Hike Run to Willow Lakes with the GoPro Hero 9
My first impressions of the GoPro Hero 9 are good. The camera is a little bigger than the Hero 8 but comes with a larger battery, allowing for 20% more shooting time over its predecessor. The video & image quality are slightly improved and the video stabilization has also improved but you may have a hard time noticing the difference compared to the Hero 8. The new front display is a welcomed addition.
After a quick setup, software update and matching the settings to the one’s that I have set on our Hero 8, we were off and running to Willow Lakes. This is a 14 mile out and back, with 2,750 feet of gain, all within 9,000 & 11,500 feet of elevation. It is located in the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area of Colorado, home of the Gore Range. We have only just begun to explore this wilderness area.
Most of the footage and sounds are from the GoPro Hero 9, with a couple of clips of the lake and me running in the end that were taken by the iPhone 11 Pro. No adjustments were made to the sound or color.
The microphone on the Hero 8 and 9 do a great job of capturing the sounds of the adventure as well as your voice. You can really hear this in my last couple of mountain biking videos, particularly the one where I had ridden to Breckenridge, Colorado. I rarely make any enhancements to the audio. Everything is captured from within the camera. I have yet to ride with the Hero 9 but I do have an awesome mountain bike route that I am planning for this coming week so be sure to subscribe.
If you already have a Hero 8, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading unless you are looking for an additional action camera to accompany the one you already have, such as we did. If you have an earlier version of the GoPro, upgrading to the Hero 9 would be your best choice. You can find the camera for around $350 directly from gopro.com. This includes a 1 year subscription to GoPro that includes unlimited storage and camera replacement.
In the end, the GoPro is an action camera. It is designed to be rugged, reliable and easily carried with you during your adventures. It has limitations, such as its low light sensitivity, do to its smaller sensor. The dynamic range is also limited but in the end, the camera that you have on you, is the best camera for the job. The small size of the GoPro coupled with the array of attachments, ease of use and endless possibilities for capturing the action, this camera should never be left home.