GoPro HERO13 Black - Action Through a New Lens

So I'm in the middle of Mt. Albert Domain, pretty much at the summit of the volcanic cone itself.

I have the dog with me because why would I waste an opportunity like this... especially if it leads to another exciting instalment of Extreme Dog-Walking?

That's right; it's GoPro time again.

I'm not sure there's anything very earth-shattering to say about the new HERO13 Black itself. It looks very similar to the last few generations; large touch display on the back, colour preview window on the front, quick launch button on top and power/mode button on the side.

No real shakeup there.

The usual improvements have been made. The HERO13 Black will now survive even hotter and colder temperature extremes. The battery is bigger and lasts longer. You can replace the battery compartment door with a magnetic charging mod and you know how I love me a bit of wireless charging.

You can now record slow motion bursts in three different resolutions, taking things to an insane level of detail. That includes 5.3K - only GoPro does that. Have you ever heard of HLG HDR? Nope, me neither. But film professionals know what it is and the new camera can do it. (Pretty sure it has something to do with better colour and detail in low light situations)

GoPro has brought back GPS capability with the HERO13 Black so you can add location and speed graphics and the Wi-Fi protocol has stepped up to Wi-Fi 6 - this makes quite a difference when taking advantage of the Auto-Upload to the Cloud function - more on that later.

In an effort to make mounting, unmounting and swapping out accessories even easier than it already was, GoPro has now added a magnetic mounting system to the universal 1/4-20 mounting thread and its more brand-specific folding-fingers option. This pretty much eliminates the need to waste time screwing and unscrewing cameras to move them from mount to mount, or in my case, from chest harness to dog harness. You simply squeeze the new magnetic mount to release and then just click it into place when you need it again. As is usually the case with GoPro accessories, it's a brilliant piece of design and virtually indestructible.

But there's one extremely compelling reason to upgrade your GoPro in 2024; the introduction of HB-Series Lenses.

My "Legit (Review) Kit" included the Ultra Wide Lens Mod, Macro Lens Mod and four ND Filters. There's also an Anamorphic Lens Mod option but unfortunately it won't be available till next year.

What makes these new lens mods so unique is the HERO13 Black automatically detects which one you've attached without any adjustment required from the user. Swapping the lenses out takes mere seconds, although it did take me a few goes to get used to the press and twist technique. Each type of lens comes in its own rubberised case. Once you remove the cap you're left holding the lens with the rubber body of the case. This means you can grip it more easily and prevents you touching the lens directly with potentially sweaty, muddy or wet fingers.

Once in place, all the lenses are, of course, water, dust and shock-proof.

Let's go through them.

The Ultra Wide is pretty self-explanatory. If you thought GoPro already did a pretty great job of getting everything in shot, wait till you try this out. You get a little bit of fish-eye distortion at the edges but in this case I think that's a deliberate effect. You'll see an example of what it does in the videos below, once we make it to the top of the hill. The Ultra Wide also adds the option of a 1:1 aspect ratio, which means any way can be up in post production and also makes for some nice still shots.

The Macro Mod is fun to use because it offers variable focus with its rotating lens ring. As I demonstrate in the first couple of dog shots in my videos, sometimes the action happens right up next to you. The Macro Lens can get you four times closer, even creating a slight bokeh (blurred) effect in the background if you're feeling artsy.

Speaking of which, if you want to get really cinematic, it's worth having a play with the four-piece ND Filter pack. As a total amateur, I had know idea what a neutral density filter was or why I'd need to choose between ND4, ND8, ND16 or ND32. Luckily, thanks to its auto-sensing abilities, the HERO13 Black figures out if the light is right for the filter you've chosen and if not, will suggest you go up or down with a helpful arrow on the screen.

So what do these ND lenses actually do? The idea is to create a sense of movement and speed, both in photos and vids. Because GoPros are so good at generating smooth, clear, wide-angled footage, sometimes the viewer can be fooled into thinking you weren't travelling all that fast or the terrain/ocean/track wasn't all that rough. The right ND filter leaves the main action crystal clear while blurring the edges, in much the same way we do with our natural eye mods. I tried to capture this effect when the dog went through the gate and close to boulders but I don't think he (or I) was really moving at terminal velocity.

I've got to say, I can't wait to try the Anamorphic Lens and it's a shame I have to wait until 2025 and couldn't feature it here. It offers the widest Field of View on any GoPro to date and means you can even shoot in the movie-theatre-style 21:9 aspect ratio, with no distortion at the edges whatsoever. This larger, curved, rectangular mod also produces those eye-catching lens-flare moments when the sun, headlights or other bright flashes hit the lens at certain angles. Imagine how the dog will look when I shoot him with that!

Our trek up the (long extinct) volcano turned out to be a lot more exciting than I'd bargained for, as I mention in the second video below. Good to know when you drop an entire case of ND filters down a slippery bank, they'll survive the fall safe and sound in their case. Just a shame I wasn't still filming when I rolled down the hill after them.

It turned out to be a great test. Although I ended up covered in mud, leaves and managed to stick my hand in a pile of... other stuff, I was still able to change lenses quickly and cleanly without getting any dust or dirt where it shouldn't be.

When I got home, I plugged the HERO13 Black in and let it auto-upload to the cloud, as I've demonstrated in previous GoPro reviews. Then, when I opened the Quik app, I had access to an AI-generated highlights video - which you can tweak - but I've left in its original state for you to watch here.

Obviously, I'd prefer to add titles and some of my commentary while removing shots with no dog or ones where my fat fingers were in the way. If I'd been more careful with when I started and stopped the camera, this AI-vid would have pretty much done the trick.

Instead, I used the Quick app on my iPhone to make this "Director's Cut..."

Remember, that was all done on my phone, titles, sound mix, the lot.

The new battery life, Wi-Fi boost and software tweaks are great but they were expected.

The magnetic mounting system is a revolution. So easy. So effective.

But the lens mods really steal the show here, making cinematic film techniques accessible to the masses. And idiots who fall down slippery banks.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the GoPro HERO13 Black.