DJI Mavic Pro Vs GoPro Karma drone | Which drone to buy.
Let me start this post by saying I am a big fan of both companies and have no allegiance or bias towards one or the other. I also keep a keen eye on both companies and watched both keynotes for the products.
Some of the specs may not have been released at the time of this post, so please don’t give me too hard a time if the facts are not all there right away.
Both drones are aimed at beginner to intermediate drone users with a big focus on capturing video. Both are capable of shooting 4k video at 30fps and 12MP stills, be that through GoPro’s Hero4 Black, Hero5, Session5 or the fixed DJI camera.
The GoPro press event for the Karma and GoPro 5 series was good, over the top as usual, but showed some really nice tech. The Karma is GoPro’s first drone and amongst the first fold down ‘portable’ drones that offer the GoPro mount and the only one with the added bonus of being able to use the latest Hero5 and Session5 cameras. The latest hardware and software upgrades to the latest GoPro cameras obviously complement the drones ability to shoot great video.
The one feature I think that everyone felt was missing was some kind of auto follow or tracking feature. We have been teased with these features from the AirDog and Staaker drones. Its something that is super appealing, just being able to launch the drone and let it do the shooting hands free.
The trouble is that GoPro have said ’the technology for auto follow is not quite there’. Then a week later DJI quite boldly tested that exact tech in their live launch event of the Mavic, that takes some faith in the technology to do. The product and brands integrity was in that drones hands during that demonstration. Another blow to GoPro was that you could order it online that day for pre-order, as opposed to GoPros ‘register interest’ strategy.
DJI are also putting the technology out in the hands of customers at selected Apple stores for a limited time. They already parnter to sell products through the Apple stores which is a killer marketing play to get seasonal sales. Another plus for DJI is that they are also offering ‘DJI Care Refresh’, a replacement service that allows you to receive two spare parts with express delivery. This is designed to get your drone back up in the air as soon as possible after a bad days flying. This is a service that is currently not in place for GoPro but coming soon,
I think from a more all-round fun perspective the Mavic just pips the GoPro Karma drone to the post with its ‘sport mode’ and higher speed of 40mph. That feature kind of takes the drone beyond a filming a tool, although be aware it does disable the obstacle avoidance to get the extra speed. So you need to be on your toes.
From a video perspective I know there are issues with the ‘fisheye’ effect of the GoPro. But we are yet to see the new features in the Hero and Session5 to smooth this out. Neither cameras are in the hands of users currently, but the promise of better video stablisation from GoPro make for an exciting prospect. DJI’s cameras are also already well established and offer excellent video, so both will be excellent products no doubt. Especially with the gesture control and voice control features offered from each one respectively.
It will be interesting to see how both of these products progress. Adopting the drones this early you are taking a small gamble, but I don’t think you can go too far wrong with either of them. Both companies will be working hard to make sure that customers of these drones are happy. It is really a way to keep those customers and sell them accessories and upgrades in the future.
While the DJI Mavic Pro has clearly trumped GoPro’s Karma in many areas, you can’t take these products too much at face value. This is GoPro’s first foray into the drone market and they can improve some of the features of the Karma through software updates alone. I also notice that the ‘core’ or drone unit can be bought separately, which leads me to believe we will be seeing upgraded versions in time to come.
I think it is unfair to say they are incomparable as they are both clearly looking to take a share of the same market. But they do have a whole different set of features and specs, so you really just have to figure out what is right for you.
Both drones nicely compliment the companies current product ranges and will clearly sell in high volumes. In terms of which one to buy, I think it is really about which company you want to buy in to, as much as the drone. If you love the GoPro camera series then the Karma is a no-brainer because it comes as a neat all-in-one package on top of the camera you already own. You also have the additional flexibility of the handheld shooting with the detachable gimbal. On the other hand, if you are starting from nothing and want to to get in to drones as much as arial shooting then the Mavic Pro could be the right choice for you. The sports mode opens it up to be a fun hobby as well as a seriously well spec’d piece of shooting equipment.
You can see more about DJI’s Mavic Pro here and GoPro’s Karma here. The Mavic Pro is available for order now and starts shipping mid October on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. GoPro’s Karma is set for release on the 23rd of October.
There will be tons more articles and video about these two drones for a long time to come. If you enjoyed this post then check out my Youtube channel for more GoPro and drone videos. Also feel free to let me know if any of the information has changed or your views on them.
Hello! Which is the better camera? The Gopro or the DJI cam?
LG Markus Kusterer
Hi,
Its a tough one to call at the minute because the Karma supports 4 cameras (Hero 4 Black and Silver / Session and Hero 5). All of which have slightly different recording quality. The Karma is still not officially out in the wild yet as of this comment, so it will be sometime before we see any real lengthy comparisons. Part of it will be down to how well the gimbals on the drones can stabilise footage in real everyday conditions.
That said, all the cameras shoot in 4k at 30fps (excluding Hero 4 silver which offers 4k at 15 fps). From what I have seen of the test footage of the new 5 series GoPros and Mavic Pro camera, they both look excellent!
Steve