After much speculation, and a couple of mis-starts along the way, GoPro officially launched its Karma drone today.
As previously speculated, the sleek, foldable quadcopter is designed to work with GoPro’s new Hero 5 Black, Hero 5 Session and Hero 4 action cameras.
At the front of the Karma there’s a 3-axis gimbal that stabilizes the cameras for smooth footage, and this gimbal can also be removed from the drone for handheld use.
Additionally, the Karma has its camera positioned on the front, not slung underneath. GoPro says this will help eliminate the appearance of rotors. And, like most camera drones these days, it has one button for takeoff, landing, and returning to home. It also has four preprogrammed shots: dronie, cable cam, reveal, and orbit. GoPro is also offering a “passenger app” that allows another person to see the live video feed from the drone and even control the camera position.
The Karma also comes with a remote controller, which looks a bit like a video game controller. It can be controlled with two joysticks, plus a take-off/land button. There’s also a built-in touchscreen, so you don’t need to plug in your smartphone or tablet. You can however pair the remote with a smartphone, so you can concentrate on flying while a buddy works the camera.
Finally, the Karma is also said to be repairable, with replaceable arms and propellors. Users can also specify “no-fly zones” to keep their new drone out of trouble.
It’s not clear what system the Karma uses to track its subject. Some drones follow a dedicated GPS device the user carries on them, while others just follow the GPS of the smartphone paired with the drone.
The price for the Karma drone itself is $799, with bundle prices available with the Hero5 and Hero 4 series cameras.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
