GoPro Hero 13 Black goes into the travel kit

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GoPro Hero 13 Black goes into the travel kit

GoPro Hero 13 Black goes into the travel kit

Action cameras offer users amazing opportunities to film and photograph themselves doing all sorts of cool stuff — but even if you’re not into doing that, they can be a handy addition to a travel camera kit if you want something light and compact.

Camera IconHelmet-mounted GoPro Hero 13 Black. Credit: GoPro

I must admit that GoPro cameras have been a bit off my radar in recent years, but the new GoPro Hero 13 Black and its new “lens mods” and other accessories are a bit of a game changer in the action-camera sphere.

The lens mods offer users the opportunity to experiment with different focal lengths and points of view.

As opposed to previous lens mods for GoPro cameras, where you had to go into a menu and select the lens mod, the new lenses have electronic communication between the camera and the lens, so you just snap it on and you’re good to go.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconGoPro Hero 13 Black with ND filter mod. Credit: GoPro

There are currently two lens mods available, an ultra-wide and a macro, but GoPro has also announced and anamorphic lens mod (coming in 2025), which will allow users to capture a cinematic field of view. There’s also a new set of ND (neutral density) filters (ND4, 8, 16 and 32) that communicate with the camera and adjust the settings to add the desired motion blur effect to your vision.

The ultra-wide lens mod offers an impressive 177-degree field of view and a new 1:1 aspect ratio that gives users the freedom to crop their footage either wide or deep via the GoPro Quick app.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconGoPro Hero 13 Black. Credit: GoPro

The macro lens mod allows you to focus as close as 11cm away and it is the first GoPro lens with variable focus, so you can vary the point of focus from close-up to medium distance. It can be a little tricky to get things in focus using the tiny screen but you can enable a focus peaking feature in the settings menu to help get things sharp.

Camera features

The Hero 13 Black packs an amazing amount of tech inside its small body. It can shoot smooth and steady 5.3K 60 frames per second video and capture incredible slow-motion vision at up to 400fps at 720p as well as 120fps at 4K. And, if stills are your go, you get 27MP photos.

Apart from the on-camera controls, which consist of a shutter button and a rear touchscreen, the camera can also be controlled via voice or with the GoPro Quick app. The app also gives you access to a range of different easy-to-use tools including some powerful editing tools. You can, for example, zoom in, crop, and add filters and data overlays.

The new Hero is waterproof to 10m and has a 10 per cent larger battery that GoPro says allows users to shoot for more than 2.5 hours at 1080p and more than 1.5 hours at 4K and 5.3K.

In addition to the traditional and very secure GoPro mounting system, the new Hero sports a dual magnetic latch that makes it super easy to snap onto any of the 60-plus GoPro mounts and accessories.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconCycling pic taken with a chest-mounted GoPro Hero 13 Black with wide lens mod using voice-activated shutter. Credit: Mogens Johansen/The West Australiandata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconFitting the macro lens to the GoPro Hero 13 Black. Credit: GoProThe verdict

The GoPro 13 Hero Black is a very versatile little camera with a huge number of clever accessories that allow you to mount it onto just about anything — and the new magnetic mounting system is a big improvement.

I shot some video during a bike ride along the Canning River and it performed really well. The stabiliser ironed out most of the lumps and bumps along the bike path and the auto exposure adjusted well to the changing light conditions when I moved in and out of shady areas. I liked that I could use the voice control to switch between video and stills while cycling.

I particularly like the new lens mods because they broaden the appeal beyond the traditional action-camera scene, but I feel like the features are more designed for video creators rather than stills photographers.

It is a fun and straightforward camera to use but, because it’s so small, it can be a bit fiddly when you need to delve into the menu for custom settings. It’s a great camera for what it is designed to do and will be a good addition to any travel camera kit — but I wouldn’t want to rely on it as my only camera.

Terminology

Neutral density An ND filter reduces the amount of light making its way to the camera sensor. To get the correct exposure, the camera slows down the shutter speed and opens the aperture, which results in a shallower depth of field or sense of movement in your pictures.

Anamorphic The upcoming anamorphic lens mod allows users to capture ultra-wide-angle shots with less distortion while adding cinematic lens flares to the footage. Anamorphic lenses compress images horizontally to correct unequal magnification along perpendicular axes.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconUltra-wide lens fitted onto GoPro Hero 13 Black. Credit: GoProfact file

The standalone Hero 13 Black sells for $649.95. The ultra-wide lens mod costs $169.95, the macro lens mod $219.95 and the anamorphic lens mod will sell for $219.95 when it becomes available next year. The ND filter pack sells for $119.95 — plus there’s a range of bundle packages specifically designed for various adventure sports.

gopro.com/en/au

The GoPro Hero 13 Black was lent to Mogens Johansen by GoPro. They have not seen or influenced this story before publication.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconGoPro Hero 13 Black with lens mods. Credit: Mogens Johansen/The West Australiandata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconCanning River shot on GoPro Hero 13 Black with wide-angle lens mod. Credit: Mogens Johansen/The West Australiandata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconGoPro Hero 13 Black. Credit: GoProdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconGoPro Hero 13 Black. Credit: GoPro


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