GoPro Hero 11 Black first impression: Camera opening up new possibilities
New if we look at design and physical dimensions GoPro Hero 11 Black It is almost similar to its old model. If 11 Black is not visible on the side of the camera then it is difficult to identify between the two. This new camera of the company comes with a rugged design and it is waterproof to go in water up to 10 meters. It has a 2.27-inch touchscreen back display and a smaller display on the front, which is a color display but non-touch. The lens cover can be removed and the camera supports Max Lens Mod. Mounting fingers are provided at the bottom and a flap is provided on the side to protect the battery and USB Type C.
The Hero 11 Black GoPro camera comes with an Enduro battery, which was available for separate purchase in the older model. This time the company has promised 38 percent longer recording time. Hero 10 Black brought with it GP2 processor and Hero 11 has a new sensor. It is 1/1.9 inch larger, while having the same horizontal resolution. Being taller, it has more vertical resolution and comes with the new 8:7 aspect ratio.
Due to the large sensor, 27 megapixel photos can be taken with GoPro Hero 11 Black. Apart from this, a new HyperView lens has been provided for video recording which gives a wider field of view than the SuperView lens. Hero 11 Black supports 10-bit color and 120Mbps video bitrate, which can be enabled in ProTune settings. The latest version of HyperSmooth 5.0 has been provided in the new model, it supports 5.3K resolution while shooting Timewarp videos. Apart from this, a new preset for vehicle lights and star trails has also been provided in the timelapse menu.
Like the Hero 10 Black, the maximum video recording resolution in this new model is 5.3K at 60fps and up to 4K at 120fps. There are many variations available in framerate and resolution that can be played with. With the 8:7 aspect ratio, the company says that this can be used to export the video later in 4:3 and even 9:16 through the Quik app. The quality of the video also remains the same in this process.
If you have recently used a GoPro device, then you will quickly understand the user interface of GoPro Hero 11 Black, but now the settings menu has been organized in a better way. Now you can also switch to Extended Battery mode by going to the new Video Mode settings, after which it shifts video recording to lower resolution and disables the 8:7 aspect option. You can also customize video presets, but switching to Extended Battery mode gives you quick access to video presets that keep the battery from draining too quickly. With the Controls toggle button you can switch to Easy mode which gives you a single and uneditable preset for video, photo and timelapse. This is useful for those who just want to quickly point the camera at a subject and shoot.
I haven’t spent much time with the GoPro Hero 11 yet, but so far I’m liking its image and video quality. GoPro has always provided excellent stabilization and the Hero 11 Black this time also comes with Auto Boost which only works on stabilization when needed, so that the frame is not permanently cropped during that clip. I found a cool feature in it called Horizon Lock which is used for 360 degree rotation, which means the horizon remains fixed, and the camera rotates 360 degrees. This was one of the main features of the Max Lens Mod and GoPro Max 360 degree camera, but the Hero 11 Black now supports it natively.
If you missed the GoPro Hero 10 Black, the Hero 11 Black might seem quite interesting to you and at Rs 51,500, it is also slightly cheaper than the older model. Apart from the new, larger aspect ratio, does this new sensor also prove to be any better in image quality than the old model? We will be testing the GoPro Hero 11 Black in the coming days, so don’t forget to come back here again and check its full review.
