For more information on action cams, check out our full guide. Be sure to read our guides to the best GoPros, best 360 cameras, best Instax cameras, best travel cameras, and best mirrorless cameras.
Do you need a new camera?
Probably not. Probably what you need to do is spend a lot more time with what you have, but if buying a new camera makes you feel like maybe you’re getting better at photography, then far be it for me to stop you. Hitting too close to home? I feel you. I mean I need a new camera, the Sony A7C R is an amazing camera, the autofocus is years ahead of my A7R II, the sensor is bigger, the dynamic range is better, and it’s smaller and lighter. what’s not to love? But it won’t immediately enable me to take better photos.
To create better images you have to spend time on this. This requires practice. Shoot every day, even if you only have 10 minutes, walk around the neighborhood and play with different compositions, try shooting in ways you don’t normally do. Experiment with different lights at different times of the day. Just take one more shoot. Most of it will be garbage, but you will be learning.
Best action camera deals
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
GoPro did not release a new model of its Hero action camera this year. Last year’s Hero 13 is still the latest, but it’s on sale for Black Friday anyway. Last year’s GoPro Hero 13 was the first significant change to GoPro’s flagship action camera in several years. The company added an interchangeable lens system with macro, ultra wide and anamorphic lenses, as well as a set of four neutral density filters. The new interchangeable lens system opens up shooting possibilities that don’t exist with other action cameras. For some reason, this camera often gets overlooked. It’s a lot of fun to shoot with.
I think the best part of the Hero 13’s new lens and filter system is that the Hero 13 Black automatically detects which lens is attached and changes the Hero 13’s settings accordingly. This is especially good for those who don’t want to hassle with fine-tuning their camera settings every time they change lenses or pop on a neutral density filter. I’ve been using all three lenses for over a year and they’re all good, but the ultra wide is my favorite. I mainly use my GoPro to shoot from the handlebars of my bike, so the wider the shot, the better and more immersive the footage, hence my love of ultra wide. Hero Black Ultra Wide Edition is also on sale.
Everything that made GoPro a household name is here too, with industry-leading HyperSmooth stabilization, all kinds of assistive shooting modes, and support for GoPro’s QuickTime app. Also note that if you purchase through gopro.com, the company also includes one year of GoPro Premium, the company’s subscription cloud storage service. If there’s one downside to the GoPro, it’s battery life. It’s okay, but not great. I suggest taking an extra battery.
So, given that there was no Hero 14 this year, how well suited is the Hero 13 for the future? I would say it’s very future proof. I will admit that the recently announced DJI Action 6, which has a variable aperture lens, is very interesting, but it is still an automatic aperture rather than giving you a full aperture priority mode. Given the ban on imports starting on December 23, 2025, I am also a little indifferent towards DJI products. The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 below is also on sale, and I like that camera too, especially with the new accessories that turn it into something more like a point-and-shoot. But in the end, when I head out the door for a ride, or a paddle, or, right now, some snowshoeing, the action camera I reach for remains the GoPro Hero 13 Black.
Other great action camera deals
Deals on action camera accessories
Best 360 Camera Deals
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
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Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
The GoPro Max 2 is the best 360 camera you can buy and it’s currently $100 off. The Max 2’s dual 14mm (35mm equivalent) lenses each record on a 1/2.3-inch chip, the largest available in a 360 camera. This delivers what GoPro calls “true 8K” video, by which the company means that the actual recorded area of the sensor is 8K, whereas other 360 cameras have an 8K sensor but only record the 6K or 7K value of that sensor as the actual image. The short story is that the Max 2’s video is sharper and clearer. Combine this with support for 10-bit color in log files and you’ll have footage that the competition can’t compare to.
Other 360 camera deals
A fun, screen-free digital camera
-Reviewer-Photo-SOURCE-Nena-Farrell.jpg "The 13 Best GoPro and Camera Deals for Black Friday (2025) 8")
Photograph: Nena Farrell
What if there was a film camera that captured digital images? That’s what the Camp Snap Camera is all about, the screen-free aspect means that, like film, you won’t know what your images look like until later – you can take pictures without getting out of the moment much. The Camp Snap can hold up to 2,000 photos on a preinstalled memory card, and it comes with a USB-C cable for downloading photos to your computer. This also makes a fun gift to give.
Best deals on instant cameras
Photograph: B&H Photos
Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 99 is the best Instax camera for those who like manual controls and creative effects. The Mini 99 offers some manual focus and exposure controls, as well as some fun color effects, such as the ability to simulate light leaks like those thrift store cameras gathering dust on your shelf. There are two dials on the top of the Mini 99. Works like an exposure compensation dial, allowing you to adjust the exposure value (EV), two stops brighter and two darker. I found L (Lighten) and L+ useful when shooting against snow, which has a tendency to affect a small sensor like this. It’s also good for strongly backlit scenes, although they’re still not suitable for the Instax. The Mini 99 has a 60-mm lens made of plastic. This works out to the same field of view as a 35-mm lens in the 35mm format (or somewhere between 1x and 2x on your iPhone, if you prefer). The shutter is fixed at f/12.7, which means you’ll be relying on the flash in all but bright, sunny, outdoor scenes. That said, unlike some other Instax models, with the Mini 99 you can turn off the flash for well-lit shots, and that means far less washed-out images.
Other Instant Camera Deals
The best deals on our favorite photo printing services
A photo isn’t a photo until you print it. Strong words, but I’ll stick to them. Luckily there are some great deals available right now that will let you print your photos without spending a fortune.
Photo: MPIX
Our favorite place to print photos is offering 30 percent off their print services. Mpix produces high-quality prints at a reasonable price even when full price, making it a good deal. MPIX prints on Kodak Endura paper and offers a variety of paper options. I tested the e-Surface, which delivers rich, deep blacks and true-to-life colors. It holds up well over time; The images we printed in 2013 look exactly as they did when we received them. We also love Empix’s books and calendars.
If you need to print gifts for your family, Shutterfly is having 50 percent off sitewide. We’re fans of Shutterfly’s book printing service, which has had the best results so far in our testing of photo printing services. We also like calendars. The printing is pretty nice, especially for the price, and shipping is usually fast.
The highest quality prints in our testing came from Adorama’s Printik service. If it were a little cheaper, it would be in the top spot in our print services guide, which is where this deal lies. You can choose from a variety of papers, and they’re listed by their actual names like Kodak Endura or Fujifilm Matte. I also like the option to print the date and file name on the back of each image.
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