GoPro - HERO9 Black

In the 250 range. You are looking at a GoPro or Osmo. I have a Hero 9. No overheating to think of. Both are fine underwater but lights are more important to retain color. Unless you bring a color card with you. Underwater camera basically have 3 tiers. Action Camera with case < TG Series with case < DSLR with case. Lights are just as important all the way through.

Even a gopro 7 is pretty good but I would recommend getting a used 9 as it has 4K 60FPS and uses the same accessories as the newer models incase you upgrade.

Yeah it is overkill. Overkill in both price and features because though they’re great as action cameras, you don’t need the stabilization, high frame rates, and rugged design for your casual travel videos mate. If you really want one, you can get an older GoPro (Hero 9, 10, or 11) if you find a good deal since they still have solid stabilization and decent built-in mics (still relatively heavy when clipped to a cap, and after 30 minutes, you might feel the strain honestly) I’d suggest you check on the Insta360 GO 3, it’s tiny, weighs only 35g, and comes with a magnetic clip that can be attached to a cap more comfortably than a bulky GoPro. Otherwise, you could also check on the DJI Osmo Action 4 or Akaso Brave 7 LE too, all decent prices for your use case. You could try [10 Best Action Cameras to Invest in 2025: Full Guide and Review](https://alaskanarrows.com/10-best-action-cameras-to-invest-in-2025/) for other options too. Tldr: GoPro overkill, Insta360 more appropriate, can consider getting an older GoPro like the 9,10 or 11 if you can get a good price

Hero 8, 9, 10 user here. Go for Insta360. But if you’re looking between GoPro and dji, go for dji. In other news, I’m looking to sell my hero 10, if anyone is interested (Kolkata or vicinity) let me know. I’ve got all accessories and a boatload of additional stuff for it. Asking for 20k.

if you’re planning for first view only a gopro would be enough, i still have a hero9 and not planning to upgrade anytime. if i can suggest do not use internal battery, buy instead the usb port and an external battery at least 10000mha an you can have a full day recording session

A GoPro 9, a 10k mAh powerbank and a GoPro chest mount. Or also a bodycam, but image quality is not that great compared with the GoPro.

A GoPro 10 it's a great choice, maybe the 9. There is also the DJI Action 2. Not all second hand action cameras got beat out, some people use them gently like some sort of car dashcam or a vlogging camera. I don't recommend that much brands like Akaso, the image quality is good but other features like stabilization and sound quality are inferior compared to GoPros.

Please stay away from cameras with brands like Vivitar or Polaroid. Look for used GoPro like the 8 or 9. Also the DJI Action 2.

A used Go Pro Hero 9 or 10 (which is probs around 350AUD ish) with your budget! If you can afford a media mod slap one on! ** Im assuming youve got a SD card to go with it??

Have you had a Thumb 2? Mine works great. Honestly had better luck than with my Gopro Hero 9. The DJI claims the same 4k60FPS at the Thumb 2 so they should be identical in that case.

I just had to buy a new GoPro 13 just because my GoPro 9 died off for no reason, red light of death. It won’t charge and turn on, it happens for sudden. Now I realize that Insta360 X5 could do much more angles so I gave GoPro away and try Insta360 for a first time

Its a scam, DJI requires activation and tunneling to use their cameras via their sketchy APK app download. They are paying influencers to use and promote the products. I love my hero 9 black.

Ace Pro 2 without any doubt. I have a X4 and a GoPro Hero 9. Last year I went to the Red Sea and the quality for diving or the X4 is really really bad. Is cool to record everything in 360 degrees but if you see the video in a big screen (like an iPad or laptop) you will see that the resolution and detail is really bad. I used mainly the GoPro for diving also because the diving case of the X4/X5 is too delicate. Is a plastic dome and you can scratch it really easily. You have to buy a silicon protector from AliExpress. There is no problem with the line of the X4 when recording but the quality is bad.

Cool, can you link me the one you use? I also have a hero9 with no plan to upgrade

I think the way to look at it, is that GoPro was so far ahead for so long, there was no real competition for them for over a decade. Even DJI had GoPro mounts built in when the Phantom 1 came along. Historically, GoPro perfected their 1080P then moved to 2.7k on the Hero 3 Black. They had the best 4k on the Hero 4 Black. Then they made the whole camera waterproof and added the built in touchscreen on the Hero 5 Black, then they went 4k 60 with moderate stabilization on the Hero 6 black, built a tiny camera on the Session 4 and 5. With the Hero 7 black, they finally got stabilization in camera that started to compete with 3 axis gimbals. On the 8 they had the mount built in so you didn't have to have a frame and changed to a larger form factor with the Hero 9 black and got resolution to 5.3k. They perfected features like Timewarp and Hyperlapse where all the work was done in camera instead of post. They made GoPro labs available for most of their cameras and gave amazing levels of customization that no other cameras have even to this day. Then they really started to stagnate and features were more incremental and evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Sure they had the 8:7 sensor and got video resolution up to 24.7 megapixels, but they still use a tiny sensor and low light performance is still very bad. They also had to deal with the rise of DJI and Insta360 who started to release competing products. Dji matched 10 bit the same year as GoPro, The Action 5 and Ace Pro 2 use much larger sensors and do much better in low light. GoPro was late to the party with magnetic mounting systems and Insta360 even put 8k into their Ace Pro versions. Insta360 has the Ace Pro Line, their Go series mini camera and even had the modular R series which could be an action cam or a 360 camera. In the time since GoPro released the Max, Insta360 has released 5 consumer grade 360 cameras that get better each year and now do 8k. We have no idea when the Max 2 will be released. GoPro stock is hovering around 50 cents a share and the market cap of the entire company is only 75 million dollars. It used to be almost 11 billion dollars, so it is 145 times smaller than it was shortly after the company went public. They have had to lay off staff and that has a huge impact on R&D. They are clearly falling behind competitors with no real path forward. Depending on which site you listen to, they rate the probability of bankruptcy at 33 to 62% in the next 24 months. That is not the sign of a healthy company. They botched the launch of their Karma drone and ceded that potential marketplace to DJI in the process. The reality is that the DJI and Insta360 cameras do a lot of things better and much easier. Low light is a real thing for a lot of people and the Action 5 and Ace Pro do a very good job in the space and GoPro isn't on the same playing field. I love the new GoPro lens system, but I am an advanced user and have been using ND filters, Anamorphic lenses, and macro lenses for years with the GoPro. The new anamorphic lens is great because it does the desqueeze of your footage automatically in camera. What is annoying is that they announced the lens in September of 2024 and I was finally able to get it 7 months later. GoPro is a great camera, but for many people who never touch labs, don't care about 10 bit or color grading, never do reframing 8:7, like to shoot in lower light conditions, or won't spend the $129 on an anamorphic lens, the GoPro is not really the camera for them. Insta360 are releasing much better cameras each year and GoPro is falling further behind. I really want GoPro to come back strong, but I fear they don't have the finances to compete unless they have an absolutely amazing technical breakthrough in the action camera space.

i've been really happy with my gopro, the price is right. i've had the 8 through 11. You can actually pull some great stills from video if you get lucky - i've managed to blow up some stills into large format prints to hang and they look fantastic. Lighting + basic editing skills makes a huge difference.

I wouldn't necessarily say hate. But I'd switch to DJI I think when I need a new one. My gopro's have always been buggy, the app sucks and never connects and I had a waterproof one die on me and somehow leak. So I don't trust them being waterproof. DJI seems better in low light and I kind of preffered the image. Though saying that I saw a blind test of gopro, dji and Insta360, and surprisingly I still liked the gopro image a tiny bit more. But for being consistently buggy (freezing up, randomly shutting down - always at the worst moments) I'd rather swap and try out a different brand at least for the next one. But Gopro's don't seem to have had any major upgrades in a while. I still have my 7 and 9.

I haven't upgraded since the 9. I haven't seen the need or any major improvements (plus I don't use it that much - usually just underwater shots when I travel). The camera and apps are still so buggy too that I'm probably going to try the DJI cam when I need to get a new one. Don't really see the point of the light on that newer one either. Gopros have never been good in low light.

From my experience get the 9. It rarely overheats, I think it happened once while under the sun for 3 hours. You will need a power bank for longer recording. There is no way around it.

I began using a GoPro (Hero 9) for family videos but over time I found its low light/night time capabilities lacking. I briefly switched to using my iPhone but quickly learned I had the same concerns as you. Ultimately, I settled on a mixture of the GoPro (for active lifestyle filming during the day) and the DJI Pocket 3 for everything else. The Pocket 3 is super lightweight and has been perfect for everything outside of the GoPro use case.

I've had the 8 9 and now have the 12. They all overheat after five minutes if its too hot out. I had to buy a mini shade umbrella for it.+ 80° F outside with no shade, it WILL overheat on me and shut down. Every time.

The GoPro Hero 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are all the same size and use mostly the same accessories (HB series lenses for the Hero 13 are not backwards compatible, nor are the Hero 13 batteries backwards compatible). Dive cases and mounts are all the same. If you have a dive case for a Hero 9 or 10, it will fit the Hero 11, Hero 12 and Hero 13. The Hero 9 and 10 have the same sensor. The Hero 11, 12 and 13 also all have the same sensor which is just a taller version of the sensor used in the Hero 9 and 10. The proper settings will make all the difference when filming in different lighting scenarios. Filming in a flat profile and color grading in post is the best option for Hero 11 and earlier. Filming in GPLog and color grading in post will work best for the Hero 12 and 13. The GoPro Labs firmware has several tweeks (including a DIVE mode) for helping with stabilization underwater as well as color balance for the temp (color) of the water. Your sharpness should also be set to low when recording.

Supposedly the 8 was made during covid and has so-and-so issues, **No, the 8 was made long before covid and it was a great camera. However it did have a "hot pixel" issue with the sensor that would result in fixed blue or red (or both) dots during low light footage.** 9 had blah blah issues, **The 9 was the Covid camera, delayed multiple times and just plain didn't work upon release. There's a well known audio clicking issue when using the in camera mics and it was the last camera to use the GP1 processor (which meant the camera was underpowered and lacked certain abilities such as clipping full resolution footage and being able to offload those clips in camera).** 10 freezing, **The 10 doesn't have freezing issues, it was the first camera to use the GP2 processor and it is a rock solid camera. "Freezing" comes from having a corrupt SD card which hasn't been repaired.** 11 corruption problems, **The Hero 11 improved upon the rock solid reliability of the Hero 10 and added even more features such as a taller 8:7 sensor, 10bit color and "in camera" night effects. Once again, people using corrupt SD cards or incorrect SD cards would suffer issues.** 12 overheating, **The 12 had all new firmware written for it that took full advantage of the GP2 processor. This enabled bluetooth audio, HDR video, timecode support etc. The issue with overheating is the same with all action cameras (regardless of brand). People have no idea how to film or set up their camera's and will often use the highest "action" settings available as they go for a "walk" or stand around "Fishing" and then wonder why their camera overheats.** 13 becomes a homewrecker... **The 13 is GoPro's most user friendly camera yet. All new thermal design, all new automatic lens detection, Upgraded Wifi, Upgraded Bluetooth, HLG HDR and more. It's GoPro's best camera yet with some amazing features added to the labs firmware.** Maybe 14 will make you commit tax fraud. **If only it were capable of making people smarter and doing better research about camera's........**

Never had any overheating issue on my 9 ... And the GPS is obviously on. But it's only for sport (tracking, ski, touring ...). For stationary session, GPS, stabilisers are off.

Water : I'm using my 9 in our pool and in the see as well. No problem so far (crossing my fingers 🤞) BUT : - you have to ensure FIRST the joints are clean. Double check, triple check. - removing the salt is really a nightmare ! 5k : highest resolution mostly use is when you have to edit/crop/zoom your video. Otherwise it's a waste of time/ressources and make most of the time editing a tedious task.

Despite having very frequent usage, I never faced any of the legendary issues of the 9 :)

I’m a gear head, I own a ton of camera equipment. You don’t need the latest to document you trips. I’m still using an older GoPro hero 9 and it takes fantastic 4k 60FPS video. Look into the older generations. The processing power jumped between the 9 and 10th generation GoPro. Recommendation **If you can find a GoPro hero 10 that would be the best value.** The hero12 didn’t have gps, so I’d avoid that generation if that feature is important to you. *Go pro alternatives:* I own a insta360 go3s. It’s great for POV, ultra small. I clip it to my hat. Max resolution is 4k 30FPS. If you’re going to do fast paced activities like racing you may find the framerate at the max resolution to be too slow. Insta360 X5 is a 360 camera. Theres a learning curve to the software. But provides the ability to reframe footage. Quality of the video will not be as good as a standard action camera. DJI osmo action, it’s a solid choice as well. Bit rate is lower then a GoPro, but if you’re not a professional you won’t know the difference

Go with the 8. I have the 9 and it does get very warm when it is just recording without air movement around it. If that is okay then I would get a 9. Great camera.

A lot of people have recommendations on here about cameras, but I wouldn't worry about cameras as much as I would worry about your lights. Buy the most expensive lights you can afford and buy a cheap camera. Expensive lights will make a cheap camera look 10 times better. I've seen this advice all over the place on Reddit in different subreddits for underwater video and film and it is true. I spent a bunch of money on my camera and was unhappy until I invested the money in really good lights. The other thing is when you can afford to upgrade your camera, your lighting setup will still work with it and it'll make that upgraded camera that much more impressive. I have two of the Sola underwater video 3800 lights from light and motion. And they work great. I used them with a GoPro 9 and I now use them on my Canon g7x Mark. 3 and I love them.

Any GoPro starting with 9 is solid. 8 is decent, just the 9 forward have a removable lens, so you can easily put on an ND filter, which I highly recommend if you're going to be in sunlight. I think the 11 is the first with 10bit video, so it'll give you a bit better color in the gradient, but tbh most people won't notice a difference, but it would give you more options if you are planning on doing any color grading. That tiny Insta 360 camera is pretty cool honestly and I do like the flip screen they offer on their action cam, but GoPro still has better video. If you want a 360 cam, idk, but I've heard the Insta360 is better than the GoPro max, but I've never used either, so..

If you're budget bound, a used gopro 9 or greater plus dive housing and accessories can probably be found on ebay for a bargain. I've been doing that with most electronics I own. Reading the other comments I'm pleasantly surprised there's a new player in town with better low light performance. But with anything, especially in diving, I think you should start small and work your way up in terms of gear.

I bought a couple of older GoPros (Hero 9). I like the Hero 9 because they're solid cameras that are relatively cheap and have the ability to power on and start recording via Bluetooth from the app. So I tend to set them up, go get dressed, then power them up and start recording using my phone at the beginning of warmups. I hang them on the outside of the glass behind each goal with a suction cup mount. I think I've had a camera fall down maybe 3 times in ~60 games I've recorded. Here's what the finished 2.7k video looks like after editing and adding explosions and terrible music: https://youtu.be/87JTA6u_D1w?si=4o477_af1y_ERNov

Have had a Hero 6,9,10. All of those have shit, grainy footage. The OA5 is by far better and I cannot emphasize enough the user experience gap. The startup time alone is worth dumping Go “pro”.

ebay a gopro you can find some deals a friend got a lucky find and got a hero 9 black 2x batteries and some other accessories for slightly under £150 and was in great condition

I'm going to make this short...the Action 5 Pro sucks! After waiting a month for the new Ace Pro 2 and it never shipping out, I requested a refund. I purchased the Action 5 Pro Adventure bundle and was very impressed by the look and feel of it, the menu's, etc. That's where my praise stops. I'm a professional photographer by trade. I wanted to upgrade my old GoPro HERO 9 and get something snazzier to follow our toddler around. I got rid of our Osmo Pocket 3 which while it worked great for vlogging etc, it's just not feasable to chase a toddler around in focus or capture some stuff at the beach, waterpark, etc. A few days ago we hit up our local zoo and I took our GoPro 9. Just something to get some content and honestly, it wasn't bad. The outdoor stuff looked fantastic like always and even the dark indoor stuff, while not fantastic was ok. Today, all day I took our new OA5 to run it thru it's paces. The footage is absolute garbage. Yeah, I spent hours and hours trying to find real reviews and recommendations for settings on YouTube, lowered the sharpness, set a high bit rate, updated firmware, etc. Tried filming some low-light stuff at 60fps, 30fps, you name it. The outdoor footage was just bad, blooming sun flares just everywhere and the colors are off. The supposed SuperNight mode is crap, so noisy, and unusable. So here we are, I'm returning the DJI OA5 Pro for sure. Guess I'll stick with my HERO 9 for the time being and when the Ace Pro 2 is finally available off Amazon or B&H I'll give it a try. Anyway, fuck all those YouTube videos, even the ones that really didn't seem like they were paid or sponsored gloating about how badass the Action 5 Pro is. Done with my vent.

I'm going to make this short...the Action 5 Pro sucks! After waiting a month for the new Ace Pro 2, which never shipped out, I requested a refund. I purchased the Action 5 Pro Adventure bundle and was very impressed by the look and feel of it, the menu's, etc. That's where my praise stops. I'm a professional photographer by trade. I wanted to upgrade my old GoPro HERO 9 and get something snazzier to follow our toddler around. I got rid of our Osmo Pocket 3 which while it worked great for vlogging etc, it's just not feasable to chase a toddler around in focus or capture some stuff at the beach, waterpark, etc. A few days ago we hit up our local zoo and I took our GoPro 9 (I hadn't purchased the OA5 yet). Just something to get some content and honestly, it wasn't bad. The outdoor stuff looked fantastic like always and even the dark indoor stuff, while not fantastic was ok. Received the OA5 2 days ago so yesterday I took it out to run it thru it's paces. The footage is absolute garbage. Yeah, I spent hours and hours trying to find real reviews and recommendations for settings on YouTube, lowered the sharpness, set a high bit rate, updated firmware, etc. Tried filming some low-light stuff at 60fps, 30fps, you name it. The outdoor footage was just bad, blooming sun flares just everywhere and the colors are off. The supposed SuperNight mode is crap, so noisy, and unusable. So here we are, I'm returning the DJI OA5 Pro for sure. Guess I'll stick with my HERO 9 for the time being and when the Ace Pro 2 is finally available off Amazon or B&H I'll give it a try. Anyway, fuck all those YouTube videos, even the ones that really didn't seem like they were paid or sponsored gloating about how badass the Action 5 Pro is. Done with my vent. **EDIT \[March 30, 2025\] - More sample footage has been uploaded, a bit more from my DJI Osmo Action 5, the old footage from the GoPro HERO 9 and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 which I'm currently using.** This is just my personal footage, nothing fancy or edited yet. But feel free to check it out and see what you think. Link - https://filedn.com/l4qvpI4cFv0fj6rakJn7dsV/Action%20Camera%20FOOTAGE/

I would suggest something on the lines of a hero 9 or 10 with a enduro battery I also do videos of racing and those cameras are the best specially with the enduro battery I also have the 13 but i'm currently learning on it

I used the hero 7 for a few years and recently got 3 hero 9’s for $90 each. Never had a problem with them.

hi, I have a Gopro hero nine. I would like to change it. I saw that a Gopro Max two will be released soon, while the Gopro Hero 13 and the Gopro Hero 13 Black ultra Wide are still available. I have two questions: the first is the substantial difference between GoPro Hero and GoPro max. The other question is if you recommend the upgrade in the case of Gopro Hero 13 (or Hero 13 Black ultra Wide) thanks, it will help me!

I owned the GoPro 4 Silver and GoPro 9 Black... I ended buying a used insta360 X3 off of ebay after I lost my GoPro 9. The X3 was an instant game changer as I am a skier. It was lighter, felt more natural than my 9, and I dont have to focus so much on getting the right angle and shot when I'm following others. I actually lost my GoPro 9 after crashing into a tree because it was so end heavy on a selfie stick and i was too focused on getting the right angle that it was difficult to maneuver. With the X3 I press record and ride down without worrying about it. I researched the GoPro Max but felt GoPro didn't really focus on it too much since it had been years since it was released. If GoPro ever makes another 360 camera ill definitely get it because I'm such a GoPro fan boy. The only thing thay sucks about the x3 is that I scratched up the lens but the X5 seems to have remedied that by allowing the lens to be swapped. I'm just waiting for it go down in price.

My GoPro 9 is just too wide for my snorkeling - the fish are always too far away. Any improvements here in newer models? I do not want any anamorphic or 15x macro attachment; I just need a slightly normal lens, not a super-wide one.

I want any insta 360, but I'm using an old gopro 9 with the max lens, it's basically a 180 camera covering my six so any nonsense that i don't see coming won't jack up my insurance without a fight lol. Gopro batteries are trash, lasting about 2 hours per charge, insta and DJI are both destroying gopro on that front But any cheap dashcam with good storage is all you need, just don't power it from the bike unless you know you have stable power 

I film and make hiking videos and have a ton of cameras. I do not like iPhone footage. Looks too sharpened and saturated to me. I used a GoPro for years. My current one is a GoPro Hero 11 Black and I absolutely love it. The 9 & 10 were buggy. The 8 was solid but the 11 is so much better. The 12 and 13 don’t have enough upgrades to justify. For better footage, set the field of view to linear. Gets rid of the fisheye look. Set sharpness and saturation each to -2. Set color profile to natural. Get smooth, steady shots and don’t swing it around like crazy. It’s a great starting point. Once you get the settings dialed in, you just need to press record for 99% of shots. So it’s easy to use. It’s durable and waterproof and small also. I don’t mount it to anything (unless I’m climbing or rappelling). I got a cheap tripod/extension handle off Amazon and just carry it. You won’t want all your footage to just be a straight ahead shot anyway. I just bought an action 4 but the verdict’s still out on that. If I were to recommend one camera it would be the DJI osmo pocket 3. I absolutely love it. But it’s pricey and if you’re starting out the GoPro will do good enough.

No, i ordered a brand new one. That deal wasn't working for due to time constraints and lot of travel. So I got a new one. Maybe in the past, that's how it was. But that's not a deal breaker for me. I have used go pro as well. Hero 9 Osmo is much better in a lot of compartments. I was a bit suspicious and wanted to try it once since I had go pro experience already. And man it was awesome

Hoping to see if any of y'all had problems with it in the snow. I know my GoPro 9 would turn off in the snow, and it's battery life died quick. This is the tie breaker for me

I went out of the GoPro path, but came right back (first GoPro was Mark 3). Hero 9 is too old. You need 11 to level up, and it’s really cheap right now. 11 was a huge update. I skipped 12, and I don’t see so many advantages since I bought 13. I’m not disappointed, but the end result looks exactly the same. Maybe I’ll buy the overpriced Ultra Wide lens (I shoot downhill mountain biking).

try lang DJI OSMO 4 or 3 OP. pero if you want go pro madami sa group nag bebenta. dun ako bumili back up action cam ko. i bought my go pro 9 there for as low as 10k. lady owned super ganda pa ng unit. may kasama na accesories and extra 2 batteries, charger and memory card as well. package na siya. mura na ngayon kasi may bago na ulit nilabas magkasunod si go pro. si 12 and 13. kaya yung lower version bumaba ng sobra and presyo.

I have the 9 but if I were to buy now the dji osmo 5 is what I'd buy. Image quality is so much better than go pro imo. A little better at handling low light environments too

GoPro makes the cold battery’s now which help with the issue everyone keeps bringing up, but honestly the key is not to record your whole run, just clips when you hit some sweet turns, a drop, cool view, or whatever. They’re not going to break either. My friend is an engineer and he used to strap them to the sides of planes and shit for the Australian Defense Forces, they never failed and I’ve had mine for years. I have a GoPro 9 and the Insta360, if I could have my pic I would get the GoPro Max. The 360 camera is great but the Insta360 is kind of too big to put on my helmet, I mean I do it but it’s annoying. The GoPro version is more compact.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNd1LL5Sp/ I think I’m a person that can honestly tell you this since I had a X2,3 and now the 4 also have ever since used a Hero 8,9,10 in combination with it. You can get awesome results with the X4, also low light isn’t as bad as people say it is, yeah you lose some sharpness and get grain, but honestly we have that problem with action cams ever since they exist, the ace pro 2 has insane low light performance but only because of its ai processing which in my opinion over sharpens the image. I can just say that for me the X4 is a massive upgrade when it comes to creating 9:16 and 16:9 at the same time, workflow is awesome and yes, the app really is as great as people advertise it. I personally never had any errors or weird problems since using it for about 6 months. I usually recrop the 360 footage it wether landscape or portrait, export it to Luma fusion studio drop in my hero 10 footage and use multicam to sync the videos via. Footage or audio, works like a charm.

Hi OP I have a Go-pro hero 9 I'm planning to sell DM me if you're interested.

Thank you for raising your post and the same question you have is the same as I do. I have the Hero 9 and 11 and I'm looking for a 360 camera. As the Max 2 is quite new in the market it always interesting listen the opinion from people who has acquired and tested. Also I'm originally from Brazil, but living in UK and I know how expensive are GP down there.

As a scuba diver, but any hobby taking you underwater, I think DJI is taking lead On land however eg cycling, fast-action sports, GoPro dominants I have a Hero9, love it, no complaints, when tine to upgrade I could be looking at the DJI 4, otherwise, go with what I know and get 11/12

Welcome to the GoPro world! If you want to buy used, get a GoPro Hero 13. Used/pre-owned get a Hero 11 (the 12 had some unfavorable updates). If you find some good deals, the GoPro Hero 9 is the oldest of the "modern" family of GoPro cameras. GoPro releases a new model every ~1 year and the updates have been great. Some people may complain that a new model isn't "significantly better" than the previous model to a degree of warranting an upgrade, but I'm fine with that, they just want to push the best tech currently possible. The camera itself is waterproof but you'll need to rinse it after submerging in salt water. I have surfed quite a few times with my Hero 9 and Hero 13 and I've had no problems. The gopro is submersible to a certain range so you'll want to check that first but if you're just surface snorkeling you'll be just fine. The GoPro is perfectly capable without any extra lenses but personally I recommend the UltraWide lens mod if you do get anything. On the stock lens the newer cameras have linear, wide, superwide, and hyperview already. You'll want to get the "The Handler", a GoPro handle that floats in water in case you let go of it. Other than that you'll need a good SD card and you're all set - needs to be one from the approved list on the GoPro website (but not necessarily bought directly from there). MicroSD cards need to have high quality reading/writing speeds to avoid video corruption. Feel free to send me a message and I can give you a lot more information or we can work out a call or something. I have a lot of experience and I really love my GoPro :)

Errrm wrong on both points I get stunning shots with my GoPro 9 - a few on this link below. https://imgur.com/a/WJJPNQJ Shoot in raw, post process in lightroom later to colour correct. No external lights were used in any of these photos, all natural light. Most people think you just take it out the box and you get photo/video like all the adverts with no work. They don’t work like that! What do you mean you can’t find a housing that fits? Erm how about the one GoPro makes specifically for it? The dive housing goes down to 60m and is no bigger than the camera itself. You might have to find one second hand as GoPro doesn’t make the housings for these GoPros any more as it’s too old.

Yeah, my 9 is the worst tech product I’ve ever had, and I owned a Jaz drive! (Deep cut for tech nerds)I’ve had it replaced twice and it is the shit shit shittiest piece of gear. And I’m an IT guy, I know how to troubleshoot.

A few years ago I went for a hike in Norway.I took my new GoPro 9 with me to take some footage. Both batteries died. It was cold (-15 C), but I found it unacceptable. I ended up taking some shaky video with my Samsung phone. At least that was working. Since then my GoPro sits in the drawer, barely used.

I'd recommend a GoPro (need underwater housing for it and the little stick). They're up to the 13 now, but even a 9 or 10 will deliver great results for that. No need to get into the inky endless abyss of underwater cameras quite yet

Got a Hero 9 for WAY TOO MUCH, and it constantly froze on video mode. They make crap products these days.

https://preview.redd.it/w3pt3eje9dke1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b2e825ae76611e46dfdec00fd83130403775656 Gopro 9 black re-face

I've had a GoPro Hero 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10, as well as the Max. I've go over 2,000 skydives with GoPros on my helmet, including world records and jumps into the Blue Hole in Belize. I've taken them to every continent (including Antarctica) for running and scuba diving and overall travel. So I use GoPros a lot, and I use them in environments that are pretty tough on them. One thing that's been annoying is the heavy push to GoPro subscription. Their cloud storage is just awful. The money is better spent on something like Dropbox or Box. Their software has been pretty terrible too. Hardware wise, they've been hit or miss. Sometimes it's software, sometimes it's hardware. They can corrupt video files, do a weird "gets hot after charging and locks up so that you have to pull the batteries", they can stop mid recording. All of that with the proper recommended cards. Some have just been lemons, probably a bad solder or heatsink contact. Sometimes it's fixed in a firmware upgrade. They're notorious in the skydiving community. "Did you get it?" "No, it stopped recording 5 seconds in." "It froze up". That kind of thing. Not all the time, not even frequent, but enough that it's annoying. And each model seems to have their own little quirks. My Hero 7 and 10 has been solid for the most part. My 9.. not as much. My Max is a piece of shit. My next 360 camera will absolutely not be a Max, and probably won't be whatever they come out with next. My next action camera probably won't be a GoPro.

Im personally a dji guy, i have an action 4 and my dad has a 5 pro. I dont know much about GoPro:( I’ve had a hero 9. I bought it for 200 in 2023. In begin 2025 I bought an action 4 for 230. The dji is a huge upgrade from the GoPro and a better price. Has anyone compared the hero 13 with the action 5 pro? I’m interested in knowing the differences. Thank you!

I have had gopros for years and the never once overheated on me. Sure, I dont film in 4k. A 9 blackscreened on me but I got a brand new 11 from GoPro. The video quality is great, the stabilization is great, the colors is great, the built in mic is good... I like gopro very much. I really do, but im not buying the 13, im buying the 14

I have a GoPro 9. Video is great - battery sucks ass. Wish I could get content like this every day: I could quit my job! https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/s/ZDTB6XPlD1

Still good on my Gp9

If you are videoing yourself while snowboarding via selfie stick, nothing beats the third person perspective of a 360 camera. I find it a lot more immersive than any traditional action camera because it gets my whole body and the selfie stick isn't visible- that just not possible with a camera like the dji action 5 (i have a gopro hero 9 and insta360 ace pro). To make editing easy, Me Mode gives you a very wide angle 4K that needs almost no editing. Here a video I made last month with the X4 https://youtu.be/kfgz56JiFE4 A 360 camera makes framing someone else snowboarding/skiing easier to (you don't need to worry about angled horizon or cutting then off). For this video, I just kept the camera (an older X2) blindly pointed behind me and edited it after. https://youtu.be/yBvwZnUOOVY

I solved my GoPro Hero 9 camera's overheating problem using thermal pads leftover from my PC graphics card. I placed them in three places on the front screen (2–3 mm thick): one below and one on side. I only dive when on holiday. Also, I don't think this is a viable solution for regular divers. My idea was to improve heat transfer between the camera and case, and it worked well.

I hear all the stories about the 9 but mine has work flawlessly since i got it in 2022

A lot of GoPro fanboys here but the truth is that the GoPro was a standard maybe 5-7 years ago. They have done anything innovative since GoPro 9 or 8. Battery life is medicore, overheating issues, stabilization don't work well in low light environments, instead of releasing completely new 360 camera they made a facelift of the old one, terrible phone app, slow and not very useful unlimited cloud storage. It looks like most content creators are switching to other brands but you will say they get paid anyway.

Terribly managed company, lack of innovation (1 year release cycle is hilarious), lack of new 360 models, pushing subscription model, overheating issues Instead of improving the sensor quality and low light performance/stabilization and create a proper working software and mobile application they are trying to push gimmicks like anamorphic/ND filters (no, unless you are doing serious cinematography you don't need these). Also the way how GoPro name their sliced files is crap and unintuitive. Overall user experience is terrible. Ohh I almost forgot about GoPro labs, you need some kind of beta application to unlock all the possible features. It's just PITA to deal with all that BS. And I have GoPro 9, obviously for the fist half year I used it a lot but then I completely lost interest. Now I'm using it only for underwater shots. People forget it's an action camera, you mount it to your helmet, bike, chest and record action. For any other applications something like DJI Osmo Pocket or just dedicated video camera like Sony FX30 is way superior. https://preview.redd.it/wpryx2t6iw6f1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=28521191b680d1d36ae49cc12948f7c92bab361e

I have a hero 11 and an Insta360 X5. If you're only doing chest mount, there is nothing wrong with either hero 11 or 13 (stay away from 12), Ace pro or Ace pro 2 or DJI action 5. I've been using the x5 more and more just for its versatility. I like to use the invisible stick and use it to get some fun POVs and selfies. It does weigh more and requires more thought and editing tho. Can probably find an old hero 9 to try and see if it's something you like doing before investing full pop on current flagship models.

Only thing I have bad to say about GoPro is that my Hero9 is not water proof. Evident by it falling in the pool and getting wrecked.... It still works 80% of the time. But the front screen is fried, and once battery gets to like 75% ...it shuts down and says no battery. Other than that, I have a hero 6 that is great and still kicking, ol reliable. And the 9 works still, just randomly doesn't.

I have the hero 9 and the hero 11 i use them both and im very happy

OK well that's a bit different. You don't need anything specifically "low light" as this refers to video capability. With starlapses/nightlapses all the action cams can do this, I use my GoPro9 to do starlapses and am currently testing out an Ace Pro 2. Technically, what you're doing is taking photos and the cam is assembling these into a video, so these can go up to 30s exposure per image. There's loads of videos on YouTube covering this.

I have a Hero 9 and it doesn't do a bad job at this, I think from the 8 or 9 onwards there isn't a massive leap in image quality for this type of shooting. Some people mistakenly think you need a camera that's good at "low light" but in fact this is not the same as low light video, you'll be doing 30s exposures so you can ignore people who say this. Just keep the ISO low (800 or less) and the results can be quite good. I haven't seen night lapses from the DJI/Insta360 models that would persuade me to switch.

Really? I remember the GP9 was really, really bad. Constant problems with just hanging and nothing fixes it besides taking the battery out. Also couple of times I charged it to 100% and by the time I went to swim, so 30-40 minutes, it was already at 70% while being OFF. With the new GP2 ~~sensor~~ CPU things improved drastically, but still I wouldn't call it the most reliable camera in the world. Missed a super lucky video of my wife with an eagle ray because at that precise moment the 13 decided that the memory card was too slow (it wasn't) and it won't record. That happened a few other times this same snorkel session, albeit I didn't miss anything else epic. And then it just fixed itself and I didn't have this issue until the end of the day. Switched to another microSD for the next day of course. edit: wrong word

I have a 9 I use for travel videos/photography and the occasional time lapse. It works great. No complaints except I wish the battery life was better.

FWIW, my 9 is still fine. But I got the 13 anyway, more as a second one so next time we snorkel, my wife and I can both carry one. The 13 is more responsive and has a few better features, but I still love the videos I got with the 9. A new purchaser should get the 13 unless they can't afford new, then look for used maybe as far back as the 9, but as others have said, 11 or 12 is better.

I have a Hero 9 I think it is. Got it for my 5 year old to take still pics and the durability aspect. I just can't stand the low light performance as its pretty bad. I've been wanting to try the DJi 5 but I'll wait a little while as I work to much and don't have enough free time to even enjoy it. Hope gopro steps up or I might have to check out the competition soon.

GoPro 9/10 works like a charm. Not sure there were much of the improvements recently. 360 cameras are annoying.

As others said any GoPro from 11-13 (I would even say starting with Gpro 9) would work. I would also recommend the gorpox Max (360) great for something like shark cage where you can re-fesme the video later....just keep in mind 360 is a pia dealing with file sizes and whatever you do don't scratch the lenses

I would go for a GoPro that has the Hindsight feature (GoPro 9 -13) as this allows you to grab footage of a catch without having to be recording continuously your whole time on the water

Literally every post now seems to mention low light. I've never had an issue with my GoPros and I've owned every GoPro Black since the 4. Sounds like your sports don't really need low light either, so not sure what the hesitation is. I own a few DJI products as well (drone, mic mini, Osmo mobile) but I'd get a GoPro over the DJI camera for sure.

similar story, I used all gopros from 6 to 12, but switched over to Osmo Action about a year ago and my life just changed. Refreshing to see that action camera can actually be reliable and not crash and overheat all the time, better battery life, faster UI, better quick release system. These are just some of the reasons to switch.

dont give gopro anymore $ till they release an actually good product. insta, and DJI out perform them, and they dont DELETE YOUR FOOTAGE FOR NO REASON

i've used action cameras for almost 18 years now? and ive used all the major brands, GoPro more than ANY other. and from the hero -until the 12 black every single one at one point or another simply corrupted/deleted a whole days of videos. I've used DJI cameras from their little cube thing, to teh action 3 (i dont have the latest ones) and ive not lost any video recorded. same with Insta of what ive tested (i cannot speak to the newer 360's or the newer go 3s as ive not had them in hand to test) i will not give GoPro another single $ until they figure out wtf happens where it corrupts/deletes videos. its a useless camera if it cant save a video.

All GoPro 9 or later are really good.

Hey there! I have used a GoPro for many of my professional and recreational dives. In my experience, GoPro pros are great within 30 m and have a wide depth of field, but when it comes to color, correction and specific focus, they are severely lacking. If you are seriously interested in getting into the hobby of underwater photography, or videography, I would suggest looking at something like an Olympus tough TG – six or TG – seven. these are phenomenal cameras for the money and have all the modern features you want, including automatic white balance ability to shoot in 4K at 60 FPS, as well as having all of your standard aperture and shutter speed settings all in one convenient digital camera package. I think the TG6, which I personally use runs about $400 New. You may be able to find one cheaper used, but I would definitely recommend a housing if you are frequently taking pictures and videos beneath meters or 30 feet.

Just get a gopro. If you can't afford new, get something second hand. Anything from the 7 black onward should be good.

Get whichever Go Pro is in your price range. Anything Hero 7 and above will have hypersmooth and as long as you’re not running it at max resolution and fps it shouldn’t overheat, especially with a fan or AC on in the car. 30 fps would be my recommendation, and most should be able to handle that at 4K just fine.

Used GoPro camera 7 or higher.

I started out with the DragonTouch 4K action camera and it was good enough. I started filming my games because I had just started playing again after 27 years away from hockey. I made friends with a few goalies I met here on Reddit who were kind enough to mentor me. Eventually, the video quality just wasn't good enough for what I needed. I invested in a gopro hero black, I believe I have the 11 or 12, and bought an aluminum case and suction mount on Amazon. The picture quality is amazing, and it makes filming and posting to youtube much more enjoyable since the footage is really sharp. Crease Quest on YouTube if you want to see the difference in camera quality. My oldest videos were all with the same camera. I tried editing and fiddling with the settings as much as I could, but when I switched to the GoPro it was a complete game changer. My home barn lets me mount the camera high inside the glass, which is why I bought the aluminum case. Other rinks I play at my son has to be behind the glass moving the camera between periods. EDIT: I also mounted a small external battery to the suction mount and have that plugged into the gopro during games so I don't run into any power issues.

I have the Hero black. Night time footage is good. However, the footage makes it look like you’re farther away from the subject than you actually are. That and it gets hot during extended replay while editing.

Many videos shown on YouTube are from the launch periods and are sponsored. Especially the DJI Action 5 was pushed pretty hard in my opinion. But they all make great videos. If you want low light performance I wouldn't go the gopro way. But in good light conditions I'd say the gopro still has the crown. For me the killer features though are 5.3k 8:7 and Gopro Labs which adds features no other action cam even comes close to. Those all help a lot for editing.

For me GoPro always had the best mic/audio balance. insta always sounded baseless and sucked at eliminating wind noise as well