Hero 12 Blackvs M11-D
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Leica
M11-D (2024)
Starting from £8195 new
Best for Street, documentary & photographic purists
View M11-D
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
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.
Street, Documentary & Photographic Purists — M11-D (2024): A rangefinder with no screen — 60MP, manual focus, total presence. The most focused camera ever made.
Who should buy what
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
M11-D (2024)
- Experienced rangefinder photographers who want to eliminate chimping and be fully present
- M11 users who want to deepen their relationship with the photographic process
- Documentary and street photographers who believe the screen distracts from the moment
- Collectors and Leica enthusiasts who value the philosophy as much as the output
Quick take: The m11-d has the highest resolution at 60mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable; only the hero 12 black is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Hero 12 Black (2023) | M11-D (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £8,195 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS — 64GB internal storage |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 60.0MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | None — this is a stills-only camera |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Manual focus only — rangefinder coupled focusing |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | None — manual rangefinder camera |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 4.5fps |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~700 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 530g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 138.9 × 80.0 × 38.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | Optical rangefinder viewfinder — 0.73× magnification |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | None — no rear LCD by design |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Leica M-mount — compatible with all M lenses |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | 64GB internal + SD UHS-II slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | M11-D |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history