GoPro – HERO9 Black 5K and 20 MP Streaming Action Camera – Black

Pros
Hypersmooth is like using a gimbal
In camera horizon leveling
Hindsight makes it much easier to catch the shot
Lens removable again
Mods will be offered to enhance capabilities
New 5K video allows either sharper pictures or more smoothness
USB-C plug
Waterproof unless media mod used
Scheduling option
Larger batter for longer battery life
Excellent auto
Audio can remove some wind noise
Can be used as a webcam
Option to slow to real speed during hyperlapse
Cons
Webcam software still in beta
More megapixels but not larger sensor
No pixel binning for low light
5K videos requires much more powerful system
Mobile editing is limited with small screen size
Highlights can’t be deleted once created on mobile
Mobile Wi-Fi transfers slow sometimes causing timeouts
Camera gets hot and lags
Poor touchscreen sensitivity
Screen hard to read in sunlight
Shadows are crushed in sunlight
Slow framerate on front screen
Design
The GoPro Hero 9 Black has the standard GoPro design that has been around for years, except slightly larger. With the addition of a front facing screen a larger battery was needed. This larger battery meant the entire device became just slightly larger. Tucked into the battery compartment is a USB-C plug and MicroSD card slot. The larger size means a small number of old GoPro accessories no longer work. The back screen is slightly larger than previous models but doesn’t seem any brighter. Thankfully, with the 9 removable lenses are back with a design very similar to the 7. The microphone has been upgraded and now has better drainage for water. Included is the box is a carrying case with plenty of room for other accessories, a short USB-C cable, and a curved base mount.
Performance and Usage
In many ways, the Hero 9 Black is an evolution of an existing design. It brings back some things that should have never been removed and added a few new things. Now with the 5K sensor, daylight shots are crisper than before. You can grab a still from a video and as long as the lighting is good, and action isn’t too fast you have a pretty nice shot. A nice addition is called Hindsight. When activated, the camera will record in a 30 second loop until you start manually recording. This means if you are trying to catch a fast shot you just turn this on and wait. As long as you activate manual recording withing 30 seconds of what you are trying to catch, it will be saved. Although you can grab stills from this, the quality seems a bit lower. If you are looking for a good action photo, you can use an option called Liveburst where it will take a series of photos in a burst. You can then share it as a short clip or choose one of the photos to pull out of it as a higher quality still. The still quality is much better on these although the option isn’t the easiest to find the first time you use it as it is under export, even when you are putting the still straight back into the app
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Slow motion is available and the faster the speed you want, the lower the resolution. What is new is being able to transition to real speed or half speed in the middle of a hyperlapse. Just tap the back of the screen while recording a hyperlapse and switch to your preconfigured option. When done, just tap again and it will continue on with the hyperlapse. This can come in handy if, for instance, you are hiking and want to add commentary for certain portions of the hike. No need to have separate videos and splice them together.
For casual recording, the default auto settings produce overly vibrant video with crushed shadows and very blue skies with vivid green foliage. Sharpness by default is pretty strong but can be adjusted down. Overall, auto mode seems tuned for social media. If you are all about more correct colors and exposure you are likely going to want to choose the flat color profile. Also, the removable lens is great for safety, but it also does create some pretty significant lens flare in certain circumstances where the entire video temporarily becomes completely washed out and overexposed.
Although some may want to record in 5K, the benefits are small. Where the extra megapixels really shine is adding additional crop for electronic stabilization when recording in 4K. With more megapixels, Hypersmooth 3.0 can make even more extreme motion smooth. Paired with the new in-body horizon leveling, it can make your videos look as smooth as if they were filmed on a professional gimbal. GoPro is claiming this will be further enhanced once the Max Lens Mod is available. Currently horizon leveling works to somewhere around 35-45 degrees but the Max Lens Mod should mean it can keep the horizon level no matter the rotation. Of course, depending on the camera, you could do this in post. But being able to just turn it on and shoot is so much simpler. The big question is how well can the de-warping work with the Max Mod Lens. Although minor now, with the standard lens sometimes you can see line when the software is de-warping the image. A nice, but also occasional, odd feature is how it seems the camera senses a turn and crops the video into the turn as if you are panning the camera. This part is nice but then sometimes it acts weird and jerks back abruptly and looks a little unnatural. It doesn’t happen that often and hasn’t been too bad, but it is still a bit odd.
It’s nice that the Hero 9 now has a front facing screen, but there is still room to grow. Maybe this can be fixed with further firmware updates, but the front screen frame rate is a bit choppy. It improved slightly during the first update, but you will notice the rate doesn’t match your settings. It is still decent enough to work with. The bigger challenge is seeing the screens in brighter light. After seeing other electronics in recent years getting much brighter screens, it showcases where the GoPro, being an outdoor camera could really use some improvement. Although workable, a higher brightness screen and a light sensor could go a long way to improving use in sunlight. Of course, some of this can be remedied with buttons and voice commands but not all.
Speaking of outdoors, during longer recording sessions the main body can get pretty warm. During the longest sessions outdoors at around 85 degrees, the main body became noticeably warm and the touchscreen began to lag. At one point it almost seemed like it froze but finally the recording finished, and everything was fine. This occurred using the latest firmware as well.
The microphone for such a small camera is actually pretty good. It mainly focuses on close sounds and voices. Wind noise is still noticeable, but the software does a decent job reducing it. Things like walking on leaves, on the other hand, are picked up very well. If you are vlogging with someone a few feet away outdoors you might need to consider the media mod upgrade.
Finally, when it comes to transferring the video, the process is a bit odd the first time as it prompts you to get new media only to say no media found because you are not yet connected. The way it connects is with Wi-Fi which means long videos can take a while and even cause your phone to complain there is no internet and sometimes timeout. It would be nice to have a way to import to your phone faster, maybe via USB. There are a lot of editing options and abilities to create stories that even have the option to add included music, but your results will vary based on the power of your phone. It’s nice to be able to edit out in the field if your workflow requires quick results but the small screen and occasionally finicky app will sometimes slow you down. The media browser shows you thumbnails of your videos and photos but no other information. You have to go into each, select the hamburger, and then select info. If you are trying to find your one raw shot in the group than can really slow you down. Also, editing always forces you to portrait mode with a tiny preview. The app should allow the option to edit landscape pictures and videos while in landscape. You also have no option to zoom to check your settings or a way to compare before and after adjustments. In the support forums for July of 2020, GoPro says they are working on a replacement for the old GoPro Studio for desktop but editing on the desktop currently requires a third-party solution.
On the less interesting side, GoPro claims you can use the Hero 9 as a webcam which sounds great in today’s time. Unfortunately, the app is in beta and initial testing shows anything but good lighting ends up in a very dark video.
Final Thoughts
The Hero 9 Black shows GoPro is listening to its customers and bringing back features they missed while working to add some truly useful new ones. Although there is still plenty of room for improvement, the Hero 9 is still a solid upgrade. Hopefully GoPro will continue to evolve and improve the software and firmware in the coming months to make it an even more compelling product. In an ever evolving field of action cameras, the Hero 9 is a nice option with the durability and flexibility synonymous with GoPro.

The GoPro Hero 9 is GoPro’s latest action camera, with some welcome new features and correcting one big mistake in the Hero 8 by bringing back the removable lens glass.
The first big change over past GoPro cameras is the packaging. Gone is the huge acrylic plastic box, and instead you get a case! This makes for less packaging waste, and the case isn’t half bad. My only complaint is that it is just kind of a big hole with no dividers, but some 1.5” Velcro cut to size straps fixed that, and it works great. Beyond that, you get the standard mix of a quick release mount, one adhesive base, charging cord, and battery.
The Hero 9 features a new sensor with more pixels than the previous Hero 7 or 8, allowing for more hypersmooth stability and availability (4K 60 linear is now possible) and 5k video at 30 FPS. Personally, 2.7k is still a resolution sweet spot in terms of file sizes, features, and quality, but having all of these options is nice. The low light performance with the higher density sensor is still just ok. In stills, I found the in-camera noise reduction completely crushed details like the pattern in a wood floor, even in decent indoor light. In video it’s ok but still not great. There are just limits that a small dense sensor can’t overcome. But this is a camera for outdoors, not for cave dwellers! And outside it really shines. Images are clear, and video is good. Be careful with the hypersmooth settings though, I found that setting them to the highest settings really hurt the final video quality. A 2.7k video at 60 FPS with high HS settings resulted in a video that looked like it was 1080p, at best. Be careful and only use the higher settings if really needed.
The other big improvement is the full color front screen that finally shows a preview of the image. This is great for selfies, vlogging, and using the GoPro at different angles. You can change this display to just information or off entirely from the menu. The back display works fine and is large and clear, however the touch sensitivity is a little buggy, often missing taps or swipes, and it is very slow to navigate. It’s definitely not as slick and intuitive as a smart phone. GoPro says they are aware of this issue and a planned firmware update will address the sensitivity issues at least. The camera also completely hard locked up on me once, requiring a battery pull to reset. You can tell the camera is new and has a few software kinks to work out, which GoPro generally does.
This camera takes the best things about the Hero 7, such as the removable lens, and the 8, with the flip down integrated camera mount bracket, and improves on them both with longer battery life, a new sensor, and a full color front screen. If you are in the market for an action camera, you should consider the Hero 9 on your short list.

PROS:
– Predictable selfies and framing with front screen
– Improved video, picture, and time lapses
– Better battery life
CONS:
– New battery pack – no compatibility with older gen
The GoPro Hero 9 Black is a great camera for documenting life’s adventures. From normal life activities like house hunting, to adventures on the trail and at the dog park, the Hero 9 proves to be a compact and capable camera that I found myself taking just about everywhere.
What are the major new features? First, 5K video resolution at 30 fps is the headliner feature. Video take at the dog park and on the trail near my house looked sharp and life like. I was impressed to by the improved stabilization when compared to my Hero 7 especially when walking rocky or uneven trails. It depends on what you view your video on or what subject your are filming but I found myself filming the most in 2.7K so you can get that buttery smooth 120 fps. But if the extra pixels count, know that the Hero 9 can deliver gorgeous 5K footage.
Next the front facing camera is probably the most exciting feature for selfie fans. Previously with my Hero 7, selfies were a “click and cross your fingers that they turned out good”. This resulted in a lot of missed shots and moments. Now, with the front facing camera you have a view finder to help frame and get the perfect shot the first time. For some reason the front camera doesn’t work when recording 1080p 240 fps video, but I don’t think most people will need it for that particular setting.
Finally, they are introducing a new battery pack size which offers 30% more juice. In my day to day I was able to get through videoing and photos at multiple open houses, a time warp through a hike, and several videos at the dog park. In an intense all-day usage, the pro user is still going to carry around multiple battery packs, but overall I found the Hero 9 to last longer than its predecessors. It is important to note that this new battery is not compatible with the Hero 8 and below. This is disappointing, but GoPro is promising improved resilience in cold temperatures with the new design as well. I wasn’t able to test this yet but have noticed my Hero 7 did seem to drain faster when I used it to record snow sports, so I’m happy to see them focusing on cold environment performance.
The great things improved upon in the Hero 8 are still here in the 9. Max mods allow you to attach the Media Mod with a shotgun style directional mic, standalone LED Light, and external larger front display to turn your GoPro into a perfect on-the-go vlogging camera. The bottom features the same easy flip-out mount that fit all my existing go-pro accessories from my backpack clip, helmet, suction-cup mount, and dog mount.
Overall, the GoPro Hero 9 Black is a solid upgrade over the previous versions. Whether you need improved battery life and cold weather performance or you’re just trying to improve your selfie game the Hero 9 Black is a great everyday and extreme day carry around camera for documenting your life’s adventures.

I own a GoPro 7 and 8. When I saw the promo trailer for the Hero 9, I was stoked. After using the Hero 9 for a few days, my expectations have been reeled back. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good camera. It means that many of the changes they made don’t seem to fit what I use. So let’s get into the good and the bad.
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Let’s start with some of the pluses.
The Hero 9 has definitely upped its game on the Photo front. We now have a 20mp image vs. 12mp. I can definitely use this and it’s one of the best parts of the camera for me.
The next biggest plus is the front-facing screen. I do a lot of bike vlogging. The screen absolutely helps because I can see exactly what I’m shooting vs. guessing.
Next is going to be the replaceable lens. The 7 had it, the 8 didn’t. I had to replace the lens on the 7 after a mishap so I’ve very happy it’s back.
They say battery life is 30% longer. That’s pretty reasonable. That means instead of 1 hour of recording I can get about 1 1/4 hours. I did set my brightness down from the default of 75% or so to 66% to help out. I did this because most of my filming doesn’t require me to actually frame my video. It’s either on my chest or on my bike. In either case, it captures what it captures, no need to look at the screen.
The bigger rear screen. I don’t look at my rear screen all that much as I’ve mentioned. I didn’t really think much about it until I was using my Hero 8. That’s when I realized, dang, this screen is a lot bigger!
I’m going to put this in the plus list because it has been a game changer since Hero 7, and that’s Hypersmooth. I can’t see that it works better in the Hero 9 for what I do, but it doesn’t work any worse. Hypersmooth IS the reason I finally got on the GoPro bandwagon. It is the single best feature of the camera. Without Hypersmooth, I would not shoot near as much video as I do.
Hindsight. This is mostly a plus. What I don’t know at this time is what the battery cost is. I’ve tried it out though and it works! You can choose to have it set to invisibly record 15 or 30 seconds in a loop. Once you actually hit the record button, it records it to the memory card and continues recording like always. The only downside (besides possible battery drain) is that the recording beep is audible in the video. That’s a shame depending on what you are recording. So remember, if you don’t want the beep, turn it off.
Enhanced TimeWarp. Yes! When I’m riding my road bike, sometimes I mostly just want to record the journey. Nobody wants to sit through an hour of bike riding though. I turn on TimeWarp. Ultimately though, I want to say something or highlight some cool part of town. The enhanced TimeWarp lets me drop into real-time mode, show off that landscape or do some vlogging, then immediately resume the TimeWarp. This feature works as advertised.
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Now on to some stuff that didn’t wow me.
5k. Ya. Was I excited about this feature? Eh…maybe. The promo makes it look so good. I wouldn’t say it looked bad, but there were two things I took issue with. First and foremost, it simply didn’t wow me. I have a 32″ 4k monitor to edit with and it didn’t really look anything different than the 4k video. Now I may be able to crop the image to 4k and that will be nice but I haven’t yet gone down that road. The second item was the lack of Superview in 5k mode. When I’m filming on my mountain bike using the chest mount, I use Superview to get all of my handlebars in the image. Wide view comes close but not like Superview. That would be the biggest reason I wouldn’t use 5k. If you depend, require or adore Superview, just know that 5k won’t support it.
Horizon Leveling (HL). This feature could be a game changer. I LOVE using my GoPro Max because I always get a level horizon. I just stick the camera out and boom. Does HL work? Ya, it seems to. The issue is once again where you can use it. It only works when you are in Linear mode. That’s two steps narrower than Superview. Once again, if you depend, require, or adore Superview or Wide mode, just know that HL won’t support it.
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Finally, the minuses.
First stop would be the battery. It’s physically larger. All the chargers and batteries from the previous generation are useless. Gotta get new ones. Sigh. Not a deal breaker but just know you will have to get some new ones.
I think that’s it for the minuses. Nice short list.
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Some things that might be an issue.
The rear touchscreen. I’m not sure what to make of this yet. Sometimes it seems like it’s ultra sensitive and I’ve literally changed settings by trying to scroll, and other times I’m touching and touching and nothing is responding.
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Summary
Can one really have too many cameras? It’s a rhetorical question! Seriously though now. If I didn’t have other cameras then this is definitely a must buy. It’s as good as any previous version and adds a lot of new features. I personally won’t use some of them which is what makes the next question interesting. Should you buy it if you have a previous version? That’s going to be up to you. Ya, I know, helpful. You can see my plus list of the features I use. If one or more of them are worth the price that yes, it’s worth upgrading. And if one of the new features I didn’t review, Scheduled recording, Duration, LiveBurst, or Streaming.