The GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini is a small motion digital camera made for mounting, significantly on bike and bike helmets. 

This can be a traditional use case for GoPro’s motion cameras, however they’e arguably turn into much less properly suited to this very situation over the previous few generations. Positive, picture high quality, stabilization and efficiency have improved, however these cameras additionally obtained an entire lot larger in 2020 with the GoPro Hero 9 Black. 

They’ve turn into a little bit cumbersome, and the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini is right here to deliver again a dinky fashion with out compromising on efficiency. It’s additionally cheaper than the usual Hero 11 Black, though we wouldn’t advocate shopping for this mannequin only for the drop in worth – the twin screens and better flexibility of the conventional Hero 11 Black are simply price the additional $100/£100/AU$150 for a lot of.

Go Professional Hero 11 Black Mini worth and availability

The GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini was introduced in September 2022 with its sibling the Hero 11 Black. There isn’t a direct predecessor. Again in 2021 when the Hero 10 Black emerged, there was no Mini mannequin. 

It’s a little bit cheaper than the Hero 11 Black in addition to being smaller. It prices $299 / £299 / AU$499 when purchased with a GoPro subscription, or $399 / £399 / AU$639 and not using a subscription. This subscription gives a substitute when you injury your digital camera, limitless cloud storage, and cash off equipment purchased direct from GoPro. 

By comparability, the usual Hero 11 Black will set you again $399.98 / £399.98 / AU$649.95 with a GoPro subscription, or $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$799.95 with out one.

GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini design

You may consider the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini as a GoPro Hero 11 Black minus the 2 screens. There’s a small show up high, however there’s picture preview on supply right here with out utilizing the Quik app in your cellphone. 

We’ve seen different display-less motion cameras, equivalent to the unique Insta360 Go. However this one is higher-end, because it has the identical core {hardware} because the Hero 11 Black. That features a comparatively giant 1/1.9-inch sensor and GoPro’s GP2 processor. 

The Hero 11 Black Mini weighs 133g, making the usual GoPro Hero 11 Black 15% heavier. And it’s notably slim at 52.4mm. 

Sacrifices made are most likely price it if you’ll use your GoPro virtually completely mounted to one thing like a motorbike handlebars or a helmet. In these conditions a preview picture of your footage goes to be of restricted use anyway. 

In the event you plan on utilizing the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini with a selfie stick, we expect you’ll miss the screens an excessive amount of. Get the usual Hero 11 Black as an alternative. 

There are different compromises too. The GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini has a non-removable battery, which shall be a large turn-off when you usually carry two or three spares round with you to increase your taking pictures time. 

GoPro calls it an  Enduro battery, however its 1500mAh battery capability is definitely lower than that of GoPros because the Hero Eight Black. There aren’t any large and vibrant shows to energy, in fact, however the battery-saving impact isn’t going to be all that obvious in ‘set it and overlook it’ conditions the place the Mini thrives, as show of a traditional GoPro would day trip pretty rapidly anyway. 

You’ll must recharge the GoPro 11 Black Mini utilizing an exterior battery pack whereas out on a shoot, and GoPro makes no uncommon claims about its charging velocity. 

The shortage of a hot-swappable battery could restrict the attraction right here greater than the dearth of correct display, for the meant viewers. However you will get a super-streamlined and easy expertise right here. 

A tiny show on high of the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini reveals you primary parameters. You’ll see battery life, the quantity of area left in your reminiscence card and the mode presently engaged. 

A aspect button permits you to swap between the three presets — 5.3K, 4K and 1080p — all taking pictures utilizing the SuperView FOV at 60fps. GoPro suggests you must select between them primarily based on the battery life you’ll get, over the rest. You’ll most likely see at the very least 50% better run time taking pictures at 1080p moderately than 5.3K. After all, 5.3K does supply a lot better scope for modifying, and higher picture high quality. 

To make use of some other modes, of which there are various, you’ll must wirelessly management the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini via the Quik app in your cellphone. 

GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini options

In most different areas the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini matches the usual Hero 11 Black. It might probably shoot 4K video at as much as 120fps, 2.7K at 240fps, and 5.3K at as much as 60fps. 

There are additionally superior low-light video modes, which leverage longer publicity instances to take high-quality timelapses. You may paint in skinny air utilizing a light-weight supply like a torch, flip automotive headlamps into streaks of sunshine and shoot at night time to see the trail of stars as they cross the sky.

Nevertheless, there’s no devoted stills mode. GoPro as an alternative permits you to seize high-resolution snaps out of 5.3K footage. There’s no apparent technical cause GoPro couldn’t add stills seize. It’s extra possible it felt such modes would dilute the route of the Mini, and that the digital camera wouldn’t supply an up-to-par stills expertise. 24.7MP nonetheless pictures are mined from the high-res video seize, although, so that you’re arguably not lacking out on a lot bar the Hero 11 Black’s HDR picture mode. 

The Hero 11 Black Mini has GoPro’s newest Hypersmooth 5.zero stabilization tech, and this permits for horizon locking at as much as 27 levels digital camera rotation in high modes. And a full 360 levels of rotation in modes beneath the highest body charge in every decision. In all circumstances it’s important to use the Linear subject of view, as a result of in any other case there’s not sufficient spare picture data across the body to make this attainable. 

Both approach, you possibly can anticipate wonderful stabilization from the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini. You may thank the bizarre 8:7 sensor form. 

GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini early ideas

To some the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini will not be going to make a lot sense. It strips again the GoPro Hero 11 Black to its necessities, forcing you to manage the digital camera with a cellphone app in order for you greater than the fundamentals. 

Nevertheless, it makes good sense when you mount your motion digital camera to a helmet 95% of the time, making the usual GoPro design’s twin screens useless weight.

You don’t lose any core video modes. And whereas something past the basics needs to be accessed via the cellphone app, the stripped-back fashion ensures you gained’t find yourself with 30 minutes of footage within the unsuitable mode because of an ill-timed display swipe. 

The most important subject right here, for the appropriate kind of motion digital camera person, is the battery. It’s non-removable, which means you’ll be restricted to the run time of the Enduro cell — and plenty of present GoPro customers carry a few spare batteries to allow them to shoot for longer.