In this article, we’re going to look at what I consider the top 5 accessories that I own that I use with my GoPro. I will be leaving links down below if you do want to purchase them yourself, and yes, I do get a referral fee for each purchase that’s made. Hey, I may be giving you honest, bias free, truthful reviews, but I also need to make a living. I gotta eat!
Here’s the first product that I consider to be an absolute essential for any GoPro Owner.
5: The GoPro Media Mod:
This is an essential add-on for your GoPro camera! Why? Well, it’s simple. If you want to enable video out, charge your camera, use external audio AND be able to attach lights, audio receivers or microphones to your camera, this is the one accessory you should not be without. This is the one GoPro accessory that I use the most. Actually… I just lied to you. I wasn’t truthful at all. It’s not the one accessory that I use the most because I own TWO of them. Yes, that’s how important an accessory they are. I purchased two of them because I use them that often. I often have one attached to my GoPro Hero 9 and the other attached to either my GoPro Hero 10 or GoPro Hero 11. This really is an essential buy for any GoPro owner. With a media mod I’m actually able to record directly from my camera into OBS Studio using a HDMI capture card. I can also record from a 2nd GoPro using it as a Webcam. This really does offer me a great way to set up a multi-cam recording session. So yeah, really one of the top GoPro accessories I own.
4: Wireless Mics:
In particular I use the Rode Wireless Go II microphones. Look, the GoPro Hero cameras have good audio, that’s a given, but if you want to do a wide shot where you’re not close to the camera, interview people, turn the camera around to focus on scenic vistas, but want constant clear audio, you need to get a wireless Mic. I’ve used wired mics before and they can be quite good, however you don’t want to have to deal with cables getting tangled, having your camera mounted on a tripod and accidentally pulling on the cable and having your camera fall over. The simplest solution? Wireless Mics! The Rode system I like due to its great audio, its features such as recording in Mono or stereo (if you record in stereo when doing an interview, each person’s audio is recorded to a separate track for betting mixing later on in post) AND… you can also have the recording saved on each transmitters internal audio storage. So not only is the audio stored on the video track itself, but you also have a separate audio backup for each person. An essential form of protection for you to preserve your audio!
3: A Flat Panel Light!
Yes, GoPro do sell their own mini little light with a diffuser, but I found that it can be a bit harsh since it’s so small. This means the area of illumination is quite focused and that can be harsh looking, even with the diffuser on. I tend to use a larger flat panel light that can diffuse the light over a greater area. The one I use is not only adjustable in color temp, but also comes with different colored diffusers to give you greater variety of options when setting your scene. If you’re planning on shooting at night, a good camera light can be a life saver indeed.
2: A Magnetic Mount
Now there have been a number of reviews for magnetic mounts and to be honest with you, I haven’t been that impressed with what I’ve seen. If I mount something to my car using a magnetic mount, I only want to know one thing. Will it stick there without a chance of it coming off, even when exposed to huge off-road bumps and wind speeds?? This is something that a lot of the mounts I see being advertised…. can’t really claim to do. So there’s only one mount that I use and it’s this one. This mount is not only one of the strongest mounts there is on the market, but it has a whopping 40lbs of resistance if you go to move it. Not only does this have multiple rare earth magnets in its base, but the GoPro mount can also unscrew, and you can use it with camera equipped with a standard tripod mount. The rubber base on the bottom of the magnet also means you aren’t going to scratch up your paint work when trying to remove this from your car.
1: The GoPro USB-C Pass-Thru door:
As some of you may know, I really do love this GoPro Product. I think it’s one of their best products ever, it’s simple, it’s well designed and it works. If you’re planning on using your GoPro as a Webcam or powering your camera externally for longer shooting times, this is a product you NEED to own. Sure, there are other products out there made by 3rd parties that have a gap in the door that allows you to plug in a USB cable into your camera, but they are nowhere near as good as this one. The GoPro one beats them hands down because of 3 important features.
A: It has a rubber gasket built into the USB-C slot, so therefore when you plug in the cable, your camera still remains weather proof, so rain, dust, debris cant get in through that port. The competition doesn’t do this.
B: It has a built in cable holder and this is HUGELY important. The USB-Port on any device, it’s just a small thin piece of metal secured by solder, it’s probably the weakest part of any device. What you don’t want to do is plug in a cable and have that port supporting the entire weight of the cable. This is where the GoPro USB-C Pass-thru door truly trounces the competition. You see this part right here? It actually supports the weight of the cable. So this takes all of that strain off of the USB port while the cable is plugged into your camera. This basically saves your USB port from becoming damaged due to cable weight and this is something cheap knock off 3rd party doors don’t do.
C: Unlike cheap 3rd party doors, the GoPro USB-C door comes with an Original GoPro charging cable only it’s 4.5ft long! This is just great as it means you can easily reach a power supply or mount your camera in a different places than you would be if you used the shorter cable that came with your GoPro originally. On top of that, if you watched my GoPro overheating video, you’d know that using the original GoPro Cable makes a HUGE difference. Using the original cable I was able to record for over 9 hours in 4K 30FPs with my GoPro with no overheating issues. I turned the GoPro off after 9 hours because I needed my camera for other stuff.
So seriously, the GoPro USB-C pass-thru door is just an amazing product and an essential buy for any GoPro user. Also, when you throw in the fact that it comes with a longer cable, it’s actually better value than the cheaper 3rd party options.
So that’s the top 5 GoPro accessories that I use the most and find to be invaluable when shooting my footage. Yes, I do use other accessories, but honestly, those really are the top 5 that I probably wouldn’t be able to shoot without. I use other mics from time to time, especially if I’m doing pickup shots where I want deep rich ambient audio, but I wouldn’t be able to use those without a media mod. Sometimes I use external battery packs when shooting in remote locations with my GoPro, but I wouldn’t be able to do that without the GoPro USB-C pass-thru door. I use other more powerful lights when lighting a dark faraway subject, but for up close lighting, I use a flat panel. I use a suction cup for mounting the GoPro inside a car, but if I want external shots without any chance of the camera coming loose, I’m only going to use that rare earth magnetic mount. So that’s why I consider them the top 5 accessories that I own.
So what’s the one GoPro accessory that I own that I NEVER use….. Well, that would be the……
GoPro Max Lens Mod
This came out for the GoPro Hero 9 and is compatible with the GoPro Hero 10, GoPro Hero 11 and GoPro Hero 11 Mini. However, I honestly just don’t use this. I purchased it for the GoPro Hero 9 when it was released and honestly, I just wasn’t that impressed. It added a lot of distortion to the picture, sometimes it would tilt the picture at a crazy angle for no reason at all, the fact that it reduces the resolution to 2.7K just wasn’t a winner for me at all. Even with the Hero 10 the same issues occurred. The Hero 11 now has horizon lock enabled in 4K thanks to the taller sensor, so that just makes the Max Lens Mod kinda outdated in my opinion. So I just don’t use this accessory for shooting with.
Well, there you have it, my top 5 accessories that I use with my GoPro and the one accessory that just sits on my shelf! I’m not saying that you’ll have the same experiences that I will, after all, you may have a different shooting style or different opportunities ahead of you. However, I really do hope that you found this insightful and interesting. Check out my video reviews, tips and tricks on my YouTube channel and enjoy your 2023!
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