Hero 12 Blackvs MP 0.72
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Leica
MP 0.72 (2003)
Starting from £4850 new
Best for Street, Documentary & Reportage Film Photography
View MP 0.72
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 & Reportage Film Photography — MP 0.72 (2003): The purist's Leica — a fully mechanical 35mm rangefinder with no electronics bar the meter. Still built by hand in Wetzlar. The most honest 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
MP 0.72 (2003)
- Serious film photographers who want the finest rangefinder ever made
- Street and documentary photographers who shoot Kodak Tri-X or HP5
- Leica M-mount collectors and long-term lens owners
- Photographers who value mechanical precision over electronic convenience
Quick take: 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) | MP 0.72 (2003) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £4,850 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 35mm film |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | — |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | — |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Manual focus rangefinder — coupled 0.72× viewfinder |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | — |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | ~1fps (manual film advance) |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | Effectively unlimited — battery powers meter only |
| Weight | 154g | 600g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 138 × 77 × 38mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | Optical rangefinder, 0.72× magnification, 28–135mm framelines |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | None |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Leica M-mount |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 recommended) |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | None |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | MP 0.72 |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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