GoPro HERO 11 Mini vs HERO 5 Session // Battle of the Small GoPros

The much loved but discontinued GoPro HERO5 Session was a brilliant little cycling action camera at the time of release (six years ago!). A lot of GoPro fans have been hoping for a follow-up small form factor camera... and the HERO 11 Mini is their answer. Although the image quality and video stabilisation is lightyears ahead of the HERO5 Session, the Mini isn't all that 'mini' and has some teething issues.

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Video Index:
0:00 Intro
0:41 HERO 5 Session vs HERO 11 Mini Specs
2:10 HERO 11 Mini Pricing
2:41 Road Test Settings Used
3:13 Head to Head Comparisons
5:41 Sound Tests
5:55 Head to Head Comparisons Cont.
6:28 Issues and Observations
8:59 HERO 11 Mini vs HERO 10 Black
11:28 Final Thoughts
12:30 Wrap Up

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#GoPro #Cycling #ActionCamera

[MattSwain]

Ding, ding, bike back, immediately followed by the person crossing from one side of the path across to the other causing maximum inconvenience to everyone! 🤦‍♂️ Definitely one of my pet peeves on shared paths!

[ajc]

As a cyclists who records his rides, I am so looking forward to trying out my new 11 Mini on my bike once the weather warms up a little bit. The camera I've been using (a Hero 4 Session (even older than the 5 Session)), 'showcases' every bump my bike rides over, no matter how big or small. I am very excited to see how my future videos turn out with Hypersmooth turned on. Judging from what I saw in your review, I will NOT be disappointed.

I've got my 11 Mini sitting right next to me, recording, and there is a blinking red light on the top telling me that the camera is indeed recording. Of course, this is only the case if one has the camera sitting (or mounted) upright, so you can see the top of the camera. Also, the little status screen indicates that the camera is recording, so in the absence of a light, someone would still know the camera is recording.

[mountainslopes]

Exactly the comparison I was looking for.

[Nick-zytx]

I use the session 5 quite frequently when I want POV snowboarding (terrain park) and surfing. The best thing about the session was it's small form factor. In it's housing, the session is 44x44 compared with 51 x 52 mini. Without the housing it's even smaller. Not sure why the designers would increase the surface area by 40% on this. That's a big increase in drag when travelling at high speeds or through the water. Remember, we don't want to have something big on our head, we want something tiny that noone will notice and reliable with fast upload to our smart phones for same day upload.

[acwna]

Great comparison, Thanks again Shane.
I thought that the fact it wasn't that 'mini' was bad enough, but lack of LEDs and no way to know if it has locked up is a deal killer for me. Even that it seems common to lock up is not good enough. If I need/want higher resolution then I'd use the biggie, but I just don't think that the 11 mini actually answers the design brief the way the Session5 did. GoPro really should have just made a Session11 and just gone with the firm grounding it had.

[neilbuckley]

I’m well impressed with the Cow function on the 11. Impressive.

[jgameLucas]

All similar frustrations Shane, no light to know it’s working, only the beep. Freezing up after just a few pushes of the record button. I’ve found the battery power not that much better than the Hero 5 of mine. Sigh. Spot on vid too 👍

[rasherdk]

With the Session, having the option to leave the frame fixed on the bike (with a proper screw rather than the big thumb-screw) and just pop the camera in and out is (was) very handy.

I had been holding out for a Session replacement for years, but finally caved and bought the 11 biggie. The difference between the Mini and biggie just seemed so small it didn't seem worth it to compromise on the features. If they had made it as small as the session, I'd have gone for it, but at this size, no.

[jimhansen]

THe difference is amazing! Watching the 2 side by side, the 11 mini footage looks like drone footage compared to the 5 session.

[Miekzz]

really interesting. thanks for the comparison shane!

[johnmcl]

As a fellow Session 5 owner contemplating a GoPro11 Mini this is a great help as it's useful to see how much improvement the new camera actually offers. The video quality looked fantastic but the unreliability issues are a definite deal breaker for me and the lack of recording LED was something I hadn't noticed and I'd badly miss it, I frequently look to that light to see if I'm recording or not. As someone else mentioned I do like the frame of the Session as well which I tend to leave in place on the bike and pop the camera in and out rather than having to put the screw in and out each time.

[CarObsession]

Very helpful and informative video, thank you. I have the Hero 5 Session and believe it or not, the ORIGINAL Session. I was looking to buy the new 11 Mini to replace the 5 Session for my POV driving videos, but the reliability and lack of red lights is a dealbreaker for me. Setting up my cameras takes up enough time and I've already have GoPros that can be a bit glitchy, so I think the 11 Mini would be more hassle than it's worth. Yes, the smoothness of the video between the two is night and day, but if I'm careful with my head movements the the 5 Session offers passable footage. I may wait until the 11 Mini has come down in price and also when the teething issues have been sorted.

[jaselikesbikes]

I agree with you about the red light. I was recording a race and it was freezing up and I couldn't work out if it was on or not. It also doesn't work with the Max Lense Mod yet. I will have to stick to my 10 until things improve.

[tlewisAK]

I have a Hero 5 Session, Hero 7 Black, and.a Hero 10 Black. I use all 3 all the time. I love my Session.I record in a flat profile and color grade in post. I just love the small form factor.

[ChrisMillerCycling]

Sort of picks up on the point (rant) I was making the other day. Piling all these features into the cameras is taking them out of our use-cases. Ps. You don’t happen to have. Spare Sony Action Cam do you Shane … asking for a friends 😊

[crossroads]

Absolutely need a little red led light to tell you it's on. It's a no brainer now for me it's going to be the big version and my first ever Go Pro. This standard should last quite a few years and why I've held out for so long in buying one when smart phones were keeping up somewhat.

[dezoksiribon]

gopro should add this to the feature list.
smoothing cows better than ever

[tamasstrezi]

Just did this switch, night and day difference. No need for post stabilization, color correction. Weight is not an issue for me on a chin mount.

[n]

Hi,
for better stabilastion one could use post produktion stabilizers like gyroflow. That gives a way better output on the Session5.
And Softmounting it will make a huge difference.

[somewhatfrog]

That's insane stabilization. Tho the contrast seems a bit harsh on it. Thanks Shane!