GoPro Hero 13 Black Hands-On: It's All in the Accessories

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Just to clear this up right away, GoPro's latest flagship camera, the Hero 13 Black, is not vastly different from the Hero 12 Black. I imagine many people who currently use that camera -- or the Hero 11 or the 10 Black -- won't feel a strong tug to upgrade -- not immediately, anyway. 

While many of the shooting options and other features have remained the same, some design changes have been made to accommodate a new battery, a new mount option and, most importantly, new add-on lenses that enhance the camera's versatility. This also means you'll have to pay more than the Hero 12 Black's $400 (£400, AU$650) cost to get the most out of it. 

Since the Hero 9 Black, GoPro has sold a Max lens mod, a twist-on ultrawide-angle lens that creates a huge field of view that matches the one from the company's Hero Max camera. The second-gen version of the Max Lens Mod will work on the Hero 12 Black, but GoPro is adding four more options made for the 12 Black.

Like the Max 2.0 Lens Mod, the Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($100) expands the camera's field of view up to 177 degrees. With the option to shoot with a 1:1 aspect ratio, it's the lens you want for capturing expansive landscapes and immersive action. 

Then there's a four-pack of neutral density filters ($70), which can slow the camera's shutter speeds, letting you create motion blur in bright lighting. You can manually control the shutter speed and exposure when the ND filter is on. There's also a Macro Lens Mod ($130) that can focus as close as 4.3 inches (11 centimeters). There's a manual focus ring around the lens, and focus peaking is available, outlining in-focus subjects in a choice of blue, red or yellow. 

Those lenses will be available when the camera launches on Sept.10. GoPro will also add an Anamorphic Lens Mod ($130) that will give the camera the widest field of view ever with no circular distortion. I didn't get a chance to test one, but GoPro says the lens lets you shoot with a new 21:9 aspect ratio, has in-camera desqueeze for streamlined editing and adds classic anamorphic lens flare and soft corners.

All I can say is, it's about time GoPro grew its lens lineup. The lenses really do expand the shooting possibilities and overall versatility of the Hero 13 Black. The best part is that you just twist the lens on, and the camera automatically recognizes which lens it is, sets the camera up to use it and unlocks features for the lens, such as offering focus peaking for the macro lens. This also means that if you create your own set of settings to use with a particular lens, it will automatically use those when you attach the lens. 

Another new accessory that makes setup easier is the magnetic latch mount. GoPro isn't the first to have a latch system like this, but the addition means you've got three ways to mount: You can use either the flip-down fingers, the 1/4-20 tripod threads or the magnetic latch mount. This means you can put the camera on a tripod for studio shots, switch to the built-in fingers for the most secure attachment and then use the magnetic latch mount for those times when you want to quickly switch to different mounts or flip the camera 180 degrees for easy selfies. 

There's one more important new accessory: a battery door. It's a special battery door, though, with magnetic pogo pins and a USB-C cable that snaps onto it. It's called Contacto ($80) and, at first, I thought it was just for easy charging. However, it lets you continuously power the camera via its magnetic link -- with or without a battery in the camera. The best thing about it is that it's waterproof to 10 meters. Well, that and it has magnets. 

Speaking of batteries, the camera has a new, higher-capacity Enduro battery pack redesigned for improved efficiency. I tested the camera for about 2 hours off and on with a variety of settings, mainly shooting 4K60 video with the camera's GPS turned on while jet skiing on the Hudson River. When I got done, I still had about 50% of the battery. That's obviously not full-blown tested proof, but I've used enough GoPro cameras to know it's better, and even just a few extra minutes can mean the difference between getting a shot or not. GoPro says, on average, the Hero 13 Black has a 13.5% improvement in runtimes compared to older models.  

The rest of the camera updates are smaller but still important. For fans of slow-motion, GoPro added new burst slow-motion settings, letting you shoot at higher resolutions and faster frame rates, up to 400 frames per second, though only at 720p. You can use it for 5.3K120, however. 

Watch this: GoPro Hero 13 Black Hands-On: More Pro Without Getting More Complicated

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GoPro also added a hybrid-log gamma HDR option that meets broadcasting HDR standards with 10-bit and Rec. 2100 color space and a wider color gamut. 

Then, there are some enhancements like Wi-Fi 6 for faster uploads and optimized audio tuning to prioritize voice over ambient sounds. Also, there's an update to the camera's Quick Capture feature. Quick Capture turns the camera on and starts recording with a single press of the Record button. When you press it again, the camera will stop the recording and shut the camera off. It's a good feature for people like me who primarily shoot 30-second clips, but it can be frustrating if you want to immediately grab another clip. Now, you can immediately initiate another recording by pressing the shutter button within 5 seconds of ending a Quick Capture to prevent the camera from fully shutting down. 

One more thing: As I mentioned earlier, GoPro restored the GPS on the Hero 13 Black after removing it from the Hero 12 Black. The GPS data can be used to add graphic overlays to your videos when editing in GoPro's Quik mobile app. 

Now, if all of this and the Hero 13 Black's $400 price sound like way more camera than you need, GoPro will also have a new $200 GoPro Hero camera. The last Hero camera I tested was about a decade ago, and while the basic concept is the same here -- a small, streamlined camera for more casual use -- the features and design are vastly improved, as you might expect in 10 years. The updated one is considerably smaller, shoots 4K30 video and has a tiny touchscreen for control, preview and playback. Like GoPro's other tiny cameras, though, the battery is built in. 

So, that's a quick look at the new GoPro Hero 13 Black. Again, there aren't many shooting option changes, but accessories are a big part of the story here. It's also the first camera that I thought you might want to invest $100 in a GoPro subscription, which will knock not only $100 off a new camera but also get you up to 50% off accessories at GoPro.com. Accessories have always been a big part of what made GoPro's cameras so flexible, but for the Hero 13 Black, they really ramp up the versatility.