Any changes to the new GoPro Karma drone?

GoPro was forced to recall the unfortunately-named Karma in November 2016 after several reported cases of its battery disconnecting mid-flight. But now a modified version has arisen Phoenix-like from its ashes with a redesigned latch mechanism, which GoPro is confident will keep the battery firmly in place.

The GoPro Karma doesn’t exactly come with a particular camera. The various camera options are the Hero5, the Hero Session, or attach your own, and that’s what determines where you land on the $799-$1,099 scale. Each option will give you a different quality of video.

	Recording Resolution	Photography	Battery
Hero 5 Black	4k @ 30FPS 1440P @ 80 FPS 1080P @ 120 FPS	12MP	1220mAH
Hero 5 Session	4k @ 30 FPS 1440p @ 60 FPS 1080p @ 90 FPS	10MP	1000mAH

 

Not only do you get a drone, you get the Karma grip for ultra smooth video. This acts as a camera stabilizer so that when you’re on the move, you can grab smooth high quality footage instead of rough hand-held. The stabilizer fits inside the drone. The camera is connected to the stabilizer which is in turn connected to the drone.

Karma Grip Specs

Length	8″ (20.5cm)
Battery Life	105 Minutes
Weight	0.52lbs (0.24kg)

 

The GoPro Karma Drone comes with an easy flight system including a controller with a 5 inch screen that runs at 720p and lasts up to 4 hours. The simple controller with its few buttons allows new drone users the confidence to get great shots from the air.

Bring some passengers along with GoPro passenger app which allows you to fly your friends around! As you drive the Karma with the controller, your bros and gals with the app can tie in to the view and watch while you drive. In other words – show off your flight skills to your friends as they watch.

LCD Screen Size	5 inches
Resolution	1280×720 (720p)
Brightness	900 nits
Battery Life	240 Minutes
Radio Frequency	2.4Ghz
Weight	1.38lbs (0.625kg)

 

The drone has pretty good acceleration—which is kind of to say you should be careful.  I’ve never flown a drone of any kind that I wanted to blast off faster than it did, which would make controlling harder.  Anyway, it’s a speedster, clocking in at a max of 35 mph.  This is facilitated, up to a point, by its compact, elongated design and its petite build.

It would be nice if it had obstacle avoidance built in, a pretty standard feature that it’s mysteriously missing. I think the idea is that such a high-end video-creating drone will attract experienced pilots who won’t need it.

The review is based on the old GoPro Karma. Are there any changes to the Karma drone to improve it? I was really excited for the Karma drone during its first announcement, but things have changed drastically since then and I’m not sure if there is enough fight for this dog to stay in. Only time will tell.

 

 

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