I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: GoPros are cool cameras, but they’re not for all types of vloggers.
They’re really good if you need to mount your camera to a helmet, or if you can’t hold the camera while recording.
But there are a number of reasons they’re not the best for everyone, chief among them being that their wide-angle lens while being a great tool to capture nature, sports, and action shots, is not ideal for most vlogging scenarios.
However, in this post, we’ll take a look at the best GoPro for vloggers, and I’ll help you decide whether it’s a good idea for your vlogs or not.
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​Top 5 GoPro Cameras for Vlogging
​Camera | Weight | Slow-Motion | Resolution | Price / Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
GoPro HERO10 Black | 159g | 2.7k240p | 5.3K60p | $349.00 Check on Amazon |
GoPro HERO9 Black | 159g | 2.7k120p | 5.3K30p | $249.00 Check on Amazon |
GoPro HERO8 Black | 117g | 2.7k120p | 4K60p | $329.00 Check on Amazon |
GoPro HERO7 Black | 116g | 2.7k120p | 4K60p | $279.00 Check on Amazon |
GoPro HERO7 Silver | 94.4g | 1440p / 60fps | 4K30p | $364.99 Check on Amazon |
Are GoPros Good for Vlogging?
GoPros are excellent secondary cameras, but I wouldn’t recommend them as your main vlogging camera because of a few reasons —mainly because of the fish-eye lens.
This is the big problem with GoPros. These lenses are great to capture a lot of space in the same frame, but the catch is that they distort the image to do so. And the more wide-angle they are, the more they distort it:
So if you want to look your best, wide-angles won’t do you any favour. You won’t be able to show the true beauty of what you’re filming if you just use this type of lens for everything.
Some people even get sick after watching videos filmed with ultra wide-angle lenses when they move around too much. You don’t want that to happen to some of the members of your audience.
Another reason that GoPros just don’t work so well for vlogging is that they aren’t made to capture good audio. Until recent times, GoPros didn’t come with external mic input. Thankfully, this is being fixed in the most recent models.
So if you’re looking exclusively for a camera to record video blogs, you should get a real camera that can do that work. They are more expensive for a good reason.
This being said, I would like to note that there is a place for GoPros in vlogging. It is just a very specific space—action and sports. For example, mounting a GoPro on your motorcycle helmet.
After all, this is exactly what GoPros were made for. They’re waterproof, actionproof, and easy to handle and record with.
So for vloggers who are involved in higher-intensity sports or action, needing to regularly record underwater, or wanting to do some hands-free, on-the-move recording, GoPro is your best bet. It works especially well for vloggers who will be placing narration or music on top of the video after it’s recorded.
The problem comes, though, with choosing the right GoPro. The company has released a number of strong action cameras with varying price points. To help you find the one that best suits you and your needs, here is a breakdown of your GoPro vlogging options.
The 8 ​Best ​Go​Pro for ​Vlogging in 2020
1) HERO10 Black
The Good
- ​New faster processor
- 5.3k at 60fps
- Ultra slow-mo at 2.7k 240fps
The Bad
- As expensive as a mirrorless camera
The HERO10 is the latest addition to the GoPro lineup, and it’s the most advanced action camera we’ve seen. We thought they had hit a wall with the HERO8, but they’ve shown us that they can still improve.
The most hyped feature is the ability to record 5.3K at 60fps. Some people don’t even know this resolution even exists (I didn’t).
But it can also record slow-motion videos with a speed reduction of 8x, thanks to the ability to record 2.7k at 240fps.
Also, this camera has a new processor that makes the camera respond slightly quickly, and it also speeds up the time it takes to boot up when compared to its predecessor.
It also has an improved stabilization system with the HyperSmooth 4.0, which works when capturing video at 5.3k 30fps and below. And it still includes the TimeWarp 3.0 feature, which allows the camera to go from slow-motion recording to normal time in a smooth transition to take away your viewers’ breath.
Another disadvantage is that, just like it’s the newest camera, it’s also the most expensive. For this price, you could get a real vlogging camera.
2) HERO9 Black
The Good
- ​New faster processor
- 5.3k at 30fps
- Ultra slow-mo at 2.7k 120fps
The Bad
- As expensive as a mirrorless camera
There are a few main differences, besides price, that this one has compared to the HERO10 Black.
First, it can only record 5.3k video at 30fps instead of 60fps and the slow-motion is only 4x with 2.7k at 120fps. This is still the same resolution to work with, so consider whether you want to pay more for more fps.
But to be fair, there’s also the older HyperSmooth 3.0, which is not as good at stabilizing the camera as the 4.0 version present in the HERO10 Black. Still, it doesn’t do a bad job either and it’s much better than the previous versions.
However, just like it almost always happens when a camera has better stabilization, it also weighs more than the previous versions. The difference is pretty noticeable compared to the HERO8 Black (117g vs 156g). This is something you should consider if you want to use it together with another camera.
Finally, the processor isn’t as fast and the interface might feel a little less responsive than the HERO10 Black.
In the end, the most significant change is the slower fps options. Taking into account the price difference, it might be worth it to save that extra hundred bucks by choosing the HERO9 Black.
3) HERO8 Black
The Good
- ​Offers 4K video for $400
- ​You can install mod and have a flip screen, hot shoe and more
- ​​Best stabilization and audio that GoPro has ever offered.
The Bad
- ​​It isn’t a big leap from GoPro’s Hero 7 Black
The Hero 8 Black was the first GoPro to get the closest one to being a fully capable vlogging camera.
With this model, for the first time, they put the microphone on the front of the camera, which makes it easier to pick your voice over the background noise.
Also, the stabilization is better than ever, the image quality is beautiful, and it is highly customizable.
You can now use mods to put a hot shoe, tripod, and even a flip screen to your GoPro Hero 8.
So I have to give it to GoPro for making this model viable for vlogging.
But in my personal opinion, if you only want a camera for vlogs, and you don’t need to record any sport or action, then just getting a normal camera is better and simpler.
However, you can now choose to have a GoPro and use it for all of your videos, both extreme sports and vlogging.
4) Hero 7 Black
The Good
- ​Offers 4K video for $400
- ​Two-inch touchscreen that allows vloggers to know exactly what they are filming and change filming modes
- ​Great stabilization
The Bad
- ​Slightly heavier than other Hero 7 versions (i.e. 20 grams)
- ​Live streaming can be a challenge to figure out
- ​​Isn’t a big leap from GoPro’s Hero 6 Black
This GoPro can produce 4K 60fps video footage for a fair price.
It has a removable battery, making it ideal for those who have long days of recording footage. It also has HyperSmooth video stabilization, wakes on voice, 8x slo-mo recording, live streaming, TimeWarp video, and a GP1 chip—plus, it is Karma drone compatible. The Silver and White do not offer any of this functionality
I also want to take a second to talk about audio. I mentioned earlier that GoPro is not known for their audio quality. I will say that it looks like they are trying to change this with their audio recording ability on the Hero 7. The sound quality is just more reliable with this version.
The Hero 7 Black is worth couple hundred dollars for any vlogger who is relying mainly on action footage for their vlogs.
For vloggers who are just occasionally adding in snippets from their days out on the slopes, waves, or mountains, the cost may not be worth it.
5) Hero 7 Silver
The Good
- ​One of the most affordable 4K cameras on the market
- ​​Time-lapse, slo-mo, two-mic processing for advanced wind noise reduction
- ​​Slightly lighter weight than the Black version.
The Bad
- ​Doesn’t offer live streaming
- ​​Only has standard video stabilization functionality
The HERO7 Silver offers similar capabilities to the Black version, such as the fact that it can be taken 33 feet down underwater and still maintain its waterproof protection. It has a two-inch touch screen and offers voice control.
The main differences between both are fairly negligible, such as the 10MP camera that comes with Wide Dynamic Range, rather than the 12MPs with SuperPhoto. The Silver also offers 4K, but instead of offering 60 Wide, it has 30 Wide. It also doesn’t offer as much variability in terms of the lower resolution recording.
One downside to the Silver is that it has a built-in battery, meaning that unless you don’t need to do too much shooting or you have a portable charging port that you don’t mind lugging around, you could struggle with battery problems.Â
Still, it’s available for a good price for what you get, so I like to recommend it as a first camera for starters or even as the first GoPro for your kids.
6) Hero 7 White
The Good
- ​​The most affordable camera that GoPro currently sells
- ​More user-friendly than the Black
- ​Slimmer than the Black
The Bad
- ​​Does not shoot in 4K
- ​​No GPS
- ​​Doesn’t offer WDR for images.
The White is the last version in the Hero 7 lineup. Between the Silver and the White, there are only a few key differences.
The first is that while it does also have a 10MP camera, it doesn’t offer Wide Dynamic Range. It also is the only Hero 7 that doesn’t come with 4K—instead, it has 1080p60. The only other difference is that it does not have GPS.
For most vloggers, choosing between the Silver and the White will really come down to deciding if 4K is necessary or not.
7) Fusion
The Good
- Provides cinema-quality footage in a pocket-sized camera
- ​​Removable battery
- ​​Vloggers can rest-easy with the camera’s durability
The Bad
- ​Expensive for vloggers who don’t need a 5K camera
- ​​Is only waterproof at depths up to 16 feet
- ​​Does not offer live streaming
The Fusion is near twice the price and twice the size of the HERO7 Black. The jump in both of these factors is due to the capabilities that the camera offers—5.2K30p video recording and 18MP photos.
One of the biggest offerings that it has is Spherical Capture. This means it can take 360-degree photos—and it does it well. For vloggers, though, this is more of a gimmick than anything else. You just won’t use it in your vlogs.
However, there is one 360 degrees feature that you will use: audio. Fusion is the only GoPro to offer this. It has several microphones in different locations around the camera so that sound comes from every direction—this can be pretty handy in providing an immersive experience for your viewers.
8) Hero 6 Black
The Good
- ​The price is impressive for a 4K camera
- ​Offers a strong processor
- ​​Comes with a touchscreen display with ‘pinch to zoom’
The Bad
- ​Not as good of image stabilization as the Hero 7
- ​​Does not offer SuperPhoto, which means less image vibrancy
- ​​No live streaming
Hero 6 was released in late 2017. There was never a Silver or White version in this GoPro edition.
For vloggers, the Hero 6 should be compared with the Hero 7 Black. The two have extremely similar specifications. In fact, the 6 was the first GoPro to offer 4K60, which was passed on to the Hero 7 Black, while the Silver only got 4K30. Another similar feature is the enhanced processor that was added to the Hero 6—the same GP1 was put in the Hero 7.
When this specification is combined with the fact that the Hero 6 can now be bought at most electronics stores or Amazon for less than $200, it becomes one good budget-friendly option on this list.
The 6 offers good stabilization and the same size and weight as its successor. It does have one unique feature that wasn’t passed on—night mode. To some vloggers, this could be a helpful feature.
There are some pretty significant weaknesses in the Hero 6 when compared to the 7, though. First, the microphone membrane is not as advanced, making the sound quality noticeably lower quality. For vloggers, who lay narration or music over after the filming, this won’t matter as much.
There is also the problem of usability. The Hero 7 is significantly more user-friendly when it comes to the touchscreen and menu options, especially the Silver and White versions.
Conclusion
​While GoPros should never been seen as the go-to vlogging camera. They can be a powerful vlogging tool for certain vloggers who pursue a specific type of vlog (i.e. action, sports, etc).
Picking out the right GoPro is essential and requires a thorough assessment of what your vlogging needs are and which camera can best fulfill them.
Will has been a full-time content creator since 2014. He’s an audio, video, and tech hobbyist dedicated to reviewing products and giving you the best tips he knows to grow your audience.