Hero 12 Blackvs Nikon Z9
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
VS
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.
Professional Sports & Wildlife — Nikon Z9 (2021): The Z9 redefined what professional mirrorless could be — no mechanical shutter, 45MP stacked BSI, and 8K RAW in the most rugged Z body.
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
Nikon Z9 (2021)
- Professional sports, wildlife and photojournalism photographers
- Nikon D6 or D850 users making the final switch to mirrorless
- Those who need the fastest, most reliable AF Nikon has ever made
- Professionals who need a flagship body with no mechanical shutter
Quick take: The nikon z9 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) | Nikon Z9 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £5,499 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | 740 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 1340g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | Nikon Z9 |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Landscape | — |
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