GoPro Hero 9 Black Review

GoPro Hero 9 Black is one of the best action cameras on the market whether you use it for various sports activities, travelling or sweet family moments this camera can do it all. With Hero 9 Black, GoPro has built upon what already worked in their previous camera models and simply improved it even further offering incredible image quality, unbreakable video stabilisation, 20 megapixels photos, colourful front LCD screen etc. Not to mention a couple of other great features which make it an ideal camera for both professionals and hobbyists as well. It is a big step forward especially if you already have Hero 6, 7 or even Hero 8 Black. In this article, we are going to take a closer look at GoPro Hero 9 Black and focus on its key features to see if it’s still worth getting in 2022.

Pros:

• 5k video in 30 fps
• 23.6-megapixel RAW photos
• Detachable lens + Mod compatibility
• Colourful Front LCD screen
• Hyper smooth 3.0 + Horizon Leveling feature

Cons:

• Touch screen unresponsiveness / delayed response
• Bigger camera size / Weight
• Laggy preview on the front LCD
• Old GP1 processor chip

Things to consider before buying GoPro Hero 9 Black

There are a couple of things to take into consideration before you make a final decision on whether or not GoPro Hero 9 Black is the right camera for you. Lots of people ask me if they should get the latest camera model and whether or not it is the best choice? Obviously the newer camera you get the better and more awesome features you get. However, you may not use the whole potential of the latest cameras where for example all you ever need is 2.7k or 1080p and you don’t really need super slow-motion videos in high resolution etc.

The reason I love using GoPro action cameras is simply that they are very small, rigid and waterproof. They easily fit in a pocket so you can take them wherever you go and are much more durable than a mobile phone. Apart from that GoPro Hero, 9 Black offers incredible almost gimbal-like image stabilisation thanks to Hypersmooth 3.0 and Linear + Horizon levelling feature. Combining this with 5k or 4k recording, ease of use, and unique point of view make it an extremely useful tool in your camera bag, doesn’t matter if you are a professional or just an ordinary person. You can record some active lifestyle, sightseeing, underwater etc.

Who is GoPro Hero 9 Black for?

First of all, do you really need to do all these crazy sports activities to use GoPro to its full potential? Definitely, it helps capture some stunning footage… but the answer is no you don’t really need to. As long as you are creative, you need a small camera that can always be with you and is capable of recording high-quality video. The thing is that it can be used for basically anything you want. So if you want to record somebody, yourself, mount the camera on your body for POV or your gear, you love super wide-angle lens then GoPro Hero 9 Black is a really good camera to get.

Who shouldn’t buy it?

I would say you shouldn’t be interested in this camera if you plan to record either in low light or indoors. Typically a GoPro camera has a very small sensor and needs lots of light to capture high-quality footage. Whenever recording in low light with a GoPro camera your footage will look bad, grainy or unstable as there is not enough light for the camera to see anything and work its magic.

Additionally, due to the fact that GoPro has an Ultra-Wide angle lens the image can be quite distorted on the edges, especially in Wide or Superview, not everyone may like the fisheye look of it. There is a special setting to imitate a narrower field of view without the fisheye but it is all digital though. That being said, if you plan to record in low light, and don’t like the fisheye look perhaps looking for an entry-level DSLR is a better choice.

A few things to think about before buying GoPro Hero 9 Black

• Do you need a 5k resolution? Perhaps 4k or 1080p is enough for your needs.
• Is having a Front LCD screen important to you?
• Do you want gimbal-like stabilisation for your videos with Hypersmooth 3.0?
• Do you want to record most of your videos in sunny weather outdoor? Or perhaps you really need it for low light or indoors as well?
• Perhaps older GoPro is already good enough for you?

Features and benefits of GoPro Hero 9 Black

5k video + 20-megapixel photos

 Hero 9 Black is capable of recording high-quality video up to 5k resolution (5120 x 2880) in 30 or 24 fps. It is a bit more detailed than a regular 4k video and way bigger than a 1080p file as it offers more room to zoom in on your footage and frame your shot in post-production. It can be used to do some creative effects with it like dynamic zoom or vertigo effect etc without losing that much resolution and retaining the best quality in your project.

 It’s a really high demanding setting that’s gonna push your computer to its limits while editing your video and you really need a powerful PC to even play it without proxies. In theory, 5k should be sharp, crispy…. just beautiful right? But the thing is that if you don’t have a proper monitor that shows true 5k video you won’t even see much of a difference between 4k and 5k. I personally have a 1080p monitor and I tried to compare the two and for me, 5k vs 4k looked almost identical. It’s awesome you can do it but honestly, I think this feature is mostly aimed at pros who got expensive computers and look for the best quality possible.

As far as slow motion is concerned, 5k resolution can be recorded in either 30 or 24 fps meaning you can’t use it if you plan to record slow-motion videos. Honestly, I prefer to use 4k resolution just because I can shoot in 60 fps which can be slowed down by 50% in post-production giving me that dreamy look. With GoPro Hero 10 Black they decided to double the frame rates up to 5k 60 fps which is so much better than Hero 9’s 5k 30 as you can do more with it.

GoPro Hero 9 Black has a 23.6 MP sensor and is capable of shooting 20 MP jpg photos. It is a significant increase from Hero 8 Black which takes only 12 MP photos. Let’s be honest, the 12MP sensor was a bit outdated as GoPro used it since Hero 4 or 5 Black so I highly appreciate the fact they finally gave us more megapixels to work with. However, if you change your camera settings to RAW format it’s possible to take full advantage of that bigger sensor and take 23.6 MP photos. Raw photos have more information to play with, and it is easier to edit them in any editing software than standard jpg photos. If you are interested in photography or want to edit your photos to the best of their possibilities I highly recommend capturing your photos in RAW to give you more flexibility in post-production.

Hyper smooth 3.0 + Horizon Leveling feature

Hyper smooth 3.0 is advanced digital video stabilisation that’s almost gimbal-like except that it’s waterproof and not so fragile compared to regular gimbals. This time around GoPro has improved its stabilisation even further introducing the Linear + Horizon Leveling feature which is definitely my favourite feature of this camera. It helps get these follow-ups or cinematic b-rolls with the locked horizon as if it was shot with a gimbal. The trick is that you can’t go beyond a 27 ° – 40 ° angle depending on the settings such as field of view, resolution and frame rates. The footage you can get with this feature can be really amazing, it’s just a shame that Horizon Leveling can be only used in the Linear field of view which crops in on that image to correct the fisheye look.  Ever since GoPro has released Hypersmooth 3.0 with this Horizon Leveling feature I don’t feel like I need gimbals anymore, it saves the space in my camera bag, I don’t have to carry it around when I don’t need them and it is small and works in a wet environment. I highly recommend you this feature!

Apart from that Hypersmooth 3.0 offers Boost stabilisation in GoPro Hero 9 Black highest resolution and frame rates. It can be used in 5k30, 4k60, 2.7k 120 and even 1080p 240 fps offering the most stabilisation. Hyper smooth Boost has a significant crop on the image by around 22%, therefore it shouldn’t be used for POV or first-person view shots etc but if you need to record a follow-cam it is the most stable setting you can choose from + it can be used with Horizon Leveling feature that I mentioned above.

Front LCD Screen

Hero 9 Black comes with a colourful front LCD screen showing not only the basic information regarding your video like resolution, framerates, battery etc but it also has a real-life preview of what the camera can see. This feature is very popular among vloggers and other people who want to make sure that they have the right camera angle. Ever happened to you that there was too much sky in your shot or that you cut off your head because the camera was too low? Well, the Front LCD screen is a quick solution to check your frame and correct it. I find it especially useful whenever I talk to the camera explaining something, take a selfie or whenever I shoot a POV shot, first I mount the camera then I briefly check the angle. It saves me a lot of time as in the past I had to connect to GoPro app on my mobile phone to see if everything is the way I wanted it to look.

There are 4 different settings to choose from when it comes to Front LCD screen:

• Fullscreen
• Actual Screen
• Status only
• Screen off

Full Screen – This option uses the entire space available for the front LCD screen, there are no black bars etc, however, the preview is quite magnified it doesn’t accurately show what the camera can see so as a result, it can be a little misleading when it comes to framing your shot. It is especially useful for taking selfies or recording a vlog with it as you can easily focus on your face but I don’t recommend it whenever you try to set up your camera angle. Your video can look completely different, zoomed out than what you can see on the preview.

Actual Screen – this setting doesn’t use the entire space that’s available for the Front LCD screen, you can clearly notice black bars on the top and the bottom of the preview with basic camera information. It is easier to notice the icons such as battery life, micro-sd space available, current mode, resolution etc. What’s interesting is the fact that the Actual Screen shows us exactly what the camera can see. The view isn’t magnified and it is a true representation of the final video. Honestly, I always prefer to use this setting whenever I use my GoPro for framing my shot. I have 100% certainty that it’s gonna look the way I want.

Status only – This setting is recommended whenever you don’t need to frame your shot, you don’t need to preview your scene or simply want to save up some battery life etc the front LCD screen is entirely black and shows only the basic camera information regarding your current mode, battery, micro sd card capacity + recording time. Basically everything you will ever need to quickly check if you are in a photo or video mode and what settings you use.

Screen OFF – The last setting is self-explanatory, the front LCD screen is completely turned off, and it’s totally black there is no information in it at all. Why do you need it then? I honestly use it whenever I need to save my battery life when I go outside with only 1 battery or whenever I don’t need to use the front LCD screen at all. For example, when I use GoPro for POV shots mounting the camera on my head or my chest then I don’t see the front LCD screen at all, it is useless to me in this configuration so it’s better to turn it off and save up some battery.

GoPro Mods Compatibility

Similarly to its predecessor GoPro Hero, 9 Black is compatible with various Modifications called GoPro Mods to enhance the performance of the camera. These accessories are obviously optional to buy but are totally worth it if you plan to vlog with Hero 9, have a better audio, enlighten your face or achieve a 360-degree horizon lock etc. There are 4 GoPro mods to use with the camera and these are:

• Max Lens Mod
• Media Mod
• Light Mod
• Display Mod

GoPro MAX Lens Mod – is a super wide-angle lens compatible with GoPro Hero 10/9 Black offering a 155-degree field of view, great for POV shots but what’s the most amazing thing about this accessory is that it helps to stabilise your video offering the most stable footage you can get with GoPro called MAX Hypersmooth. Apart from that, it offers a 360-degree horizon lock feature, no matter how you move the camera it stays level at all times. This lens is really awesome but the problem with it is that Max lens mod is extremely prone to scratches, its glass is so exposed and for an action camera, I think it’s going to be quite easy to damage it sooner or later so you have to be extremely careful about that.

GoPro Media Mod – this accessory is designed for vlogging as it has a built-in directional microphone covered with a removable foam cover, however, it is possible to attach an external microphone to it thanks to 2 cold shoe mounts, one on the top and another one on the side of it, then connect it to 3.5 mm mic port. The second cold shoe mount can be used to mount a light to it in order to enlighten your face while vlogging to the camera or you can attach a dedicated display mod or any other accessory. There is also an HDMI-out port to monitor or play back your footage etc and it’s quite an interesting accessory to enhance the possibilities of Hero 9 Black.

GoPro Light Mod –  Compact yet powerful LED light that can be attached either to the top or to the side of the Media Mod’s cold shoe mount and it can be used to lighten up your face whenever your vlog to the camera. However, Light Mod can be also used with any GoPro accessories that have a standard GoPro screw design. Personally, I mount it on my Headstrap mount and use the light to brighten up the area at night, as it works as a traditional headlamp this way. GoPro Light Mod is also waterproof up to 10m and is quite tough so I highly recommend it.

   GoPro Display Mod – flip-up screen, that lets you see yourself on a bigger screen while vlogging to the camera. This optional accessory needs to be connected to GoPro Media Mod in order to work with your camera and can’t be used as a standalone product. It was released a few months after Hero 8 Black with a significant delay due to some issues. Nevertheless, since Hero 9 Black already has a front LCD screen this accessory feels outdated and too expensive unless you really need a bigger screen. To sum up, I don’t recommend it for Hero 9 or 10, it is not worth it.

30% More battery life

GoPro Hero 9 Black comes with a much bigger 1720 mAh battery though it’s not compatible with previous camera models due to its size. It is a huge improvement considering the fact that GoPro Hero 5/6/7/8 has the same 1220 mAh battery. Depending on the settings you choose it can record in 5k 30 fps up to 55 minutes of constant recording and can go as long as 1h 36 minutes in 1080p 60 fps. Obviously, it can last a lot longer if you record shorter clips but nevertheless, it is always a nice idea to have at least 2-to 3 of them just as a backup so you never run out of battery juice throughout the day. Having only one battery is definitely not enough and sooner or later I highly recommend getting a few of those.

Pro Tip: Whenever you plan to do winter sports activities or use the camera in cold weather please look into GoPro Enduro batteries. They are designed to withstand the cold temperatures much better than the original ones + have slightly extended battery life.

The removable Lens cover is back

Definitely one of the biggest letdowns with Hero 8 Black was the fact that the lens cover was irreplaceable, once you scratched or broke that lens protector you were forced to send the camera back to GoPro for a repair. It was unacceptable for an action camera and I am really grateful that GoPro listened to its customers and decided to come back to its detachable lens cover design. It’s easier than ever before, no tools are required and all it takes to remove it is simply twisting and pulling at the same time. This part can be bought separately for around 20 USD which is not that much considering its user-replaceable and protects the lens of your camera from dirt, scratches and impacts.

The removable Lens cover design also allows you to attach ND filters to Hero 9 Black without any dedicated adapters to it. For example, Polar Pro Shutter Collection nd filters use exactly the same design, you can remove the lens protector and mount the ND filter directly over the lens. By doing so, you limit the amount of glass in front of your lens which could potentially affect the quality of your video because you record through less glass.

Power tools

GoPro Hero 9 Black introduced 3 new settings called “Power Tools” that bring something new to the table, they basically make it easier for you to get the shot. Each of them do a separately different thing, and they are all optional. Depending on what you need you can decide whether to use it or not. So what are these settings?

• Hindsight
• Scheduled capture
• Duration capture

Hindsight – captures up to 30 seconds of video before you even hit a record button so you won’t miss the moment. This setting is especially useful whenever something unsuspected might happen for example if you play with your kids and they happen to do something sweet and you forgot to record it you can quickly press the record button so you don’t miss that opportunity. That 30-second video isn’t constantly recording it’s just like a buffer, it only works when you eventually press on the shutter so it doesn’t take space on a micro sd card. Quite a helpful feature, though it is demanding in terms of memory as it slows down the camera performance significantly.

Scheduled capture – Have you ever had to wake up early in the morning just to press a shutter button in order to record a time-lapse of the sunrise etc? Scheduled capture lets you set up the exact time at which GoPro Hero 9 Black turns on and starts the recording for you. If you can just frame the shot and make sure that no one steals your camera this feature can really come in handy. You can select a specific hour and minute after that the camera turns off waiting for the sunrise.  However, this feature can be used with any other mode like video or photo but I think it’s going to be the most useful for time-lapse lovers.

Duration capture – This feature is all about setting how long your GoPro 9 is going to record for before automatically stopping. I personally prefer to use it with the scheduled capture feature because I can select what time my camera starts recording a time-lapse and then I can select how long it is going to last. I can decide between 15 minutes up to 3 hours so it gives quite a lot of options to choose from yet it would be great to go beyond that time in case you use a power bank with your camera. However, for most users maximum of 3 hours of the recording should be plenty enough for their needs.

Best Alternatives

GoPro Hero 10 Black – This camera is everything that Hero 9 Black should always have been from the very beginning. Due to the old processor Hero 9, Black wasn’t fast enough to process all the demanding features GoPro packed inside that little camera. The front LCD screen wasn’t running smoothly and the touch screen was quite unresponsive and slow. All those issues were taken care of with GoPro Hero 10 Black and its new GP2 Processor. It’s faster, more responsive and has doubled the frame rates of its predecessor. Hero 10 Black is like the polished hero 9 on steroids…

 It’s a bit more expensive than Hero 9 Black as it costs 529$ without a GoPro subscription. Yet you can save 100 bucks off if you sign up for that programme and get it for 429$ instead, this option is only available on the official GoPro website though. Just please be aware of the fact that Hero 10 black tends to overheat incredibly fast in its highest resolution and frame rates. For example, it can shut down after 20 min of recording using 5k 60 fps as this is a truly demanding setting. It is so much better in 4k, 2.7k and 1080p though.

Insta360 One R / RS – This action camera has a modular design where you can decide whether you want to use a 360 Lens for spherical 360-degree content, a 5.3k 1-inch wide-angle lens for incredible video quality and details with a larger image sensor than in any other action camera + 48 MP photos.  Apart from that, it comes with outstanding video stabilisation called Flowstate which is maybe not as good as GoPro Hypersmooth but it is not that far behind. On top of that, it has a 360 Horizon Lock feature, this one is even better than what GoPro has to offer as you need a separate quite expensive accessory called GoPro Max lens Mod if you want to have the same results. I haven’t tested this camera myself yet but it looks quite promising.

Insta360 One R / RS is a good option if you want to have a little bit of both worlds as you can use the same camera for 360-degree content then change a lens and use it again as a standard action camera. You don’t need to buy two separate cameras for that or carry 2 cameras with you at all times. You can significantly upgrade the video quality if you decide to purchase a 1-inch sensor lens or you can enjoy the regular 1/2″ 48MP image sensor instead. It offers a lot of flexibility to adapt it to your needs, if you ever want to try 360 videos or photos it can be done.

It is a bit more expensive option but there are a few different bundles to choose from as you can buy the standard 4k edition for 299$, Twin edition (4k + 360 Lens) for 549$ or a 1-inch Wide angle lens for 580$. However, all these lenses can be purchased individually if you ever decide to upgrade.

DJI Action 2 – It’s probably the smallest action camera on my list so far, as it weighs only around 56 grams and has a square magnetic design. It is super easy to mount this camera in tight spaces due to its small size and form factor. Its magnetic design lets you quickly and effortlessly swap between different mounts to save you time yet it is not as strong and reliable as GoPro’s screw design. DJI Action 2 has 1/1.7” CMOS and it is capable of recording 4k 120 fps. Even though it is so small it still has a colourful touch screen to change the settings and preview the scene. It’s not perfect though, this camera seems to have overheating issues. Since I haven’t tested this camera I can’t say much about that though.

In other words, if you looking for something small and compact, want to change your mounts within seconds and don’t waste your time this can be something for you. DJI Action 2 costs around 400$ which is a reasonable price for an action camera.  

Conclusion

Obviously, there are plenty of other great features that GoPro Hero 9 Black is capable of like a waterproof body up to 10 meters, super slow motion with 240 frames per second, Timewarp, photo timer etc. The thing is that all of these features have been introduced with previous camera models, they are nothing new so I didn’t focus my time on them in this article.

GoPro Hero 9 Black is still one of the best action cameras that are available on the market. It’s definitely a huge improvement if you want to upgrade your camera especially if you already own an older GoPro. However, even if you have Hero 7 or 8 Black you are still going to love it for that Front LCD screen, Horizon levelling, replaceable lens, bigger battery + compatibility with GoPro Mods to enhance  Hero 9’s performance even further.

Nevertheless, as I mentioned before you can experience some delays or even an unresponsive touch screen here and there, yes it got better after many firmware updates but due to the old GP1 processor that’s as far as Hero 9 Black can go, unfortunately. If you don’t expect an instant response from the touch screen and can accept it then Hero 9 Black has lots to offer. It’s a 5k camera, has outstanding video stabilisation, levels out the horizon so you don’t need a gimbal and it fits in your pocket so you can take it wherever you go. Currently, Hero 9 Black costs around 379 $ on the official GoPro website with a GoPro subscription and 429$ without it. On the other hand, if you want to have the “full experience” and see for yourself what Hero 9 Black was intended to look like then please consider a more expensive GoPro Hero 10 black. Thanks to that new updated GP2 processor the camera is so much faster and more responsive than Hero 9. The Front LCD screen isn’t laggy while previewing 5k footage or whenever using the highest frame rates.  

So to summarise it all now, if you are looking for a small camera that you can take anywhere with you either on a trip or underwater, perhaps you want to record a vlog and you need great image quality and solid video stabilisation, maybe you want to capture selfies and you love the wide-angle lens then obviously GoPro Hero 9 Black gonna be something for you. This camera is so much more than an action camera and I highly recommend it to everyone doesn’t matter if you want to use it for sports activities or not. I personally always take it for travel and it helped me capture these amazing moments.

 I hope that I managed to share my passion for GoPro cameras with you, thank you so much for reading this article and hopefully see you in the next one!