Hero 12 Blackvs BF
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
Sigma
BF (2025)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Photographers who want to strip back every distraction
View BF
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.
Photographers Who Want To Strip Back Every Distraction — BF (2025): The most radical camera in years — no dials, no buttons, just a flat aluminium body and total creative minimalism.
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
BF (2025)
- Photographers who find camera menus and dials a distraction from the creative process
- L-mount system users who want the lightest, most minimal full-frame body available
- Design enthusiasts who value the object quality and philosophy as much as the output
- Sigma fp/fp L users ready for a more radical step toward minimal photography
Quick take: The hero 12 black has the highest resolution at 27mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Hero 12 Black (2023) | BF (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 24MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 24.0MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 4K/30p, 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Phase-detect AF — face and eye detection |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 5-axis IBIS — 7 stops |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 9fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~400 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 427g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 127.0 × 75.0 × 45.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | EVF 0.75× 3.68M-dot |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen — primary interface |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | L-mount (Leica/Panasonic/Sigma) |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single UHS-II SD slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | BF |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Sports | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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