GoPro just made the perfect camera for FPV drones

Given its compact form factor, rugged design, and great 5.3K video quality, the GoPro 10 has quickly become a staple among the FPV drone community.

However, as any drone pilot knows, GoPro’s also include a lot of excess weight what with their massive back LCD screen, battery, and now front LCD screen as of the HERO 9.

Well, it looks as if GoPro has seen enough videos of people disassembling their cameras and decided to go ahead and release a version of its flagship action camera catered specifically for FPV drone pilots.

Meet the HERO10 Black Bones

The GoPro HERO10 Black is a great action camera, so rather than designing a whole new even more compact camera (like the old GoPro Session) GoPro decided to essentially just strip away all the unessential components from their flagship camera.

(360° action camera maker Insta360 actually did this last year when they released the SMO 4K in partnership with BETA FPV which was essentially just a stripped-down, non-modular ONE R 4K camera.)

This means that users still get all the great things about the GoPro 10 — 5.3K/60fps video, HyperSmooth 4.0, 19.6mp stills from video frames — all in a compact form that tips the scales at a svelte 60g less than half the weight of the HERO10’s 150g.

Most of the weight savings comes by losing the battery which itself weighs a whopping 62g, but in order to get the Bones as light as possible GoPro also eliminated the back LCD, front LCD, USB-C charging port, and most notably the camera’s waterproof capabilities.

Without a battery or USB-C port, power for the Bones comes directly from the FPV drone you install it on using the included GH1.25-3P Male Wire Connector and users can control the camera using onboard buttons, the Quik App, your drone transmitter, QR codes, or even the optional GoPro Remote.

Less is more

The stripped-down HERO10 Black Bones is significantly less useful for the average action cam user, but FPV drone pilots or those who simply need the lightest and smallest camera will find the Bones perfect for their uses.

And even though the HERO10 Bones is listed at the same $550 MSRP as the standard HERO10, after GoPro Subscription incentives — the Bones is actually $50 more than the $350 HERO10.

This means that Bones users could actually end up paying more for fewer features and hardware.

However, the value of weight savings and not having to disassemble the GoPro 10 yourself (and subsequently voiding its warranty) is certainly worth it to serious FPV pilots.

The GoPro HERO10 Black Bones is available for purchase through GoPro’s website and should eventually be available outside of the US.