Hero 12 Blackvs Pentax 17
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
VS
Pentax
Pentax 17 (2024)
Starting from £400 new
Best for Film photography enthusiasts & diptych storytelling
View Pentax 17
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.
Film Photography Enthusiasts & Diptych Storytelling — Pentax 17 (2024): The best new film camera of the decade — manual controls, a sharp lens, and a half-frame format that doubles your roll and forces a new way of seeing.
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
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) | Pentax 17 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £400 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 35mm half-frame (18 × 24mm) |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | — |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | N/A — film camera |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Zone focus (0.35m / 1m / 3m / ∞) |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | N/A — film camera |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | Manual wind-on |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | 2× CR2 lithium batteries |
| Weight | 154g | ~165g (without batteries) |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 113 × 66 × 44mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | Optical viewfinder with half-frame framelines |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | N/A |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | 35mm film (ISO 25–3200 via DX coding + manual dial) |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | 35mm 135-format film cartridge |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | N/A |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | Pentax 17 |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | ||
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Low Light | — |
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