Hero 12 Blackvs A7CR
GoPro
Hero 12 Black (2023)
Starting from £300 new
Best for Adventure, sports & travel video
View Hero 12 Black
VS
Sony
A7CR (2023)
Starting from £3099 new
Best for Travel, landscape & portrait photography with minimal kit
View A7CR
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.
Travel, Landscape & Portrait Photography With Minimal Kit — A7CR (2023): The world's smallest 61MP full-frame camera — A7R V quality in a pocketable A7C body.
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
A7CR (2023)
- Landscape photographers who want 61MP resolution without carrying a large body
- Travel photographers who need professional image quality in the smallest possible package
- Portrait shooters who want A7R V sensor quality with the ease of the A7C form factor
- A7C owners ready for a major resolution upgrade without changing bodies
Quick take: The a7cr has the highest resolution at 61mp; the hero 12 black is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Hero 12 Black (2023) | A7CR (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £300 | £3,099 |
| Sensor | 1/1.9-inch CMOS | 61.0MP full-frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 27.0MP | 61.0MP |
| Video | 5.3K/60p, 4K/120p, 2.7K/240p slow-mo | 4K/60p 10-bit, 1080p/120p — S-Log3, S-Cinetone |
| Autofocus | Fixed focus (wide) | AI subject recognition — phase-detect with human, animal, bird detection |
| Stabilisation | HyperSmooth 6.0 (in-camera EIS) | 7-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 27MP RAW burst | 8fps mechanical, 15fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~70 min at 5.3K/30p (Enduro battery) | ~530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 154g | 514g body only |
| Dimensions | 71.8 × 50.8 × 33.6mm | 124.0 × 71.1 × 63.4mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 2.27" rear touchscreen + 1.4" front display | EVF 0.70× 2.36M-dot |
| Screen | 2.27" rear touchscreen; 1.4" front colour display | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.03M dots |
| Mount | GoPro mounting ecosystem (fingers, adhesive, magnetic) | Sony E-mount (full-frame) |
| Memory Cards | microSD up to 1TB (V30 minimum) | Single CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II slot |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS | USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Hero 12 Black | A7CR |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure & Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Underwater | — | |
| Cycling & Hiking | — | |
| Everyday | — | |
| Landscape | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports | — |
More comparisons with Hero 12 Black
Camera family history