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GoPro launches its Karma drone in the UK
GoPro's foray into drone development has been troubled, to say the least. The highly anticipated Karma launched in the US last October, only to be recalled a few weeks later. The reason? Some of them were falling out of the sky (eesh). As a result, GoPro never released the product in the UK. Until now, that is. Karma has finally arrived in Britain, as well as Spain, Italy and Germany. A full drone bundle, which comes with a Hero5 Black camera, will run you 1,400 euros, or £1,200 in the UK. Otherwise you can buy the quadcopter on its own for 1,000 euros, or £870. Notably, the Karma is more expensive than we thought. Originally, the complete bundle was given a £999 price tag in the UK, but it appears that's now risen by as much as £200. We've asked GoPro for the reason behind the price hike, but suspect it's Brexit-related.
GoPro's troubled Karma drone is back on sale today
Surprise! GoPro's Karma drone is back on sale. GoPro recalled Karma in the run-up to the holidays last year due to instances where drones were losing power mid-flight (not cool, obviously). In early January, the company cryptically "announced" that it would give details on Karma's return in early February.
FLIR Duo is a GoPro-size thermal camera for drones
FLIR is no stranger to thermal imagery. Its cameras can be found on everything from industrial gear to the iPhone. The company has also been working with aerial tech for over 20 years, and more recently drones with the Zenmuse XT collaboration with DJI and the FLIR Vue. The FLIR Duo brings that same concept to smaller drones -- i.e., the ones that you and I are more likely to own. (Think: the 3DR Solo, or DJI Phantom 2.)
Yi Technology's next action camera promises to capture 4K at 60fps
Action cameras get more impressive with each generation, but 4K support has always been a bit shaky. So far, the best cameras on the market have only been able to shoot in UHD footage at 15-30 fps, forcing users to step down to 2.7K resolutions for a smoother experience. Next month, that could change: Xiaomi-backed GoPro competitor Yi has just announced that it will reveal a new action cam at CES 2017 that can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second.
GoPro sells the Karma's stabilizer grip by itself for $300
No, you still can't buy GoPro's Karma drone in the wake of the recall, but you can get a taste of the technology that came in the box. GoPro has started selling the Karma Grip, the stabilization wand that takes the jitters out of your Hero5 Black or (with a $30 harness) Hero4 Black/Silver camera footage. Spend $300/£250 and you can capture a bike ride or snowboarding adventure without making your friends motion sick. There's a mounting ring to attach it to wearable accessories, too, so you don't have to give up one of your hands while you use it.
GoPro cuts jobs and closes its entertainment division
GoPro has been facing tough times lately, and that's unfortunately translating to layoffs. The action camera maker is cutting 15 percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring move, including both 200 existing positions and the cancellation of yet-to-be-filled job openings. The reorganization will also lead to the closure of GoPro's entertainment division -- the company's dreams of becoming a media empire will have to wait.
GoPro compensates Karma buyers with free Hero5 cameras
We won't blame you if you're upset that GoPro had to recall your Karma drone over sudden power losses, but at least you're getting compensation for your trouble. GoPro is offering American Karma buyers a free Hero5 Black camera once they return both their drones and the accessories that came with them. That's on top of the full refund during the investigation, we'd add. While this won't completely make up for having to go droneless (or, gasp, look for an alternative), you won't have to go empty-handed -- and GoPro won't have to worry so much about customers holding on to their Karmas at all costs.
GoPro Karma review: A decent drone with stiff competition
When Karma was unveiled last month, there were two main takeaways. First was the lack of much-expected "follow me" features; second was the inclusion of a (not-expected) hand-held stabilizer, turning Karma into a "kit." GoPro CEO Nick Woodman would declare Karma to be "much more than a drone," pitching it as a complete video-stabilization system -- one that can be worn, held and flown. The big question was, would that be enough for buyers to overlook what appeared to be a pared feature set on the drone itself? At $799 (if you "bring your own camera"), and $999/$1,099 if you want to include a Hero5 Session or Black, Karma is priced aggressively, undercutting DJI's Phantom 4 if you factor in the cost of the hand-held stabilizer (DJI's cheapest equivalent costs an extra $300). But then DJI revealed the Mavic Pro and set fire to GoPro's plans. It's smaller, similarly priced and bests GoPro across the spec sheet. The question now is: Will GoPro's claim of being more than a drone be enough to lure casual filmmakers away from DJI's technologically superior product? On November 8th, 2016, GoPro issued a global recall for the Karma drone following cases of electrical failures causing a loss of power during flight. GoPro advises that owners can return their units to GoPro, or their place of purchase for a full refund. No replacements are being offered at this time. Though this review is still live on Engadget's site for posterity's sake, we have elected to remove the original score. Should GoPro resume selling Karma, we will re-asses our review and score accordingly.
GoPro's Hero5 Black and Session bring overdue improvements
Recently, GoPro unveiled an entirely new product lineup. Not just the new Hero5 Black ($399) and Hero5 Session ($299), but also the Karma drone, a surprise hand-held gimbal -- known as the Karma Grip -- and a brand new cloud service called GoPro Plus. While it's going to be another week or so before we can get our hands on the Karma drone, I had a chance to spend some time with the new flagship Hero5 Black and its sidekick, the Hero5 Session. Both come with some exciting, long-awaited new features, which I'll lay out in detail below. With many of the upgrades addressing common pain points, it's clear that this year, GoPro was mainly focused on polishing the user experience.
Kodak's latest 4K action camera captures VR-ready video by itself
The Kodak Pixpro SP360 4K action camera had a branding problem. Yes, you could shoot 360-degree videos, but they weren't spherical -- you needed two cameras to do that, which made it less-than-practical for full virtual reality videos. You won't have to do some extra shopping with the 4KVR360, though. The newly launched cam fuses a 20-megapixel sensor with lenses on both the front and back, letting one camera shoot fully immersive VR video all by its lonesome.
GoPro's new Hero5 seems to raise the bar for action cameras
Today was a busy day for GoPro. In addition to revealing its much-anticipated first drone, known as the Karma, the company introduced two new action cameras. Both the Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session are a major upgrade over their predecessors, with voice control and native waterproofing chief among the standout features. But let's start with the flagship Hero5 Black. It now comes with a 2-inch touchscreen, GPS and a sensor that takes up to 12-megapixel images. Like the Hero4, the Hero5 shoots 4K at 30 frames per second -- raise your hand if you wish it handled 60 fps.
This is GoPro's $799, foldable Karma drone
We knew it was coming, but after being delayed earlier this year, GoPro has finally unveiled its Karma drone. The new quadcopter is sleek, compact and foldable, designed to fit in most any backpack. To drive home that point, CEO and Founder Nick Woodman had it on stage all along in plain sight at the company's launch event today in Nevada. Karma also has a gaming-like controller with a built-in touchscreen for controlling the device. Additionally, living up to Woodman's "more than just a drone" claim, Karma's 3-axis stabilizer has a trick up its sleeve -- it slides out from the drone and attaches to an included handheld "Karma Grip" so you can record smooth shots on the ground, too.
GoPro's Hero5 cameras are cloud-connected and natively waterproof
It's no secret that GoPro had a new flagship action camera in the works, but you never know how rumors may pan out. Today, the company officially announced the Hero5 Black, featuring a 2-inch touch display, 12-megapixel photos (including RAW support) and, as leaks suggested, built-in GPS. What's more, GoPro's Hero has voice control (seven languages at launch, more later) and is waterproof without the housing to 33 feet (10 meters). There's also electronic image stabilization, which is a first for the Hero line. Like the previous model, it shoots 4K at up to 30 fps, as well as 1080p at 120 fps max.
Sony's flagship Action Cam arrives in the US later this month
Sony introduced its new Action Cam, the FDR-X300R, last week at IFA 2016. Back then, though, the company only shared details about pricing and availability for Europe. But now we know when it will come to the US. As a refresher, compared to the previous generation, the main highlight of this shooter is the addition of optical image stabilization. Sony says that was the most requested feature by users of its Action Cam line, noting that it's the same technology found on its Handycam camcorders.
Garmin debuts action camera with voice control and 4K video
If you've been looking to buy an action camera, Garmin's latest one might be worth considering. The Virb Ultra 30 is feature-packed, with things like an LCD touchscreen, 4K video at up to 30 fps, 3-axis image stabilization and livestreaming to YouTube. Most notably though, this new shooter supports voice commands, letting you control it via phrases such as, "Okay Garmin, start recording." Similar to the Virb and Virb XE action cams, the Virb Ultra 30 also comes with GPS and other sensors that show you how far, fast and high your movements are. When you combine all of that, you get a strong alternative to products including GoPro's Hero4. Like what you see? It's available today for $500/£450.
Kyocera's DuraForce Pro is a smartphone and action cam in one
If you film motorcycle ice racing or open pit mines, a regular smartphone may be a bit dainty. Kyocera's newest model, the DuraForce Pro, is up for the job, though. It's a ruggedized, 5-inch phone packing a special action camera that shoots Full HD with a wide-angle field-of-view. The device lives up to its assertive name with an IP6X dustproof case, underwater mode (two meters for up to 30 minutes) and military specs for dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, solar radiation and ... well, you get the idea.
GoPro's Hero5 camera could pack GPS
GoPro most definitely has a future planned beyond drones and virtual reality rigs. Both an FCC filing and an apparent video leak suggest that the upcoming Hero5 action camera will give you a couple of good reasons to ditch your Hero4. To start, the FCC entry makes clear references to built-in GPS. It's not certain how you'd use it, but it's easy to see the technology used for geolocating your videos or tracking performance. That same filing also hints at a thinner, lighter body.
The 'world's smallest 4K camera' has big ambitions
If your sole guidance on an industry was the share price of the market leader, then you'd definitely consider it a tough 12 months for action cameras. That said, newcomer So Special Labs isn't put off. In fact, it thinks its Mokacam GoPro rival might just be the tonic the product category needs. The 4K action camera packs a dual punch of being small and reasonably priced. At $270, it's more than $200 cheaper than GoPro's flagship 4K camera, and it deliberately tries to improve on its rival pain points. With all of that going for it, is the diminutive Mokacam able to compete with the biggest name in this space?
GoPro makes a seemingly inevitable deal with Red Bull
Red Bull's extreme sports adventures are practically tailor-made for GoPro's action cameras, so it would only make sense if the two got together, right? Sure enough, that's what's happening. GoPro has announced an exclusive deal with Red Bull that will have the two partnering on distributing and selling content. They'll share rights on co-produced content and share it across both of their online and TV channels. Also, each company gets a distinct perk: GoPro becomes Red Bull's sole action camera provider, while Red Bull gets equity in GoPro.
Olympus joins the action camera race with its Stylus TG-Tracker
Until today, the closest thing to an action camera that Olympus has had is its ruggedized line of point-and-shoots. But that's about to change. Today, the company introduced the Stylus TG-Tracker, a member of the Tough series, which comes with a 204-degree (f/2.0) wide-angle lens and a Truepic TM VII processor that can handle 4K video at 30 fps. The TG-Tracker also features a 8-megapixel CMOS (1/2.3) sensor for stills, 5-axis image stabilization and a tilt-out 1.5-inch LCD. It's rare for these type of shooters to have a screen built in, so that's nice touch by Olympus.
