GoPro's 'Bones' is a stripped down Hero 10 Black for FPV drones
It features HyperSmooth 4.0 and up to 5.3K 60p video capture.
GoPro has unveiled the Hero 10 Black Bones, a lightweight version of the Hero 10 Black designed for FPV and "Cinewhoop" drones that have taken off in popularity. It offers features like HyperSmooth 4.0 and 5.3K video, but is light enough to be mounted on 3-inch class and larger drones.
"Bones is an important step in our strategy to leverage GoPro’s core camera-technology to produce derivative products that address the needs of a specific audience of customers," said GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman. "Bones delivers Hero 10 Black image quality and performance in a lightweight body that is ideal for aerial cinematography."
At 54 grams, the Hero 10 Black Bones weighs 100 grams less than the Hero 10 black, making it the lightest GoPro ever, the company said. Helping keep the weight down is the fact that it doesn't carry its own battery but is instead powered by the drone's own 2S-6S or 5-27V batteries — a typical setup on FPV drones.
The miniscule weight makes it ideal for fast and maneuverable "Cinewhoop" drones designed to take crazy aerial footage. The best recent example of that video genre is the drone flythrough of Tesla's new Gigafactory in Berlin.
Meanwhile, the "well-ventilated, semi-durable enclosure promotes continuous airflow cooling for long captures or flights," says GoPro. It also comes with a lightweight housing that features the Hero 10 Black's replaceable cover lens, which can be swapped for third-party Hero 10 Black and Hero 9 Black ND filters.
It has the same GP2 processor and 1/2.3-inch image sensor as the Hero 10 Black so there's no compromise in quality or features, either. You get the latest HyperSmooth 4.0 video to stabilize shots, or you can do stabilization in post using the ReelSteady tech in GoPro's new Player + ReelSteady app unveiled yesterday. As the company showed, you can now combine HyperSmooth and ReelSteady stabilization to create even smoother footage.
As for video quality, it delivers 5.3K at 60fps, 4K 120 fps and 2.7K at 240 fps in 16:9 mode. In the 4:3 aspect ratio that's best for HyperSmooth footage, you get 5.3K at 30fps, 4K at 60 fps and 2.7K at up to 120fps. That matches the resolutions and framerates available on the regular GoPro 10 Hero Black.
It includes multiple means of control via a pair of physical buttons, the Quik App, GoPro Labs QR Codes, GoPro's The Remote or a drone's transmitter. It comes with a single screw boss for the drone mount, a standard FPV industry connector, and an optional in-box adapter for the GoPro mounting ecosystem.
As with other GoPro cameras, the Hero 10 Black Bones is cheaper with GoPro's one-year subscription, which is free the first year. It costs $400 with a new subscription and $500 without it, meaning GoPro thinks you're going to like the subscription benefits enough to renew. (Those benefits include no-questions-asked camera replacement, discounts on accessories, unlimited cloud backup and more.) Existing GoPro subscribers get an even better deal at just $350. All options includes a license for the GoPro Player + ReelSteady desktop app, or you can purchase that separately for $100.
Update 4/13/2022 2:48AM ET: The article has been updated to include the $350 price for existing GoPro Subscription holders.
