NOW DO THIS...
1 GIMME 5K
The Hero9 Black is the first action cam that shoots at 5K resolution… but to fire up 5K filming mode, you first need to make sure its framerate is dropped to 30fps. In video mode, tap on the shooting mode option at bottom centre of the screen. Prod the pen icon, followed by ‘RES / FPS’. Select 30 in the bottom row then 5K in the second row and you’re ready to roll.
2 BE STILL
All the extra pixels in that new 23.6MP sensor don’t just deliver crispy video – they also mean sharper photos. To shoot hi-res 20MP stills, fire up your Hero9 and tap the power button to cycle through the modes. Once you’re in photo mode, select the shooting mode option at bottom centre and make sure Photo or Night Photo is selected – not Burst, as that captures smaller 8MP snaps.
3 PLAN A PAN
Program your Gopro to take photos and videos at a specific time by looking for a clock icon on your screen in any shooting mode. Don’t see one? You can change your on-screen shortcuts by long-pressing them. In the list of options, find Scheduled Capture, select it, and in the top of your frame you’ll see some numbers. Select them and pick a time for the cam to start shooting by itself.
4 STAY ON THE LEVEL
Sure, the Hero9 Black can keep your footage steady, but it also keeps it even. To activate this next-level stabilisation, go into video mode, select the lens icon and pick the second option from the bottom: Linear + Horizon Levelling. Now tilts to either side will be eaten up by in-camera smarts – but be warned, for extreme tiltathons you’ll need the Max Lens Mod (see left) to keep your horizon horizontal.
5 WATCH YOURSELF
If you’re picking up the Hero9 Black for that vlogtastic selfie screen, brace yourself for some choppy preview footage when shooting at max resolution. Gopro drops the front screen’s framerate to as low as 5fps when capturing 5K, which can be offputting. If you want a smooth preview, simply drop the resolution to 4K @ 60fps, following the instructions outlined in tip 1 above.
6 TURN BACK TIME
Ever miss a priceless moment because your finger hit the record button too late? Never again. With Hindsight you can rewind time by five seconds, so your Gopro starts shooting before you ask it to (as long as it’s switched on). To activate this trickery, long-press a shortcut while in video mode to change it; now scroll to the bottom half of the shortcut list until you see Hindsight.