Two of the market's worst-kept secrets share a common name: GoPro. On one hand, several leaks hinted at the imminent launch of a new flagship camera; on the other, something customers have been asking for almost literally: a dedicated drone. So make room for the brand-new GoPro Hero5 series and the GoPro Karma, a foldable quadcopter that's remarkably easy to use and fits in a backpack.
Photography isn't the only thing exploding on the web. Video isn't left behind, and thanks to the "GoPro effect," we've seen a healthy variety of cameras with similar features at aggressive prices. Needless to say, smartphone makers have picked up the gauntlet, trying to add advanced optical features with each new generation, but there are still important differences. The smartphone experience is very personal. A camera attached to a drone, however, reaches another dimension, taking the best of mobile devices and ignoring features that aren't relevant to its operation. That brings us to GoPro, which has two announcements for us: the new GoPro Hero5 camera series and its GoPro Karma drone.
Let's start with the cameras. Rumors and leaks revealed many details about the models, and as far as we can tell, most of them turned out to be true. First, the GoPro Hero5 Black has a two-inch touchscreen, shoots up to 12-megapixel photos (with RAW support), records 4K at 30 FPS or 1080p at 120 FPS, is waterproof without a special case (up to 10 meters deep), includes electronic image stabilization, can be voice-controlled, and adds a GPS module. A little further down is the GoPro Hero5 Session, which continues the Hero4 Session line, with 4K recording at 30 FPS and ten-megapixel photos. Both cameras can connect to the cloud (or rather, to GoPro's special service), enabling automatic upload of videos and photos. The two models will hit shelves and online stores on October 2, priced at $399 and $299, respectively. GoPro's online service will cost five dollars a month.
In the first photo above you saw the Hero5 Black; here is the Hero5 Session, its little sister.
And to wrap up... Karma. A fitting name for something GoPro had already hinted at on more than one occasion, and which was delayed earlier this year. The GoPro Karma drone is extraordinarily portable, thanks to a foldable design that takes up very little space. At the same time, GoPro made a big bet on ease of flight. The Karma's main controller is reduced to two joysticks, four buttons, and a touchscreen. The drone is compatible with Hero5 and Hero4 series cameras. Its three-axis stabilizer helps record much smoother videos, but it won't be exclusive to the drone: the user can remove it and use it manually. The GoPro Karma will debut on October 23, and there will be three purchase options: $799 for the drone alone, $999 with a Hero5 Session, and $1,099 with a Hero5 Black.
