EOS R1vs Hero 12 Black
Canon
EOS R1 (2024)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View EOS R1
VS
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
Adventure, Sports & Travel Video — Hero 12 Black (2023): GoPro's best all-round action camera — better battery, 10-bit colour, and HyperSmooth 6.0 make it a genuine step forward.
Who should buy what
EOS R1 (2024)
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
Hero 12 Black (2023)
- Action and sports photographers who want the best stabilisation available
- Travellers who need a rugged waterproof camera for any conditions
- Cyclists, surfers, and skiers wanting helmet or handlebar footage
- Hero 11 owners considering an upgrade — notably better battery life
Quick take: The hero 12 black has the highest resolution at 27mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | Hero 12 Black (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £300 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 1/1.9-inch CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 27.0MP |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | Fixed focus (wide) |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 27MP RAW burst |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 154g |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | Hero 12 Black |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — |
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history