The 8 Best GoPro Cameras for Vlogging in 2023

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.

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.

Our Favorites

​Camera	Weight	Slow-Motion	Resolution	Price / Rating
GoPro HERO12 Black	154g	2.7k240p	5.3K60p	$349.00 Check on Amazon
GoPro HERO11 Black	155g	2.7k240p	5.3K60p	$299.99 Check on Amazon
GoPro HERO10 Black	159g	2.7k240p	5.3K60p	$266.00 Check on Amazon
GoPro HERO9 Black	158g	2.7k120p	5.3K30p	$209.00 Check on Amazon
GoPro HERO8 Black	117g	2.7k120p	4K60p	$309.00 Check on Amazon

Are GoPros Good for Vlogging?

GoPros are excellent secondary cameras, but I wouldn’t recommend them as your main vlogging camera for a few reasons —mainly because of the fish-eye lens.

This is the big problem with GoPros. These lenses are great for capturing wide shots, but the catch is that they distort the image to do so. And the more wide, the more they distort it:

So if you want to look your best, wide angles won’t do you any favor. 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.

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. 

1) HERO12 Black

Check on Amazon

The HERO10 is the latest addition to the GoPro lineup, and it’s the most advanced action camera we’ve seen.

The recording capacity is the same as the previous version with 5.3k at 60fps. However, this one can record up to 35 minutes of continuous video while the 11 lasts about half of that time, at around 20 minutes.

Also, I cannot believe it took GoPro this long, but we finally have High Dynamic Range (HDR) for both video and photos. This improves the recording quality by a huge amount as it handles both shadows and excessive brightness much better. This is what separates very expensive cameras from the cheaper ones.

Connectivity is also better. It allows you to record audio over Bluetooth and lets you connect up to 4 devices simultaneously, up from just 1 on the HERO11. This is huge for vloggers. Previously, you needed to purchase the Media Mod for $80 to use an external mic, and you needed specific compatible mics. Not anymore.

Another big improvement is the battery life. While the 11 can run for about 35 minutes while recording 5.3kp30, this new model can go for up to 70 minutes.

If this is your first GoPro and it fits in your budget, definitely go for the HERO12; it’s hands down the best. However, if you’re more of a budget optimizer, you may go for one of the previous versions and you may not miss out on a lot.

2) HERO11 Black

Check on Amazon

The GoPro Hero 11 Black, brings several improvements over its predecessor. One of the most significant is the sensor size. The Hero 11 Black boasts a larger 1/1.9-inch sensor, a noticeable upgrade from the 1/2.3-inch sensor of the Hero 10 Black. This larger sensor allows for an 8:7 aspect ratio option, providing a larger vertical field of view and making it more versatile. It also makes it better for low situations.

In terms of resolution, the Hero 11 Black outperforms the Hero 10 Black with a higher resolution of 27MP compared to the latter’s 23MP. This improvement is small but can lead to sharper and more detailed images.

Video quality is another area where the Hero 11 Black shines. It offers a higher bit rate, which can result in better video quality. Moreover, the Hero 11 Black features an updated HyperSmooth 5.0 feature with a Horizon Lock option, enhancing the stabilization and making your videos smoother.

The battery life seems to be slightly better than the HERO10 even though it’s the same one. This is probably due to some optimizations thanks to the new sensor.

3) HERO10 Black

Check on Amazon

This GoPro introduced the capacity to record 5.3K at 60fps. Back then, some people didn’t even know this resolution existed (I didn’t), which built a lot of hype around this release. This resolution does come with a downside: the camera overheats faster. Nevertheless, it was pretty impressive at the time.

The HERO10 Black 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. 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.

The main downside is that it has a smaller sensor than the newer versions. This makes it a lot worse in low light. It’s also slightly heavier than the previous model, even though it’s got the same sensor size.

4) HERO9 Black

Check on Amazon

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.

5) HERO8 Black

Check on Amazon

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 on your GoPro Hero 8.

So I have to give it to GoPro to make 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.

6) Hero 7 Black

Check on Amazon

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 its 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 a couple of 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. 

7) Hero 7 Silver

Check on Amazon

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 touchscreen and offers voice control.

The main differences between both are fairly negligible, such as the 10MP camera that comes with a Wide Dynamic Range, rather than the 12MP 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. 

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.

8) Fusion

Check on Amazon

The Fusion is nearly 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-degree 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.

Conclusion

​While GoPros should never be 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.