Why You Can Trust CNET GoPro's Bones Brings Hero 10 Black Camera to FPV Drones
Weighing in at less than 2 ounces, the Hero 10 Black Bones is the lightest GoPro you can get.
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No screens, no battery, but all the performance.
GoPro has launched a camera for aerial cinematography, just a couple of weeks after introducing a new Hero 10 Black camera kit for creators. Outfitted with the insides of the original Hero 10 camera, the Hero 10 Black Bones' streamlined design enables it to be mounted on an FPV drone.
Until now, FPV pilots had to strip down a GoPro or other action cam themselves to get the weight down to reduce the impact on drone performance and battery life when attached. Also, the smaller and lighter the camera, the smaller the drone can be. The Hero 10 Black Bones is only 54 grams (1.9 ounces), which, while not as light as a completely naked GoPro, is light enough to mount on a 3-inch cinewhoop FPV drone such as the Diatone Taycan.
The Bones has no battery of its own.
The camera components are housed in a well-ventilated enclosure, which means it'll stay cool while still being more protected than a GoPro that's stripped of its original waterproof casing. And like the regular Hero 10 Black, the Bones has a replaceable lens cover that can also be swapped for third-party ND filters.
The only controls on the camera are two buttons on the back. However, it can be controlled with the mobile Quik app, GoPro Labs QR controls, GoPro's wireless remote or even a drone transmitter.
The lens cover twists off so you can worry less about crashes.
The Hero 10 Black Bones has the full imaging performance of GoPro's current top camera, so while you're flying it can capture at resolutions up to 5.3K at 60 frames per second for 4K at 120fps. It can record with the camera's HyperSmooth 4.0 image stabilization, but also included is a license for ReelSteady stabilization that's now part of the GoPro Player desktop app. Plus, ReelSteady now works with footage that's been recorded with HyperSmooth; previously the desktop app only worked with nonstabilized footage.
There's an open microSD card slot on the right side.
The camera has no battery of its own but instead draws power from the drone's battery pack. It's compatible with 2S to 6S packs rated from 5 to 27 volts. GoPro also includes a power connector with wiring to attach to the drone's flight controller.
The GoPro Hero 10 Black Bones is available now directly from GoPro's site for $400 with an included one-year subscription to GoPro's cloud service. Otherwise, it's $500 and includes the camera as well as a license for ReelSteady stabilization, which is $100 alone. The camera is only available in the US at the moment and GoPro said there is no timeline for international availability. The price converts to approximately £385 or AU$675.