Hero 12 Blackvs D850
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
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.
Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography — D850 (2017): The finest DSLR ever made — 45MP, 9fps, and nearly 2000 shots per charge in a body that still outperforms most mirrorless cameras for battery life.
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
D850 (2017)
- Nikon F-mount lens owners who want the highest resolution DSLR before switching to mirrorless
- Landscape and wildlife photographers who value the optical viewfinder and outstanding battery life
- Professional photographers who need 45MP resolution without the price of a medium format system
- Photojournalists and event photographers with a large F-mount lens investment
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Hero 12 Black (2023) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 154g | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Sports | — |
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