GoPro Hero 13 Black Review: Interchangeable Lenses and Magnetic Mounting

Interchangeable lens system opens up new shooting possibilities. Better battery life. Magnetic mounting system (finally). Optional USB-C pass-through charging. Excellent Log video support. Much improved HDR mode with HLG.

Same sensor as previous two generations. Same processor as previous three generations. Low-light/indoor performance is poor compared to competition.

The new GoPro Hero 13 is the first significant change for GoPro's flagship action camera in years. The company has added an interchangeable lens system, along with new Macro, Ultra Wide, and Anamorphic lenses, plus a set of four neutral density filters. The Hero 13 Black even autodetects which lens is attached and changes settings accordingly.

While this new system is very slick—and opens up shooting possibilities that simply don't exist in prior models—the sensor and processor remain the same as what we got in the Hero 12 and Hero 11, and in the case of the processor, the Hero 10. In many ways, the GoPro Hero 13 Black feels like it is laying the groundwork for the Hero 14 Black, which makes it a great choice for first-time customers, but hard to recommend as an upgrade.

Lucky 13

First the good news: The interchangeable lens system is awesome. There's always been the Max Lens mod, which offers a wider field of view, but the new system is more than just an expansion of the Max Lens. The key is that the camera auto-detects the lens or filter you have attached and automatically adjusts settings.

You can override these adjustments, but it's nice to pop on one of the four ND filters (four, eight, 16, and 32) and have the camera automatically adjust settings to get a motion-blur effect rather than tweaking things yourself. (Motion blur and Hypersmooth stabilization do not play well together; search the internet for suggestions on getting the best results.)

GoPro has released three "lens mods” along with the Hero 13 Black: Ultra Wide, Macro, and Anamorphic. I had a lot of fun with the Macro lens, which allows you to use your GoPro for close-ups (close focus distance is 4.33 inches), something no other action camera can pull off. The Ultra Wide is nice for anything where you want a wider field of view, like hiking. Probably the most exciting of these lenses is the Anamorphic, which I was unable to test because it won’t be available until early next year.

While the fully kitted-out GoPro with three lenses and four ND filters will cost over $800, you don't have to buy them all. Indeed I suggest avoiding the bundles. Get the GoPro Hero 13 Black for $400 and add lenses down the road if you feel the need.

The other big news in this release is a magnetic mounting adapter. It functions very similarly to what DJI and Insta360 have long offered and makes it much easier to move the camera between mounts. As with those other systems, GoPro suggests not using the magnetic mount system in high-vibration or high-speed environments.

Outwardly the Hero 13 Black looks a little different than its predecessor. It thankfully ditches the blue-speckled paint job of the Hero 12 Black and adds a noticeable heat sink to the front, just below the lens. Otherwise, though, it is the same size and even fits in the same Media Mod as previous models.

The disappointing part of the Hero 13 Black is that it uses the same 27-megapixel sensor and the same processor as the Hero 12, and, for that matter, the Hero 11. Yes, this is the third GoPro in a row with this sensor and processor, which makes this a less compelling upgrade than it would be with a bump in sensor size or output image quality. This means video footage still maxes out at 5.3K resolution, and most other video and photo specs remain unchanged. That also means the sensor's flaws, aka the shoddy low-light performance, are still present.

GoPro has a few tricks here and there worth mentioning, though. As someone who likes to handle color grading in postproduction software, the new, improved Log video support is very welcome. I would go so far as to say this is the best Log profile I've seen in an action camera. The Hero 13 Black also has a new slow-motion burst mode which can record 5.3K footage at 120 frames per second. It pulls that off for only five seconds, though, so this is best used for situations like your kid going off a jump on their bike or diving in the pool—quick moments you want to slow down later.

Another big video improvement is HDR support and hybrid log-gamma (HLG) HDR video. The Hero 12's HDR support was not great, but HLG HDR is a widely used open source HDR format that offers much better compatibility with non-wide-color-gamut displays. The footage also looks much better than the previous version.

I said above that the Hero 13 is the same size, which is true on the outside, but internally that's not the case. GoPro has enlarged the battery compartment to fit a bigger battery that the company claims will last 10 percent longer than the Hero 12's battery. I found this to be roughly true. Shooting a 4K video with the Hero 13, I consistently coaxed it for about an hour and 45 minutes, sometimes up over the 1:50 mark if there was more ventilation (riding a bike for example).

The opposite was also true. Shooting through the window of a vehicle for instance, with almost no ventilation, saw recording time go down to around an hour. I have not had a chance to test it in cold weather, but GoPro claims improvements there too. Overall that's about 15 to 20 minutes longer across the board than I generally get with the Hero 12, which is great, but it's well behind the new DJI Action 5 Pro, which had no trouble running well over 2 hours and 30 minutes in the 4K test. The Hero still has the worst battery life in the action camera market and the new battery, while improved, also means your old batteries won't work, adding a sizable cost to those looking to upgrade.

One interesting battery-related addition to the Hero 13 Black is the new magnetic charge door, which GoPro calls Contacto. It's a USB-C pass-through door with a magnetic charger on the outside, allowing you to power the GoPro using an external battery without keeping the battery door off. There have long been USB-C pass-through doors available from third-party sellers, but this is the only one I'm aware of that's waterproof, which means if you forget you have it on and jump in the ocean, you won't fry your GoPro.

I should also note that all battery testing was done with GPS disabled because, yes, GPS is back. After removing it to improve the battery life in the Hero 12, GoPro has changed its mind (or at least listened to user feedback, which to judge by Reddit, must have been deafening).

Lastly, another impressive feature is a new Voice Audio mode that prioritizes your voice, muting ambient sound. It's not nearly as good as what you'll get from a dedicated wireless mic setup, but it's better than previous GoPros. Unfortunately, you still need the Media Mod kit to add a separate mic, which remains my biggest gripe about the GoPro.

Should You Buy a Hero 13 Black?

If you're new to action cameras, the Hero 13 Black is worth considering. Despite being two years old, the sensor has the highest resolution video available in an action camera at the time of writing, and it also has the best image stabilization I've tested. The new interchangeable lens system provides options no other action camera can match (though the price will add up).

However, if you're going to be shooting indoors a lot or at night (think of those soccer games that run well into twilight this time of year), then consider the DJI Action 5 Pro instead (full review coming soon), as it has much better low light and indoor video capabilities.

If you already have a recent generation GoPro, well, as I noted above, this feels a little like it's just setting the stage for the Hero 14. The successor may have more sweeping changes, like a new sensor and processor, along with these interchangeable lenses, which might be worth the wait.