The Top 5 GoPro Hero Cameras Compared

GoPros to Avoid

GoPro doesn’t sell anything older than the Hero 12, but there are plenty of Hero 11s and even Hero 10s out there for sale on the internet. We suggest avoiding them. They may work fine, but modern accessories designed for later models won’t work, and these cameras have likely been through the wringer. (They are action cameras, after all.)

The Best GoPro Accessories

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

Should you buy a bundle? Generally, I say no. Get the camera, figure it out, and see how you end up using it. When you find yourself trying to solve a problem, start looking for an accessory. Here are some of my favorite things that I’ve tested and used, but if you have favorites you think I should try, drop a comment below.

A Good MicroSD card for $50: According to GoPro’s recommendations, you want a microSD card with a V30 or UHS-3 rating. That said, GoPros can be finicky about SD cards. I’ve had good luck with, and recommend, the Samsung linked here. Another card I’ve used extensively is the Sandisk Extreme Pro.

GoPro Media Mod for $100: By far my most-used accessory, the media mod does add some bulk, but in most cases this is more than made up for by the fact that you can plug in a real microphone (I use mine with a Rode Wireless). Sound quality is radically improved with this one. This may be less necessary if you get the Hero 12 or later, since those models do have support for Bluetooth mics.

GoPro Handlebar Mount for $40: I’ve been doing a lot more riding lately, and this mount pretty much lives on my bike these days. It’s been rock solid in my testing, and beats any of the third-party mounts I’ve tested.

GoPro Tripod Mount Adapters for $30: Unless you have the Hero 12 or 13, which have a tripod mount built-in, you’ll need a few of these to mount your GoPro to a tripod like the GorillaPod.

GoPro Floaty for $35: If you’re getting anywhere near the water, grab one of these. Trust me, you will drop your GoPro, and when you do, you will glad you have this (unless the water is clear and you’re a good free diver). GoPro also makes a Floating Hand Grip ($23), which not only floats but has a leash for diving or surfing.

GoPro Selfie Stick for $80: This 48-inch extension pole collapses up surprisingly small and isn’t very heavy. It’s the best selfie stick I’ve used. I rarely use it for selfies, but it makes a great monopod on soft ground, like a sandy beach.

DaVinci Resolve Studio for $300: This is my video editing software of choice. There is a free version, but I got tired of converting media to fit the restrictions of the free version. Best money I ever spent when it comes to making better videos.

Do More With Your GoPro

GoPro Hero 13 Black in color White with the Anamorphic Lens attachedPhotograph: Scott Gilbertson

So you bought a GoPro, now what? Well aside from reading the manual and learning how to control it, the best thing to do is get out there and experiment. Here are a few suggestions and things I use my GoPro for regularly.

GoPro Labs: GoPro Labs is an alternative firmware for your GoPro Hero camera that enables all sort of features and experiments that allow you to do things you can’t do with the stock firmware. There is some risk of instability and bugs, but I’ve been using the Labs firmware for five years now and never had an issue. It’s like adding 10 new features to your GoPro for free. I’ll reference several of my favorites in the sections below, but you can see the full list of things you can do with GoPro Labs on the GoPro Labs website.

TimeLapse Videos: After mounting the GoPro on my bike, this is my most used feature. GoPro’s time lapse is incredibly easy to use (compared to most mirrorless cameras anyway) and with the Labs firmware you can do really long timelapse shots, over 24 hours if you have a battery pack to help power it.

Raise the Bitrate: By default the Hero 13 Black does not record at the highest bitrate. This is likely the reason your video looks mushy and not as clear and sharp as it should. Change that by going to the ProTune settings and pick “high” for the bitrate. If you want to go crazy you can use Labs to raise your bitrate all the way the 200 (the “high” setting in the stock firmware is 100). The caveat is that depending on your SD card, you may not be able to record that high. But every bit helps. The trade off is that cranking up the bitrate does chew through battery and can also lead to overheating, so if you’re shooting in very warm conditions, you might want to dial this down. Some footage is better than no footage because you overheated and the camera shut off.

Learn Manual Exposure: The Hero 13 Black gives you full control over exposure, so take advantage of it. Play with the exposure compensation especially (called EV Comp in the settings). Try dialing it down to -1 for midday shots. Also play with max ISO. The lower you can keep this, the better your footage will look, though because the GoPro kinda sucks in low light, there are some limits here.

Improve Sound with the Media Mod: It bears repeating, but the Media Mod is the best way to get good sound out of the GoPro without investing in Bluetooth mics (which is impractical in many mounting scenarios anyway). The only time the media mod leaves my GoPro is when I’m in the water (sadly, the Hero with the media mod installed is not at all waterproof).

Is Now a Good Time to Buy?

Earlier this week, GoPro announced its new Mission 1 cameras, which offer cinema-ready features in an action camera form. The Mission 1 cameras have a new image processor, the GP3. The last time GoPro updated its processor was in 2021 with the release of the Hero 10 with used the GP2.

The GP3 is a 5-nanometer system on a chip (SoC), which matches what we saw in Insta360 and DJI’s action cameras released late last year. More interesting is the claim that the GP3 will have “more than 2X the pixel processing power,” which would be what you want to handle 8K (or higher) footage. The Hero 13 Black is limited to 5.3K video.

The Mission 1 cameras will have better low light performance, which GoPro has sucked at in the past, while retaining the small camera form factor. However, it’s worth noting here that GoPro has yet to mention the price and the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro aren’t available for preorder until May 21. The Mission 1 Pro ILS, along with some of the bundles, will not arrive until later this year (GoPro says Q3).

If you want a GoPro for the start of the summer, the Hero 13 Black is still fine. Otherwise, I will update this guide once I’ve tested one, or all, of the Mission cameras.

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GoPro unveiled its MISSION 1 series today, a trio of compact cinema cameras designed to tackle both extreme action and demanding film work in a single robust chassis. The lineup includes the regular MISSION 1, MISSION 1 PRO, and MISSION 1 PRO ILS, all of which share the same cutting-edge 50-megapixel one-inch sensor, as well as a new GP3 CPU that pushes resolution, performance, and battery life further than anything GoPro has done before.

Each of the three models uses the same core components to give excellent low-light performance and up to 14 stops of dynamic range right out of the box. Individual pixels measure 1.6 micrometers at maximum resolution and combine to generate effective pixels of 3.2 micrometers while shooting 4K film, capturing substantially more light than rival action cameras’ small sensors. The GP3 chip handles the heavy lifting with power efficiency, preventing the cameras from overheating even while filming long, high-resolution clips, and allowing them to function for hours on a single battery charge.

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The video options are quite impressive, especially since the MISSION 1 PRO and MISSION 1 PRO ILS can record 8K at 60 frames per second in the regular 16:9 aspect, 4K at 240 frames per second, and 1080p at 960 frames per second for silky-smooth slow-motion views. Both models feature open-gate 4:3 recording at 8K30 and 4K120 resolutions, providing filmmakers greater options when cropping later. The MISSION 1 base model steps things back a bit to 8K at 30 frames per second, 4K at 120 frames per second, and 1080p at 240 frames per second, but retains the 4K120 open-gate option. Every model can shoot 50-megapixel RAW photographs at up to 60 frames per second in bursts, and all can capture 10-bit color in either a GP-Log2 profile for grading or HLG HDR for extremely bright highlights.

Battery life has just become a whole lot better, with the upgraded Enduro 2 cell easily lasting over 5 hours at 1080p30 and more than three hours at 4k30 on any of the models – and charging faster than previous generations. Even at the highest settings, such as 8K60 on the PRO models, the cameras will gladly run for more than an hour as long as there is enough airflow due to the better thermal design. Storage remains simple with a microSD card, and the bodies are still waterproof down to a generous 20 meters without the need for an additional case.

The physical changes make daily use easier, since each camera now has a larger OLED screen on the rear and a front display for quick checks. The buttons are higher up, making them easier to press with gloves on, and the overall construction feels sturdy enough to survive rigorous use. Stabilization is implemented via the popular HyperSmooth method, which has been tuned to work well with larger sensor data sets. Audio has also advanced significantly, with four microphones on board capable of recording crisp 32-bit float sound, wind suppression, and compatibility for wireless mics or USB-C connected choices.

The Mission 1 Pro ILS includes a Micro Four Thirds lens mount, allowing you to use any prime lens while still benefiting from the camera’s full-fat HyperSmooth stabilisation. This gives up a world of possibilities for telephoto shooting, macro work, and custom glass, all without sacrificing the compact size or sturdy build quality that we’ve come to expect from GoPro. Meanwhile, the other two models include a fixed wide-angle lens with a 159-degree field of view and a retractable hood to reduce glare.

Mounting-wise, GoPro sticks with what we know and love, with built-in fingers and a magnetic latch that fits perfectly into their usual range of grips, cages, and housings. If you want to get a little more fancy, there’s a new point-and-shoot grip that includes cold-shoe mounts and a standard thread for easy setup. If you need even more flexibility, the extra media mods provide more input options.

GoPro plans to launch pre-orders for the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro on May 21, with the first units entering stores on May 28. The Mission 1 Pro ILS will be released later in the third quarter, but don’t worry, we’ll know precisely how much it will cost once the specifics are finalized. For the time being, the company is pitching the entire line as a more inexpensive option to get your hands on some significant tiny cinema equipment.
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Anthropic announced a new platform last week, Claude Managed Agents, aiming to cut out the more complex parts of AI agent deployment for enterprises and competes with existing orchestration frameworks.

Claude Managed Agents is also an architectural shift: enterprises, already burdened with orchestrating an increasing number of agents, can now choose to embed the orchestration logic in the AI model layer.

While this comes with some potential advantages, such as speed (Anthropic proposes its customers can deploy agents in days instead of weeks or months), it also, of course, then also turns more control over the enterprise’s AI agent deployments and operations to the model provider — in this case, Anthropic — potentially resulting in greater “lock in” for the enterprise customer, leaving them more subject to Anthropic’s terms, conditions, and any subsequent platform changes.

But maybe that is worth it for your enterprise, as Anthropic further claims that its platform “handles the complexity” by letting users define agent tasks, tools and guardrails with a built-in orchestration harness, all without the need for sandboxing code execution, checkpointing, credential management, scoped permissions and end-to-end tracing. 

The framework manages state, execution graphs and routing and brings managed agents to a vendor-controlled runtime loop.

Even before the release of Claude Managed Agents, new directional VentureBeat research showed that Anthropic was gaining traction at the orchestration level as enterprises adopted its native tooling. Claude Managed Agents represents a new attempt by the firm to widen its footprint as the orchestration method of choice for organizations.

Anthropic is surging in orchestration interest

Orchestration has emerged as an important segment for enterprises to address as they scale AI systems and deploy agentic workflows. 

VentureBeat directional research of several dozen firms for the first quarter of 2026 found that enterprises mostly chose existing frameworks, such as Microsoft’s Copilot Studio/Azure AI Studio, with 38.6% of respondents in February reporting using Microsoft’s platform. VentureBeat surveyed 56 organizations with more than 100 employees in January and 70 in February.

OpenAI closely followed at 25.7%. Both showed strong growth between the first two months of the year.

Anthropic, driven by increased interest in its offerings, such as Claude Code, over the past year, is putting up a fight. 

Adoption of the Anthropic tool-use and workflows API increased from 0% to 5.7% between January and February. This tracks closely with the growing adoption of Anthropic’s foundation models, showing that enterprises using Claude turn to the company’s native orchestration tooling instead of adding a third-party framework. 

While VentureBeat surveyed before the launch of Claude Managed Agents, we can extrapolate that the new tool will build on that growth, especially if it promises a more straightforward way to deploy agents.

Collapsing the external orchestration layer

Enterprises may find that a streamlined, internal harness for agents compelling, but it does mean giving up certain controls.

Session data is stored in a database managed by Anthropic, increasing the risk that enterprises become locked into a system run by a single company. This may be less desirable for some firms and compete with their desires to move away from the locked-in software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications in the current stacks, which many hope that AI will facilitate.

The specter of vendor lock-in means agent execution becomes more model-driven rather than direct by the organization, happens in an environment enterprises don’t fully control, and behavior becomes harder to guarantee.

It also opens the possibility of giving agents conflicting instructions, especially if the only way for users to exert any control over agents is to prompt them with more context.

Agents could have two control planes: one defined by the enterprises’ orchestration system through instructions and the other as an embedded skill from the Claude runtime.

This could pose an issue for highly sensitive and regulated workflows, such as financial analysis or customer-facing tasks. 

Pricing, control and competitive set

Balancing control with ease is one thing; enterprises also consider the cost structure of Claude Managed Agents.

Claude Managed Agents introduces a hybrid pricing model that blends token-based billing with a usage-based runtime fee.

This makes Managed Agets more dynamic, though less predictable, when determining cost structures. Enterprises will be charged a standard rate of $0.08 per hour when agents are actively running.

For example, at $0.70 per hour, a one-hour session could cost up to $37 to process 10,000 support tickets, depending on how long each agent runs and how many steps it takes to complete a task.

Microsoft, currently the leader according to VentureBeat’s directional survey, offers several orchestration offerings. Copilot Studio uses a capacity-based billing structure, so enterprises pay for blocks of interactions between users and agents rather than the number of steps an agent takes.

Microsoft’s approach tends to be more predictable than Anthropic’s pricing plan: Copilot Studio starts at $200 per month for 25,000 messages.

Compared to similar competitors like OpenAI’s Agents SDK, the picture becomes murky. Agents SDK is technically free to use as an open-source project. However, OpenAI bills for the underlying API usage. Agents built and orchestration with Agents SDK using GPT-5.4, for example, will cost $2.50 per 1 million input tokens and $15 per 1 million output tokens.

The enterprise decision

Claude Managed Agents does give enterprises who find the actual deployment of production agents too complicated a reprieve. It reduces their engineering overhead while adding speed and simplicity in a fast-changing enterprise environment. 

But that comes with a choice: lose control, observability and portability and risk further vendor lock-in.

Anthropic just made a case for why its ecosystem is becoming not just the foundation model of choice for enterprises, but also the orchestration infrastructure. It becomes more imperative for enterprises to balance ease with lesser control. 

Digital sovereignty is on everyone’s lips amid heightened geopolitical tensions and national security concerns. For Europe, this includes regulatory and security tension with the United States, as well as reducing reliance on China and fear of cybersecurity attacks from Russia.

As such, European policymakers are doubling down on the importance of tech sovereignty, with Gartner predicting more than 75% of all enterprises outside of the US will have a digital sovereignty strategy by 2030.