GoPro Hero 9: always straight horizons and top stabilization [/HWUVIDEO]

There was a time when GoPro seemed in real trouble. The misstep of the Karma drone, which arrived on the market and then withdrawn due to too many problems, had given the impression that the US company had taken the longest step of the leg and stumbled badly, with reduced ability to get up. During that time, the competition tried to hit hard and several of the hits actually hit. The plethora of low-cost action cameras have eroded the lower end of the market, while products like DJI Osmo Action, with super-effective stabilization and front display, have made life difficult for GoPro even at the high end.

Nick Woodman (inventor and founder of GoPro, above in a selfie after the press conference at CES 2020) and his team, however, were able to get the company back on track, refocusing their attention on action cameras and changing their approach. Starting with powerful hardware, GoPro engineers have focused heavily on software, such as digital image stabilization with Hypersmooth technology. The current heart of action cameras, the GP1 processor, was introduced with the Hero 6 model and subsequent models have focused above all on the evolution of the capabilities made available by the new software features, to introduce points of differentiation, as happened for the Hero 7 and Hero 8.

New GoPro Hero 9: dual display and new sensor

With the new Hero 9, GoPro has made a work of deeper revision, also affecting some hardware components. The first novelty, visible as soon as the action camera is turned on, is the presence of a secondary front LCD display , able to show the images taken and not plus just the shooting information. Other big news are inside. One is removable and is represented by the new battery , larger (1720 mAh), but above all optimized to give greater autonomy and reliability at low temperatures. GoPro declares a 30% more autonomy available for shooting. The other is deep and takes the form of the installation of a new sensor with higher resolution, which now allows you to shoot images a 23, 2 megapixels , but above all that goes into video shooting up to 5K / 30 p . As for the photographs, the rugged camera also offers the RAW format, for greater flexibility in post production.

The RAW format can only be used in the wide frame , then leaving the user in post production the barrel distortion correction , but with a preset it’s an easy task. For those who want to take photos ready for sharing, using the other framing formats (linear and narrow lens), GoPro offers HDR and SuperPhoto modes.

The first melts several exposures to maximize the recordable dynamic range, the second applies optimization algorithms both on tone mapping and on noise reduction (even on multiple frames). The malleability of RAW is good and the results in terms of light and shadow recovery always recommend its use in difficult shooting conditions.

5K Video / 30 eg 4K / 60 p always ‘straight’

Returning to the videos, the photo / video camera offers a wide range of formats , among which stand out: 4K / 49 p , 2.7K / 120 p e Full HD 1080 pa 240 frames per second . Very interesting is the possibility of using the great novelty of Hero 9, the HyperSmotth 3.0 stabilization with alignment with the horizon, in all formats (including 5K / 30 eg 4K / 60 p), even if only in conjunction with the linear lens , which crops the frame and offers a equivalent focal length (however wide angle) of a lens 10 mm on full frame. Another small limitation, the possibility of using the SuperView mode (the one with the widest frame) in 4K ‘only’ going down to 30 frames per second and in Full HD limiting itself to the frame rate of 98 fps.

In practical terms HyperSmotth 3.0 digital stabilization with horizon alignment is certainly the biggest novelty of GoPro Hero 9 and is a life-changing feature. In the review of GoPro Hero 8 he had seen how something similar was possible in post production, where with a command it was possible to ‘straighten’ each clip and then use it straight in the montages. On Hero 9 (we remember it in mode linear lens ) you can have the clips perfectly aligned with the horizon already stored on the card. No more problems therefore for incorrect montages not level or for moving the camera during recording. But not only. The horizon alignment function also works very well dynamically: by mounting the camera on the handlebar of a bike and launching up a very steep climb standing on the pedals, the final video will be almost completely free of the oscillations of the bike and therefore immediately usable, for a montage or for sharing on social networks. In our video you can see a small extreme freehand test, deliberately swinging the camera and with the video taken by the Hero 9 perfectly stable. We had spoken very highly of the stabilization proposed by DJI Osmo Pocket, but now GoPro has definitely raised the bar of the competition. The automatic alignment of the horizon allows a qualitative leap also to the TimeWarp function, which allows to obtain even more usable hyperlapse.

The replaceable lens returns

Among the novelties there is also a small return to the past. After the Hero 8 parenthesis, GoPro Hero 9 returns to offer the replaceable front lens , a feature that allows you to minimize damage in the event of a frontal impact. The front lens can be replaced not only in case of breakage, but the coupling system can also be used to mount the super wide-angle lens Mod for Max lens. The additional lens allows you to take advantage of a wide angle view from 155 ° also by activating the HyperSmooth Max and lock functions of the horizon. On the other hand, the new folding flap system remains a fixed point, which does not require additional accessories (such as the frame with foot) for mounting on accessories. Camera without external housing is waterproof up to meters deep.

Coming to the current situation, GoPro Hero 9 can be used in a simple way (for Mac users, the Windows software is in Beta and can be downloaded by joining the Facebook group) as webcam Full HD . It is also possible to carry out live streaming wirelessly , always in Full HD format 1080 p. As seen in the previous model, the battery compartment door (where the MicroSD memory card slot is also housed) is removable and the Media Drive Mod is available , which splits the USB-C output to a USB-C, a MicroHDMI and a microphone input on a 3.5mm jack, as well as providing a directional microphone that is larger than the one built into the camera body.

A small, but interesting, novelty also affects the packaging: GoPro abandons the classic ‘showcase’ setting with the action camera in plain sight under a plexiglass bell above the cardboard box with all accessories, in favor of a light cardboard around a semi-rigid case with a reusable zip, which can become the transport case of the action camera and a good number of accessories.

GoPro Hero 9: price

How much does GoPro Hero 9 cost? The answer is … it depends . Purchased ‘ the old way ‘ has a price of 479, 99 ?? . If, on the other hand, you decide to subscribe to the GoPro service, you can pay for the camera only 379, 98 ?? including one year of GoPro subscription . This subscription then costs 4, 17 ?? per month on an annual basis (just over 50 ?? in all) or 5, 49 ?? monthly and includes unlimited cloud storage of photos and videos, discounts up to 30% on GoPro.com for accessories purchase and complete camera replacement in case of accidental damage . Clearly GoPro aims with this move to retain its users through the Premium service, aiming to recover the cost of the price cut on