Hero 12 Blackvs Q3 43
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Leica
Q3 43 (2024)
Starting from £6995 new
Best for Documentary, portrait & reportage photography
View Q3 43
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.
Documentary, Portrait & Reportage Photography — Q3 43 (2024): The Q3 with the most human lens — 43mm, 60MP, and Leica rendering at its most natural and versatile.
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
Q3 43 (2024)
- Portrait and documentary photographers who find 28mm too wide and 50mm too tight
- Q3 owners who prefer a natural 43mm perspective over the iconic 28mm Summilux
- Reportage photographers who want the discreet Q3 form factor with a more intimate focal length
- Leica system users who want a fixed-lens body that excels across multiple genres
Quick take: The q3 43 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Hero 12 Black (2023) | Q3 43 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £6,995 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 60.0MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 8K/30p, 4K/60p 10-bit — L-Log |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Phase-detect AF with face and eye detection |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 8-stop IBIS (combined with OIS) |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 15fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~350 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 743g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.1mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | EVF 0.79× 5.76M-dot OLED |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.84M dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Fixed Summicron-M 43mm f/2 ASPH (43mm — closest to human field of view) |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single UHS-II SD slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | Q3 43 |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with Hero 12 Black
Camera family history