As is typical this time of year (early Fall), GoPro announced and released their latest flagship action camera, the HERO11 Black, on 9/14/2022. We have one in our hands and will be performing our typical assessment. This includes checking things over for compatibility with our product, reviewing updates and new features, heated torture test, etc. This can be a long process before we reach our final recommendation. So until that time, we will live update this blog post to reflect our findings. Check back often as we release our findings.
Torture Test Results:
4K/30, External Power, 100F (TEST ID 093022230509)
4K/60, External Power, 100F (TEST ID 100122142922)
4K/30, External Power, 110F (TEST ID 100122192837)
4K/30, External Power, 120F (TEST ID 100222173806)
Rolling updates:
10/2/2022 @ 7:00 PM (Torture testing)
We've recently begun heat testing the camera in our famous LynkSpyder Torture Chamber. The results are still coming in, but here is some information that we feel comfortable sharing:
1.) 4K/30 (turning off all things you don't need: wifi, hypersmooth, GPS, etc) and the camera will run well into an ambient temperature of 110°F. Add some airflow and it will be even better
2.) 4K/60 can work, but has an increased chance of failure.
3.) Turn all features on and max out the camera on resolution, FPS, and settings (high bit rate, 10 bit color) and the camera will overheat at room temperature in about 15 minutes. Not usable at the ballfield for anything other than short clips.
4.) Running our tester at 120°F (4K/30) overheated in 35 minutes. Max camera temperature was 152.9°F. That is as hot as we have seen a GoPro get. So clearly GoPro has done some things to handle the heat since their previous versions.
We've added a section above to each of the HERO11 torture tests.
9/23/2022 @ 11:16 PM (UNCONTROLLED HEAT TEST)
Certainly not a controlled torture test. But we did the most basic test tonight: max the camera out, indoor ambient temps, and just let it run. So 5K/30 (30 is going to be our max FPS for the time being), Auto Boost, 10 bit color, high bit rate, and internal battery. Ran 15 minutes 13 seconds before shutting down to heat failure. Certainly, you will want it to run longer, and most certainly summer heat will kill it at these settings. But this still tells us there is more to the 11 than the 10. Can't wait to run it at 110F in the torture chamber. We are hoping for stable 4K/30 video this year. To do that, it has to run for 2 hours at that temp to pass our test. More to come.
9/19/2022 @ 8:00 PM (SIGNIFICANT FINDING!)
The HERO10 suffered from a power problem (we call it a software bug) several firmware versions into its release. When running without the internal battery, a "NOT ENOUGH POWER" warning would display when running most external power sources. The message claims that you must have a power supply that pushes 2A at 5V (10 watts) However, it was discovered that if you ran a USB-C to USB-C cable and using a power source that could push 3A at 5V (15 watts). We tested several batteries and were consistently able to power the device with these batteries. However, few of these batteries will now power the HERO11. In fact, the only batteries that we are finding that will power the HERO11 are 20 watt devices. Luckily, the battery that we have on our recommended setup page for the HERO10 is one of the 20 watt batteries. But it certainly does complicate things a bit. We will continue to test 10 and 15 watt devices but do not have much hope at this point. Here is the link to the setup we have been recommending for the HERO10. The battery suggested in this link is the one we were able to make work with the HERO11:
Recommended setup for the GoPro HERO10
We were at the test field when we discovered this power issues. But we were able to get off a few video captures to compare video quality. Very promising results at this point. As we have come to expect, the HERO11 produces very clean video. The new FOV, HV, is ridiculously wide. I'm not sure who asked for this, but I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be friends.
4K 30fps, Linear FOV
5.3K 30fps, Linear FOV
5.3K 30fps HV FOV (Super wide....super tall)
9/18/2022 @ 10:00 PM
Just like the HERO10, when using external power and no battery, you MUST use a USB-C to USB-C cable and a power source capable of pushing 3A at 5V. The USB-A to USB-C cable that GoPro provides with the camera, will not provide enough power, even if you have a power source capable of pushing more. USB-A is limited to 2A at 5V. Even though the screen says that is what it needs, it for some reason is not enough to get past this screen, and the GoPro will shut down once you click OK. Again, with the proper cable and power source, it is easily resolved. But it is frustrating that GoPro does not provide the proper cable with the camera.
9/15/2022 @ 7:00 AM
As was previously understood, this camera is the exact same frame size and fit as the HERO9/10. So all of your previous accessories will fit, including our Standard LynkSpyder with the Tripod Mount adapter addon:
https://lynkspyder.com/collections/brackets/products/lynkspyder-standard-model
As has been the case since GoPro updated the fold-able "finger thingies" under the camera a couple versions ago, since the mounting is metal on metal from the camera to the tripod mount, a large amount of force is required to tighten the thumb screw to ensure the fit does not slip in the aforementioned finger thingies.
As has been the case since the HERO5, GoPro includes a USB-A to USB-C cable in their box. And while we will certainly be testing this, a USB-C to USB-C cable was required on the HERO10 to run on external power and no internal battery.
One new thing that is included is the newer Enduro battery. This battery won't help you much in the heat, but does last longer in the cold.
More to come...
]]>Just a reminder, there may be several announcements made. However, we will only be reporting on items and features that we feel relate to recording and streaming baseball, softball, and tennis.
(UPDATED 10/6/2022 @ 11:00 PM Central)
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were announced on 10/6/2022
Featured discussed (7 and 7 Pro respectively):
DJI
Osmo Action 3 - "Looking for those who go beyond" Event on 9/14/2022, 7 AM Central
Features discussed:
Not discussed and/or concerns
NOTE: Due to the use of the magnetic base we found to be problematic in the Action 2, we will not be pursuing further testing of this device.
GoPro
HERO 11 & 11 Mini - "Goes to 11" event on 9/14/2022, 8 AM
New Features:
Not discussed and/or concerns
Apple
"Far Out" Event on 9/7/2022, 1:26 PM Central
iPhone 14 6.1" and iPhone Plus 6.7" (no Mini discussed)
iPhone 14 Pro 6.1" and Pro Max 6.7"
]]>
As with all GoPro cameras, it generally takes a few updates after release to fix some of the more common issues. As is commonly said in the programming world, sometimes this means you just replace the old bugs with new ones. This certainly is the case for the two most recent firmware updates of the GoPro HERO 10. If you are running firmware versions 1.3 to 1.4 (the latest version at current date), you will experience issues trying to use external power with the internal battery removed. As you may or may not know, we highly recommend running all modern GoPro cameras with the internal battery removed. This is due to the fact that the GoPro firmware recognizes the internal battery and will force a heat related shut down far sooner than without the internal battery. However, with the two firmware versions mentioned above, you will receive the following error, and the camera will shut down as soon as you click OK on the message. There are folks who suggest you "trick" the camera by starting the recording with the internal battery in place, and then remove the battery. This will bypass the warning message. But honestly, I don't feel this is the best solution. Tricking firmware is not a safe bet to make when you are out at the field with little options if something goes wrong. No, the better solution is to downgrade to the last known usable firmware version. We are using 1.16 with great success. We will continue to stay at this version until GoPro adds something really useful, like the ability to adjust FOV while streaming (we've been screaming for this since the HERO 7....GoPro... are you listening?)
Here is the process for downgrading your camera. Note, we are suggesting a process that is not officially recommended by GoPro. But since the current recommended solution is to use the faulty firmware (v1.40), we feel this deviation has merit.
1.) Download the v 1.16 firmware file from our Google Drive. (Click here to download)
2.) This link will take you to a Google Drive Page. Click the download icon to download the zip file to your local computer (be sure to note where the file is being saved):
3.) Use the normal GoPro manual update process. But skip step 1 as this will download the newer version of the update. Replace all references to that process with the file you downloaded above.
(Click here for the GoPro HERO 10 Manual update process)
That will take care of your external battery issue. I hope this helps.
Alternative Solution
After we posted this blog on Facebook yesterday, a customer reached out and suggested we try a cable that has USB-C style connectors on both ends (not the stock GoPro cable). We did...and sure enough, this problem went away even using v1.40 firmware on the HERO 10. So lets talk about that and what I speculate to be the problem. The old square USB connector on the stock GoPro cable is what is called a USB-A style connector. But here is the confusing problem. USB-A can accommodate a couple different standards (USB 2, USB 3.x, etc.). That means the rated power for USB-A is somewhere between 0.5A (500mA) and possibly up to 1.5 A. Whereas USB-C can push up to 3A. At 5 volts, that's 100 watts. And in order for a USB-C cable to be fully 100 watt compliant, it uses 8 pins on each connector. A USB-A style connector only has 4 pins. So even though the standard GoPro cable has a USB-C style connector on one side, it is not 100 watt compliant and is limited in power to the USB 2.0 or 3.x standard.
So to test this we used an EasyAcc MegaCharge D20 battery that has a USB-C output port as well as 3 USB-A ports. We used the stock GoPro cable as well as a USB-C to USB-C cable that is 100 watt compliant (Google Pixel Dock which uses a 3A wall wart). As you can see from the photos, using the same battery with each of the respective cables, USB-A failed and USB-C worked. Oddly, USB-A worked 2 out of 10 times we tried. UBC-C worked all 10. So while you might be able to make it work in the field. I certainly would not trust it. I do not trust Eric C (the customer who made the suggestion). And I should have listened to him over a month ago when he made a similar suggestion. Thanks Eric!
Shameless LynkSpyder plug....
While you are here, if you don't have a LynkSpyder to mount your GoPro HERO 10, below is our recommended setup for this camera. It is a great option to record Baseball, Softball, and Tennis at all levels of play. We have customers that range from t-ball families to professional MLB teams.
(Click here for the LynkSpyder HERO 10 recommended setup)
LynkSpyder
Proudly Made in the USA since 2013
]]>11/3/2021 12:00 PM
Camera arrived yesterday and we have been playing with it a bit. Today we mounted it on our standard LynkSpyder at the test field to get a feel for mounting issues (none found) and quality of video and view (mostly, composition of shot). Here's a view of the setup:
Sample video segment from our normal view. Shot at 4K/120FPS; Standard Dewarp FOV with 2.0x Digital zoom to compose the shot we like.
The size of the Action 2 is very nice without any additional addons. But this only gets you a small battery and 32GB of internal memory. Once you add the other modules to give you external power (or more internal battery) as well as a microSD slot, the overall size of the setup gets a little clunky (shown here with the GoPro HERO 10):
The next step is to put the camera in our heated Torture Chamber and see how it does. Stay tuned...
10/27/2021 12:00 PM
After watching the release videos, some early reviews, and reading the manuals, the following is some information we know today:
As is typical, anytime GoPro launches a new device, we track the details that pertain to our product and our market (Baseball, Softball, Tennis, etc.) and pass that information on to you. Today is Thursday, 9/16/2021 and the HERO 10 will be launched soon. We will update below in descending order:
Running Bug List:
11/3/2021 @ 7:00 AM
GoPro has released a new firmware for the HERO 10; version 1.16. This version is intended to fix some of the heat related issues and a couple other bugs. V 1.15 was released last week for these items but was rolled back due to causing boot loops. 1.16 has been installed on one of our HERO 10 cameras and we will be testing for changes. Stay tuned...
Note#1: The issue of the display showing a cold battery warning and turning the LCD off when the internal battery is removed has been fixed.
Note#2: (Boooooo!) The new "tripod" mode is designed for stationary use and no wind flow. This is great for mounting on the fence. The problem is that it is only in 4K and 5K mode, and they have disabled Fields of View (digital lenses) and zoom. So wide view is your only option in this mode. Not good!
10/27/2027
Please visit our torture test page on possible workarounds for the known heat related issues with this camera. In short, removing the internal battery will help reduce the shutdown limit.
LynkSpyder Torture Test Results
Click here for the mounting recommendations for the HERO 10
9/27/2021, 7:00 AM
So while GoPro tech support is still having us run through the diagnostic paces to "fix" our HERO10 (re-flash firmware, replace SD cards, etc.) they are telling other outlets that there is a known heat related limitation with their new camera. But they are saying it is by design because the majority of their customers don't record long clips. So unless we hear different from GoPro, their new camera cannot be used for recording sporting events in most circumstances. Therefore, unless something changes, we are officially recommending our customers avoid this camera.
“The HERO10 is engineered to support what we know a majority of HERO owners use the camera for: to shoot shorter clips in environments with natural airflow.” - GoPro
https://www.techradar.com/.../gopro-confirms-hero-10...
9/20/2021, 7:00 AM
Testing is going from bad to worse. Today we used one of our tried and true 64GB Sandisc Ultra Extreme cards to reproduce the test, wondering of the 128GB card was causing us issues. This test produced an SD Card Error (no known issues with this card). It also identified a camera lockup issue, similar to the HERO6, when GoPro introduced their new GP1 chip. Lastly, it does not look like the camera is running on exclusive external power when recording. The camera doesn't show charging (which is normal). But the battery starts to drain. Unfortunately, we can't get the camera to run long enough to know what happens when the battery gets too low on external power. I suspect that when it hits 10%, it will shut down.
9/19/2021, 12:09 PM
We spent some time on a support chat with GoPro to get more information on the heat failure issue. The only direction we have received from GoPro was to manually update the firmware. We will try this, but don't feel that is the issue. They also asked what SD card we were using. So we will certainly be testing with a different card next
9/18/2021, 1:15 PM
So this is a new situation for us. We've been testing GoPro cameras for several years and have recommended them since we started. I'm hesitant to report much further as the issues we are seeing could be related to the specific camera we are using (possible defect). But testing of the HERO 10 is not going well. None of our tests have exceeded 20 minutes before heat related failure. The last test was a 2.7K/60 on battery at 100 degrees. We've never seen a camera of any brand fail this badly. We will be reaching out to GoPro to find out if they have any comments. But at this point we would not be able to recommend this camera until we learn more about the heat related issues.
9/18/2021, 11:25 AM
Second test did not yield much better results. 20 minutes before heat stroke, at camera temp of 115 degrees F. For this test we removed the internal battery and run exclusively on external power. Once new point to note with the HERO 10: The back LCD will not stay on without the internal battery. A warning about cold battery temp was displayed. Not sure if this can be turned off. But it is a huge disadvantage to not be able to use the LCD. Another note on both of these tests is that WiFi has been turned off.
9/18/2021, 9:13 AM
We began a heat test in our LynkSpyder Torture Chamber today. Set the camera to 5K 30 FPS and ran on battery. Booth was set to 100 degrees F. Camera only made it 14 minutes before heat stroke at 116 degrees F. While we will be doing other tests (and will repeat to make sure this was an anomaly) clearly this will not do. One other note that was new to previous camera tests. We used a 128GB SD card. We will try the test again with the 32GB card used in previous tests.
9/17/2021, 5:00 PM
While at the test field today, we took some sample video. One of the things we wanted to do was see if we would see how wide we could shoot without fence in the shot. This turned out to be Wide FOV (Digital Lens) at 1.3 zoom. Note, at Linear FOV, zoom is not available. Make sure to set the quality to the max on playback. Works best on a 4K or larger device and full screen.
GoPro HERO 10 Test - 5.3K/30 Linear FOV, No Zoom
GoPro HERO 10 Test - 5.3K/30 Wide FOV, 1.3x Zoom
9/17/2021, 12:45 PM
Initial mounting tests of the GoPro HERO 10 went well, as expected. The camera has the exact same dimensions as the HERO9. So there were no concerns about mounting compatibility. But always a good idea to get product pictures before the abuse that we will put the camera through ensues. Next stop, the infamous LynkSpyder Torture Chamber.
9/17/2021, 11:00 AM
GoPro HERO10 arrived today. Best Buy online beat GoPro direct. The GoPro order looks to arrive tonight. So as we say in central Missouri, the torture test is fixin' to commence. We will put it through all kinds of trial in our heated chamber to see how it does at various settings.
Stay tuned. Charging for a bit and headed out to the test field shortly...
9/16/2021, 9:59 AM
Ray from DC Rainmaker was able to confirm that Digital Lens (FOV) and zoom adjustments are STILL NOT available on the HERO10 while streaming. We have been pinging GoPro on this for 3 years. Can't seem to get through to them why it is needed. Also, Ray has a great review of the HERO10 here: https://youtu.be/U79xNlX8Qow
Ray also mentions that the Max Lens mod will not work with the HERO10 until GoPro pushes a new firmware update in November.
9/16/2021, 8:40 AM
Does not appear to be in stores yet (at least none we can find locally). We have one on order from GoPro and will be performing our standard tests when it comes in.
9/16/2021, 8:12 AM
Launch was made official on YouTube. But not much more available at this time. Links to the device on GoPro are broken and no other vendors that we have seen are listing that device yet. Reviews (people who already had the device but can now talk about it) are coming in. Wired has a pretty good one here:
https://www.wired.com/review/gopro-hero-10/
9/16/2021, 5:55 AM
GoPro updated the Quik app to reflect the new camera. Not really any new information in the app that we can see.
9/16/2021, 5:30 AM
I'm sure Adorama wasn't supposed to, but they have the HERO 10 listed on their store already. So this allows us to confirm some things:
1.) List price of $499
2.) Looks to be in stock, so should be available today from other outlets as well.
3.) Exact same body design as the HERO 9. This is important as it means all existing mounts and mods will be compatible. So while we will be testing in more detail, it will fit on any LynkSpyder just fine. It also means that things like the Media Mod and Max lens will work too.
What is not confirmed yet and what we are most interested in: Will digital lens adjustments be available in livestreaming?
Other items confirmed that were leaked earlier:
1.) New GP2 processor
2.) 5.3K 60fps video
https://www.adorama.com/gphero10.html
All items in stock and shipping on time. Please check our shipping policy for estimated shipping times and our daily cut-offs.
Adjusted Shipping schedule (Week of 5/15/2023)
UPS Shipping now available! All items in stock (2/9/2023)
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