GoPros are best known for video. But they can also be an interesting and useful option for taking still photos. They don’t work quite the same as most other cameras out there, but if you’re willing to work with their quirks rather than against them, they can also be a great tool for taking photos.
GoPro Deals
- âž™ HERO11 Black: $399 @ GoPro.com
- âž™ HERO11 Black + Accessories Bundle: $449 @ GoPro.com
- âž™ HERO11 Black Creator Edition: $579 @ GoPro.com
On the plus side, the HERO10 Black, like the models before it, is tiny, rugged, and waterproof. So you can shoot photos in places that most cameras can’t. There are options for controlling them remotely, whether using a dedicated remote control or the GoPro Quik mobile app. And with auto-everything as at least an option, they’re quite close to foolproof.
On the negative side, you’re mostly stuck with the lens that comes with it. 1 The ultra-wide fisheye look works wonderfully for some scenes, but it doesn’t work well for other more traditional shots. Battery life is always an issue with GoPros. And they can be sluggish to use, at least compared to other more traditional cameras. 2
I’ve covered the GoPro HERO10 Black photo modes in detail separately.
To go along with that, here’s a selection of photos taken with the HERO10 to give a sense of how it can be used as a general travel camera. I realize these aren’t the kinds of photos that you see in GoPro marketing materials, but that’s rather the point—I want to focus on how GoPros can be used for a wider range of uses than just extreme action shot and to provide something different to the marketing shots.
This is a growing collection, and I hope to add to it from time to time.
Photos Taken with a GoPro HERO10 Black
Price & Availability of the GoPro HERO10 Black
Check the current price and availability at:
- Revolutionary Processor: Faster. Smoother. Better. The powerful new GP2 engine changes the game—snappy...
- High-Res Photos plus Videos, High Frame Rate: Step up to the sharpest-shooting GoPro ever. Upgraded to...
FAQs
Can you take photos with the GoPro HERO10 Black?
Yes. In addition to video (and timelapse and hyperlapse), the GoPro HERO10 Black has a photo mode. It takes 23MP still images and saves them in JPG or RAW (.GPR) formats. There are burst photo modes, enhanced HDR and SuperPhoto modes, a limited choice of fields of view, and burst mode shooting for fast-action sequences.
Does the GoPro HERO10 Black have zoom?
The GoPro HERO10 Black has a digital zoom (not an optical zoom).
Related Posts
- The HERO10 Black does offer a few different FOV options as well as a digital zoom, but none of those work as well or as flexibly as an interchangeable lens system or an optical zoom.[↩]
- The HERO10 makes some improvements in responsiveness over earlier models, although it’s still slow to use if you’re looking to tweak the exposure settings.[↩]
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The Latest Model: GoPro HERO11 Black
Released in the fall of 2022, the HERO11 is GoPro's current model. Well, actually two models.
First, there's the flagship Black that has all the bells and whistles and sets the standard for action cameras.
- Shoot 5.3K60 & 4K120 video at up to 120Mbps bitrate
- Take 27MP photos
- Waterproof to 33ft / 10m without a separate housing
- Built-in mount point
- HyperSmooth 5.0 In-camera Video Stabilization creates smooth video without a gimbal
- Shoot up to 8x slow motion
A couple of months later, they released Black Mini. It's smaller and shares many of the flagship models capabilities, but it's also stripped-down in important ways. For instance, it doesn't have a touchscreen, its battery isn't removable, and it shoots video only (so no photo mode).
- Shoot 5.3K60 & 4K120 video at up to 120Mbps bitrate
- Compact form factor
- Waterproof to 33ft / 10m without a separate housing
- 2x built-in mount point
- HyperSmooth 5.0 in-camera video stabilization
- Shoot up to 8x slow motion @ 2.7K
- Built-in battery
Hi,
Great photographs.
I just got my GoPro 10 Black. I took photo’s in Maui while snorkeling. I would love to know what is the best way to zoom underwater (or can you)? and what are the best settings for underwater. My pictures are a little grainy and even though the water was very clear , the pictures have a sort of over lay as if it wasn’t.
Thank you,
Mary
No, there’s no way to zoom underwater, unfortunately. Zooming requires using the back touchscreen, and touchscreens don’t work underwater.
As for the image quality issues you’ve run into, a few possibilities come to mind. GoPros don’t work well in low light–the images get quite grainy. Depending on how deep you were or the lighting conditions, it could be that if the camera was bumping up the ISO in the automatic exposure (often happens if you’re pointing the camera down at the bottom when underwater.
Were you using the default settings for photos? If you’d changed some Protune settings like ISO, that could also produce graininess.
And was the front lens clear? It’s very easy to accidentally smear sunscreen on the glass–I’ve done that myself.
As for settings, most of the time I find the default settings to work quite well. Probably the single biggest improvement is by adding an accessory: a red (or orange) underwater filter. It does cut down the light a bit, but it restores a more natural color balance so not everything is blue. I have one example here, but there are others (including some that are cheaper and simpler).