Hero 12 Blackvs A1
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
VS
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
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 Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
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
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Hero 12 Black (2023) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Wedding | — |
More comparisons with Hero 12 Black
Camera family history