The Coolest Pieces of Gear We Tested This Week

It’s no surprise that the latest and greatest camera from the fine crew at GoPro has quite literally blown my hair back. The GoPro HERO9 Black is quite possibly the most fun I’ve had with a camera in years. As a lifelong camera nerd, I’ve had my hands on just about every new digital revelation when it comes to optical glass and sensors, and while I’ll never give up my collection of 1D DSLR bodies from Canon, I often have to scale it back and pack lightweight. Which reminds me of something my photography professor told in college: “The very best camera on planet, will always be the one you have with you.”

That being said, the HERO9 is almost always with me these days. The specs alone are enough to make any camera enthusiast blush—5K video, 20MP photos, 33-feet water submersion, WiFi + Bluetooth connectivity, ultra-smooth image stabilization, 8X slow motion, foldable mounting fingers, 30% longer battery life, detachable lens, and it can even live stream at 1080p… the list goes on. But the big new feature to this camera is something we never thought we’d appreciate as much as we do: the front LCD display screen with live preview. Now, you can view video from the front or the rear, with crystal clear resolution. This is a very nice upgrade.

This is the next big thing from GoPro, and at a price point that most camera nerds wouldn’t think twice about, this is the camera for all your summertime adventures. You won’t even know you have it on you, until you need it, and you can effortlessly capture those beautiful fleeting moments in life.—Jon Perino, senior editor

Bonus: You can get up to $200 off when you bundle up.

[$499.98; gopro.com]

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