GoPro footage right into a timeline shot by extra superior video cameras.
The ultimate enhancements of the Hero 11 Black over its predecessor are in timelapses. Within the menus, you will discover new ‘evening results’ together with Mild Portray, Star Trails and Car Lights. We have solely had time to attempt the previous up to now, but it surely’s a enjoyable setting that offers the Hero 11 a bit extra versatility. If you happen to’re a fan of GoPro’s TimeWarp mode – which is sort of a super-smooth timelapse with HyperSmooth stabilization utilized – you may as well now shoot these in 5.3K decision, slightly than simply 4K.
These new options are all effectively and good, however what’s nonetheless lacking on the Hero 11 Black? Properly, the audio choices are the identical as earlier than, which suggests they’re fairly restricted. If you would like something approaching respectable audio, you will have to put money into both the Professional 3.5mm mic adaptor or, higher nonetheless, GoPro’s Media Mod.
Regardless of its bigger sensor, it is truthful to say the GoPro Hero 11 Black nonetheless is not a terrific low-light digicam both. That is as a result of that further sensor actual property is especially readily available to offer you further facet ratio choices, slightly than dramatically bettering the digicam’s light-gathering powers. If you happen to want an motion digicam that is stronger in low gentle, take a look at the Insta360 One R 1-Inch Version.
GoPro Hero 11 Black: video and picture high quality
- Identical most 5.3K/60p and 4K/120p resolutions as predecessor
- Increased 120Mbps most bit-rate (100Mbps on Hero 10 Black)
- Dwell-streaming nonetheless restricted to 1080p
Other than that new 10-bit colour mode, the Hero 11 Black would not carry any main picture high quality enhancements over its predecessors, however there are a few different small tweaks.
Firstly, the digicam’s most bit-rate has been boosted to 120Mbps, up from 100Mbps on the Hero 10 Black. That does not essentially imply any noticeable boosts to video high quality, as different components like decision and frame-rate may have an even bigger impact, but it surely does give the Hero 11 Black a better ceiling that would assist in extra advanced scenes.
You too can now take 24.7MP picture frame-grabs from the Hero 11 Black’s 5.3K 8:7 video, in comparison with its predecessor’s 19.6MP stills from 5K 4:3 footage. However extra noticeable to your last output can be added options like the flexibility to shoot TimeWarp timelapses in 5.3K decision.
Whereas 10-bit is an enchancment for many who are completely happy to shoot in GoPro’s ‘flat’ colour profile and colour grade the ensuing footage, the truth is that the majority GoPro followers need a easy point-and-shoot expertise. And just like the Hero 10 Black, this new mannequin has fine-tuned the ‘out of digicam’ default settings to create a extra pure, pleasing model out of the field.
Watch On
The ‘Pure’ profile, which sits alongside the punchier ‘GoPro’ one and the ‘flat’ one for graders, produces good outcomes with out an excessive amount of saturation, whereas the sharpness is now right down to ‘medium’ by default (one other good transfer). General, the video produced by the Hero 11 Black continues to be alongside one of the best you will discover on an motion digicam, and it is joined by what’s undoubtedly one of the best consumer expertise for inexperienced persons.
Whereas it is tempting to whack up the decision to 5K/60p, it is value taking into account the restrictions this brings in terms of stabilization modes and overheating. Nonetheless, we have not encountered any main overheating issues throughout testing, with the Hero 11 Black lasting a good 58 minutes and 12 seconds when capturing 5K/30p constantly with no airflow. And whereas increased frame-rates like 4K/120p may cause the Hero 11 Black to run sizzling, you are unlikely to want to shoot these constantly.
These slow-mo settings do nonetheless produce fairly soft-looking video, however they’re definitely nonetheless usable in case you shoot in respectable gentle. And it is results like Horizon Lock and HyperSmooth which can be arguably extra necessary to the top end result, given their capability that will help you create movies that merely aren’t attainable on smartphones, even when the iPhone 14 has launched a brand new ‘motion’ mode.
GoPro Hero 11 Black early verdict
Final 12 months, we known as the GoPro Hero 10 Black “the perfect social media workhorse”, but it surely’s now undoubtedly handed that title over to its Hero 11 Black successor.
GoPro’s newest flagship would not vastly increase the bar when it comes to picture high quality, however it’s the most versatile Hero mannequin we have examined due to its new sensor. The flexibility to export movies in varied facet ratios with out compromising on high quality means it’s going to notably enchantment to those that publish throughout a number of social media platforms.
It is a slight disgrace that the Hero 11 Black hasn’t introduced any actual enhancements to audio or low-light efficiency. However it’s undoubtedly probably the most polished, user-friendly motion digicam round – and regardless of the helpful addition of a 10-bit video choice, it is nonetheless most at residence being a near-indestructible pocket digicam for inexperienced persons.
We’re trying to spend a bit extra time utilizing the Hero 11 Black, notably with the up to date Quik app that brings new options like automated video edits, earlier than delivering our last verdict and star ranking. However up to now, there is a good likelihood that it will rise to the highest of our greatest motion cameras information and turn out to be one of the best GoPro for most individuals, regardless of the value drop on the Hero 10 Black.
