GOPRO HERO11
The camera we use the most
If you’ve been on our YouTube channel, then you’ve probably seen that we use a variety of cameras and even drones to produce them. We do the best we can to give you a great idea of the bikes we test and what it’s really like to ride them.
Of course, one of the tools we use is an action camera, often a GoPro. We recently got one of the newest GoPro cameras, the Hero11. It’s fortunately the same form factor as the previous two generations, which means it uses the same batteries and other accessories.
It has a 1/1.9-inch CMOS sensor and can shoot up to 27 megapixels for stills and 5.3K video at up to 60 fps (higher frame rates at lower resolutions, even 120 fps at 4K, which is great for slow motion). What’s interesting about the sensor is that, unlike previous models and most cameras that shoot at the aspect ratio of 16:9 (same as most flat-screen TVs), this one shoots 8:7, which allows for some pretty useful trickery. For one thing, the almost square format allows editing after the fact for a variety of formats popular in social media, including widescreen and even vertical video, since everyone watches content on their phones.
Shooting 5.3K allows you to reframe video and punch in closer to a subject, even when producing 4K video. Their Hypersmooth 5.0 in-camera image stabilization smooths the footage incredibly well, almost as well as mounting the camera on an electronic gimbal without the moving parts. It crops in slightly and shifts the camera around on the pixel level to keep it smooth, and there’s a new horizon-lock feature that can keep the horizon level even if you turn the camera on its roll axis 360 degrees. That could make a crash video far less dramatic.
Because of this smoothness, we can mount the camera, for example, on the frame of a bike pointing forward at the fork to show the suspension actuating, or from the chainstay to show pedaling, or even mount it looking backwards to film another rider following us.
Announced just a few months before the Hero11 was the new Enduro battery at 1720 mAh, boasting almost 40 percent more capacity than the previous battery and in the same form factor. This means more recording time and less spare batteries to carry, and better performance in colder temperatures.
The battery can be charged inside the camera via the USB-C port in the battery bay (next to the micro-SD card slot), but we prefer to use a multi-battery charger externally to ensure the batteries don’t get hot while charging.
INTERFACE
There’s a 2.27-inch touchscreen LCD on the back and a 1.4-inch color LCD on the front. The front camera can show settings or mirror what is on the back screen, which is helpful if you’re filming yourself. The touchscreen interface is complex and confusing at first, but as you use it more, you’ll become familiar. We like using the GoPro Quik app for better control, because it shows you what the camera sees with very low latency. You can also use the Quik app to edit, but we use Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro, depending on who is editing.
CONNECTORS
The Hero11 has a fold-out connector on the bottom to use GoPro’s mounting hardware. We have a love/hate relationship with this hardware. Their hardware is simple and cheap, but it isn’t very robust. The first thing we did was to replace that connector with one from Telesin (available on Amazon for $15.99) with one that not only has the fold-down GoPro flaps but a 1/4×20-inch receiver to mount it to industry-standard camera hardware, like tripods, selfie sticks and magic arms, to make it easier to mount on bikes and such.
ND FILTERS
We like to shoot stuff that looks more cinematic, which means keeping the shutter speeds slower to let the image look more dreamy and less crisp. In bright daylight, that’s sometimes tough, because there’s too much light and no aperture control to be able to stop down, so instead we replaced the front filter with a neutral density filter, which cuts down the light without changing the color. Think of it as high-quality sunglasses for your camera.
Since the Hero9, these cameras have a removable front glass that can be easily replaced, which is a nice feature. Even if you don’t have ND filters, you can scratch the original front glass if the camera falls, but you can then replace it inexpensively and it won’t affect the camera’s waterproof rating. Though we don’t often take them in the water, we do ride in rain and dusty environments, so it’s good to know we don’t have to worry about compromising its waterproof capability.
MEDIA MOD
If you want to externally power your GoPro camera, you can do so with an external battery with the battery door open via a USB-C cable. If you want to use an external microphone (e.g., the Rode Wireless Go II), you’ll need either a USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter cable or the more versatile GoPro Media Mod. It has a built-in microphone jack, as well as its own directional microphone that’s better than the Hero11’s built-in microphones, and it has a foam cover that works pretty well to cut wind noise.
There’s also an HDMI-out port, two cold shoes for mounting lights and other accessories (the Wireless Go II receiver fits perfectly). At $80, it also provides a little extra safety for your camera. We’ve found one caveat: you need a long 1/4×20-inch bolt on whatever tripod/selfie stick you want to mount it on, because you lose about an eighth of an inch with the thickness of the Media Mod. This is one case to have traditional GoPro hardware (e.g., a GoPro to 1/4×20-inch bolt).
CHESTY MOUNT
Though there are plenty of places to mount a GoPro camera, one of the best places to show off a bicycle riding on the trail or down the road is the Chesty mount. GoPro makes one, but so do dozens of companies online. It’s one of our go-to ways to film us riding bikes. We use the wider angle settings to show off the bike and arm movements over rough terrain.
Check out our YouTube channel if you haven’t yet @ElectricBikeAction. We even have an unboxing video with a great description of different modes/frame rates. You can also send us links to your best clips and tell us if you use an action camera and, if so, which one(s).
As of this writing, the price is down from $449 to $399 if you get it with a one-year GoPro subscription. The subscription itself is $49 and offers unlimited use of the Quik app, unlimited cloud backup and auto uploads, as well as a no-questions-asked camera replacement if you buy the camera directly from GoPro.
