GoPro Hero 9

[Prairie Dog]

Some of you guys have already seen this but GoPro labs has enabled a bunch of new tweaks. It opens up a lot of possibilities on how the cameras can be used.

@WattsUpDude - Wow, thanks. I never realized there was so much to this camera. That's a lot to take in as I'm still trying to wrap my head around the existing features of the 9. Will likely need to spend some time sifting through all of the relevant info on his video.

A few notable points worth mentioning now that I've logged some time with the Hero 9.

As far as cold affecting battery life, yes, there is definitely some drawback when using the 9 in frigid weather. I rode with it while recording one evening when it was -14 C and the battery level dropped to 60% from a full charge after an hour-long ride. On a slightly warmer day when it was -8C it dropped to 72% after a 1.5 hr ride. Still, I think those are pretty decent numbers considering what the conditions were at the time.

Not sure if anyone else has encountered the same issue as I have with regards to the voice activation feature, but I'm a bit disappointed that it is still not complying with specific voice commands even after a factory reset specifically turning the unit back on. I think that I'll put this feature to rest and just go with the newly released remote instead. Another complaint of mine is the rear touchscreen which I found to be a bit unresponsive at times and was constantly pushing the icons to navigate through the camera’s functions. It’s a bit irritating but otherwise tolerable. Zoom is only available on select video resolutions and does not work with boost at least not in 4K and it’s not possible to zoom while recording. You need stop, change the zoom and resume recording.

Riding at night while recording with the Hero 9 attached to my Garmin out front mount doesn't provide worthwhile results as the snow and gravel thrown up by my tires are quite evident and a huge distraction when viewing the footage. It’s not that apparent during daylight hours but it is for sure at night. I'll switch to the chest harness during evening recordings to see if that changes anything. I also plan to strap an auxiliary light atop my helmet during night rides to improve lighting on the road ahead as the Hero 9 supposedly doesn't perform well in low light conditions. Will continue to tweak the ISO and frame rate settings for night rides. Any suggestions for video settings at night are more than welcome.

Other than the issues that I mentioned, I'm really pleased with the overall performance of the Hero 9. Looking forward to more feedback from others here.

Chest harness POV footage. Hypersmooth 3.0 (High) Shot at 4K/30 fps/wide view

Also had some fun playing around with the time warp feature.

 

[sc00ter]

I just went to Cycle Gear by me and they no longer sell any video recorders. Was told everyone uses their phone now? Anyways, I was gonna pull the trigger today on a GoPro but walked out empty handed. Target sells GoPro now but none of the associates know anything about the product. I'm old and not very tech savvy. So I wanna see out of the package and have explained what would work best for me and my needs. The search continues....

 

[Johnny]

So far I like hero 9.

My gripes are
1. I wish it came with a larger sensor hence better dynamic range and better low light performance. When I am cycling the range can change significantly which may lead to blown out skies or too dark image or noise. I played with exposure correction etc. it helped but still not a replacement for a larger sensor.
2. The file sizes is not very consistent with the quality you are going to get. There is an option to change bitrate but both options will still auto adjust by their own algorithm. The size difference between the resulting files are not too much even when you switch from 1080 to 4k.
3. Their desktop application can not import GPS data which I really like to see. I really hate trying to process videos on my smartphone but that is the only way to see gps data on hero 9.

The rest of my problems were addressed with the updates.

Again so far I like it and happy that I got it.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I haven't had the opportunity to use this GorillaPod yet but I'm hoping to before it becomes too cold here. It should create some interesting POVs with its flexible legs and rotating ball head. It comes with a quick release clip and mount for GoPro cameras.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Still working out the kinks on appropriate night settings. I did manage to shoot another video from this morning's ride and, once again, had the Hero 9 mounted on the chest harness. I'll need to keep an eye next time on how far I tilt the camera downwards as it was pointed down a bit too far for my liking. At the time of posting this I was still waiting for the video HD to complete its processing cycle. Hopefully it will be done in a few hours.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I just went to Cycle Gear by me and they no longer sell any video recorders. Was told everyone uses their phone now? Anyways, I was gonna pull the trigger today on a GoPro but walked out empty handed. Target sells GoPro now but none of the associates know anything about the product. I'm old and not very tech savvy. So I wanna see out of the package and have explained what would work best for me and my needs. The search continues....

I guess the question that remains unanswered is, what exactly are your needs? I went through the same thought process and have never considered myself as being highly tech oriented but I was still intrigued by what the GoPro could offer up. This was my first venture into action camera territory but I also had a pretty high expectation of them going in. I think that a smart phone is more of a jack-of-all trades device and many have excellent photographic and video capabilities. They are versatile in many respects but for me their fragility remains a weak point when exposed to the elements and rigors of an active lifestyle. The GoPro, on the other hand, is a dedicated video recorder with one thing in mind and that is to capture HD quality footage in a compact and durable design. It can be mounted virtually anywhere on your bike, attached to a chest harness or even mounted atop your helmet. Like a smartphone, the GoPro can also capture a single frame from any recorded video. All of the images below were taken from various GoPro footage that I shot without having to pause or dismount from my bike. I’m not sure how practical it would be to mount and position a smartphone on a bike to serve in the same capacity without some potential risk to the device.

The Hero 9’s stabilization and horizontal leveling are are the main reasons for my decision to obtain one and give a total amateur like me the ability to create some pretty decent results. Sure, you might take a hit on the initial purchase and still ask yourself why do I need two devices? Personally, I find a phone useful for many things but as a dedicated, tough, one-touch recording device, an action camera fills that niche very well. One also needs to consider the shooting environment before biting the bullet on an action cam. Otherwise, I would say get the right tool for the job and for me it's the Hero 9.

 

[retiredNH]

Just ordered a Hero10. Plan is to film some fall rides in the next week or so, and use them with a trainer this winter. Has anyone tried something like that?
Further thought on best mounting points for the camera - bar, chest or helmet?

 

[WattsUpDude]

Just ordered a Hero10. Plan is to film some fall rides in the next week or so, and use them with a trainer this winter. Has anyone tried something like that?
Further thought on best mounting points for the camera - bar, chest or helmet?

Camera on a trainer?

As far as mounting options, I guess it depends on what perspective you’re trying to capture and how inconvenient it is to mount. I like both perspectives from a chest mount or bar mount. Mine is actually mounted on my front fender and it’s very easy to place or remove so the convenience factor wins for me as a commuter.

 

[retiredNH]

Camera on a trainer?

No. Video playback in front of the trainer! But thank you for the reply and opportunity to clarify.

As far as mounting options, I guess it depends on what perspective you’re trying to capture and how inconvenient it is to mount. I like both perspectives from a chest mount or bar mount. Mine is actually mounted on my front fender and it’s very easy to place or remove so the convenience factor wins for me as a commuter.

 

[Dragonspeed88]

I guess the question that remains unanswered is, what exactly are your needs? I went through the same thought process and have never considered myself as being highly tech oriented but I was still intrigued by what the GoPro could offer up. This was my first venture into action camera territory but I also had a pretty high expectation of them going in. I think that a smart phone is more of a jack-of-all trades device and many have excellent photographic and video capabilities. They are versatile in many respects but for me their fragility remains a weak point when exposed to the elements and rigors of an active lifestyle. The GoPro, on the other hand, is a dedicated video recorder with one thing in mind and that is to capture HD quality footage in a compact and durable design. It can be mounted virtually anywhere on your bike, attached to a chest harness or even mounted atop your helmet. Like a smartphone, the GoPro can also capture a single frame from any recorded video. All of the images below were taken from various GoPro footage that I shot without having to pause or dismount from my bike. I’m not sure how practical it would be to mount and position a smartphone on a bike to serve in the same capacity without some potential risk to the device.
View attachment 77057View attachment 77058View attachment 77059
The Hero 9’s stabilization and horizontal leveling are are the main reasons for my decision to obtain one and give a total amateur like me the ability to create some pretty decent results. Sure, you might take a hit on the initial purchase and still ask yourself why do I need two devices? Personally, I find a phone useful for many things but as a dedicated, tough, one-touch recording device, an action camera fills that niche very well. One also needs to consider the shooting environment before biting the bullet on an action cam. Otherwise, I would say get the right tool for the job and for me it's the Hero 9.

It looks like you've done some night riding with your Hero9 and I was wondering how its performance in low-light situations has been, specifically with regard to picking out car numberplates when riding in the road at night? The fact that most action cams and even bike-specific cams seem to struggle with this has always annoyed me since I feel like it should be the first thing they should strive to achieve (especially in the bike-specific models like the Cycliq Fly 12)

 

[WattsUpDude]

It looks like you've done some night riding with your Hero9 and I was wondering how its performance in low-light situations has been, specifically with regard to picking out car numberplates when riding in the road at night? The fact that most action cams and even bike-specific cams seem to struggle with this has always annoyed me since I feel like it should be the first thing they should strive to achieve (especially in the bike-specific models like the Cycliq Fly 12)

As my morning commute is still in the dark I can tell you a bit about my experiences. And I can tell you that the image stabilization tech isn’t great in the dark. It’s still a tiny sensor with terrible light gathering capabilities. You can gather more light by slowing down the frame rate but that will introduce more motion blur. Really the only way you can get smooth stabilized video in the dark is by using a gimbal but I would not want to set that up for every commute. Even then, you may not get clean enough recordings to read plate numbers.

This is not my video but it’s typical of what you may expect with even the newer Hero 9 or Osmo Action 2 when street riding in the dark.

 

[Prairie Dog]

It looks like you've done some night riding with your Hero9 and I was wondering how its performance in low-light situations has been, specifically with regard to picking out car numberplates when riding in the road at night? The fact that most action cams and even bike-specific cams seem to struggle with this has always annoyed me since I feel like it should be the first thing they should strive to achieve (especially in the bike-specific models like the Cycliq Fly 12)

For night setting on my Hero 9 I have boost stabilization turned off in order to cut down on blur. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to accept. As @WattsUpDude mentioned in his post, the light sensors on these cameras are tiny so having a good lighting system helps significantly along with some tweaking of the camera’s settings. I shot this footage back in January on a local trail and I think that it turned out okay.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I recently acquired a GoPro Max 360 which provides a wide field of view allowing for more immersive footage. This particular video was shot in standard Hero mode with superview and virtually puts everything into the frame. This is quite evident in the final 3 minutes of the video. I’m also quite impressed with the stabilization of the Max even though hypersmooth is not available in superview.

I've also taken the liberty of attaching twist off magnetic mounts for both the Max and the Hero 9 which allows me to switch from chest to helmet to stick mounts in mere seconds.



The main reason for having the Max 360 will be to add a bit of creativity to the videos. This test footage was my first attempt at using a so-called invisible selfie stick attached to my handlebars and give the impression of a floating camera in front or off to the side.

This particular stick comes with an additional telescopic extension which would likely enhance the effect even more.