GoPro Hero 11 Black
MSRP $500.00
“The GoPro Hero 11 Black now has a much bigger sensor and exciting latest features beneath a well-recognized exterior.”
Pros
- Larger sensor
- Backward compatible with existing accessories
- Recent hyperview wide-angle mode
- Upgraded hypersmooth stabilization
- Includes Enduro battery as standard
Cons
- Indicator noises could be confusing
- A bit pricey
Falling leaves, chilly nights, pumpkin spice, and the most recent GoPro camera hitting the shelves — all are seasonal hallmarks that herald the onset of autumn. The GoPro Hero 11 Black is here, and despite a well-recognized exterior, there’s lots of latest things to think about under the hood. I’ve been throughout Southwest Washington putting this rugged motion camera to the test, including zip-lining over a canyon at ZiplineX in Amboy.
With all this experience under my belt, let’s dig in and discover if the Hero 11 is the appropriate motion camera for you.
Ziplining with the GoPro Hero 11
Design
The GoPro Hero 11 is outwardly nearly similar to the Hero 10, the one difference being a 1 replacing the 0 on the side. Nonetheless, I don’t fault this design decision by GoPro — in spite of everything, why mess with a very good thing? What GoPro has here works great, and truthfully, I can’t consider what they may change in regards to the exterior that will improve the camera.
Sticking with the identical design is definitely something of a pro-consumer move because it means current users can easily utilize existing accessories previously released for the Hero 10. The entire Creator Edition kit will work with the Hero 11, including the Volta battery grip, Media Mod, and LED light, which have grow to be essential content-creation tools for me.
Image quality
The image sensor within the GoPro Hero 11 is larger than that within the Hero 10, but only vertically. GoPro added a little bit of height to the sensor, which suggests you possibly can now shoot each horizontal and vertical footage concurrently with no need to choose from the 2 formats. This is very important for me, as this 12 months I started integrating vertical video content creation into my repertoire. Now I can use the Hero 11 to film my longer-form YouTube videos and in addition grab short vertical clips to share on multiple platforms.
One other advantage of shooting in full-frame mode with the Hero 11 is that this extra height means increased flexibility when editing. I can essentially adjust my camera angle after the actual fact or create panning shots in post-processing while maintaining a pointy, high-resolution image. Speaking of post-processing, the Hero 11 can now shoot 10-bit color that delivers even greater latitude for pulling detail out of crushed shadows and blown-out highlights. An additional improvement to video quality is that the Hero 11 can now shoot at as much as a 120Mbps bit rate, while the Hero 10 maxes out at 100Mbps. The Hero 11 can record 5.3K video at as much as 60fps, 4K at as much as 120 frames per second (fps), and a couple of.7K at as much as 240fps for super slow-motion.
Exploring with the GoPro Hero 11 Black
Also latest within the GoPro Hero 11 is Hyperview mode, which drastically increases the sphere of view in comparison with Superview mode within the Hero 10. It’s not quite a substitute for the Max Lens Mod, however it does offer a much wider angle than was ever previously native to Hero Black cameras.
GoPro has also upgraded the video stabilization within the Hero 11 with Hypersmooth 5.0 and 360 Horizon Lock. Hypersmooth 5.0 provides a noticeable improvement over the stabilization within the Hero 10, particularly when filming within the 4:3 aspect ratio. And 360 Horizon Lock will keep the horizon level even when the camera spins around 360 degrees.
Hypersmooth 5.0 provides a noticeable improvement over the stabilization within the Hero 10.
When it comes to still photos, the larger 27-megapixel sensor is actually a boon to photographers, particularly should you’re keen on square photos, however it also enables extra flexibility when editing to crop right down to different aspect ratios for various compositions. Personally, I almost never take still photos with motion cameras, but should you’re on an adventure, sometimes you’ll need to grab a single shot, and if the one camera on you is a GoPro, then it’ll do a fairly good job. It might probably even do burst shooting of RAW format images for as much as 10 seconds.
Last but actually not least, the Hero 11 now features latest long-exposure night modes, including star trails, light painting, and vehicle light trails. I like astrophotography and was super impressed by the standard of the star trail videos I used to be in a position to capture. Each star trail video ate up a whole battery for 8 to 10 seconds of footage, however it was totally value it. Also, should you get the Volta battery grip, you’ll find a way to shoot more and longer star trail videos. The outcomes are only gorgeous and may boost the production value of virtually any video.
Between the larger sensor, upgraded stabilization, and latest shooting capabilities, the Hero 11 is a serious upgrade over the Hero 10. The footage has a remarkably true-to-life quality that I feel really immerses the viewer within the experience.
Display
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends
The Hero 11 features the identical back and front screens because the Hero 10, and that’s just effective in my book. They’re easily visible in vibrant sunlight and supply an accurate preview, with good colours and contrast.
Performance
The Hero 11 never gave me any reason to not trust it to capture key video footage within the moment. It’s very reliable, and I never noticed any serious overheating. It did get warm after longer recording sessions, but that’s true of each camera I’ve ever used, excluding perhaps the Nikon Z9.
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends
The touchscreen interface is my favorite of any motion camera system. Customizable presets make it easy to swap between settings on the fly, and I used to be in a position to make changes even while swaying on top of a 100-foot pole while waiting my turn for the zip line. You’ll be able to definitely tell that GoPro has been refining this technique for the past 20 years.
Recent to the Hero 11 is the choice to modify between easy and pro modes. Easy is great if all you would like to do is capture great videos without having to take into consideration manual settings of any kind. Pro offers lots of extra customization and is the mode I gravitate toward.
The camera is amazingly durable, as expected, and is waterproof right down to 33 feet.
Battery life
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends
The Hero 11 now ships with GoPro’s Enduro battery, which extends battery life by as much as 38%. It also improves battery life in cold weather and is rated right down to 14-degrees Fahrenheit. The camera itself also now includes an prolonged battery mode that reduces energy consumption at the fee of image quality. Even while shooting in maximum image quality mode, I used to be able record all of the exciting moments in a zip-lining tour and still have 28% battery left at the top.
App and premium subscription features
GoPro has developed some of the compelling apps around, with camera control and video-editing tools in-built, and it offers a $100-per-year premium subscription service that’s actually definitely worth the money. Advantages of subscribing include unlimited cloud storage, guaranteed substitute of damaged cameras, discounts on cameras and accessories, and the power to stream to GoPro’s premium livestreaming service.
Recent with the Hero 11 are auto-upload and robotically generated highlight videos, in addition to cloud-based editing. While these features weren’t available prior to launch for me to check, they’ve lots of potential. The way in which it’s meant to work is that at any time when you plug your Hero 11 in for charging, it should robotically upload all your latest footage to the cloud, where an AI program will then create a video out of that footage for you robotically. You’ll then find a way to edit that video within the cloud or edit one on your personal without AI assistance after which share it.
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends
In theory, this might drastically improve my workflow, though since I only have a slow DSL connection at home, it might be difficult for me to take full advantage of this revolutionary system that GoPro has created. Regardless, should you’re buying a latest GoPro, the subscription is sort of mandatory. Considering the $100 discount you get off the camera with the subscription, it pays for itself.
GoPro Hero 11 price and availability
The Hero 11 is obtainable now and retails for $500, though should you benefit from GoPro’s premium subscription plan, it knocks the worth right down to $400. The Creator edition will set you back $700, or $580 with the subscription.
You’re definitely paying a premium for the GoPro Hero 11, though the subscription adds lots of value. And should you’re willing to attend, the Hero 11 Black Mini shall be available October 25 for $400, or $300 with a subscription. That’s going to be a really different camera in lots of ways, however it does include a lot of the capabilities of the full-size Hero 11 Black for $100 less.
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends
The product of many years of painstaking refinement
Only a few corporations have spent so long developing one product as GoPro has, and it really shows in only how polished the Hero 11 Black is. Just like the Hero 10 before it, it is a camera I can throw in my bag wherever I’m headed and be confident in its performance. Between its larger sensor, upgraded stabilization, and other improvements across the board, the Hero 11 is a worthy latest entry in a venerable motion camera lineage.
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