Selfie is perfect GoPro HERO9 Black haste review 5K video shooting and web camera are also possible

On September 16th, Japan time, GoPro announced the new action cam product "GoPro HERO9 Black" (HERO9). As rumored, the color display is mounted on the front, and the biggest feature is that you can shoot while checking the composition even when taking selfies. Furthermore, by adopting a 23.6 MP sensor, it supports 5K30 frame video recording and 20MP still image recording.

It will be released on the same day, and the price at GoPro.com is 54,000 yen (tax included). "GoPro Subscription" subscribers with a monthly fee of 600 yen can be purchased for 43,000 yen.

Additionally, the HERO9 Bundle includes a floating hand grip, a spare battery, and more. This is 60,000 yen (tax included) on GoPro.com. "GoPro Subscription" subscribers are 49,000 yen. This time, we had the opportunity to try it out prior to its release, so we will deliver the feeling of use.

Don't miss the selfie on the front display

First, the appearance. The 1.4-inch color LCD mounted on the front side is a big change in appearance. The image at the time of shooting is displayed in real time on the front display, so it will be useful for taking selfies. By the way, you can turn it off in the settings. Speaking of action cams with a front display that allow you to take selfies while checking the video, DJI's "Osmo Action" has already been released, and in that respect it is completely behind.

Okay, aside from the front display, it looks pretty much the same at first glance. With a power button on the left side, a shooting button on the top, and a retractable mounting finger on the bottom, there is no big difference from the previous GoPro HERO8 Black (HERO8). People who have used past products will not hesitate, and the impression is that they have evolved smoothly.

However, the size is W71.0mm x H55.0mm x D33.6mm (HERO8 is W66.3mm x H48.6mm x D28.4mm) and weighs 158g (HERO8 is 128g). However, the rear display has been increased to 2.27 inches (1.95 inches for HERO8).

The battery also has a large capacity of 1720mAh (1220mAh for HERO8), and the driving time is up to 30% longer than before. The battery can be replaced as before, and the fact that the battery compartment on the right side has a microSD card slot and a USB Type-C port is the same as HERO8.

Please note that some accessories for HERO8 cannot be used due to the change in body size. The folding display "Display Modular" and the small LED light "Light Modular" can also be used with HERO9, but the frame-type accessory "Media Modular" can add a directional microphone, a 3.5mm microphone terminal, a mini HDMI port, etc. is not available. A separate "Media Modular" for HERO9 is available.

In addition, a new accessory "Max Lens Modular" for HERO9 is also available. 2.It is scheduled to be released in October with the "Max HyperSmooth" function that provides more powerful image stabilization when shooting movies up to 7K60 frames and an accessory that realizes 155-degree ultra-wide-angle shooting.

Powerful image stabilization has evolved. Horizontal maintenance function

The point in terms of functionality is that it supports shooting of 5K30 frame movies. I took a quick picture.

It's true that the resolution is high at 5120 x 2880 dots, but you need to be careful about handling up to 30 frames. For scenes with some movement, it may be better to shoot with a 4K60 frame.

It is also important to support 5K shooting, but the camera shake correction function "HyperSmooth" has evolved to "HyperSmooth 3.0", and the horizon leveling function that automatically adjusts to keep the horizontal when shooting has been added. It is also worth noting that

These two functions can be used together regardless of the video resolution setting (although the angle of view will be narrower). You can avoid the situation. Both settings can be said to be suitable for action cams, but how effective are these functions? In order to verify it, I tried to dash downhill with HERO 9 on hand. First, here's a video with image stabilization turned off. Please note that the screen shakes.

Next, the following video shows "HyperSmooth 3.0" turned on with the boost setting. As you can see by comparing the images, blurring is suppressed to a disgusting degree.

And finally, here's a video with "HyperSmooth 3.0" turned on with the boost setting and the horizontal maintenance setting enabled.

As you can see by watching the video, it seems that it is not necessary to maintain levelness for movements such as walking or running. It seems to be an effective function for more intense scenes. When HyperSmooth 3.0 is turned on, the angle of view becomes a little narrower than when it is turned off, but I would like to actively use it if it can reduce blurring.

Another evolution is the function called "TimeWarp". It allows you to shoot stable time-lapse videos while moving, but it has evolved from the previous 2.0 to 3.0 so that you can add real-speed or half-speed video shooting while shooting. Audio is also added at real speed.

Here is a picture taken with TimeWarp 3.0. HERO9 automatically selects the speed of time lapse, so you don't have to worry about walking speed. The time-lapse video while moving gives the impression of warping. Also, you can quickly change the recording speed to real speed or half speed at your fingertips, so you can create "like" videos without editing later.

In addition to this, detailed functions have been added, and the representative places are as follows.

In addition, the function to use GoPro as a web camera, which was released the other day, can also be used with HERO9. There may not be many people who buy GoPro for webcam purposes, but it is a useful feature with good image quality.

It is recommended to use in conjunction with the smartphone app

Of course, you can shoot with HERO9 alone, but when you actually shoot, we recommend using it in conjunction with the "GoPro" app provided for iOS / Android. From the app, you can control your GoPro including changing settings, check the videos/photos you have taken, perform simple editing, and live stream in 1080p quality.

What I found particularly useful was changing the settings for shooting. You can also change it on the main unit, but it's clear that the large screen of a smartphone is easier to operate than the 2.27-inch touch-enabled display, even though it's larger. You can register up to 10 shooting presets in HERO9, so it's a good idea to set them up in advance using the smartphone app.

An advantage of linking with a smartphone is that you can operate the camera without touching it directly. It's also useful when you don't want to move the camera, such as for time-lapse photography. Since the recorded video can be transferred to a smartphone on the application, it is easy to share on SNS etc.

Is it good for Vlogs as well as action scenes?

What I felt when I actually used it was that it looked good for Vlogging when traveling. The front color display adopted for the first time in HERO9 means that you don't have to take off the frame when taking selfies, and TimeWarp 3.0 will give you a rough overview of your actions just by wearing it and walking. In addition, if you shoot a video at 5K resolution for the time being, even if you cut out a still image later, it will be a high pixel of 14.7MP.

Of course, it's shockproof and waterproof up to 10m, so you can rest assured even in grueling action scenes. When you hear GoPro, you may think that it is for action, but isn't this kind of usage actually possible? If you keep it in your travel bag, you will be able to record wonderful memories.

Finally, a function comparison table of GoPro HERO9 Black, GoPro HERO8 Black, and GoPro HERO7 Black (click the image to open a larger image).