GoPro
Hero 12 Black 2023
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
£300
list price · used from £150 at eBay
Decision tools · Compare
Hero 12 Black vs A6400
Quick take: The Hero 12 Black has the highest resolution at 27MP; the Hero 12 Black is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·16 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
Hero 12 Black — Adventure, Sports & Travel Video: GoPro's best all-round action camera — better battery, 10-bit colour, and HyperSmooth 6.0 make it a genuine step forward.
A6400 — Content Creation & Vlogging: The best value APS-C Sony you can buy — especially used. Real-time Eye AF at this price point was transformative when it launched and still makes it one of the most reliable autofocus systems in the lineup.
Who should buy what
Hero 12 Black (2023)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
A6400 (2019)
is the right camera for you if…
- Vloggers and content creators who need a flip screen and reliable AF
- Photographers upgrading from a compact or smartphone
- Beginners who want room to grow into a full E-mount lens ecosystem
- Anyone prioritising autofocus performance at an accessible price
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | Hero 12 BlackGoPro · 2023 | A6400Sony · 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300Best | £749 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS BSI |
| Resolution | 27.0MPBest | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 4K/30p (6K oversampled, no crop), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Phase-detect, 425 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | No stabilisation |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burstBest | 11fps mechanical, 8fps with AF tracking |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~410 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 154gBest | 403g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 180° flip for selfie/vlog, 921k dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single SD UHS-I |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | Micro-USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
Hero 12 Black
A6400
Sports & Action
9.0/10
6.9/10
Vlogging & Video
9.0/10
6.0/10
Travel
9.0/10
6.9/10
Underwater
9.0/10
—
Casual
9.0/10
5.8/10
Portrait
—
6.7/10
Street
—
7.3/10
Wedding & Events
—
5.6/10
Filmmaking
—
5.1/10
Documentary
—
6.1/10
Landscape
—
5.6/10
Wildlife
—
7.4/10
Food
—
6.1/10
Macro
—
5.2/10
Architecture
—
5.5/10
Astrophotography
—
6.0/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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