Hero 12 Blackvs A7 III
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
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) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Video | — |
More comparisons with Hero 12 Black
Camera family history