Category: Drones

Not a great series of updates from GoPro, from missing revenue expectations by 23% and now issuing a recall for 2,500 Karma drones which is GoPro’s newest product which enters the drone space. From the official announcement:

GoPro is committed to providing our customers with great product experiences. To honor this commitment, we have recalled Karma until we resolve a performance issue related to a loss of power during operation. We plan to resume shipment of Karma once the issue is addressed.

It’s a scary thought to have your $800 drone suddenly lose power while in the air and just start crashing to the ground. But another interesting point is that there has only been 2,500 drones sold. I’m curious how many people decided to go with the DJI Mavic instead of the Karma. I was leaning towards the Mavic personally but the price increase was making me a little hesitant. But with this news, I’m definitely a Mavic supporter now.

DJI just announced their answer to the GoPro Karma and it’s smaller with more features but also costs more. I really like how the Mavic has a vision system that can track people (and animals apparently). Based on the teaser video, I like the compactness of the Mavic and its controller. It’s not pocketable, but it looks like it could fit into an existing bag and not requires a special carrying case like the Karma. I think another big selling point will be DJI’s experience with drones compared to GoPro’s late entry into the crowded market. Take a look at the review from TechCrunch:

I think overall I would pick the Mavic over the Karma. The features, extra compactness and DJI backing make the price increase worth it. I guess this means that my bank account will be $1k lighter in the near future.

I think everyone has been wondering when GoPro would release a drone so this is definitely not a huge surprise. I will say the collapsible design looks nice and makes it far easier to carry around than other drones. I’m not sure how the front-mounted camera will do compared to the gimbal mounted cameras on the bottom of most drones but I’m sure there will be plenty of footage to compare. I’m also curious about the durability of the drone since GoPro is known for making pretty durable cameras so I’m hoping their drone is also top-notch. The price tag is definitely on the high side – especially considering the $799 doesn’t include a camera (GoPro Hero 3 and Hero 4 models are compatible). But a high price tag might mean this drone is actually a step above the others and it might be worth of my hard-earned money.

Definitely check out the video to see for yourself. And then answer the most important question: buy or wait?

I keep finding more reasons why I want a drone (like this one) but still can’t get myself to pull the trigger. Looking through the comments, I don’t know if this is real or not, but I imagine this would be possible (or eventually possible). I also feel like this continues my interest in board activities – snowboarding, wakeboarding and hopefully one day boosted boarding. Hope you enjoy the video and if you happen to get one of these, let me have a ride.