GoPro's Karma drone - review
After months of vague announcements and delays, GoPro has officially unveiled its first karma drone. Sales will begin on October 23.
Model will be compatible with GoPro Hero 5 Black, Hero 5 Session and Hero 4 cameras. The drone will have folding arms which will give it a compact size. This will allow for easy transport in a backpack. The image stabilizer along with the camera will be detachable, so owners can take steady shots from the ground.
The set will include:
- goPro Karma drone,
- controller to control,
- six propellers(four for the model + two spare),
- one battery allowing for max. 20 minutes flight
- charger,
- stabilizer,
- GoPro Karma Grip Stabilizer
- Karma Ring
"We want to make the model accessible to everyone," GoPro CEO and founder Nick Woodman said in a video announcing the product. "People will be amazed at how easy it is to fly the Karma drone," he said Like many competing drones, the Karma has buttons on the controller that allow it to automatically take off, land and return home. The software also includes a flight simulator that allows new users to acquire the basic reflexes of piloting a drone.
Is the GoPro Karma already a selfie drone?
Easy operation is expected to be a huge advantage of the Karma drone. It will be possible from autonomous flight modes, in which the quadrocopter follows a predetermined route or "follows" its owner. The screen on top of the controller is touch-sensitive.
Pilots can share their recordings via an app that will allow others to view the live video without access to the controller. The stabilizer, along with the GoPro camera, is placed on the front of the camera, rather than underneath it, which should prevent propellers from appearing in the footage like on other models.
GoPro assures that the model will be accessible to the average user, not just experienced pilots or photographers. Competitive model DJI Phantom 4 has been sold since the beginning of this year and has an obstacle avoidance and object following system.
Recently, Yuneec, which has also been the subject of a lot of publicity due to an investment from Intel, has also presented a selfie of Yuneec Breeze drone, which will also be a compact model with easy operation.
MegaDrone Company Observations:
+ Karma will have built-in "No-Fly Zones", so there is no worry about flying the model in a place where this is not possible.
+ Easy to replace landing gear (skids), which are prone to breakage in drones when landing uncontrolled.
+ Folding arms will make it possible for us to take the GoPro Karma drone literally anywhere!
+ Retractable battery for quick replacement and further flights
+ Easy to replace arms in case of "mole"
- quite expensive spare parts
+- this is GoPro's first flying device, so I think you need to approach it with a little distance because the company is not yet experienced in this industry.
GoPro Karma drone specifications:
Maks. speed: 15 m/s
Maks. distance: 1000 meters
Maks. flight altitude: 4500 meters
Maximum;wind during flight: 10 m/s (36km/h)
Battery: 5100 mAh Li-Po 14.8V 4S
Maks. flight time: 20 minutes
Charging time: 60 minutes(drone), 150 minutes(controller)
Stabilization: 3-axis
Connectivity to the controller: 2.4 GHz
Dimensions: 303 x 411 x 117 mm
Weight: 1006 g
GoPro Karma Camera Specifications:
Screen size: 5 inches
Resolution: 720p
Operating time: 4 hours
Weight: 625 grams