2.7.2017

I bought this plus a Hero 5 Black through Amazon Prime Now and they arrived within two hours. It was bought as an alternative to a DJI Ronin-M gimbal used with a Panasonic GH4 for a specific shoot and it performed so well I never even unpacked the Ronin-M. I won't review the Hero5 here other than to say the two worked so well together (for what I wanted) and I am now seriously considering selling the Ronin (but not the GH4!)My requirement was for a convenient means of shooting steady 2.7k and 4k footage of racing dinghies from a moving rib. Nice little job making a promo for a sailing holiday company. Bright sunshine, high winds and choppy waves in a bay on the island of Menorca :-)The Ronin,which I used for the same client/project last year, was brilliant but certainly not convenient. I needed to use two hands, always had to take the stand with me, and had a much harder time preventing the inevitable splashes from hitting either the camera or the gimbal. While deliberating over whether I should invest in the Karma Grip/GoPro I realised that all I really gained from the Ronin/GH4 was shallow depth of field, the ability to change lenses and the ability to use a zoom lens to frame things better. When I thought through each of these I realised that I don't actually want shallow DoF for these shots - in fact the best shots from last year were those focused to infinity. The need to change lenses was only to allow me to get closer to the action, but it involved coming ashore and re-calibrating the Ronin so in the end I never actually did that! And finally, the need to zoom to reframe: well, I certainly didn't ever zoom mid-shot, and on reviewing the footage from 2016 the only shots I actually used were those where the boats were filling the frame. So it dawned on me that all I had to do was get the rib closer to the action. Duh. Most of the time it was seven or eight racing dinghies in close formation and we had lots of fun darting in and out, circling round them and chasing them. Similarly with the singletons such as the Wazsp foiling racer, when we could keep up with it, we got some fantastic sweeping shots as it hurtled across our bow at 20 knots, 12 inches away! The bigger rig wouldn't have allowed me to be so nimble, so, in real terms I couldn't see any other reason to lug the GH4/Ronin around.Of course the other hugely important thing was image quality. Again, I won't go into a review of the Hero5 here, but suffice to say in my tests I was delighted with the results, enough to trust it for all subsequent production shots (for this project). I have since pushed the footage quite far in post and it doesn't fall apart easily, so matching it to the GH4 has been relatively painless.The Karma Grip produced absolutely rock solid horizons even when the rib was bouncing over the wake of other boats. Last year, with the Ronin, if I leaned against the side of the rib the judders were noticeable on the footage. Not the case with the Karma. We were all astonished with how good this thing is. I estimate I was getting about 90 to 100 minutes of constant use which nicely matched the 64GB microSD cards' capacity. Recharging was easy but more on that in a bit . . .There were a few issues. No showstoppers, but niggling all the same.1. When the Hero is on the Karma half your view of the screen is lost. You really do need a separate monitoring solution if framing is important. I paired my iphone and mounted it with a Manfrotto Twistgrip bought at the airport and a clamp with a ball head. I also cobbled together a sunhood from an old Samurai Blade hood. Not ideal, but it was functional. I'll be looking for a more convenient solution that takes advantage of the collar mount that comes with the Karma (I would have used it together with a GoPro tripod mount but both the tripod mount and the TwistGrip are female and I didn't have a double male adaptor with me).2. The fixed battery design is a disappointment. I would have bought two spares had they been removable.3. I am at a loss as to why you can't prevent the Grip from charging the GoPro. I can easily carry a handful of GoPro batteries with me and swap them as needed and I would FAR rather have the longer life on the gimbal with its fixed battery. I don't know what the Hero is sucking out of the Karma's battery and whether it's even worth it, but it would be nice if this could be addressed in a future firmware update.For now I just carry a USB powerbank for extended life.4. I felt that I had to push too hard on the Hero to mount it in the Karma frame. I was always worried about breaking it.5. While the carrying case is convenient, it would have been so much more useful if there was a separate, sealable area inside for spare batteries, the easily lose-able port cover and spare microSD cards. I haven't seen any third party cases designed specifically for the Karma Grip but if one comes up with that feature I would buy it.5. £100 for the extension cable? Sheesh . . . Now, if you could buy the extension cable together with just the handle part of the Grip which contains the battery (i.e. not the gimbal section) that is something I would consider.All in all, though, this was a fantastic purchase and it really has made a big impact on both me and my client. Whether I really can do without the GH4/Ronin (low light performance, for example) it remains to be seen. For the time being, though, I am a happy customer.But do I go for the Karma drone or spend a bit more on the superior Mavic Pro? That's my next difficult decision . . .

21.12.2016

So after much waiting on GoPro, not Amazon, they shipped next day as always.....In their all singing all dancing Karma Drone, Karma Grip, GoPro Hero 5 launch, the owner famously said...... "Karma, so much more than a Drone !" then was promptly immediately outclassed by the DJI Mavic, then a few weeks later had to recall the drone......I'm very pleased to say that the Grip, is actually the one to sing about ! "Karma, so much more than a Gimbal Grip!"For completeness, I have got the Hero 5 camera to add to my 4k equipment, to accompany my DJI Mavic's 4k footageOut of the box, points of note:- Comes with a proper travel case- Case also allows storage for other bits and bobs,

2.1.2017

OK - this is a lot of money when there are many cheaper options. However, the advantage of this over the cheaper rivals is the full integration with the camera. It is very convenient being able to control the camera from the handle, and enhances the experience.The positives: it comes with a high quality case, a mounting ring (to allow you to fit the grip to a standard GoPro mount) and a USB-C cable. The build quality is excellent - it has a solid weighty feel to it (that said, due to the nature of this product I am not sure as it would stand up to drops and knocks very well ... and it isn't waterproof).It is very easy to use and does what it says on the tin - it keeps the camera stable,

3.6.2017

Excellent piece of kit. Works incredibly well. Obvious downsides: can hear motor when recording, sound quality pretty awful generally, as latch needs to be removed and finally it isn't waterproof or resistant, which is a major downside. I knew all this when I was buying it though. A few interesting Kickstarters out there, just couldn't wait for them.Positives: 2 settings, one that keeps the horizon level and the other that 'follows', the difference with follows is that it moves vertically as well e.g. the camera now looks up and down when filming say a skyscraper etc. Seems to work reasonably well. I've tested the karma grip out of a car window with my 5 and it worked incredibly well.

27.2.2017

I've been a serious photographer for almost 20 years now and love Go Pro products so I was very excited to receive the new Karma Grip. first off, it is a very solid and well made bit of kit, slightly heavier than I was expecting. I made sure the firmware for my Hero 5 was up to date and have had absolutely no problems setting up and using the grip. The grip provides wonderful image stabilisation for video but it is not especially easy to use. I know other reviewers have suggested flipping the grip upside down son you can see the display on the camera but I remain somewhat surprised that GoPro felt it okay to produce a product where the gimbal blocks the bulk of the display screen.

25.10.2018

This thing actually works; however the grip is quite heavy and so can move about if you just attach it to something with the Karma grip ring (supplied). I was planning to mount this to the Go Pro dog harness but the grip is too heavy and shifts the harness about too much. When used hand held the results are excellent, the software is actually pretty easy to use. I originally intended to use this for my Go Pro 3 but in then end I upgraded the camera as well. If you do want to use this with an older Go Pro camera you are going to have to buy an adapter and in the end I just considered this too much of a faff. Don't bother trying to charge this thing from a USB cable using your laptop - it will take forever (they state 6 hours but I found it took all night)

3.12.2017

Despite mixed reviews on YouTube I decided to go with the GoPro Karma grip rather than one of the 3rd party alternatives. Perhaps I should have read the "what's included" bit of the Amazon listing because I was surprised that there was no case or or many accessories included. The reviews from US purchasers seemed to indicate the Karma Grip case came with it. It did not. Also the Amazon version came with fewer accessories than the identical one being sold by Jessops for the same price? Given that it seems to perform brilliantly and extends the Go Pro Hero 5 battery life. The fact that you cannot lock the pan function can be a bit annoying but I was aware of that from other reviews I had read.

22.12.2016

Received yesterday. Perfect for hero 5 owners. Slight mechanical whirring on rotation, but in all honesty is a minor flaw in what is a fantastic gimbal. I have the feiyu G4 for my hero 4, which is also great, but this karma grip turns two systems into one. Turn on the grip, the GoPro turns on. Plus all other main functions accessible on the grip. Looking forward to using the position lock modes for strapping the grip to my chest with the provided collar-mount unit and heading down the mountains on skis and board in a few weeks. I still stand by the fact that GoPro make the best action/family friendly cameras on the market.Like another reviewer I bought this and the DJI mavic. Perfect drone,

16.1.2017

Firstly my Karma Grip wouldn't work, I was so frustrated with the recording and power on/off not working on the device, i boxed it up ready to return for a replacement unit.Tonight 16/1/17 I noticed Go Pro had released a new firmware update, so I updated the camera and installed into the Karma Grip and made sure both units where powered down, I pressed record and the unit fired into recording mode, something I have never had the pleasure of seeing previously.Go Pro releasing this firmware update makes this a excellent Gimbal,I have had other Gimbals which had joysticks but it is not required, the orientation lock feature is so simple and more responsive than fiddling around with a joystick.

18.1.2017

I had read some mixed reviews about this grip but ordered it to find out for myself.I have had no issues using the grip. Powers on fine and also turns the camera on which is a benefit. I found that it shows up on the screen that it is connected by USB for a few seconds then switches to live view. You can also press the record button which turns on the grip and starts recording but found this a little bit temperamental as it would turn on the grip but not start recording.Videos are very smooth, audio is a little bit muffled but have heard some users saying an update is coming.Generally happy with the grip.

31.3.2017

It might make a noise if a camera isnt present when your switch it on - but once the GoPro is present - OMG it is good. Only thing missing is the promised extension to you can detach the actual gimble from the battery. Do not think you can buy any other after market cable it doesn't work...I've tried like many others. Come on GoPro lots of people want the extension cable. It does power/charge the camera as well - which does drain the battery so be prepared to charge it every 90 mins or so, but I would rather only rely on the GoPro internal battery and have the stabiliser go on for longer.

11.2.2017

A beast!PROSStabilisation is awesomeRobustSimple to use - reeeaaaly simple - if you can't work it then I'm not sure how you made it onto the internetSplash resistentCONSSome may find it big, but that is not necessarily a con!Not many features - but who the hell wants a selfie feature anyway?!Some have motor issues - because they haven't updated their GoProAudio is a bit fuzzy - don't personally use the audio anyway but may be an issue to someLooks pricey - doesn't bother me as you don't get much support from dji, feiyutech - ill have this with go pro care when it comes to uk

23.3.2017

Bought this at the same time as the GoPro Hero 5 Black and this transforms the video making process. The imagery when using the grip transforms the video into professional quality. The action is so smooth and the results are amazing. The grip is very easy to operate and it doesn't take long to start getting smooth video on the move. Battery life is good (around 2 hours) but I do wish the battery was interchangeable because it is not easy to recharge in the middle of no where. However this is small gripe against the usability of the Karma Grip and so I have still given it 5 stars.

21.4.2017

Bought this addition to my GoPro 5 to take with me skiing and holidays etc. Really happy with the smoothness of the video, really adds a bit more of a professional glean to your videos.For improvement on a next iteration - the user controls do not give any visual feedback as to whether a certain mode has been activated (Such as the tracking feature), when I was up the mountain I just had to trust I'd pressed the right buttons and it was going to work. It'd be great if something showed on the screen to say that that feature is activated.

2.6.2019

I'm happy I waited for the price to drop a bit on this, even at £250 it's more than half the price I bought the gopro for, but it's fantastic for taking on holidays. There's zero shake, zero, all the videos I record with this think look silky smooth. People complain about the motor noise, but barely hear it, and considering how bad the gopro microphone is it's the least of the sound issues with recordings.The battery lasts a whole day, and keeps the gopro charged the entire time (without needing a loose cable connecting the two).

GoPro Karma Grip AGIMB-002-EU - Reviews

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