Why it matters to you
Karma Grip owners without a drone may be tempted to spend out on GoPro’s new Flight Kit designed especially for them.
If you bought GoPro’s image-stabilizing Karma Grip and you fancy doing something else with it other than just holding it in your hand, then how about sticking it on a drone?
The company has just launched the Karma Flight Kit offering everything you need to get your silky smooth videos airborne.
As well as the recently relaunched Karma drone, the $600 Flight Kit also includes a smart carrying case, the Karma Controller, a battery, a charger, and six propellers. The case also features a custom inlay for the Grip so you can carry all the gear together.
To get flying, all you have to do is remove the stabilizer, harness, and camera from your Karma Grip and then lock the device into the drone.
GoPro’s Karma drone got off to a dire start last year when, just weeks after launch, the company was forced to recall all units after discovering that the motors in a small number of machines were suddenly cutting out during flight.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSrcSUpU_-w?feature=oembed&w=100&h=100]
The Grip sold together with the drone but didn’t reappear on the market until December when GoPro started offering it as a standalone device. The drone, however, didn’t return until February.
GoPro is presumably banking on some of the Grip owners turning their attention to shooting with drones, and with a Hero5 Black or Hero4 camera already in their possession, they could well be tempted.
More: DT’s pick of the best drones on the market today
Taking a closer look at the costs, we can see that anyone who already has the $300 Grip who goes for the $600 Flight Kit will end up paying $100 more than someone who buys the original Karma kit, which includes the Grip and costs $800. GoPro also offers a drone kit with a Hero5 Black camera as well as a Grip, which costs $1100.
The ability to use the Karma Grip separate from the drone was one of the flying machine’s big selling points, but the quadcopter’s motor issues turned its long-awaited debut into a disaster. Now that its full kit is once again back on the market, the California company is hoping for a 2017 as smooth as the shots that its Grip stabilizer provides.