Yes, Hypersmooth has been pretty much perfected for a while now (everything since the 8 is rock solid). It's only incremental things that get added, like horizon leveing (available from the 11+), and then support for the extra lenses GoPro releases with each new generation.
Battery life on the 12 is better than the 11, but the 13 is the best overall.
Everyone here saying to get the 13, but the 11, 12 and 13 all use the same sensor and all shoot raw, so they will all deliver identical results for your use case.
The only benefit of the 13 is a better first party macro (and anamorphic) lens attachment which can be beneficial for photography.
There are however third party macro lenses for the 11 and 12, and while they're not as easy to use or as versatile as the one that's made for the 13, they do work.
gopros are sports cameras, they are not design for night thats why they are terrible in it but night timelapses are very cool on newer gopros. i use gopro 12
If you’re leaning towards the GoPro side, get the Hero 12 or 13 BlackJust be warned that GoPros are notorious for overheating if you’re just letting them sit and record long clips in 4K with no airflow. If you’re planning on doing stuff where you’re moving like biking or hiking then it’s fine but for stationary vlogging, it can be a bit of a literal headache
If not those two, then consider the Insta360 Ace Pro. It’s got a flip-up screen which is huge if you’re planning on talking to the camera because you can actually see if your face is in the frame. It also handles low light way better than the GoPro, which usually turns into a grainy mess the second the sun starts to go down. More options on here like the Sony to narrow down your choices - [10 Best Action Cameras to Invest In](https://alaskanarrows.com/10-best-action-cameras-to-invest-in-2025/)
Either way, make sure you save like $60 of that budget for a high-quality V30 SD card and an extra battery! Cheers
DJI Osmo Action 3 and GoPro Hero12 are the default for these use cases
Caveat: they don’t have the same cinematic depth or control you get from a larger sensor camera but for most trail and POV hiking content theyll look clean and sharp still + weight advantage
More premium option with better shooting under different light settings - Sony ZV-E10 which is more of a traditional camera than a “action camera” but choice is really yours, weight will be a factor here but still sub $1000. More options though - [10 Best Action Cameras to Invest In](https://alaskanarrows.com/10-best-action-cameras-to-invest-in-2025/) for you to consider
But whatever you choose, prioritize battery spares and a way to keep them warm too! Cold temperatures and long hours of shooting on the trail will drain power, and fast
Cheers!
Yes, I regularly do night photography with my GoPros - Hero10 through 13, as well as 360 cameras. But I want to stress that your subject needs to also be stationary - it’s not like you can film wildlife with this approach. But if you’re just trying to capture trees or landscapes, depending on how much moon & starlight you have, this might work fine. Can you give more detail about the types of images you want to capture?
GoPro has higher resolution, higher framerate, higher bitrate, taller aspect ratio (than 5), and better image quality in daylight conditions. Action 5 & 6 have better low light performance. It's just a matter of whether you film in light or dark environments
I've had
* Hero 3 White
* Hero 4 Silver
* Hero 7 Black
* Max (1)
* Hero 12 Black
and I still have all but the 3 white.
The 3 white was the only 'bad' one I think, one where the camera really didn't live up to the hype for me and hence I upgraded quite quickly.
As for my favourite? In the context of when they came out the 7 felt the most incredible, it really was a big jump with the stabilisation.
But I probably shot most of my coolest footage on either the 4 Silver or the Max, just because of the time in my life I was using them and the novelty of 360 footage at the time.
If you're on a budget I think everything past the Hero 7 black has had really usable video as that was the first model with the hypersmooth stabilisation which made a big difference. Definitely improvements have been made but footage from the 7 very much holds up.
I would err on the side of getting a full fat "Hero X Black" model and just go older to fit your budget, as these tend to have the better support and reliability and replaceable batteries when some of the budget models have missed out on features like replaceable batteries and front and even sometimes rear screens
Absolute lowest end of budget I'd recommend would be hero 4 silver. The rear screen makes such a difference to getting your shots right and it still has all the essential features that make a GoPro what they are. You can pick one up for a fraction of the cost of the top end models (£50 vs £250-350).
Top Action Cameras on Reddit
1
DJI
Osmo Action 5 Pro
79% positive of 538 users
Great low-light, mic integration; watch out for lens flare.
AdmirableSir
