So I this will be a short post. If you have been following along with me, you know I am itching to start vacationing again… in the next few months… I am hoping to transform this blog into a travel blog, with an accompanying podcasts or Youtube channel. Or Both. In preparation for my upcoming travels and plans…. I decided to start looking for a something that will take better pictures than my iPhone. But as a person that is new to photography, videography, Vlogging and etc… I had no idea what I was looking for. None. But then I remembered my brother came on a family cruise with a GoPro he’d just purchased… and the footage from that was great. So that is where I started looking.

I called my brother up… and he had nothing but good things to say about it. He had a GoPro 5. He didn’t see a thing wrong with me purchasing one. So I went on the hunt… Usually when looking at purchasing something… the first people I go to are my family. In a lot of instances… they have great opinions and this was one of them. None the less… I still read the reviews online. (I wish people would learn how to write reviews…. You have to take what people write with a grain of salt.) There was an overwhelming amount of positive reviews. (There was a small portion of people complaining about overheating. And while that premise bothered me…. I didn’t think that I was going to be using enough to constitute overheating.) So I ordered it from Amazon. (Thank Goodness for 2 day shipping.) You can purchase it also at

• Best Buy
• REI
• Target
• B&H Photo
• Dick’s Sporting Goods

Even with seeing the picture online… I am not sure I was prepared for the size of the camera. I was skeptical about what they said I would be able to capture with such a small device. But I stand corrected. I do remember the footage my brother shot. I’ll repost it from my blurb about the family cruise. If you have seen it already… Sorry. I remember that it is waterproof which is all the more reason that I made the purchase.

I remember standing in Target and looking at their GoPro display. (They have a wonderful presentation btw. All kinds of great video.) Target was where I learned that the GoPro are called action cameras… makes sense to me. Now with the pandemic… I haven’t had a lot of chances to try out the camera. So after purchasing it… it sat on my desk for awhile. I know that I promised myself that once when I was able to get out I would start a healthier lifestyle. It didn’t dawn on me that I could use test out on a bike ride. I gathered everything up and headed out to a trail that I enjoy. Here are some of the things that I noticed and enjoyed.

• Color Front facing camera – (My brother did not have that on his 5… so that was super helpful. Vlogging comes to mind.)
• The Hero 9 Black can capture up to 5K footage at up to 30 fps. For stills, you now get access to 20-megapixel pictures, which is up from 12-megapixels in the previous version. (Downside:T he disadvantage is that you’re limited to 30 frames per second (fps) in 5K, whereas at 4K you can shoot 60 fps.
• The mounting arms are built into the underside of the Hero 9 camera – and that means you don’t need to worry about whether or not the camera will fit in any specific cases or on particular mounts or handles. You just screw it directly onto any of them using the standard screw pin. (This made it so much easier to ride and not worry about the camera.
• Voice Commands- This was hands down the best thing to me…. it made it so much easier to get on with my ride without having to touch the camera all the time. (Watch out Whistler here I come. )
• Automated Editing with the GoPro App – For a person just starting out… This is an invaluable tool. The GoPro app can automatically stitch together your footage and try to put together customizable arrangements of your shots to create videos. In the app, you can even get still shots from the video. (Downside: The other downside with shooting at 5K is that most mobile devices aren’t capable of playing it, so there’s no previewing in the mobile app. You’ll have to download the footage to your laptop or desktop.)

Smartphones can do most of what the GoPro can. You get HD video with image stabilization, and apps can provide in-depth time-lapse features.  The GoPro Hero 9 Black is a truly waterproof camera that can work comfortably underwater down depths of 33 feet. (I don’t see myself going down that far…. But it is nice to know.) The slightly larger display nets slightly larger icons and buttons, good if your fingers are a little clumsy like mine. I also bought some accessories…. The Chesty, Headband and the selfie stick are pretty awesome. And much easier to use than I thought. Made biking so much easier. Not to mention HyperSmooth. Stabilization is available in every mode. GoPro calls its digital system HyperSmooth, and it lives up to its name. The camera removes bumps and jostles from handheld footage.

Needless to say, I have had a good time learning my little camera… and I can totally see myself snowboarding down Whistler mountain and capturing everything I can. If I had to assign stars, I would give it 4.5 out of 5. If you are active and want to capture great footage… this is the camera to do it. I did invest in the extra batteries and a charger. It came with 3 extra batteries that can charge at the same time. So if you plan on being outside for a while you may also want to invest in that. If you are active and want to capture great footage… this is the camera to do it. So that is all for now. So that is all for now.