A new flagship GoPro is normally on the horizon at this time of year – here’s everything we want to see in the Hero 9 Black.
We’re approaching September 2020, which means it’s almost time for a new GoPro Hero 9 Black – at least according GoPro’s previous release schedule.
GoPro has released a new flagship action camera every September or October for the last decade, so it’d be a surprise if a Hero 9 Black didn’t arrive at a similar time this year. Then again, this isn’t a normal year.
There has been very little rumor chatter about the GoPro Hero 9 Black online, but we still expect to be here before the end of the year. After all, a product that could well be this camera was referenced in a GoPro FCC filing back in May.
With many of us keener than ever to get outside and active, particularly with other entertainment avenues severely restricted in most countries, it would be a good time to introduce a more versatile version of its flagship action camera.
With hope in our hearts and the GoPro Hero 9 Black on our mind, our camera team got together to sketch out the changes we think are realistic — and in some cases almost a dead cert — for the next GoPro Hero Black.
The GoPro Hero 8 Black did not get any new, top-billing capture modes – so it’s time for a step up.
Shooting 4K at 120fps is the obvious next move. A GoPro is a better-suited for a focus on high frame-rate modes than any phone or mirrorless camera, because action is its natural environment.
Such a high 4K frame rate is also possible even if the GoPro Hero 9 Black keeps the same camera sensor as the Hero 8 Black. Its Sony IMX277 is already capable of 119.88fps readout at 3840 x 2160 resolution, according to Sony’s specs.
Of course, 120 frames per second in 4K will likely only be of use in good lighting. High frame-rates necessitate fast shutter speeds, so the GoPro Hero 9 Black will have to increase its ISO sensitivity more than it would when shooting at, for example, 30fps.
We see the same effect today when using the 120fps and 240fps modes of the Hero 8 Black at 1080p. But it’s still a mode we’d love to see in the Hero 9 Black for shooting on sunny days.
The best way for GoPro to improve the Hero 9 Black’s native low-light sensitivity is to use a larger sensor. All Black-series GoPros to date have 1/2.3-inch sensors. They are small – in fact, even smaller than those of the best camera phones.
But is there room for something larger? Many have waited for a GoPro with a 1-inch sensor ever since the Sony RX0 arrived in 2017, and proved you could fit such a chip in a small action camera.
However, we don’t think the Hero 9 Black will have one. It would mean a dramatically higher price, and involve a drastic redesign of the camera’s internal layout.
This does not mean GoPro will use the same 12MP Sony IMX277 as all top-end GoPros since 2017’s Hero 6 Black. There are other options.
The DJI Osmo Action (above) uses the Sony IMX377. Mokacam’s crowdfunded Alpha3 uses the Sony IMX577.
There’s a newer option too, the Sony IMX677, whose specs were published in 2019. This is the same size as the current GoPro’s sensor, 1/2.3-inch, but has a higher resolution of 23MP.
Higher resolution is good news for stills, and potentially for sharper-looking footage at the more tightly cropped fields of view GoPro offers.
