Hero 12 Blackvs Ricoh GR IIIx
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Ricoh
Ricoh GR IIIx (2021)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street portraits & reportage
View Ricoh GR IIIx
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 Portraits & Reportage — Ricoh GR IIIx (2021): APS-C in a shirt pocket with a 40mm perspective — the GR IIIx is the ideal street portrait compact for photographers who want a slightly tighter frame.
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
Ricoh GR IIIx (2021)
- Street photographers who want the most pocketable APS-C camera available
- Ricoh GR III owners who prefer a 40mm equivalent over 28mm
- Travel photographers who want one discreet camera that fits anywhere
- Photographers who want a pocketable backup to a larger mirrorless system
Quick take: The hero 12 black has the highest resolution at 27mp; 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) | Ricoh GR IIIx (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £999 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction) |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 4fps |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | 200 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 262g |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 111.2 × 61.4 × 33.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | None |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Fixed 40mm-equiv f/2.8 lens |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single SD UHS-I |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | Ricoh GR IIIx |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Documentary | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — |
More comparisons with Hero 12 Black
Camera family history