Hero 12 Blackvs M11 Monochrom
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Leica
M11 Monochrom (2023)
Starting from £8300 new
Best for Black & White Photography
View M11 Monochrom
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.
Black & White Photography — M11 Monochrom (2023): The M11 Monochrom is the finest black-and-white camera in the world. A 60MP sensor with no colour filter array produces sharpness and tonal depth no colour camera can match — combined with extended high-ISO performance. Manual focus, no video, and an extraordinary price make it a specialist instrument, but for dedicated B&W photographers it is unmatched.
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 Monochrom (2023)
- Dedicated black-and-white photographers who demand the finest possible monochrome files
- Fine art and documentary photographers who work exclusively in B&W
- Leica M system users who want maximum monochrome image quality
- Astrophotographers — monochrome sensors excel at capturing fine star detail
Quick take: The m11 monochrom 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 Monochrom (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £8,300 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 60.3MP Full-Frame Monochrome BSI CMOS (no colour filter array) |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 60.3MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | — |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Manual focus rangefinder (no autofocus) |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | — |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 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 | 138.6 × 80.0 × 38.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | Optical rangefinder, 0.73× magnification |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 2.3" touchscreen LCD, 2.33M dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Leica M-mount |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single SD UHS-II slot + 64GB internal storage |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | M11 Monochrom |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Casual | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
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