EOS R5vs Hero 12 Black
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
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 Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
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 R5 (2020)
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
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 eos r5 has the highest resolution at 45mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R5 (2020) | Hero 12 Black (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,499 | £300 |
| Sensor | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 1/1.9-inch CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.0MP | 27.0MP |
| Video | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | Fixed focus (wide) |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 27MP RAW burst |
| Battery Life | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) |
| Weight | 650g (with battery) | 154g |
| Dimensions | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display |
| Screen | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) |
| Memory Cards | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R5 | Hero 12 Black |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — |
More comparisons with EOS R5
Camera family history