As we reported three months ago, GoPro’s Karma drone has been resurrected after withdrawal in the face of reported catastrophic failures. That re-launch was only in the United States. Now it’s coming here as well.
The failures were due to a relatively trivial issue it seems. The latch on the battery compartment was a bit tricky to operate, resulting in some not being properly secured. That in turn meant that the battery could shift, cutting power. No power means no flying. The latch has now been redesigned.
Nick Woodman, the founder and CEO of GoPro says:
We’re stoked to bring Karma to the APAC [Asia Pacific] region and show how much more it is than a drone. Karma packs Hollywood-caliber aerial, handheld and gear-mounted image stabilization into a backpack for AU$1,790.95. It’s so easy to use, a beginner can have fun straight away.
As he says, it’s a well-developed system in which the drone packs up into a hard case which slips into the included back pack, so one can take it relatively easily to out of the way places for launch.
In addition, the Karma drone comes with a “game-style controller [which] features an integrated touch display”, eliminating the need to use your own phone or tablet (and draining the battery of what’s supposed to be a multipurpose device, in the case of the former).
It also comes with a three axis stabiliser for smooth video. The stabiliser can be dismounted and used with the Karma Grip (included in the package) for smooth hand-held operation.
The Karma comes with the company’s top of the line HERO5 Black GoPro camera for $1790.95. The HERO5 Black is 4K capable at 30 frames per second, and can do 1080p at up to 120 frames per second for super smooth slow motion. It’s waterproof to ten metres and supports both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
What, you already have a GoPro with which you’re perfectly happy? No worries. The Karma can be purchased sans-GoPro for $1349.95.
But if you’re planning on going newly to GoPro with Karma, I’d suggest you do get the bundle. It’s over a hundred dollars cheaper than the two items purchased individually.
