Regardless of strong makes an attempt from the likes of Insta360 and DJI, GoPro stays the preferred motion cam model round. That is largely attributable to its long-running Hero vary, which is now onto its 12th generation model. The GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini is a slimmed-down spin-off of the earlier era’s flagship, the Hero 11 Black, and is designed to supply the identical degree of efficiency in a way more compact bundle. A less expensive one, too, at about $100 lower than the full-fat version.
There are options lower to get there, in fact, however do these detract sufficient to make the Mini a nasty purchase? Or is that this smaller GoPro an enormous win? Let’s discover out.
GoPro/Pocket-lint
GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini
Editor’s selection
All of the picture influence of a full-size GoPro squeezed into a way more wearable type because of its smaller dimension and built-in mounting factors. Till GoPro makes a miniature model of the Hero 12 Black, that is – together with the even tinier Insta360 Go 3 – the very best small motion digicam round.
- Very good, easy video efficiency
- Small, light-weight and difficult construct
- Two built-in mounting factors
- No shows
- No nonetheless photograph mode
- Constructed-in, non-swappable battery
Design
- Rugged, waterproof design
- Two units of mounting fingers
- No screens
The Hero 11 Black Mini is simply about 20g lighter than its huge brother (133g versus 154g), however its footprint is markedly smaller: 52.4 x 51.2 x 38mm in comparison with 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm.
In case you do not suppose that appears like a lot of a distinction, the important thing level is that the Mini contains two units of folding mounting factors for attaching it to things (one on the underside, one on the again), whereas the full-size mannequin must be crammed into a further cage with the intention to get mounting factors, additional growing its dimension and weight.
Meaning the Mini can slot in locations the full-size mannequin cannot go, and is extra comfy to strap to your physique, all whereas retaining the identical rugged waterproof-to-10m construct high quality as its huge brother (for extra demanding aquatic use, you possibly can add a $50 Mini Dive Housing, which waterproofs the digicam to 60m). It contains the identical detachable Gorilla Glass lens protector too.
With the intention to obtain this smaller footprint, the Mini drops the entrance and rear LCD screens discovered on the full-size Hero 11 (changing them with a tiny LED indicator panel on the highest) and makes use of an built-in 1500mAh battery fairly than an interchangeable 1720mAh battery.
Battery life itself is not a lot affected by the decrease capability, however the truth you possibly can’t merely swap out a lifeless one for a contemporary one means the Mini is not actually lower out for prolonged shoots. You possibly can count on to seize about two to a few hours of footage on a full cost, and as soon as the battery is drained you may must spend about two hours recharging it through its USB-C port.
Connectivity
- USB-C port for charging and knowledge
- microSD card slot
- Twin-band Wi-Fi and BLE 4.2
Bodily connectivity could not be a lot less complicated, with a securely mounted flap lifting to disclose a USB-C port and microSD card slot. In contrast to the full-size model, the Mini is not appropriate with the GoPro Media Mod, which implies you possibly can’t bolster the line-up with the likes of an HDMI, a 3.5mm microphone or chilly sneakers for further equipment. Actually, the one Mod the Mini helps is the Max Lens Mod (which widens the sector of view and boosts stabilisation).
The Mini does have the identical dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 wi-fi connectivity setup because the full-size Hero 11 Black, however lacks the latter’s built-in GPS. A cable-free connection to a smartphone operating the GoPro Quik app is a good way to regulate the Mini, because it provides a transparent and crisp preview and assessment of footage, allows fast and straightforward tweaking of settings and helps modifying and sharing of captured video, to not point out livestreaming. It is all of the extra necessary right here, I believe, the place the shortage of built-in touchscreens makes altering settings on the Mini itself a fiddly course of.
Video and photograph efficiency
The Mini has virtually precisely the identical digicam setup because the full-size Hero 11 Black, based mostly round a 27.6MP 1/1.9-inch CMOS sensor with an ultra-wide lens and HyperSmooth 5.0 picture stabilisation.
The sensor’s almost-square 8:7 facet ratio could sound uncommon, but it surely serves a useful goal: you possibly can file utilizing all the floor of the sensor then crop into your required format later. Meaning you possibly can file one file, crop it right into a tall 9:16 clip for TikTok or Reels, then use the identical unique file to crop right into a extra conventional 16:9 or 4:3 video. That is vastly preferable to having to decide on the kind of crop earlier than capturing (or having to rotate the digicam bodily).
Video high quality is superb for a digicam this small and light-weight. GoPro’s default color settings are pleasing to the attention, extra so than these of rival motion digicam makers in our opinion, and there are a wealth of choices when it comes to subject of view, decision, body charge and stabilisation. The highest decision on provide is 5.3K (which helps recording at as much as 60fps), however customers who drop right down to 4K or 2.7K can file at as much as 120fps or 240fps respectively – which is nice for silky slow-motion playback.
GoPro’s Hypersmooth picture stabilisation is superb, making a nice job of remodeling your wobbly footage into easy, regular clips that appear to move alongside an invisible railway observe. There’s additionally help for horizon levelling as much as 37 levels (the precise restrict relies on your picture seize settings) and horizon lock, which fully maintains the horizon even when the digicam rotates by 360 levels (once more this requires you to make use of sure settings).
The digicam helps quite a few capturing modes together with time-lapse and hyperlapse, however curiously there’s no devoted photograph mode. You as an alternative ‘take images’ by extracting body grabs from video footage, and when it comes to high quality this is not too totally different from a 27.6MP snap.
Verdict
It is easy, actually: the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini takes the very best elements of the full-size mannequin – specifically its video efficiency and versatile sensor – and places them right into a smaller, lighter and cheaper physique. The Mini-turisation course of ends in some compromises being made, in fact, however nothing that ought to severely deter any person.
Actually, the smaller dimension makes it a good higher sporting or wearable motion cam than the much-lauded Hero 11 Black – though understandly the current launch of the marginally superior Hero 12 Black could make you need to look forward to a Mini model of that to reach, at any time when that may be.
Is it the very best small motion cam full-stop? Properly, I would argue it is the very best when it comes to sheer picture high quality, however the Insta360 Go 3′s even tinier dimension retains it within the operating for the title too.
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