Hey folks, thanks for watching! Don't forget about the massive Beginners Guide/Tutorial video here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/f8iqfbmIu5rUcaM.html

No one compares to your reviews. This is insane attention to details!

Ray, thank you for this incredibly detailed look at HERO12 Black 🙌 We're excited for your upcoming videos + to see you continue to put your camera to the test.

Your reviews are the best in the biz. You’re even swimming with it as part of the review! Amazing. Thanks for the overheating tests. Sometimes I need to film long videos. I like the Hero12 update, the camera looks sweet and I could use that extra run time on my motorcycle vlogs here in India and Pakistan.

The osmo action 4 overall is the best of all vlogging cameras, I never regret getting rid of my gopro 10 nothing beats the action 4...for 2023

Great video. You forgot 1 thing though: mic adapter requirement for go pro for long videos (without bt) vs direct USB type c for DJI OA4. I wish this would have made it to gpa12. Other than this and battery charging speed, I think it's a great update

Fantastic no nonsense overview - thank you. 👍 Some useful upgrades in this one (log and wireless mic, 1/4" hole,) and I always like GoPro slow-mo. Still DJI's Action4 20minutes to 80% charge and front touch screen have a bit of an edge in everyday do-it-all usability. The GPS is a bit odd subtraction, no doubt contributed to lower cost and better heat management. It is a feature I don't use most often - true - but when I want one that's when I reach for an action cam, so not having it..., I think, the on/off option would have been better. BTW great overheating experiment incidental find! 😃Cool t-shirt too😜

No GPS is a deal breaker for me. I agree with you...they should have left it in as an option to turn on or off, or even had two versions of the camera one with and one without. I think this is a big miss by GoPro. I'm hoping they'll come up with a remote GPS or something similar to what Insta 360 and Osmo Action 4 have. Otherwise, I'm done with GoPro.

i received my Gopro 11 yesterday, and I'm happy with it, not much of a big difference to me between the 11 & 12, the 11 will serve it's purpose 😍👍

The one piece I’m upset about is they took out the GPS that has been in the GoPro’s since I believe 5 GoPro and some nice features, but takes away from a feature

First GoPro since the Hero 9 that I consider buying. Especially because of the 10 bit and flat profile, much better Dynamic Range in HDR and non-jitter for FPV (GoPro is the only one of the big 3 that produces jitter free image, when it gets really shaky... they really nailed that.) I also barely have my Hero9s crashing but I'm using the Sandisk Extreme Pro as well. That rumored 1" sensor for better low light would have suited it well tho ;)

FOV improvements are nice but as someone who bought a GoPro originally for motorsports the removal of the GPS has me quite sour. Thanks for being the only one to call that out....I still think the Hero 11 is the best camera on the market right now for that reason. Thanks for sharing that mount base...thing looks awesome. Definitely will be picking that up in the future.

I've watched a nearly 18 mins video on action cameras and I don't care much about them. That's how good Ray is 👍👍 Dank u wel meneer!

I don’t think enough attention is paid to the app. As a travel camera, being able to charge it at night and have all the footage automatically dumped into the cloud is amazing. Then you can quickly highlight the parts to want or trim then quickly in the app. Super awesome for vacations

Ordered it last night! Coming from the 10 -12 should be well worth it,especially with the subscriber discount I got and the max lens mod.I’ve never had any issues at all with my 10 so don’t believe the haters.GoPro makes an awesome camera

Action 4 still better for me. Thank you for the video though 🙂

LOVED this in-depth review! The decision-swaying note for me was the fact both the internal & bluetooth mics are recorded together with the option to choose in post-production. Def will make me worry less about an external mic bugging out/sounding bad knowing that the internal mic will still be there as a backup!

Hi DC Rainmaker, Thanks for the hard work and time putting these videos together. It gives a more holistic overview of what the GP is capable to do without all the noise and complaints from past GP users who rightfully and unrightfully had bad experiences. An idea for your future contents is to add: 1) buyer’s guide: - when should consumers upgrade from previous versions of same brand or when to switch from one brand to another - considerations for switching from one brand to another - workarounds as every cam brand has some things we don’t like and/or affects our use cases, including what the product is intended for …to name a few! A couple things I would like to add to your video contents are: 1) pricing: - base cam only - includes accessories - consistent drive price or not from my one gen to another. For example, no one mentions DJI kept price low on A1, increased it significantly on A2 at $529 and now lowered it, A3 is lower and now A4 is higher. Needs to consider when following the brand upgrades - overheating: this is thermal management and physics. When you have a small form factor and it is waterproof, there’s no place for heat dissipation except make the body out of magnesium alloy and/or use passive heat sinks or active cooling. Couple this with high frame rate and resolution settings and surely it will heat up. If you know this already, then when you shoot short form and with airflow, then no issue. If long form, turn off BT, GPS, wifi and screen resolution down that makes it heat up more. What Sony calls tripod mode and GP did in GP10. Or add a regular fan for airflow or attach a phone active cooling fan or lots of active cooling fans on Aliexpress. Overheating are common issues with all the mirrorless cams, small body, little passive heat sinks or no magnesium bodies and weatherproof so heat traps. Some of these cams have active cooling and it doesn’t overheat but is big Battery life. This comes to power management circuitry. Hopefully the way Apple does it with their custom SOCs and the power management is really good but not cheap and these action cams will move up to the $700-$1000+

The bench mark of reviews....a couple dropped yesterday but they aren't a DC review. Very grateful for the time and effort you put in to your reviews they are the make and break whether I spend my ££££ I won't be updating to a 12.....love the Bluetooth mic....hate the removal of the GPS and that's the deal breaker.

It would be great if you did a thorough low-light comparison showing different shutter speeds, iso values, with and without stabilization, moving vs stationary. I've been able to get pretty good stabilzed running video at night with my Action 4 keeping the shutter speed high enough and removing some noise in post. Definitely better than anything I could get with the gopro 9 (when it worked at all). Had to use a gimbal then.

Another great video. I'm not sure if I am upgrading from the 10 though. I may wait 1 more year for the 13

What a great review (again 😊)!Does GPS removal mean photos and video don’t include location shots they were taken from? Or there is an alternative way this info gets associated to the footage? Thanks a lot

Charging the batteries slower is a good thing. Rapidly charging batteries significantly reduces their lifespan. The slower charge time is probably intentional, because it's better overall, but they cannot talk about it publicly. Most of their customers wouldn't understand or believe them. During fast charging, a battery is pounded by power surges, which would normally burn it up if this peaking power level were constant. Nonetheless, it does do damage like death by a thousand paper cuts.

Well done. I'll stick with GoPro as I love Reelsteady (faster, easier, better results than Gyroflow) and like the additional crop real estate of 5.3 going down to 4k. I won't upgrade from my 10 to the 12 - had hoped to do that but there's not enough for me to tempt me.

The bottom line is that if you have a Hero 11 or even maybe a Hero 10 then upgrading to the Hero 12 probably isn't worth the investment. But, if you are like me and you are coming from a Hero 8, then the upgrades are pretty significant and worth the investment. Also, since I have a subscription I get $100 off the camera, which basically lets me toss in a couple extra batteries and still get a discounted price. Thanks as always for the practical and thorough review.

Great video as always. Love that instead of just showing, you also explain. Works great on my drives!

Was torn between the action 4 and hero12. The eco system of the GoPro along with the higher resolutions as well as wider pov/stability sold me. I’m not coming from an 11 so no disappointment here. Stoked.

Ordered on Wednesday... then saw DCR's video that highlighted the removal of GPS... cancelled the order today. I'll stick with my 11, 10, 9 and Max. I intended to sell the 9 and get the 12 but the loss of GPS is for me disappointing; I am used to documenting where my photos and videos are shot using the GPS, never noticed the battery impact.

I can't help but feel a certain bias of you here... The night footage of the Action 4 is a million times better without any question. And that's even on a small screen 😅

I thought the Falcam DJI adapter mount was going to be the perfect quick release for me, but it rattles like crazy on a bike mount (under the outfront mount). And in my experience at least, it also only works with DJI Action 2 mounts, not the slightly modified DJI Action 3/4 mounts that have an additional rubber piece to prevent rattle. Also, one of the provided screws that you need to use because it's a different depth than the GP stock ones stripped a hole in my GP11. Just for people's full awareness.

Got 9 and still goings strong that's all I ever needed

Great review, I just bought one today for my upcoming birthday. I’m coming from a Hero 4 black that still works when I smash it on a flat solid surface. I saved your video so I won’t have to go the manual when it arrives! thank you random internet person.

Ahhh man!!!! As a huge cyclist who uses the gps data for training this is a major deal breaker. It's a shame too because I was looking to upgrade from my hero 9 black. No GPS chip is a no go.

I use my GoPro mainly for sailing. The GPS is a must for me. Removal of the GPS is a downgrade.

Does the lack of GPS make in-car racetrack footage with integrated lap time and vehicle metrics not a use case for the Hero 12?

Thanks for this. Based on your use which would you prefer hero 12 or action 4?

I was about to buy an ice cream but now I want a HERO12 after watching this amazing video!

Awesome review!

This guy in 17’min said what I would take 6H to say 🫡 100% effective 👍 +1 SUB 😊

So basically dji4 for the win thank you.

Where can we get that Gopro LUT ?

Outstanding review and informative comparisons. Appreciate the straightforward comments, lake of sensationalism, with pros and cons of different features when comparing between different devices and brands.

Great review. Any comparisons between the max lens mod 1.0 vs 2.0 on the hero 12?

Can you compare this with the insta360 go 3? i'm curious about the video quality..

Some things are worth the wait and your reviews of new Gopros are the best, Thank You!

Used a camera in my career class and I want one now 😂

Nice video. Great work. Keep it up man. Your content is helping a lot of people.

So GoPro used their app to figure out who uses GPS? The app is awful so many don't ever use it. I download all my footage to my PC then use Premiere so how would GoPro know?

i can clearly say you have the best detailed gopro reviews in youtube.

Been waiting for this review!

Im glad to see GoPro made a better camera then my Hero 10. Is it a upgrade from Hero 11, no its not. But for me that have the Hero 10, I would skip Hero 11 and buy the Hero 12. But I also have the action 4, and for what I seen so far the action 4 looks better. But the biggest question, can you trust the Hero 12 from bugs and freeze. That gonna be fun to see over time

Sticking with DJI great review though

You are my GoTo reviewer for everything GoPro related . Keep it up .

Just preordered one 2 days ago cant wait to record my mountain biking

The lack of GPS is a massive bummer. I have a Hero 9 and may just upgrade to Hero 11.

DC Rainmaker, allways a trusty reviewer! thanks 👍🍻 I will be gettin' the new hero 12 because its a huge upgrade for me, I do like the new hdr video feature that would help me a lot also about the gps module - I think I have it on hero 7 - never used before, not even once. Cant wait the other videos! 😅

When you cover overheating, could you add power banks to the equation too please. I leave the battery out of the gopro and just connect a power bank to it instead so I can run it for hours when riding my motorcycle. Granted I still have a gopro hero 5 though, but haven't any overheating issues with it and was wondering if the new gopros are the same.

Excellent as always. Always my go to tech source

Only things we need to know... Have they improved the batteries? Does it still need an adapter for a microphone?

Blue specks is the biggest deal breaker for me...

This was very informative and helped my purchase thank you!

12:00 😳 I guess I'm just imagining my Hero 10 overheating after recording for less than 5 minutes then... Silly me lol

Thanks for the review! Eagerly awaiting the Log / HDR sample files.

Does the media mod from the 11still work on the 12 17:15

The Log recording sounds like the real innovation here! I’ll be upgrading for that alone, but I can see why non-professionals are disappointed. Thanks as always for the detailed review 🙏

I have the Hero 10. For me, it works just fine. I hate that I need the media mod in order to use a wireless mic. I hope DJI comes out with a better camera and features in the future. GoPro is just making small incremental changes that in my opinion don't justify the cost.

When you did the overheating test comparison (11 vs 12), did you turn GPS off on the Hero11?

Surprised how 'no GPS' isn't a bigger point... having GPS locations on my photos and videos is for me the primary way I organize my files. 9/10 times when I look for something I know either where or when it was taken. Like I feel crazy for saying this, but e.g. in Google Photos being unable to search for a location name to find my videos might actually be a deal breaker for me 😕

A 2.3" CMOS sensor is bigger than a 1.9" CMOS sensor. The 2.3" sensor has a diagonal measurement of 2.3 inches, while the 1.9" sensor has a diagonal measurement of 1.9 inches. This means that the 2.3" sensor has a larger surface area and can capture more light, resulting in better image quality in low-light conditions. As you can see, the 2.3" sensor has a surface area that is about 25% larger than the 1.9" sensor. This means that the 2.3" sensor can capture about 25% more light, which can lead to better image quality in low-light conditions. In addition to image quality, the size of the sensor also affects the field of view of the camera. A larger sensor will have a narrower field of view than a smaller sensor, which can be useful for portrait photography.

Awesome review. I didn't upgrade last year, so i"m still using the 10. And I use my cameras all the time. I'm excited to upgrade!

Thanks for the great review as usual!! Does GP-log replace flat colour profile in 10-bit or is the flat profile still available on 10-bit mode? I presume that flat colour profile still available in 8-bit? What kind of LUTs is Gopro providing? Log to Gopro colours only?

Great video and love the Thread+Spoke t-shirt!

GPS is gone!? Why!?

Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication. I own an Action 3 and thanks to you i am considering the GP12.

Fantastic review. I'm seriously thinking about buying this model now 🤓

Best review on the internet, as usual 🙏 thx for your work

Great review. I’m surprised Go Pros have such short battery life.

I could not believe that the action 4 was better in low light, I wonder which of the two companies will be the first to give us a 1” sensor camera. Even a 18mm lens would do

No GPS jus broke the deal for me/Thks for the honest and upfront review

This is very nice for geology field trips.

Thanks for the in depth review! Can HDR and 10 bit both be activated together? Not sure how those 2 settings affect each other

I’m really curious about overheating while live streaming. I’m not sure if that’s related to max lens mod with boost but I would only get 30 min live before overheating. I was moving while streaming

I've been waiting for this!

What were they thinking when they remove the GPS????? pfffff crazy

Great job, as always. Thanks!

4:28 this is a great option to have if you're using it for vlogging,interview, etc

Thanks for your -as usual - great and helpful video. Regarding the GPS, no possibility to get the location from the phone it is paired to through the app, like for many hybrid cameras ? BTW, I think the colors from GoPro much better than DJI’s one.

The video from the studio looks low contrast or washed out.

What I find interesting…few of the other big camera reviewers have done a review of the the GoPro 12; I’m talking Gerald Undone, Potato Jet, IPhone-do etc. , few reviews at all in fact. So thank you! And very comprehensive! I’m not sure if so little changes they just simply didn’t bother or maybe waiting for a production model or once DC has done such a good one, why bother? Still some good improvements on a nice action camera.

As a motorcycle vlogger I've decided to move away from GoPro. The terrible "crackling" noise while riding and talking is why I walked away from GoPro. I wish you had addressed that problem. I have used every setting suggested and still get the crackling on my GoPro 9, 10, and 11.

Thank you. Many answers at last. So in low light at 60fps the Action 4 introduces jitters (like my Action 2) that look very annoying? It defeats the larger sensor better low light abilities. I use the action cameras under the surface of the ocean, where at times it is dim if the surface water is murky. It is better to have more grain than jitters. So in real world dim conditions the GoPro is better than the DJI Action from your findings. I have the Hero 10 and 11. The 12 is a bit disappointing, appealing only for the longer battery life. The GPS it is nice to use to geotag some locations occasionally, in the water, when I do not have the phone. The Hero 10 at $249 seems the best deal of all. It would be nice for the international audience if you would also give temperature in Celsius (but I was listening without watching the parts about audio and overheating ) great breakdown as always. Lost of work you put in shooting and editing all this.

After testing with my hero 11 I notice couple of things. The 8:7 view that everybody talks so much, you can only shoot in WIDE. In order to get a Superview or Hyperview you need to import the footage in your phone(no windows app yet) and choose lens and then export again the video but that is creating a video of lower quality. If you try to crop the footage in Davinci you will not get the same view. GoPro is using a special method that is pulling the sides somehow. Yes it is useful in 9:16 crop but that is it. And no shortcut to turn front screen on or even to be able to save a preset that has front screen on. Why when you are in the main screen and press power button twice for example to be able to turn on and off front screen. You have to go in the settings and press screen lock and then choose what view you want and then press again to exit. WOW!

As someone riding a bicycle, I have been looking for a good GoPro to stick on my full face helmet and to have any video be so smooth just like how we see the world in the naked eye. So for all the GoPros out there, which do you suggest is the best so far?

If you use the max lens mod v1 on the GP 12, the resolution will be capped at 2.7k 60 or can you go 4k

I need help. I’m going to get a action camera for our trip to Prague and Germany. We will be there for the Christmas markets. I don’t know which one to get. The action 4 or the GoPro 12. Any help would be helpful.

Great video as always!

Lucky i watched this before buying the Hero 12. Now i'm definitely not gonna buy it. No GPS? Really? I use GPS every single time for my timelapse. I have Hero 10, and will like the Hero 12 for Max TimeWarp at 4k, but need the GPS. So i will stay at my Hero 10 and Max TimeWarp at only 2.7k sadly :( Hope Hero 13 will get back the GPS :/

thank you for this video you share

I still have the hero 5 and I still dont know everything. Sometimes when there are SO MANY FEATURES on a camera it can become OVERWHELMING to a NEW customer, even intimidating. I know I am not the only one who wonders why they need all those features? Which is why i will stay with my Hero 5 and Hero 360 camera😊

Ill go with insta360 ONE RS Twin, best of both worlds