GoPro HERO9 - Horizon Leveling & HyperSmooth 3.0 Comparison

The HERO9 Black was just released and comes with an all new level of stabilization in the form of horizon leveling in-camera, as well as full 360 degree horizon lock with Max Lens Mod. I walk you through HyperSmooth 3.0 with a bunch of comparison videos.
Horizon Leveling is available as a new digital lens in all modes in the HERO9 Black.
All cameras were shot with these settings:
Bitrate: High
ISO MIN: 100
ISO MAX: 400
WB: AUTO
Sharpness: LOW
EV Comp: 0
Resolution and framerate varies between shots
Thanks to Matt Cook for the foiling shots!
And thanks Zadia Larouche for always running for the camera!
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Blog & Website: abekislevitz.com/
Instagram: / abekislevitz
Music I use for KZbin & Instagram
Musicbed: goo.gl/uMyDgY
#HERO9 #HorizonLeveling #HyperSmooth3.0

[@GamingFreaks]

Horizon Leveling + HyperSmooth 3.0 = Mind Blowing

[@YaoGamers]

still noticed some pixelation on some clips though

[@VideoShowMeHow]

That. Is. Incredible!

[@codybrucewilliams]

you should check out the cheap insta360 go, they call it flowrate stabalization

[@alan_kylim]

+ Lens Mod Horizontal lock on

[@QSpeedRacer]

Insta360 been doing awhile about time gopro added for us

[@RayMak]

Horizon Leveling is quite amazing....

[@jorgeam6799]

Just with that fuck all the competitors.. is amazing

[@THEMATT222]

Hmmmm. 3rd time I saw your comment on the internet, lol. Coincidence or algorithm??

[@THEMATT222]

.....or you comment a lot or I watch too much KZbin.

[@adriantsui1689]

Why the hell are you everywhere man

[@THEMATT222]

@@adriantsui1689 ikr

[@ChrisRogers]

Hypersmooth 1.0 has left the chat* great comparison video dude!

[@dbulletproof]

😆

[@MatthewVandeputte]

😂

[@wyattscheerer6469]

Honesty I like some shake in vid otherwise u can’t tell how big a bump was Or how big a Slope

[@LuisPerez-zn3zy]

INCREÍBLE 😱😱😱😱 kzbin.info/www/bejne/imfaZq2sobyle8U

[@НатальяДиана-ж6я]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKm2c4aej5umnbc.

[@51Drones]

Wow. This video removed any regret I had about ordering the 9. Great channel man!

[@GatewoodBrown]

Your rig gets bigger every year! We appreciate the detailed comparisons from an insider. Thank you!

[@Vlican]

This is mindblowing amount of stabilization! You've got the best comparison on KZbin! Thanks for doing this!

[@heyitsarnieasada]

That horizon leveling is such a game changer. GoPro was already great with stabilization and somehow it got even better!

[@woszkar]

This video is far one of the best currently on KZbin! Very useful and informative. Thank you!

[@ShaneDRymer]

Awesome comparison video - but hardly any comments on your footage. The framing, quality, and colorization is so freaking lush!

[@rjkral]

GREAT video review. STRAIGHT to the point without any fluff or filler. Well done!

[@Dcrainmaker]

That crossbeam!

[@chilli-iceolive-abode2447]

So many cool toys!! Between the cameras and the big water toys I am beyond jealous. This video makes your life look like an advert.

[@SeanOzz]

Woah. Looks like the gopro max in hero mode still kicks some serious butt. I need a second one badly. Such a good camera.

[@TheZabutican]

This is a great comparison, thank you for taking the time for showing us this!

[@redjiveaviation8367]

Imagine enjoying your day on the beach and then you see a grown man running around and chasing birds while violently shaking a multi camera rig as well as chasing a woman at full speed

[@abekislevitz]

Yeah you gotta make sure no one is around. 💁🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@redjiveaviation8367]

Abe Kislevitz lol

[@wjw4c]

RedJive Aviation bonus points if they were a black man.

[@cokorda]

Not usually commenting, but this comparison feature is one of the best I’ve seen so far. Very clear and informative. Subscribed!

[@GriffinKerwin]

The people who disliked this video really like their Hero 2...

[@33yearsoldcarpenter]

Gopro kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnirp6pmZdCdeck

[@sobotametanlistes7503]

I dislike this video because the gopro 9 with no stabilization and gopro 8 wide are fixed on the outside and therefore I think they suffer more vibrations and movement during rotation; they are further away from the rotation fulcrum (if you look at the top view at minute 0:30 you will see that the external one moves much more than the internal one). If we are looking at the subtleties between gopro8 linear and wide, then I look at these things too. You can compare them 2 at a time with the same distance from the fulcrum. It makes no sense to me to use these attacks. PS: if you don't believe it, try taking a shot by rotating only the wrist and then also rotating the forearm by the same angle.

[@jefff4625]

Osmo die hard fans

[@FightCollective]

Picture quality does look better in the 8 though.... especially the lighing.

[@wanderer86]

yea, what is there to NOT like about this video. Very well done.

[@kproductioncanada]

Took me less than 35 sec to click LIKE. Perfect example of quality comparaison. Great work guys!

[@kintaro_f]

plot twist: that girl on the beach got scared by the crazy guy chasing the seagulls with the many cameras, ran away and he continued to chase her at max speed down the beach 😄

[@Sam-op7qz]

The horizon leveling is the biggest game changer in some time. I’ve shot on a Ronin M for almost 4 years now and the stability capability of the 9 is astounding. Great review man!

[@JohnHicksFilm]

great comparison. is it just me or is the 360 MAX camera much wider fov than the 9 with max mod? edit - referring to while in superview max mode

[@abekislevitz]

John Hicks you’re right, it’s definitely wider. Max lens mod falls somewhere between true max superview and GoPro wide without hypersmooth - so better than any standard GoPro but not quite the level of MAX. Right now it’s prioritizing better stabilization over FOV. In the future I would love to experiment with a toggle that says priority for FOV over stab. We’ll see, but still looks great for POV applications.

[@vernnorrgard2196]

Glad to hear my Max isn’t obsolete already! 😜 Kidding obviously, I love how creative I can be with the Max but the 9 is looking amazing.

[@vernnorrgard2196]

Assuming there’s also something telling the camera that the Max lens is on? It seemed to act differently with that lens, like in the promo video, the pilot shot going 360 degrees around.

[@Mark1594q]

Vern Norrgard cant compare an Ad video to normal video. They put too much money on editing that video for sure.

[@Mark1594q]

Vern Norrgard perks of having a max is theres no new version yet. Unlike gopro hero every year they upgraded the camera.

[@vernnorrgard2196]

This is almost 5 year old proof, it’s amazing how far technology has come in the decade. To think what we were doing with a Hero 2 back in 2011 to what we have now is insane! Thank you GoPro for constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

[@opedromagico]

Such beeeeautiful images!! Thanks for the video

[@jacobdimick7070]

Literally the best channel for understanding gopro cameras

[@AuthenTech]

I want a link to that rig! :)

[@abekislevitz]

AuthenTech - Ben Schmanke ask and you shall receive ! www.adorama.com/ktkn2289.html and then many custom additions!

[@AuthenTech]

@@abekislevitz - awesome, thank you! And huge kudos to this fantastic side by side comparison! RIP on that edit for syncing and timeline scrubbing, average viewer doesn't know how much work this is. 👏

[@abekislevitz]

AuthenTech - Ben Schmanke haha thanks Ben ! It’s definitely a beast, quickly realized proxies were a must for scrubbing! I only do this once a year I can’t imagine how long all your reviews take to make !!

[@VloggingOdisha]

I was looking for you video bro.. but why you are late bro :)

[@SeanOzz]

I need one too

[@aero-vista7123]

Fantastic demo! I just ordered a hero 9 for an FPV drone and will now get the max lens mod too. FPV drone + Hero 9 + Max lens Mod + Max Hypersmooth + Horizon Lock should equal some amazing footage!

[@geraldbaria]

These locations are amazing!

[@ahstudio_se]

Here we go again Abe's launch features videos... and I love it! 😍 The Linear + Horizon demo on the hydrofoil looks smoooth.

[@tuhixmaster2257]

Imagine someone running and shaking his 6 cameras really hard while moves towards you

[@CameraBrent]

Now there is a comparison! Wow, great work getting all that laid out and dang good settings comparison. Thanks Abe!

[@esgee3829]

this drives home for me, with several 8s, that i will hold off on the 9. Really want higher bitrate readout from sensor and a larger sensor. that will be worth paying for.

[@abekislevitz]

Totally, the 8 is great.

[@НатальяДиана-ж6я]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKm2c4aej5umnbc.

[@MarkHawk]

Another year, another great overview. I wish I'd some of these same tools to play with back in the day. Glad to see you're still doing to comparisons and pushing side by side clarity all around. Hope to see you get a long-overdue 100k Playback button soon. Best, MarkHawkCam-

[@alanmlkbanda]

5:14 the quality of that shot is impressive...

[@deeek92]

This is the best comparison video on youtube! The best!

[@brawlasaur9981]

Would love to have a gopro if my life was actually interesting

[@mgn0]

it's funny but after I bought my gopro my life got interesting, I started do more different things to film, save money for a new bike, for travelling backpacking. it's two choices, complaining or try to create a new life

[@worlwr2]

Easy way is to just cycle everywhere in your area. The GoPro will act as your action cam, road security cam, and PoV vlog cam while on the bike. Then share interesting or exciting parts to KZbin, Instagram, a cycling specific sub-reddit, etc.

[@НатальяДиана-ж6я]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKm2c4aej5umnbc.

[@mutulix]

Now this Horizon Leveling is trully a game changer. Unbelivable feature! Well done GoPro, well done!

[@riez1150]

The Hero 9 doesn’t come with great life adventures

[@piyushhmusic]

yeah it's a goddamn camera not a vacation package

[@riez1150]

piyushh OK PUNDEK

[@martmeister]

The demos you did are insane. Great review of the technology. And that jet ski action through that canyon? 🤯

[@jackSTi410]

Dude I love your videos! I just wish you would post more that would be sick

[@MatthewVandeputte]

Seriously mind blowing stuff. Great comparison video dude!

[@perikulum6102]

I just want to add that Hero 8 also supports horizon leveling but through the app. Its not built in like in Hero 9. I would like to see the difference with Horizon leveling on both cams, if there is any.

[@worlwr2]

I would like to see this too. It's frustrating though to enable horizon leveling for the Hero 8 as you have to keep certain settings enabled / disabled and sometimes the app simply refuses to show the horizon level option even with video taken at the correct settings that is supposed to enable it as an option in edit frame mode. Sometimes clearing the app's cache and force stopping the app CAN fix it but not always or not right away.

[@НатальяДиана-ж6я]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKm2c4aej5umnbc.

[@ElDukeAy]

AAAAABE!!!! Great to see a new video from you, and also the launch of the new HERO 9. Great comparison as always, and best of luck with the new GOPRO HERO 9. I upgrade to the new one every year, so I'm looking forward to its new features. Can't wait to see new content from you as well. Cheers!

[@CarlosCosta94]

Always on point 👌

[@sandeeprm]

One of the best videos explaining GoPro horizon lock features 👌🏻

[@FayzFishingAdventure]

great comparison, cant wait to have this new gopro😎

[@DianKuChannel]

Apakaps om 😅, salam kenal tukang review drone

[@Ishaanstube]

This is the best GoPro comparison video on KZbin.👍

[@dustywhite2]

This is like having a $500 steadicam. This changes everything. I always avoided buying a GoPro because of that stupid fisheye perspective, but being able to film as clear and as sharply as a DSLR in getting action shots And not having to worry about dropping your camera or getting it wet insane. (I got mine 30 minutes after GoPro dropped the video on KZbin)

[@ChrisParayno]

Agreed, always hatted the super wide angle look.

[@rhn4710]

it's not as sharp as a dslr though. As much as I love the gopro a camera without continuous digital corrections and enhancements will always have a higher frame quality, not sure if I'm explaining myself correctly. With that said, of course the hero9 (and even 8) are phenomenal at their job, but again you can't beat a dslr definition imo (because footage size doesn't necessarily mean more detail, just more pixels)

[@НатальяДиана-ж6я]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKm2c4aej5umnbc.

[@dingomatic]

This is the type of review nobody else will cover. Thanks man!

[@GadgetJeffTV]

Awesome video. However, I think i am going to wait another year until Hero10 comes out with HyperSmooth 4.0

[@LucyLeheilleix]

Incredible stabilization out of this camera. At first, I didn’t like the hero 9, but it’s now really growing on me. Fantastic video thanks! 🙏

[@2themax236]

The stabalization on the Hero 9 looks like such a step up from the Hero 8! Do you lose a lot of FOV on the new GoPro once you enable horizon leveling?

[@krane15]

One advantage of 5K. I'm thinking once you down sample to 4K you should lose little to none. I hope someone reviews that so we can know for sure although the crop was pretty negligible to begin with.

[@Robertsson]

This is the exact reason I got the Max Lens Mod 1.0 for my GoPro Hero 10 Awesome comparison video!

[@Ts97it]

With the horizon level activated, you lost quality of the video or its the same? Can I activate it with 4k and 60 fps or only in determinate resolutions?

[@peschex0d]

in this video it looks visually the same (thanks to YT compression and limited my display size) and I guess it wouldn't take any difference while one is watching a smartphone's screen. that said, I doubt it is mathematically as good as the original picture was. since the e-stabilization needs some extra sensor space around the picture, I don't think GoPro got some magic to keep leveling at 4K resolutions too.

[@НатальяДиана-ж6я]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKm2c4aej5umnbc.

[@peschex0d]

@@НатальяДиана-ж6я well it's a good face to face comparison video, but I doubt I'd buy GoPro 9 after it. Actually I need nothing beyond the 8th and I just expect some price drop of the 8th. Which is fine of course ))

[@GuillaumeCornetfilms]

The only hero 9 test you need to watch! Cheers Abe for this super duper quality in-depth comparison!

[@alvarodelahoz4893]

GoPro9 + Max Lens is a massive improvement for ski filming. I'm thinking of perfect follow-cams with ski poles thanks to the horizon leveling, a much wider POV for steep freeride or couloirs, and finally, a front screen for framing face-shots. A Game-changer for skiers. GoProMax has to improve the stitching...

[@bluray9272]

The amount of Tech packed in such a small device is phenomenal!! An awesome product and amazing video production 👍🏼

[@jackbellysingh6140]

Buying GoPro HERO9... GoPro HERO9: Send me back , ur life too boring..

[@jamisontidwell2724]

Big ups Abe. This video is really helpful to anyone who is really seeing the pros with the new 9.

[@michaelgrand8588]

Imagen he drops all the gopros and all lenses break

[@somenygaard]

Incredibly well put together video. Good job!

[@szwagijer]

* to much stabilization in motocross/enduro/downhill etc. takes away a lot of action from your video.

[@BryanGreig]

Thanks for taking the time to make this! Very useful for making a decision to upgrade or not! Hero 6 + GoPro Max combo still going strong over here, but definitely tempted to swap out the 6 for the 9 now!

[@abekislevitz]

That’s a great combo, you could suffice with that for years!! I use my Max for POV stuff a lot and my hero8 (now hero9) for photos and stuff, so the higher MP and front screen have been a savior for my photo game.

[@danielaniq]

They could've just release a new firmware update to hero 8 adding those

[@markstrickland438]

Great video! This is the best demonstration of the new capabilities of the Hero 9. I'm definitely sold on the 9.

[@JamieHines]

Okay your video just sold me especially with the auto-leveling Horizon features. Incredible

[@Liberty4Ever]

Wow! What a great comparison. Thank you for making the effort so we could see these videos side by side to make an informed purchasing decision. To me, horizon leveling is an incredible technology that does a great job of professionally showcasing the scenery but it makes my adventures look less adventurous.

[@mayufitcook]

Wow you saved so many creators time. Super informative! Thank you so much

[@em-oh-ji3853]

WOW... Thank you so much! this helps a lot. Just got the Hero 9 Yesterday and I'm so excited to use it today for my camping trip. See what sort of shot I can get for my short holiday :) thank you so much! hope you upload more information about other stuff in Hero 9 :)

[@K3V0M]

I haven't looked at GoPros from the Hero 4 days. The stabilization looks absolutely incredible.

[@architectmerdanmeredov83]

very very very cool explanation man. I also like the backgrounds and design of your video, dope!!

[@randysmith6493]

Good job on video build. I remember in the late 80’s when Steady Cams came out. Expensive, would throw your back out, Heavy, and rented for a lot of money. Now the whole thing is a few ounces and fits in your shirt pocket and you can buy two for the cost of the rental and insurance of the 80’s Steady Cam.

[@940857]

Awesome video with great comparison!

[@jordanscarrott3749]

This is a really comprehensive comparison. Thank you. Great video

[@vivekhalnor9119]

your clip was in the promo! awesome man!

[@abekislevitz]

Yeew!

[@AmbientWalking]

Thanks for this!!! Wow! Horizon Leveling is so awesome!

[@klinglerinsurance]

Great video! Straight to it and shot in some dope locations.

[@RiellyMilne]

Outstanding video mate! Bravo

[@POWERLINKBIKE]

Best Hero9 review so far..

[@wanderpow]

That's amazing. Thanks for the great demo. I honestly didn't even know about Horizon Levelling and I bought the Hero9.

[@wanderpow]

One question though - how much did Horizon Levelling eat up the battery? I assume it uses a lot more?

[@AZdroptop]

Well done sir. Any your lady friend needs a raise...she did a lot of running for the vid. :)

[@antonchernyshov8759]

Useful info and amazing backgrounds, dude!!! Thanks

[@StephenPeot]

HUGE thanks for putting all that work into this video it really made it obvious the new changes. 👍

[@johnreps]

The best comparison

[@RuttsGK]

Thanks for this! Brilliant comparison video!

[@angusdavidson15]

The horizon leveling will be a game changer for both action cameras and GoPro.

[@ZackP1]

I have the same jetski and I am planning to get the gopro 9 as soon as it's available again.(All sold out in China within the first 4 hours basically on release day). This is the reassurance that I needed, great comparison video, thanks!

[@jonathanlanderos2266]

Dude this comparison you did is awesome

[@getmarked]

This comparison is next level!

[@ubermensch5127]

absolute amazing review. SOLID job

[@petersvan7880]

This is very impressive, thank you for showing!

[@MESHvlogs]

AMAZING COMPARISON. THANK YOU FOR GIVING US A BEAUTIFUL OVERVIEW! :)

[@hullagtpp]

Awesome comparison man ... just awesome

[@gabrielestay.]

Que buen video y profesional brother, lo mejor que he visto en comparaciones gopro, saludos!

[@armando.visuals]

Great video! Was also comparing the color difference in the footage. It helped a lot.

[@wdhale14094]

Always a pleasure ✌️

[@gvbalajee]

Perfect Abe this is so good demo analysis

[@NateRisch]

Huge thanks for this comparison Abe!

[@krane15]

Best comparison yet. Thanks for that

[@hayabusa27]

This is the best video of Hero 9 horizon leveling

[@AdventuresofRon]

Abe you’re a legend as always! & that’s such a dope rig!!