Regardless of stable makes an attempt from the likes of Insta360 and DJI, GoPro stays the most well-liked motion cam model round. That is largely attributable to its long-running Hero vary, which is now onto its twelfth technology mannequin. The GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini is a slimmed-down spin-off of the earlier technology’s flagship, the Hero 11 Black, and is designed to supply the identical stage of efficiency in a way more compact bundle. A less expensive one, too, at about $100 lower than the full-fat version.
There are options reduce to get there, after all, however do these detract sufficient to make the Mini a foul purchase? Or is that this smaller GoPro an enormous win? Let’s discover out.
GoPro/Pocket-lint
GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini
Editor’s selection
All of the picture affect of a full-size GoPro squeezed into a way more wearable kind due to its smaller dimension and built-in mounting factors. Till GoPro makes a miniature model of the Hero 12 Black, that is – together with the even tinier Insta360 Go 3 – the most effective small motion digicam round.
- Very good, easy video efficiency
- Small, light-weight and hard construct
- Two built-in mounting factors
- No shows
- No nonetheless photograph mode
- Constructed-in, non-swappable battery
Design
- Rugged, waterproof design
- Two units of mounting fingers
- No screens
The Hero 11 Black Mini is just about 20g lighter than its massive brother (133g versus 154g), however its footprint is markedly smaller: 52.4 x 51.2 x 38mm in comparison with 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm.
If you happen to do not assume that seems like a lot of a distinction, the important thing level is that the Mini consists of two units of folding mounting factors for attaching it to things (one on the underside, one on the again), whereas the full-size mannequin must be crammed into an extra cage as a way to get mounting factors, additional rising its dimension and weight.
Which means the Mini can slot in locations the full-size mannequin cannot go, and is extra comfy to strap to your physique, all whereas retaining the identical rugged waterproof-to-10m construct high quality as its massive brother (for extra demanding aquatic use, you may add a $50 Mini Dive Housing, which waterproofs the digicam to 60m). It consists of the identical detachable Gorilla Glass lens protector too.
To be able to obtain this smaller footprint, the Mini drops the entrance and rear LCD screens discovered on the full-size Hero 11 (changing them with a tiny LED indicator panel on the highest) and makes use of an built-in 1500mAh battery fairly than an interchangeable 1720mAh battery.
Battery life itself is not a lot affected by the decrease capability, however the reality you may’t merely swap out a useless one for a recent one means the Mini is not actually reduce out for prolonged shoots. You’ll be able to anticipate to seize about two to 3 hours of footage on a full cost, and as soon as the battery is drained you will must spend about two hours recharging it by way of its USB-C port.
Connectivity
- USB-C port for charging and information
- microSD card slot
- Twin-band Wi-Fi and BLE 4.2
Bodily connectivity could not be a lot easier, with a securely mounted flap lifting to disclose a USB-C port and microSD card slot. In contrast to the full-size model, the Mini is not suitable with the GoPro Media Mod, which suggests you may’t bolster the line-up with the likes of an HDMI, a 3.5mm microphone or chilly sneakers for additional equipment. In truth, the one Mod the Mini helps is the Max Lens Mod (which widens the sphere of view and boosts stabilisation).
The Mini does have the identical dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 wi-fi connectivity setup because the full-size Hero 11 Black, however lacks the latter’s built-in GPS. A cable-free connection to a smartphone working the GoPro Quik app is a good way to regulate the Mini, because it gives a transparent and crisp preview and overview of footage, permits fast and straightforward tweaking of settings and helps enhancing and sharing of captured video, to not point out livestreaming. It is all of the extra vital right here, I feel, the place the shortage of built-in touchscreens makes altering settings on the Mini itself a fiddly course of.
Video and photograph efficiency
The Mini has nearly precisely the identical digicam setup because the full-size Hero 11 Black, based mostly round a 27.6MP 1/1.9-inch CMOS sensor with an ultra-wide lens and HyperSmooth 5.0 picture stabilisation.
The sensor’s almost-square 8:7 side ratio could sound uncommon, nevertheless it serves a useful objective: you may document utilizing the complete floor of the sensor then crop into your required format later. Which means you may document one file, crop it right into a tall 9:16 clip for TikTok or Reels, then use the identical unique file to crop right into a extra conventional 16:9 or 4:3 video. That is vastly preferable to having to decide on the kind of crop earlier than capturing (or having to rotate the digicam bodily).
Video high quality is superb for a digicam this small and light-weight. GoPro’s default color settings are pleasing to the attention, extra so than these of rival motion digicam makers in our opinion, and there are a wealth of choices when it comes to discipline of view, decision, body charge and stabilisation. The highest decision on supply is 5.3K (which helps recording at as much as 60fps), however customers who drop right down to 4K or 2.7K can document at as much as 120fps or 240fps respectively – which is nice for silky slow-motion playback.
GoPro’s Hypersmooth picture stabilisation is superb, making a superb job of remodeling your wobbly footage into easy, regular clips that appear to circulation alongside an invisible railway observe. There’s additionally help for horizon levelling as much as 37 levels (the precise restrict will depend on your picture seize settings) and horizon lock, which utterly maintains the horizon even when the digicam rotates via 360 levels (once more this requires you to make use of sure settings).
The digicam helps quite a few capturing modes together with time-lapse and hyperlapse, however curiously there’s no devoted photograph mode. You as an alternative ‘take pictures’ by extracting body grabs from video footage, and when it comes to high quality this is not too totally different from a 27.6MP snap.
Verdict
It is easy, actually: the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini takes the most effective elements of the full-size mannequin – specifically its video efficiency and versatile sensor – and places them right into a smaller, lighter and cheaper physique. The Mini-turisation course of ends in some compromises being made, after all, however nothing that ought to critically deter any person.
In truth, the smaller dimension makes it an excellent higher sporting or wearable motion cam than the much-lauded Hero 11 Black – though understandly the latest launch of the marginally superior Hero 12 Black could make you wish to anticipate a Mini model of that to reach, at any time when that is perhaps.
Is it the most effective small motion cam full-stop? Nicely, I might argue it is the most effective when it comes to sheer picture high quality, however the Insta360 Go 3’s even tinier dimension retains it within the working for the title too.
