GOPRO MAX VS. MAX LENS MOD. IT’S NOT EVEN A CONTEST!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

You can get $150 off the Max directly from GoPro via my link! prf.hn/l/OJpevBN

[@stel4444]

not really

[@paulwintermute1495]

The footage on the max is so much smoother than the hero. It really bumps the quality of the edit. Keep the max!

[@TheLoamRanger]

Pretty interesting. The MAX seems to handle lower shutter speeds much better than the 9. What I’d love to see is a comparison between the cameras with a higher max ISO. Maybe 3200 or so. Both cameras should do really well on the stabilization front with that setting, but I’d love to see how each type of sensor handles higher ISO. My 9 really falls apart at higher ISO which is crappy, but not surprising considering how many pixels they crammed into that tiny sensor. Thanks for the comparison man, much appreciated!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Good call! I figured the Lower iso limit would push the hypersmooth even more and the 9 totally crapped out!

[@offroad8192]

Ok, hear me out... what if you used a gimbal with the GoPro 7 and then put it through Reelsteady? That way one could use the widest lens possible while having some shaking removed by the gimbal and then fine tuned it with the reelsteady software to make it perfect... Am I the only one thinking about doing this?

[@ajmarshall6158]

@@offroad8192 I would be interested to see how that works out!

[@drftkng.]

That was an outstanding comparison and really pushed both cameras. I have the exact same setup, since getting my Max I've only used the Hero9 a handful of times. Its still a great camera but the Max is just so versatile.

[@rubbersidedown5620]

Thanks for these videos Mark! I recently bought a GoPro Max after doing a bunch of research and your videos were a huge part of that. I'm really impressed with the field of view of it. The only place I find it falls short is on really bumpy technical trails but everywhere else it's buttery smooth.

[@MichaelLaws2011]

I have the hero 9 + max lens mod. The hypersmooth seems to really need and key in on a visible horizon. If there isn't a visible horizon, like most of your videos, then the hypersmooth does not perform well at all. The gopro max is definitely the better option for your requirements. Great video and comparison!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks!

[@shanebraniff6198]

Ur so under rated. Before isolation episodes I had never even heard of you. Not trying to offend u at all, in fact you've easily become one of my favorite content creators hands down.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

ha that's crazy! Thanks so much.

[@davoodazimpourfardtehrany2187]

The sound in Max is unbelievable! 👍

[@downrodeo]

Great timing, am just contemplating a cam for riding/building and you just answered my plight so thank you. :)

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yes!

[@cyberbri6899]

Wow! Great riding skills!! I found a great deal on the Max but some revues had me second guessing if I wanted it but after watching your video, I love the stability of the video!! Very smooth for such a rough trail!!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

The stabilization is next level!

[@mbkvlogs1401]

Exactly what I needed thank you definitely helped me choice for my moto vlogs

[@scp8412]

great review! Such a difference for stabilization, and quality is quite good still.

[@gabeasher187]

I have the Max and another thing to note other than the better stabilization is the mic quality. It picks up voices and almost eliminates winds at high speed at the same time. Nice vid!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yep! Thanks

[@RobJMTB]

I do have a question, why are you so awesome?! I've been wanting to get the Max for some time now but always skeptical of the price point. If my channel ever takes off, I feel like this will be the next step in camera gear for sure! Thanks Mark!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks rob!! Good choice for sure

[@rowantrefz8906]

Insane trails! Love the comparison, thank you

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful

[@lifesolo]

Fokk man!!!! You just nailed it !!!!!! Thank you so much bro!!!

[@ElFamosoArt]

Just the video i was looking for, thank you!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Awesome! Thanks. I will do a similar comparison with the hero 11 soon

[@nhu4202]

Great review and mad skillz on the bike!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks Jerry!

[@MilatovichFamily]

Did you enven turn on hypersmooth on hero 9? It looks really shaky video and I never saw such shaky video on gopro hero 9 and even I have hero 9 and I do not have shaky videos.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yes it’s the low light

[@edsoncampos8947]

Horizon lock off for the go pro 9 and that it goes super smooth. I made that mistake on my motorcycle. After that it doesn't shake anymore.

[@nav8656]

you have super good production quality. Nice!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thank you!

[@DirtCityMTB]

Great vid as always! I have the Hero 8 Black and had the same issue in low light on my last video. The Max is way smoother. Leads me to believe the sensor may be larger compared to the other cameras. I want to take a deep dive into the settings to find the best low light settings possible. Do you use regular hypersmooth or do you hypersmooth boost? Thanks for testing this out. If all else fails for me, I may just buy a Max in the future.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Regular hypersmooth, the boost isn’t helpful in low light. Yep, the max must have a larger sensor. I want to play with low light settings more too since it’s so dark here often

[@chas4life]

This was very helpful. I am looking to replace my DJI OSMO Action but not for video quality reasons as much as AUDIO. GoPro seems to have dialed in wind reduction much better than DJI, and as I ride a motorcycle offroad this is important to me. Combined with the other features of the Max (horizon leveling and actual 360 footage) ,its a no brainer. The Max is the way to go for action at speed.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

100% how I feel

[@R1ACE]

Great review, can I just say, it would have been more fair to record with both cameras in 1080p. This is because when the Max is set to 1440p it records in 1920x1440, there are more vertical pixels for up and movement within a frame, but detail is exactly the same as 1080p.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Good point!

[@timoschrysostomou4864]

Awesome content 🔥 Horizon leveling on or off for the max? How do u prefer it?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I prefer off

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

And thanks!! 🙏

[@Ggggggggggggg2342]

Amazing video review, thank you for helping us make a decision, you made it easy.

[@anthonyd9984]

Thanks for the great video, super helpful! When the MAX is set to 'hero mode' do you still need to go through the extra step from spherical to linear in post via the app or does it just record a linear format like a normal gopro?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

No extra work in post needed. You get a higher quality than 360 mode even though its not quite as wide I like how it's not as distorted.

[@acksultimatechannel6152]

I have the hero 9 black but don’t have the extra lense thing

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

How are you liking it?

[@acksultimatechannel6152]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB I like it good it works good for me

[@rzfpv2823]

Wow you have some insane control and skill. Great video thanks for sharing 🔥

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks!!

[@rosskline]

The footage from the Max is definitely my favorite, but the audio quality is terrible! Just lifeless. It noise-cancelled out all the trail noise. Would definitely need to do the dead cat trick.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Agreed I like the Audio a little more on the 9

[@freeridetony]

I'm using also the GoPro MAX , sometimes like it , sometimes no, because of the 1440p maximum resolution.. 😎

[@Digtoride]

The gopro max took smoother captures than the hero 9, and to me, even if the hero 9 records in a higher resolution, the gopro max it look's like it has better image quality

[@SimonGraber]

Hey man, 1440p on the max only allows for 4:3 format? Did you stretch it? Also why not 60 fps for fast sports like donwhill?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

dragged it into a 1080p 16:9 timeline when editing. I prefer 30FPS, I like the motion blur.

[@SimonGraber]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB Okay I see.

[@mtbville]

Are you planning to get a gopro ten in the fall?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

all I want is a max honestly.

[@88infinite]

I saw some comments about audio but did you use an external mic or the built in mic? Thx.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Built in mic

[@midshralp6095]

how do you make your Instagram videos so smooth? I have the same camera and it looks great on my app and computer until I post it to instagram its always really blurry and distorted. what fit do you use 16:1, 4:3,? I just cant get it to look clear on instagram.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I shoot it vertical for Instagram and export it as a lower bit rate so IG won’t compress it too much

[@midshralp6095]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB so you have your camera set up with a vertical mount?

[@tonyr5806]

What little point and shoot camera were you recording this video with?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Sony zv-1

[@FatTraction]

Great video! What audio settings did you have on the Max? If it's in stereo mode the rear mic will be getting blocked by the chest mount. This could be the cause of the poor audio

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yes I’ve figured that out

[@sergiogruzdoff2299]

What marin bike do you have?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

My main bike at the moment is the alpine trail xr

[@InfinityFishing]

You should repeat this test with gopro 10 has more natural colour and better low light stabilisation with new chipset , the max lens mod software is not updated but it would till you get a Camera anyway

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Goood call!

[@devomtb]

Love the video! What do you think about the hero 9 on a chin mount? I use it on my chin bar in 4:3 (2.7k) and I think it looks a lot better than the chest mount. I haven't played around with the max lens though, so I'm not sure how that would affect it.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I’m not a fan of chin mounts, i don’t want added weight near my face

[@АхматБайчоров-л4ч]

Большое вам cпасибо! Помогли с выбором !!! Thank you

[@beiderbeck81]

I thought 1080p was the highest resolution for the max using hero mode?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yes, 1440 so it crops to 1080.

[@jrose152]

Do you feel the Max is the winner in the same contest but with the hero 10 with and without max mod instead of the 9? Also, if you export your videos into 4k, even though you record in 1080p, you'll still get youtubes higher bitrate so your videos will look much better then native 1080p on youtube.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yes, i would hardly call the 10 an upgrade from the 9 (just good branding/ marketing), and I agree, I always export in 4k at a high bit rate for KZbin. These are good tips!!

[@jrose152]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB hmmm my first GoPro was a hero 10 and someone recently gave me a GoPro Max. Maybe I will switch over to the max for my MTB videos 🤔

[@parri111]

how much did you fast forward? 10%? 20?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

0 but I’ll take that as a compliment lol

[@parri111]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB neverever!

[@PHRiderDave]

great mark! i just started vlogging but i have gopro9.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Good luck! That's an awesome camera

[@freeridetony]

I use the GoPro MAX and honestly ,this camera is super cool. The voice is a bit strange sometimes, but otherside is quiet, which is good 😎👌

[@pbjfilms5415]

I have the GoPro 6 and it is getting pretty out dated so after watching this video I bought the GoPro max. My question is with the hero 6 I had to buy a wind slayer because of how bad the wind noise is will I have the same problem with the GoPro max?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I find the max audio is significantly better. I've never used anything to help with wind noise.

[@kernowbeeper9260]

That was terrifying to watch! Very useful comparison, thank you.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Cheers!

[@timtb3010]

Hi Mark, amazing video! Where is this beautiful trail and how can I find it or others like him (app or something)? Thanks

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Trailforks for Cumberland, lots of rad stuff!! Thanks

[@georgej7077]

Hey M, great video! I suspect that trail might be on Van Isle, if it is, is it close to P.A.? I wouldn't mind checking it out.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Comox valley!

[@georgej7077]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB Perfect, thx!

[@PreacH0921]

Honestly I fear for my life watching how tight and rough these trails are, I can’t imagine riding them. Wow

[@m3dbs]

Great review. Good lord, you are an incredible rider.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

thanks so much!

[@offroad8192]

Ok, hear me out... what if you used a gimbal with the GoPro 7 and then put it through Reelsteady? That way one could use the widest lens possible while having some shaking removed by the gimbal and then fine tuned it with the reelsteady software to make it perfect... Am I the only one thinking about doing this?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

No software can replace hardware but it's a cool idea! You're making me wanna try!

[@offroad8192]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB oh men please do!! I'm almost pulling the trigger on a gimbal and a GoPro 7 to try this... I bought the GoPro 9 with the max mode lens thinking it would be a game changer but it's still not there specially when it comes to low light situations and you can't put a Nd filter on the max mode lens which is a bummer.... It's a pain that there's no gimbal for the GoPro 9 unfortunately, cause the max mode + gimbal would be enough to skip the reelsteady step

[@shredditsbiking]

Ur tempting me to buy a max now maybe you should try a chin mount. I got a chin mount for my hero 7 black and damn the quality is sooo nice.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I hate having the added weight near my face so I won’t chin mount but the footage I’ve seen looks good!

[@gd515051]

Are people still using wearable gimbals or have the newest GoPros 8, 9, 10, max, made them obsolete?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

The gopro max pretty much makes it obsolete so I still have a gimbal but I rarely use it now.

[@WestCoastMountainBiker]

I'm wondering about the Hypersmooth on the gopro hero 9. It doesn't look like it's even active. Is this because of the iso settings. Other thing... is this max mod only compatible with the 9?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Lol doesn’t look like it hey? Low light, it’s dark in the woods here! I kept the Iso lower to really push the capabilities

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Ans yes only with the 9

[@WestCoastMountainBiker]

Thanks. I'm currently still using the Hero 7 Black. So maybe I should look to the Gopro Max in the future. Really impressive showing in your video.

[@MichaelStugart]

I did notice right away though that the KZbin settings weren't allowing the GoPro hero 9 test footage to be put on 2.7 play back and it was only allowing 1080p playback which isn't very fair to play the footage back at that rather than the true 2.7 footage. Honestly as for the stabilization it was looking like the GoPro hero 9 wasn't even working with hyper smooth at all such as there was so much bouncing going on it seems. Also it looks like the Max has more lighting in the footage by far and it definitely looks alot smoother. Then at the end you did mention you don't post in 2.7 k anyway kind of thing. I think the 2.7 k is the winner in other scenarios by far but for what you are doing it seems you should stick with the Max for sure in such scenarios that you do use it for how I mean. Keep doing the awesome stuff. 😁👍

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I exported in 1080p because that is the timeline I edited it. 2.7k is also very minimal quality difference when it comes to footage. How much light your camera sensor makes the biggest difference. And thanks! I agree! I don’t need anything that shoots higher than 1080p, it just needs to be smooth and crisp

[@MichaelStugart]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB You're doing awesome work! It certainly does work very smooth and crisp.

[@hayden7027]

Does the max do horizon levelling or is that only available on the 9?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Both, do I find they make the stabilization worse though.

[@justcallmejeff28]

Where is this? Tiger mountain?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

No this is in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Some hidden gems!

[@Dianawashere]

Clicked to see about the GoPro, but the entire video kept thinking how is this guy alive, I don’t think I can even walk those trails on foot.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Haha thanks 🙌

[@TMaddison]

I know this is an older video but just wondering, are you using the GoPro Max exclusively now for riding footage, or do you still use the 7 and gimbal? or have you upgraded to a 10 lol

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I have a 10, it’s pretty underwhelming for POV. I use the max 90% of the time

[@sisufitness659]

@Mark Matthews would you recommend the max for POV and the 10 for third person shots? What settings would you use for the 10 if so?

[@MTBGarage]

Hay Mark, try using EV Comp setting in low light, you actually want to make it negative, at least -1 to see a difference, and as much as -2 (I generally just leave it at -1.5) it gets rid of some of the hypersmooth shakes by forcing a faster shutter speed. Now you will have to brighten the footage a bit in post, but it sounds like that's no problem for you. Also upscaling your footage into a 4k timeline and uploading it youtube that way will usually give your POV footage less compression and look better, it's purely a YT thing, you won't notice a difference on the raw output. Keep up the great vids.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

All amazing info, Thank you!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I'm trying this today because I broke my max! haha thanks again for your comment I'm excited to try these settings.

[@matrixmad]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB Hey Mark, did you get a chance to try out the settings and notice a difference? I currently have the Hero 9 and am wondering if I should just get the max lens mod or upgrade to the GoPro Max. Alternatively, i'm curious how the max does compared to the Insta360 so I'll be doing a little more research. Also, nice riding and sweet trail! What trail is this? Thanks!

[@sweima]

Do you need a gimbal for the max?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Nope!

[@sweima]

That's awesome!!

[@IrineuEvangelista]

Is it possible to edit out the whobbly arms? I mean, the max is more stable, but fantastic 4 is not my thing, and it kind of took rhe attention away from the awesome track

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

You want more cropped in footage?

[@IrineuEvangelista]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB idk but I think that would do the job lol.. Does the camera do that automatically or would it be necessary to edit it?

[@GregConquest]

@11:00 "GoPro Hero 9's 2.7k is higher resolution than the Max' 1440p." However, 1440p is 2560x1440. That means it is 2.56K. They're almost the same resolution by my count. FWIW, 1080p is 1920x1080. That's 1.9K looking at her first number, the horizontal resolution. Sometimes referring to the horizontal and other times referring to the vertical is just confusing. I prefer to just use the horizontal always now. 1080p is almost 2K. 1440 is about 2.5K.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

very true!

[@xler8294]

Sick video dude

[@DiraPictures]

Just want to inform me about gopro but maaaan you got fucking good skills.

[@WolfPhase]

How about hero 10?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Not really an upgrade from the 9 in my experience so far

[@Jcool721]

It was kind of cool to see shaky footage of the gopro 9 but not motion blur :-) Max is way better though. I tested the 9 and returned, very bad in low light. My old Hero 7 is hands down better than 9 even in dark.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I have the same experience.

[@liamdillon5343]

Sick video

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks Liam!

[@BroSender]

Sometimes I prefer the shakiness of the other GoPros because it makes the footage look really dramatic and some you want that

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

true! the only issue I have is when you get into lower light situations it starts to look really bad.

[@montyhall250]

intro music?

[@louisminford9696]

Is the hyper smooth even on on the GoPro hero 9 😂 ! Because I’ve got a hero 8 black and when the hyper smooth is on it’s amazing, the POV footage is so smooth and seamless. Maybe my trails aren’t as gnarly as mark idk

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Low light, it’s dark in the woods here! I kept the Iso lower to really push the capabilities

[@Mikkeyboyy]

great video is it me or does the max have more fish eye look

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

The max is definitely wider

[@RICH_Photography]

Technically they almost the same resolution, the 1440p on the Max has a horizontal resolution of around 2.5k whilst the lens mod and GoPro is 2.7k Kinda silly how these companies switch the horizontal and vertical measurements to sell something.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Yep and people buy into it haha.

[@johnporter9752]

What trail ?!!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

A hidden gem amongst the trail building community here

[@johnporter9752]

Damn , would’ve been better off just not replying lol

[@goaway1885]

wow the max looks so much better, but the hero 9 might be better because it looks scarier than it is.

[@zane2662]

I don't understand, everyone says make everything flat and low sharpness but now my hero 9 footage looks so grainy!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

What program are you using to color grade?

[@zane2662]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB DaVinci resolve!

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

@@zane2662 nice! I know that one is really good but I can more familiar with premiere pro. If you aren't getting the results you want I would recommend shooting GoPro color and medium sharpness. The flat footage is very difficult to work with if you're not as experienced with color grading.

[@zane2662]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB I am absolutely pretty new to it all and definitely learning, your channel has been super helpful, thanks mate🤙🏽

[@MarvusTravels]

I’m kind of regretting my Hero 10 purchase after seeing how a Max performs

[@EddyOtway]

l think the hero 9 would be better without the mod and just use superview, it’s very shaky compared to the Max

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

It’s still very shaky without the mod from what I’ve seen. Very disappointing

[@Sebabiek09]

Honestly I think that the MAX footage best

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

100%

[@MTBMcPhee]

Your ISO Max is too low on the GoPro 9 so of course it's shaky with the slow shutter speed that forces. This is not a real comparison.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I kept the iso at 800 and shutter at auto on both to push the censors. They both have the exact same settings

[@MTBMcPhee]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB I get that but those settings will never work in your conditions on the hero 9. I’d love to see this comparison but with optimal settings on each camera. FYI you want 3200+ for your light and to get the most out of hupersmooth, otherwise the shutter speed has to be slow to expose the 800 ISO properly and that leads to the blurry footage.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

@@MTBMcPhee totally! I've tried that. And with a sensor that small and an ISO that high the footage starts to get super grainy. I'm also disappointed with the max mod, its not wide enough for the added price. In my mind the max is the king of all POV footage if you're not using a gimbal.

[@MTBMcPhee]

​@@MarkMatthewsMTB that's a shame because I was tempted on those hero 9 + max lens deals that were going. I know some of the big youtubers are running that setup with higher ISOs so it might be worth a bit more of a test

[@EsauistheCaucasian]

Bruh, how the HELL do you get your footage to look like this? I have the GoPro 10 with the Max Lens Mod, point me in a direction please.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

I’m just shooting as wide as possible, at 30fps, and have everything in auto for this comparison

[@EsauistheCaucasian]

@@MarkMatthewsMTB Right......SMH. It's not that serious bro.

[@Wannaridebikes]

Yeah I agree the max looks great. I don’t have one yet. I have all the go pros except the 6 and max. Anyone wanna send me a max please do. Lol.

[@belftheelf75mtb54]

Hi mate just to say I do not know anything about the 2 cameras used in this video as I have not used them so I'm judging purely on the video recordings. I would definitely go with the max all day long as there are less juddering or shaking by miles compared to the hero 9 and picture quality is awesome.

[@StevenSchoolAlchemy]

Nice!

[@stevecabrera6718]

Question which captures steepness better??

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

The max I think

[@roostingbenen4591]

Idk what you did to your Hero 9 but my Hero3+ has better quality... Looks like 240p

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Underperforms in low light 👎

[@rafaibanez3148]

Saludos de chile broo ..?

[@DenyWatanabe]

That gopro 9 footage was taken with hypersmooth turned off, I wonder why. Maybe gopro needs to bump up the max sales and sponsored the video? Anyway this video was either stupid or dishonest, and I'd put my money on the latter.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

It was on, it struggles in low light on the heros, im not sponsored by GoPro.

[@BikingBadwithTC]

Hand down Max wins. 9 with max lens is unwatchable in low light. Do they not have the same sensor?

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

They must not! I'm not sure.

[@Eric1to3for5]

My GoPro hero 9max mod footage is way better than this. I think the footage you're shooting is cheating the camera because you're not showing it in 2.7k.

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

It looks just as bad raw off the camera, the issue is low light I think. Have you shot in dark forest?

[@yano647]

Sounds like you're riding a horse.

[@tristanjannes6698]

First

[@MarkMatthewsMTB]

Thanks!

[@s-c..]

That’s probably not footage a parent would want to see! 🫣