Hero 12 Blackvs GR IIIx HDF
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Ricoh
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street & documentary photography with a distinctive aesthetic
View GR IIIx HDF
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 & Documentary Photography With A Distinctive Aesthetic — GR IIIx HDF (2024): The GR IIIx with a built-in dream filter — for photographers who want the GR's legendary APS-C quality with an added layer of analogue magic.
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
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
- GR IIIx fans who want the HDF bloom effect without using post-processing
- Street photographers who want a distinctive, instantly recognisable aesthetic
- Film photography enthusiasts who want to replicate analogue optical character digitally
- GR III owners ready to upgrade to the 40mm equivalent perspective
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) | GR IIIx HDF (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1920 × 1080 / 60fps |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Phase/contrast hybrid CDAF with Snap Focus |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 3-axis Shake Reduction (SR) — 4 stops |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 4fps continuous |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~200 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 262g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 122.5 × 69.5 × 35.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | None — rear LCD only |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" fixed LCD touchscreen, 1.037M dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Fixed GR Lens 26.1mm f/2.8 (40mm equivalent) |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | GR IIIx HDF |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
More comparisons with Hero 12 Black
Camera family history