The 5 Best GoPros For Every Rider And Adventure

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Ever since its first 35mm-film model went on sale in 2004, GoPro has been producing some of the world’s most popular action cameras. Now, 20 years on, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company offers several different digital models packed with technological features that make its first iteration look like a homemade trinket.

What's more, the market of accessories to accompany you in capturing all those heroic videos—lights, mounts, harnesses, and so on—has proliferated making the whole experience, well, more professional. The GoPro name could not be more fitting.

GoPro's top-of-the-line HERO12 Black, introduced in September 2023, is a mini marvel with its rugged, diminutive design loaded with tech (4K video, advanced Bluetooth audio support, and the new Timecode Sync to wirelessly synchronize multiple HERO12 Black cameras at once)—which is great for the prosumer, but may lead to a novice feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

That’s why it makes sense that GoPro still features its HERO11 and HERO10 in its lineup, as well as a mini HERO11. All of these are slightly pared down versions of the flagship HERO12, but no less capable. If you want to go in the other direction, however, and add even more sophisticated production quality and 360-degree spherical footage to your repertoire, the GoPro Max will pique your interest and offer you total creative freedom.

Let’s dive into the details of GoPro’s lineup. I've highlighted the creative features of each camera with my suggestion as to the model best suited for each application.

The Best GoPros

• Best for Action-Sports Junkies: GoPro HERO12 Black

• Best for Mountain Bike Rippers: GoPro HERO11 Black

• Best for POV Footage: GoPro HERO11 Black Mini

• Best for Multi-Sport Movie Makers: GoPro Max

• Best for Budget-Minded Directors: GoPro HERO10 Black

What to Consider in a GoPro

Image quality

Image quality is a function, first and foremost, of the camera’s sensor. For instance, the Hero12 Black uses a Type 1/1.9 (6.3 x 5.5mm) CMOS sensor with an 8:7 aspect ratio that was first introduced on the Hero11 model.

This sensor lets you crop the image, enabling the creation of multi-aspect ratio video and still images. You can create widescreen 16:9, 4:3, and “full-frame” 8:7 aspect ratio video, and now in the Hero12 Black, you can also create 9:16 “vertical” shots, handy for publishing to Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or to TikTok.

Every GoPro also features several video resolutions, frame rates, and quality settings. On the Hero12 Black, there is 5.3K video at up to 60p (frames per second—discussed below) and 4K at up to 120p, in most aspect ratios. The 5.3K video has a pixel count of 15.8 million pixels, which as mentioned earlier, equates to 91 percent more resolution than 4K, and 665 percent more resolution than 1080p HD video.

The 60p versus 120p is shorthand for “frames per second.” The higher the number, the more frames are captured per second, and the easier it is for the camera to capture clear action shots.

Features

There are various features packed into any action camera. For the average user, most of them are the type of thing you won’t use too often, or you will turn on and forget about.

For example, image stabilization technology is a necessity if you want to eliminate the herky-jerky motion of running, jumping, and other actions while filming. GoPro's proprietary stabilization tech, called HyperSmooth, has evolved with the various models. The latest, version 6, is one of the best image stabilization systems on the market.

AutoBoost takes it a step further, automatically adjusting to help you get the widest shot possible while using video stabilization depending on your speed and movement in the scene.

Then there are features like Horizon Lock—it automatically keeps the horizon level when your camera rotates, even if you’re doing 360-degree spins or flips.

Other features include Bluetooth Audio support, the ability to grab still frames from video, night effects that aid in capturing star trails or moving light sources in dark settings. Many of the best features are found on all GoPro’s cameras, albeit in somewhat simpler form, as you go lower in price.

Application

Finally, before you decide which model to purchase, consider how you will use it. Are you simply looking for a video camera to record your next vacation? Or are you hoping to create a captivating documentary that details a bikepacking adventure across the Mongolian steppe? Need something to capture spherical video, or just want a POV powerhouse? GoPro makes a model for that, as we detail below.

How We Selected These GoPros

I've used various models of GoPro cameras over the years and experienced the rapid evolution of these pocket-sized technological wonders. I’ve also worked as a professional photographer and have developed a discerning understanding of good design, user experience, and durability.

Additionally, I regularly converse with other cycling industry experts and friends to understand what works for them. For this review, I tested a few of the various models, and also spoke with video journalists who use GoPro equipment on a daily basis to understand their perspective.

How much high-tech wizardry can you cram into a 2-inch cube? The HERO12 Black boasts High Dynamic Range (HDR) 4K and 5.3K video (91 percent more resolution than 4K), upgraded HyperSmooth 6.0 video stabilization, and all the additional bells and whistles that are expected from the HERO lineup—27 megapixel photos with 24.7 megapixel stills from video; waterproof to 33 feet, LCD touch screen, and more.

New features include Bluetooth audio support for Apple AirPods (and others) to record sound and give 12 remote voice commands. There’s also an optional add-on lens, the Max Lens Mod 2.0 ($100)—see more on this in our gallery of accessories below—that enables an ultra-wide, 177-degree field of view in 4K60.

The Hero11 Black is not far off the top model in the GoPro lineup. (The new Hero12 is mostly an evolution of the proven tech and features of this model.) The most important video features and photo modes are nearly the same. So what’s different? The ability to fine-tune footage with something called GP-Log is missing. Also, the Max Lens Mod 2.0 doesn't work with the Hero11.

If you want to record audio with wireless mics, then the Hero12 Black is the better option. Otherwise, the Hero11 is an action-sports workhorse that has all the features you need for cycling-specific filmmaking and beyond.

If you focus on point-of-view footage, the HERO11 Black Mini may be ideal. With all the video performance of its big brother but in a smaller, lighter, simpler design, the Mini is more convenient and comfortable to wear when capturing point-of-view footage.

Plus, this model also features dual mounting fingers, which increases the ways you can mount the camera to your body or helmet. Just as with the HERO11 Black, the Mini comes with a big image sensor—sizeable enough to make vertical shots to share on social media.

GoPro likes to describe the Max as three cameras in one: you get spherical footage from the 360-degree lens, HERO-style video and photos from the standard lens, and the camera also works as a vlogging setup for live streams, courtesy of six mics.

All the other usual GoPro features still apply here: stabilization, a waterproof design (though it’s only rated to 16 feet rather than the 30 feet with the HERO11 and HERO12), and the ability to pull frame grabs.

If you haven’t the means to splurge on the latest tech, but still want a solid, time-tested video camera, the HERO10 Black delivers. Even now, it is one of the most versatile cameras on the market. It delivers good speed (30p at 1x normal speed to 240p at 8x Slo-Mo) and you still get 5.3K video, 23MP photos, HyperSmooth 4.0 video stabilization in all modes, all at nearly half the price of the HERO12.

Best GoPro Accessories

Chesty

A chest mount is, quite simply, much safer than trying to film by hand, and it allows you to give context, in the form of handlebars moving and arms pumping. All of that helps to draw viewers in for more. Without that context—a plain shot of just the road whooshing past—your footage can get boring pretty quickly.

Quick Release Mount

This basic mount allows you to quickly transition from shooting with the GoPro mounted on the front of the bike to hand-holding it for static shots or pans. With a quarter turn, remove your camera without having to bust out your multitool.

Max Lens Mod 2.0

This ultra wide-angle lens allows for up to a 177-degree field of view allowing the widest shots available in a HERO camera. Expand your field of view up to 48 percent without needing to rotate the camera. Unfortunately, it’s only compatible with the HERO12.

Pro Seat Mount

This all-metal mount is easy to install with just a single 4mm screw. It clamps to most two-rail seat designs, enabling rear-facing shots, and it tucks neatly out of view. Remember, it’s all about the different angles.

Expert Chris Case Talks With Ben Delaney, Video Journalist, About Capturing Your Best Moments For Social Media and Posterity.

I checked in for more GoPro expertise with video journalist Ben Delaney, creator of the YouTube channel, “The Ride with Ben Delaney”. Read on for what you need to know about overheating, mounting, and editing.

What is your ideal camera setup for a day of shooting on the bike?

It includes multiple points of view. POV footage can be interesting, but a single POV is boring. The more variety you have, in terms of the types of shots and angles of shots, the better and more interesting the end result will be to your audience.

How and where the cameras are mounted, including in your hands, is one of the most important considerations, correct?

Having buddies to assist you helps. Shooting by yourself is boring—and difficult and dangerous. It can also be time-consuming if you are setting up a shot, then riding through the frame, then checking the footage, and doing it again and again. The film-to-deliverable ratio is awfully high with that method.

This doesn’t mean you need multiple cameras, because you can get various views with a single camera. That’s where having multiple mounts can come in very handy. A saddle rail mount allows you to shoot backwards, from under your saddle. Front mounts, which come in different forms, are also great, and you can quickly put cameras on and take them off as desired. And the chest mount is a great investment.

In terms of settings, I like to go with the highest resolution setting there is, then crop down if need be. And then for the different angles, the widest angle lens setting helps with the sense of speed—so that’s useful for the front of the bike and the back of the bike.

For handheld interviews, I shoot with the linear setting, so you don’t get distortion on people’s faces. When using the chest mount, I usually go halfway between, because if you use the linear setting you don’t really see the arms enough, and if it’s super wide then the arms look like they’re 30 feet long.

How do you prevent the camera from overheating?

If you’re running your GoPro to the point of overheating, you’re doing it wrong. No one cares about two hours of continuous footage, even if it’s from the Tour de France. It’s not about the long, boring shot. You want the best bits.

Recording it all and editing later, that’s the wrong mindset, in my opinion. You’re looking for the highlights.

What’s your workflow for getting your best shots out into the world?

There are several ways to work. GoPro has an app that shows the miracle and the limitations of A.I. You can select a few shots and it will assemble an edit for you. Or you can allow it to pick highlights for you, which sometimes works well. It senses change, and recognizes that as a dynamic moment. It can sync it to a few songs that are provided in the app.

I did some shooting recently in Arizona, and while I was eating lunch, I let the app sift through the files from the GoPro, and it put together a little 30-second montage that was pretty cool. It wasn’t as good as if a human had done it, but I was just eating tacos, and when I finished eating I put it up on Instagram—done!

I use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit lengthy videos. You just have a lot more control over what you can do. But there are many software options to choose from, everything from free software to Final Cut to iMovie.

You can do great stuff with just iMovie. For many people that is the right mix of having enough control over things without being totally overwhelming. You can do basic edits in the GoPro app, things like trimming clips.

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