Review: GoPro HERO9 Black – DNA is Everything

It’s amazing to think that GoPro has launched the ninth generation of their all-conquering HERO range. With their 20th birthday coming up in 2022, there will be much to celebrate.

The HERO9 Black is a joyous early birthday present for every active digital video enthusiast capturing incredible first-person perspectives on this amazing world in 5K and 20MP glory.

First impressions are that they HERO9 Black is superbly built and is now a complete unit with dust and 10m water resistance built-in.

The other long-overdue feature is the 1.4″ square LCD front-facing Live Preview screen – let’s just call it the “Selfie Screen”. This full-colour square screen comes in extremely handy when framing reverse facing shots. Historically you would have to cross all your fingers and toes or use the excellent GoPro app to make sure you had your shot properly framed.

At the back is a glorious 2.27″ wide ratio touch-screen. The contrast and touch-sensitivity have been hugely overhauled on the HERO9 Black so there is minimal lag when changing settings.

Overall the HERO9 Black is slightly larger than the HERO8 that it replaces – a couple of millimetres in every direction. With the battery, the HERO9 Black only weighs 158g.

Where the GoPro HERO9 Black really excels is the size and quality of the Photo and Video captures. Photos can now be captured up to 20MP with HDR and Video is now mind-blowing up to 5K at 30 frames per second (fps). The other massive advance with the HERO9 Black is the Image Stabilisation with HyperSmooth 3.0 and the Horizon Levelling – which is now built into the camera.

The other new feature with the HERO9 Black are the “Mods” which further enhance the multi-media capabilities of the camera. Everything from lighting rigs, to microphones, and max view lenses can easily be added to the HERO9 Black.

We attached the HERO9 Black to the family Spoodle and let him show us just how good these new Video features are.

And on a recent Summer Road-Trip, we used the HERO9 Black with its Folding Fingers to connect to a number of accessories to capture some super-smooth on-road footage. Both videos edited on the GoPro App which like the HERO9 Black has had a spectacular update and is now easier to use than ever.

The GoPro HERO9 Black is available standalone for A$629.95 or as part of the Bundle that you see here for A$659.95 which includes a 1-year Subscription to GoPro which gives you Unlimited Cloud Storage of your footage at 100% quality, No Questions Asked Camera Replacement and up to 50% Off purchases at GoPro.com. A cracking deal!

The Bundle includes the GoPro HERO9 Black Camera, Rechargeable Battery, Curved Adhesive Mount, Mounting Buckle, USB-C Cable, Thumb Screw, Camera Case.