Hands on: GoPro Hero 13 Black review: a refined flagship with enviable accessories

GoPro fans who were hoping for 8K video or a new and bigger sensor in the Hero 13 Black are going to be disappointed right now. That's because GoPro's latest flagship, which comes 12 months after the Hero 12 Black and was launched alongside the new GoPro Hero, is largely the same as its predecessor.

There's still the 8:7 aspect ratio sensor with 5.3K video and 27MP photos, industry-leading HyperSmooth stabilization, and waterproofing up to 33ft / 10m – you'll even get all of that in the older-again Hero 11 Black.

And since those previous-generation models launched, the action camera competition has raised its game: DJI's Osmo Action 4 has better low-light performance than GoPro's (and rumors say it'll be replaced by the Osmo Action 5 Pro really soon), while Insta360 dropped the Ace Pro, an 8K video beast. 

The picture doesn't look good for an iterative update then, but I'm here to say don't write the GoPro Hero 13 Black off. GoPro has been a long-time player in the action camera space, its Hero 12 Black still sits at the top of our best action cameras buying guide, and there are some tweaks in the Hero 13 Black that actually go a long way to making it an even more compelling choice, especially for serious filmmakers.

No other brand can offer such a wide range of accessories, and GoPro has introduced a whole lot more of them alongside the Hero 13 Black, namely the HB-series of lenses and ND filters. 

GoPro has announced the Ultra-Wide, Macro and Anamorphic Lens Mods, as well as a 4-pack of ND filters. These mods rotate into place over the Hero 13 Black's built-in lens, which has a newly designed mount that can auto-detect which mod is attached and adjust the camera settings accordingly. 

With one simple new feature, the camera becomes an infinitely more creative tool, and compelling for a wider range of users. 

GoPro has also taken a leaf out of the competition's book by finally utilizing quick and reliable magnetic mounting, which is added to its existing 'fingers' and 1/4-20-inch mounting options. 

Better battery life and heat dissipation are two other areas that have been addressed: the redesigned 10% higher-capacity 1,900mAh battery is capable of shooting 5.3K video for up to 1.5 hours and Full HD 1080p videos for around 2.5 hours.

Although the maximum video resolution remains at 5.3K, there's now Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR video to minimize lost detail in highlights and shadows, plus better slow-mo recording, now up to 13x in a 720p 400fps Burst Slo-Mo mode. Content can be uploaded 40% quicker thanks to the introduction of Wi-Fi 6 tech. 

GPS is also back, following its disappointing omission from the Hero 12 Black. Through the Quik app, Performance Stickers can be added to embed info such as speed, altitude and G-force into video clips, as well as the location info.

Those are the highlight improvements. Like I said, there's not a whole lot that's new, but progress isn't always about big moves in headline specs like video resolution; it's as much about real-world performance, and here the Hero 13 Black feels like the most compelling action camera package out there for serious creators. 

GoPro Hero 13 Black: release date and price

• List price is $399 / £399.99 / AU$649.95 or $599 / £599.99 / AU$979.95 for the Creator Edition
• Available from September 10 2024
• New HB-series of lenses and filters, starting from $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95

The GoPro Hero 13 Black starts at $399 / £399.99 / AU$649.95, while the Creator Edition, which includes the Media Mod, Light Mod and Volta grip costs $599 / £599.99 / AU$979.95. The camera will be available to buy from September 10.

Alongside the camera, GoPro unveiled a the new HB-Series of lenses and filters, including the Macro Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$249.95), Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($99.99 / £99.99 / AU$169.95) and a new ND Filter 4-pack ($69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95), all of which will also be available from September 10. 

Another noteworthy accessory is the Contacto, which replaces the battery door to enable charging on the go via a magnetic mount, without compromising waterproofing, and costs $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$139.95. GoPro also announced the Anamorphic Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$219.95), although this lens won't be available until 2025. 

There are too many accessories available for the Hero 13 Black to easily list here, so do check out GoPro's website for more info. 

GoPro Hero 13 Black: design and handling

• Same size as the Hero 12 Black
• 10% larger capacity battery
• New Lens Mod mount detects the attachments
• Quick magnetic mounting finally introduced

Used a GoPro Hero Black camera before? The Hero 13 Black will be familiar, being as it is identical in size to previous models, with external dimensions of 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm, albeit with a larger-capacity battery squeezed in and a negligible weight gain, tipping the scales at 5.6oz / 159g.

Battery capacity is upped by 10% to 1,900mAh – with run times up to 1.5 hours of 5.3K video or up to 2.5 hours of 1080p video. GoPro lists the real-world improvement over the Hero 12 Black as averaging 13.5% with airflow and 26.7% without airflow – that's a decent bump in performance.

The battery isn’t backwards compatible with the Hero 12 Black and earlier models, as it’s a different size and design. Nor are older batteries forwards compatible, so if you’re upgrading you’ll need to factor in the cost of any additional batteries.

I rigged the Hero 13 Black for go-karting in 30-degree heat, recording 5.3K video for a total of around one hour, with both the front and rear screens and GPS active, and the battery went from around 80% power to being almost fully out of juice, which isn't bad going. I’ll run more tests during my in-depth full review.

The Hero 13 Black’s Lens Mod mount is new. Not in the way that you attach a Lens Mod, but because it has a point of contact with the new HB-series of lenses and filters, which means it can detect the attached lens – a feature that mirrorless and DSLR camera users are familiar with.

Handily, thanks to the communication between camera and lens, your settings are automatically updated to accommodate the lens in play. It’s a small detail, but it makes switching between lenses that bit easier, and propels the Hero 13 Black into new realms of creativity.

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The Macro Lens Mod is a revelation, reducing the close-focusing distance to 4.3 inches / 11cm – that’s 4x closer than the Hero 13 Black's built-in lens. Traditionally, action cameras can’t focus particularly closely, which all but counts them out for vlogging – when I’ve tried in the past, I feel like I have to hold the camera further away than I would like, nor could I capture little details. That totally changes with the Macro Lens Mod. If GoPro wanted to improve the shooting experience for a huge slice of potential users, this lens should be the ticket.

The Anamorphic Lens Mod was not available for use during my hands-on testing (though I did get my hands on it), nor was GoPro's new ‘Contacto’ accessory. The latter replaces the battery / memory card door, and has a magnetic charging mount for on-the-go charging. The supplied USB-C cable works with any compatible charger. You don’t sacrifice waterproofing either – this remains rated to 33ft / 10m – and theory you could film underwater while charging the camera via the Contacto, obviously provided that the power source is either waterproof or not submerged the water – for which you might need a long cable.

If you regularly change what your Hero 13 Black is mounted to, the new magnetic mounting will be a godsend. The likes of DJI and Insta360 already utilize magnetic mounting, and GoPro has thankfully has followed suit – it really needed to – and introduced some ball-head mounts for easy repositioning of the camera.

GoPro continues to embrace its legacy 'fingers' mounting method – the lowest-profile option – plus 1/4-20-inch mounting, easing the transition for those already familiar with the GoPro system.

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GoPro Hero 13 Black: features and performance

• Limited capture time for new Burst Slo-mo video modes
• New HLG HDR video color profile 

As with the Hero 12 Black, regular 5.3K video recording remains at up to 60fps, but you can up that rate to 120fps – that’s 4x slow motion – using the new Burst Slo-Mo video option. 

In the same Burst Slo-Mo menu there’s also a 400fps option at a resolution of 720p, plus 360fps at 900p. All these burst modes are limited in capture time: the 5.3K 120fps option can run for five seconds, while the other two last for 15 seconds. 

It takes the Hero 13 Black approximately the same amount of time to process the files before you can start shooting again. As such, I wouldn’t rely on these new burst modes in all situations because of the processing time, during which you could be missing the moment in demanding shoots. Burst Slo-Mo is an example of a feature that's impressive on paper, but which has limited real-world usefulness.

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In the video preset menu you can choose between standard, HDR and Log color profiles. Depending on which option you select, and if you’ve got a Lens Mod in play, the maximum video resolution and frame rates available might change.

For example, with the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod attachted you can’t shoot 5.3K video; you’re limited to 4K. For HDR video, you can’t shoot at 60fps because 30fps is the limit. It takes a while to figure out what you can and can’t do with the Hero 13 Black – those headline features aren’t available at all settings.

I’m not knocking GoPro for this – I can’t think of another action camera that shoots unlimited 5.3K 120fps video, nor one that has Lens Mods for different looks. I’m just managing your expectations.

Battery life and overheating are hot topics with GoPro cameras (no pun intended), and as mentioned there are improvements in both of these areas. You'll notice much improved battery performance for video runtime when there isn't airflow, for example when you're recording in a room or simply walking about. 

I was using the Hero 13 Black in Spain in 30C heat and, although it was getting warm, it never gave me any problems. I'll do more in-depth testing on this in the coming weeks. 

GoPro Hero 13 Black: image and video quality

• Same 8:7 aspect ratio sensor as the Hero 12 Black 
• Improved slow-mo video record modes

To get a feel for the Hero 13 Black's image quality, you can take a look at our Hero 12 Black review – after all they share the same image sensor, and the same maximum video and photo resolution. 

Using GoPro's Lens Mods it's possible to shoot different kinds of images, and I look forward to using the Macro Lens Mod more, plus the anamorphic lens next year. 

I've included a few video samples that I'm able to share, below, and I'll unpack video and image quality in detail in my full review. 

How I tested the GoPro Hero 13 Black

• A few days with limited scenarios
• Paired with the Macro and Ultra-Wide Lens Mods
• Used with various mounts for sports

During a two day hands-on with the Hero 13 Black ahead of its release, I was able to shoot behind the scenes at the MotoGP (from which video clips can’t be shared), making timewarp sequences, plus it had a proper run out around a go karting track. I attached it to a crash helmet and to an arm for different perspectives, used the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod and tried out the various color profiles, including HDR. The slow motion burst modes were utilized, too, to slow down movement of water and bottles of bubbly on the post race podium. I also tested the close focusing capabilities with and without the Macro Lens Mod. Since that trip, I've been using the camera on bike rides and will be running more tests in the coming weeks to complete the full review.

First reviewed September 2024