GoPro HERO review: too simple to be any good?

Last year, GoPro dropped their latest flagship action camera – the GoPro Hero13 Black – as well as a compelling entry-level action camera, the GoPro HERO. The GoPro HERO is notably tiny and lightweight. Priced at just under $200/£200, it is one of the smallest, cheapest 4K LCD screen action cameras on the market.

GoPro Hero at a glance:

• $199 / £199.99
• 1/2.8-inch CMOS sensor
• 1.76-inch LCD screen
• Takes 12MP images
• Up to 4K video up to 30fps
• Supports MicroSD cards
• 56.6 x 47.7 x 29.4 mm
• Weighs 86g/30oz

GoPro HERO Features

The GoPro HERO’s camera can capture 12MP images and up to 4K video at 30fps (60fps only available at 2.7K). The camera has a f/2.3 aperture and 15mm (35mm equivalent) focal length. With a little help from the Quik app, you can also grab 8MP frame grabs from your 4K videos.

The camera has only three modes: photo, video (16:9 or 4:3), and slow-mo. And that’s it.

Build and handling

The GoPro HERO notably weighs just 3oz/86g and has waterproof filming up to 16ft (5m). At the front, the GoPro HERO features a single replaceable, water-repelling lens, with an LCD touchscreen located at the back.

On the sides, you will find the camera’s power button and a hatch that covers the microSD slot and USB-C port. On the top is the camera’s shutter button, which can be pressed to turn on the camera and immediately start recording video as well as begin recording video once the camera is on.

It can take a few seconds for it to turn on, but it’s got red lights on the front of the camera that let you know when the camera is recording and charging, an the menu is pretty straightforward to use. All you need to do is swipe to either side of the screen to change shooting modes or access other settings.

These other settings include the ability to turn the voice control, beeps, orientation lock, battery saver mode and screen lock on or off.

Under the camera are built-in mounting fingers. These are folded away under the camera when not in use. They can be used to attach the camera to almost 40 different accessories from GoPro and other manufacturers including selfie sticks.

Enduro battery technology is built-in, dramatically improving cold weather performance while boosting runtimes in moderate temps.

Performance and image/video quality

The GoPro HERO’s image quality was decent but nothing exciting. In terms of video it does reasonably well in most scenarios, but it struggles in low light. There is less detail in footage captured in low light, which is also shakier and grainier. There was a little overexposure in footage captured with the HERO but this wasn’t a huge problem, just something to keep in mind.

Compared to budget phones like the Motorola Edge 50 Neo, the video quality is similar. Videos shot at the ice rink with the 50 Neo are a lot brighter than any video I shot at the same place with similar lighting conditions despite the camera’s wide aperture, with the ice coming out as yellowish white at times instead of white.

The audio captured by the camera’s internal microphone is pretty clean but background noise was rendered uncomfortably loud and garbled at an ice rink I took the camera to test.

The battery life was very good, still going strong after filming with it at an ice rink for about thirty minutes as well as shooting five minutes of footage (to later edit as a timelapse as this camera, disappointingly, does not include a timelapse mode).Throughout the four weeks I had this camera, I had it set up to record 4K video at 30p, only needing to charge it around three times.

I usually create content for social media around photography and my journey learning to ice skate as an adult. Action cameras are really good tools for capturing behind the scenes footage. However, a front screen would have been very useful. When I first took this camera with me to the rink, I ended up with several videos with awkward angles or videos of me skating off camera.

Overall, I found the HERO to be very easy to use. I did not like the app however. For instance, the stabilization cannot be applied in-camera. You can only do this via the GoPro Quick app. This was frustrating as I unsuccessfully attempted to download my videos via the app on my OnePlus Pad (an iPad not made by Apple) twice.

Downloading even one took ages (most of my videos were between 1-5 minutes long) and after an almost thirty minutes wait time, during which the HERO’s battery got perilously low, so I gave up. Instead, I used my PC to get my files.

Value for money

The GoPro HERO It looks very good for a budget camera, but you do lose out in terms of features, which is a shame.

Having a front screen does come in handy in terms of it being easier to get all your shots in one go and saving you time in general. For me, this is the camera’s greatest weakness, and one that would truly make me think twice before getting it.

However, I’d probably get the HERO anyways as it fits my needs. The camera’s cold-proofing as well as its small size and ease of use are real pluses for me. I also don’t often shoot at night and don’t mind manually editing timelapses, which I don’t shoot very many of anyways.

If shooting quality video at night is important to you and you’re not happy with the camera’s lack of features and can’t afford to spend more, buying secondhand or during sales is likely the best route to go. If you can spend a little more it’s worth looking at older GoPros and other brands like DJI and Insta360.

Verdict

The GoPro HERO is a very nice camera with so-so features that are likely to be enough for some but not enough for others. Really, it depends how much you’re willing to go without. That said, the HERO is a very nice, capable, little camera.

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Related content:

• Not one – but TWO new GoPro cameras dropped!
• GoPro HERO12 Black Review – captured in action
• Insta360 GO 3 action camera review – little wonder
• DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Review – Osmo goes Pro

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