With GoPro set to release their first-ever quadcopter drone in the first half of 2016, the company has shared the first video footage captured by their new drone to their official YouTube channel. The footage was captured using a GoPro Hero 4 camera, which is available now in multiple editions, attached to a prototype quadcopter drone and stabilization system.
The first footage from GoPro's new drone can be seen below. No post-production stabilization was added to the footage.
No pricing information has been revealed yet, so the product could be amazing or just "meh" depending. GoPro's dominated the action-cam market, so they clearly have major manufacturing chops and engineering resources to bring to bear. On the other hand, a drone is a heck of a lot more complex than an action camera, what with all the mechanical parts and radio stuff, not to mention the need for sophisticated flight-control and autopilot software.
Based on the footage captured by the prototype, the GoPro drone looks poised to push for market share in 2016. The gimbal-based image stabilization looks really impressive, and while we saw some compression artifacts in the video, there's no way of telling whether those were in the original footage or introduced by YouTube. With Forbes reporting earlier this year of a failed collaboration between DJI and GoPro, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact GoPro will have on a drone market currently dominated by DJI.
What do you think of the footage from GoPro's new drone? If you already have a drone, does this first footage from GoPro's new drone make you want to switch? (Should DJI be quaking in their boots?) If you haven't purchased a drone yet, could GoPro's new offering push you over the edge - what would it take for you to put down your camera and pick up a joystick? Leave your thoughts below!
