I should also make clear that I’m talking here about non-professional travel photography. That is, when you aren’t creating the photos for clients, editors, or stock agencies. All of those have a different level of quality and technical requirements that GoPros mostly can’t meet—at least, not yet.
Wide-Angle. GoPros come with that distinctive ultra-wide-angle fisheye look. It’s possible to change the settings to a narrower perspective, but that’s just cropping the image. But wide-angle can be a double-edged sword. It’s wonderful for big subjects or if you can get in very, very close to take the shot. It can create a great immersive look that especially suits action shots. If you want to capture the immense scale of being under the main dome of St Paul’s Cathedral or the cramped quarters inside an Antarctic expedition lifeboat during a drill, wide-angle is the way to go. But most of the time it’s pretty terrible for wildlife unless you can get up close and personal with the animals, and it’s often not great for people shots unless your subjects don’t mind being a bit stretched.
The rule of thumb is that you’ll need to get in very close to your subject or it’ll be small in the frame. And you can remove the fisheye effect in post-processing.
To compare it with a perspective you might already be very familiar with, here’s an example compared with the perspective from an iPhone 6.
Here’s another example. They were both taken from the same spot, with the cameras one on top of the other, and haven’t been cropped at all in post-processing. You’ll also notice the very different in-camera results–I haven’t applied any post-processing or color correction to either of them.
Pros and Cons of Using a GoPro as an Everyday or Travel Camera
Can you use a GoPro as a travel camera? Absolutely. But before you rely exclusively on your GoPro for that once-in-a-lifetime trip, here’s a rundown of the main pros and cons.
I often get asked whether GoPro cameras make good travel cameras and whether you can take a GoPro exclusively and leave the larger traditional cameras at home.
It’s a good question. GoPros have a lot going for them that make them an attractive option to throw in the backpack for a travel adventure. And while I’m focusing here on using them for photos, their video quality is excellent for the price and size. They’re small and light, rugged, and the image quality is remarkably good. And they’re very easy to use.
I’m focusing here on the GoPro HERO5 Black and HERO4 Silver (for reasons I explain further down this post), but in many respects, the same principles apply for any of the GoPro cameras.
HERO9 Black
More everything.
More
resolution.
Shoot stunning 5K video that
maintains serious detail even when zooming in and capturing 14.7MP frame grabs.
Also records in 4K, 2.7K, 1440p and 1080p.
More pixels.
Capture crisp, pro-quality 20MP
photos—and use SuperPhoto to make sure you get the shot.
Max Lens Mod
The new Max Lens Mod delivers
unbreakable Max HyperSmooth stabilization and Max SuperView, Our widest-angle
perspective yet.
More
screens.
A new front display serves up a live
preview for easy selfie framing—while the large rear touch screen delivers
intuitive control.
More stability.
HyperSmooth 3.0—now
featuring in-camera horizon leveling—is our most advanced
stabilization ever.
8x
Slo-Mo.
HERO9 Black captures up to 240 frames
per second for astonishing 8x slo-mo.
More
acceleration.
Record mesmerizing time-lapse videos
with TimeWarp 3.0. Go all out or tap Speed Ramp to slow the action while
recording.
HindSight
Capture up to 30 seconds of footage
before you start recording. Even if you press the shutter button too late,
you’ll still get the shot.
Specifications
General
Information
Brand
GoPro
Action
Cam Operations
Model
HERO9
Display Type
LCD
4K Movie Recording
Yes
Live View
Yes
Time Lapse Video
Yes
Burst Shot
Yes
Video Formats
H.264
Image Stabilisation
Yes
Loop Recording
Yes
Microphone
Yes
Min Shutter Speed
2 seconds
Time-lapse Photo
Yes
Touch Screen
Yes
Voice Control
Yes
Wind/Noise Reduction
Yes
Audio Formats
WAV
Camera
Build & Portability
Colour
Black
Height
5.5 cms
Width
7.1 cms
Depth
3.36 cms
Waterproof without
Housing
33 ft
Data
Storage Related
Card Reader
SD Card
Sensor
Details
Effective Pixels
20 MP
Camera
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Yes
Audio Jack
3.5 mm
GPS
Yes
Microphone (input)
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
USB
USB-C
HDMI
Yes
Battery
Related
Battery Type
Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)
Power
Details
Battery Capacity
1720 mAh
Additional
Features
Features
·
Night Lapse Video, Webcam
Mode, RAW in All Photo Modes, Exposure Control
·
Digital Lenses, TimeWarp
3.0 Video, 8x Slo-Mo
·
100 Mbps Bit Rate, Stereo
Audio
·
Auto Offload to Phone
·
Touch Zoom, Protune
In
The Box & Warranty
In The Box
Rechargeable Battery,
Curved Adhesive Mount, Mounting Buckle, USB-C Cable, Thumb Screw, Camera Case
Warranty
2 Years
- MSI Laptop Brand.
- Toshiba.
- Acer.
- ASUS.
- Lenovo.
- Samsung.
- Dell.
- HP.