GoPro is back with its latest action camera this time with a different body. It’s bigger, but is it better?

At the back end of last year we announced the arrival of GoPro’s latest action camera from 2020, The Hero 9 black.

It’s fair to say it had been released to a whole lot of positive fanfare, Especially within the GoPro community as this is the first time in a while where we’ve seen a considerable difference in the camera’s form factor and with that came new technology.

We usually use our GoPro cameras for travel vlogging, unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we were very constrained with what we could shoot and use and we’ll have to update this review with footage as and when we can take it for a test run to really push it to its limits.

But for users who have remained GoPro loyalists for years, is the Hero 9 black worthy of an upgrade and can it tempt you away from other action and 360 cameras entering the market?

First, let’s start with the obvious.

 

 

Design

Straight out of the box you can see a noticeable difference in form factor from previous iterations of GoPro camera. Whilst previous cameras have adapted in subtle changes to meet the requirements of their users over time, the size has always relatively been the same. It’s even fair to say that the size of GoPro cameras set a market standard for the type of camera they were when they released back in 2002.

It was only until the release of the GoPro max that we’d seen bigger GoPro’s being used but that was a no-brainer given the technology inside with it being its first 360 camera in the market.

In terms of the size difference, it weighs 158g which is 30g heavier than its predecessor and its also a little chunkier too. Usually a lighter camera would be more beneficial for a camera like GoPro but the new dimensions make this feel a little more premium. From the picture below it may not look a lot bigger but it sure does feel it.

 

 

At the stage, the question would be, has GoPro added enough functionality to warrant a bigger camera? We’d say absolutely yes.

The screen on the front is the biggest noticeable added feature of the Hero 9 Black. previously this piece of real estate was used for users to have a quick glance of settings and modes but now it allows the user to use it as a viewfinder which is perfect for vlogging.

The 1.4-inch full-colour screen is bigger than the last and you can use it as both a viewfinder or even move it back to the traditional mode which shows the modes and other key elements of your settings. At first we thought we wouldn’t use it much and it might just be a gimmick but we think it would be very hard to move back to the traditional LCD after having used the new colour screen.

On the back of the camera you still have your main screen which has also got an upgrade which is no 2.27 inches across. New GoPro users may not realise how big this is, but for an experienced GoPro user this new screen feels massive and we love it.

 

 

The GoPro housing material remain relatively the same as does the in-built two-prong mounting brackets.

The last major difference in the Hero 9 Blacks design is the lens itself. It borrows elements from devices pre Hero 8 in that you can twist the lens cap off again making way for filters but mainly the new official accessory from GoPro called the Max Lens Mod.

At $100, the Max Lens Mod allows the Hero 9 Black to get an even further upgrade by adding a 155 degree FOV, Max Hypersmooth stablisation at 2.7k with Horizon Lock.  We haven’t tested the mod just yet but we hope to update our content once tested.

If you wanted to upgrade your vlogging game even further you can also add a microphone media mod, a light mod and also another display mod should you need it. All mods can be found here.

Functionality

Resolution

GoPro has chosen to market their new camera having “more everything” and we can’t disagree. It does.

The main difference the camera offers now is that it can offer you to shoot at a resolution of 5K at 30FPS to give you a crisp cinematic feel to your videos. For us 5K its more of a  ‘nice to have’ than a game-changing upgrade as we probably wouldn’t shoot outside of 4k anyway.

We would have liked to have seen better performance in low light given the image sensor but it still does a good job considering.

For anyone who uses their camera for stills like us you, this has been upgraded to 20MP from 12MP should you need to blow up or crop any beautiful wide-angle landscapes.

Battery life

One of our favourite things about the new Hero 9 Black is battery life. Given its new size it would have been criminal for GoPro to not give us more juice, but they did. The battery size has now jumped from 1220mah to 1720mah and the difference is very noticeable and we ended up pretty much doubling our shoot time compared to the hero 8 shooting at 4k30.

The new and improved battery life alone we feel is enough to warrant an upgrade as it was that impressive.

Stabilisation

Well, who doesn’t love ‘Hypersmooth’ right? If you’re new to GoPro cameras you’re in for a treat when you see just how good GoPro’s in house stabilisation technology is. We absolutely loved the results from the Hero 8 Black so to hear it’s getting even better had us buzzing.

Whilst the differences are not massively noticeable (its already unreal) it has managed to future proof itself by maxing itself out at on the new 5K resolution too.

It also features horizon levelling meaning you’re camera tilts can be compensated for should you need even more forgiveness when shooting. Of course, you can take your horizon level stabilisation to the next level should you need to with Max Lens Mod.

Scheduled Capture and Hindsight and Timewarp 3.0

There are 3 further changes that the Hero 9 Black brings to the table that separate it from the older version.

Scheduled capture is a new mode that enables the user to pre-programme when the unit turns on, what to capture and in what mode. This mode is ideal for those looking for that perfect star gazing night lapse shot or for capturing early sunrises to add to your travel vlog. Be sure to keep the camera plugged in and charged though.

Hindsight is GoPro’s version of the Popular Live Photo on iPhone. Essentially it adds that extra level of reassurance to ensure you don’t miss that perfect shot when you’re scrambling to start recording. This a feature we’ll definitely be leaving on as standard we’ve always had an issue with the start-up time for previous GoPro’s waiting for the red light and beep to give us guidance.

The Popular Timewarp feature is also back with a slight upgrade in Timewarp 3.0. Whilst it’s not a massive upgrade its definitely an improvement on the older version on Hero 8 allowing you to record audio when you move your footage down to half speed.

Packaging

The last point that’s worth mentioning on the Hero 9 Black is the packaging it comes in. Previously GoPro’s used to come in solid plastic vertical box aimed at showcasing the camera itself.

Since that GoPro have made a commitment to reduce plastic waste by changing their packaging and giving new GoPro owners a tidy little travel case. We absolutely love this touch of added value and sustainability move. The Case itself is actually big enough to carry 3 GoPro’s and accessories which is another added benefit.

 

 

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