GoPro Hero 9 Black Review

 

When there is a new release in the GoPro Hero series, only one word applies every time - Better. The GoPro Hero 9 Black is one of the series' most recent arrivals, and it's causing quite a stir in the market for all the right reasons.

In terms of functionality, this GoPro is one of the most potent action cameras on the market right now, equipped with all of the newest technology.

Improved built and handling

When it comes to the physical components of GoPros or action cameras, there isn't a lot of room for experimentation. However, compared to all of its predecessors, the Hero 9 Black has undergone the most substantial change. 

Every feature of this facelift is pleasing, particularly the increase in size. An extra inch or two allowed for greater screen size and minor user disturbance. The grip is also improved. This advancement also allowed a larger battery to be housed and the camera to be used without a cage.

The other two noteworthy design modifications are a new 1.4-inch color display on the front and a giant 2.27-inch back touchscreen.

When the camera becomes hot (which is usual for all GoPro cameras) due to extended use, weather conditions, or when used underwater, you may have some horrible screen delays. In addition, the touchscreen might become inoperable for many minutes.

You may also use it with different lenses. There is a slew of buttons and shortcuts for various settings on the back LCD. Charging, card, microphone, and cable connections are all available on the sides. Overall, the GoPro Hero 9 is still easy to use and has outstanding ergonomics.

Video performance

There is no market comparison for Hero Nine Black's 5K video. It can take complete 5K at 30fps footage thanks to a 23.6-megapixel camera vs. the Hero 8's 12-megapixel sensor. When compared to 4k, 5k has nearly half the resolution and more cropping room.

Commonly, post-production effects footage clarity, but following our tests, we discovered that the video remained clear and crisp even after editing. The excessive degree of noise in low-light shooting is a major letdown. The video quality is nearly degraded. 

If your excursions mainly include the outdoors and daylight, there is no better camera than this one. If this is not the case, despite all of its capabilities, this camera may be a massive letdown for you.

HyperSmooth 3.0

This is the GoPro Hero series' defining characteristic. Hero 9 Black released the most polished version of Hypersmooth, HyperSmooth 3.0.

Forget about shaky video since your camera moves along with you on your trip. This technique combines robust scene analysis and a rolling shutter correction algorithm to adjust the unstable film automatically.

TimeWarp 3.0

TimeWrap 3.0 is another upgraded characteristic feature of this series that we discovered. It provides super-smoothed time-lapse films by using GoPro's motion stabilization.

With the enhancements, you can now set the timewarp 3.0 to real-time and slo-mo with a single press on the larger back screen. After the upgrade, real-time can also record audio alongside the video.

Still Images

9 Black Hero enables the capturing of 20MP still images.

The still quality is rather good, but nothing new for Hero series action cameras. The colors are vivid, and the visuals are crisp.

It accepts both RAW and JPEG files. It also includes HDR and Super Photo capabilities. Because these files are larger, processing takes longer. 

Overall, we don't see any significant variations in image quality when compared to Hero 08.

Water resistance

The Hero 9 Black is water-resistant to a depth of 33 feet (10 meters). You won't need an extra case up to this point, but if your trip involves even an inch more than 33 feet, we don't advocate putting your camera at risk. Before diving further, place your camera in protective housing.

Battery Life

Our in-field battery testing validated GoPro's promise of longer battery life.

It has a 1720 mAh battery that is charged through a USB connector. It has an average battery life of 84-90 minutes while filming 4K/30p with HyperSmooth enabled. In addition, it has a continuous usage time of 5-6 hours while using mixed shooting settings.

Although the battery performance is excellent, one issue persists in-camera heating. This characteristic is passed along from one generation of Hero Black to the next. Overheating pauses are required when shooting with the Hero 9 Black.

The camera may grow quite hot, primarily when recording 5k@30p video, and an automated overheating shutdown can occur after 25 minutes of continuous filming.

We recommend carrying a backup battery with you while shooting outside.