GoPro clearly wants its Hero range to mix it with the best vlogging cameras around, thanks to accessories like its new Volta battery grip. And while the latter is certainly a useful sidekick, as you can see in our GoPro Volta review, it isn’t quite as interesting as the modular vlogging camera we recently discovered in some fascinating patents.
Before we gaze ahead to what might be coming down the line, let’s delve into the pros and cons of GoPro’s new accessory. The new Volta grip, which you can buy on its own or as part of a new Hero 10 Black Creator Edition bundle, combines a battery-equipped handle, tripod, and wireless controller in one handy accessory. It’s mainly designed for the Hero 10 Black and Hero 9 Black, which benefit from its remote control powers, but it will also charge and mount with older GoPros.
One of the main benefits of the Volta for vloggers and YouTubers is a significantly boosted battery life for their action cam. On the Hero 10 Black, for example, it’ll jump up from 74 minutes (when shooting 5.3K/30p video) to over four hours when used with the Volta. Overheating limitations aside, that should mean you can leave the spare batteries at home.
The Volta’s built-in camera buttons also give you one-handed control of your GoPro, or you can detach it to give you remote control of your Hero 10 or Hero 9 from up to 98 feet away. This means the Volta effectively combines three of GoPro’s existing accessories (the Remote, spare batteries, and a tripod) into one.
One of the few downsides, as our review explains, is that the Volta is only weather-proof, rather than fully waterproof. So if you’re planning to go diving, you’ll still be best off getting a floating Handler grip instead. The Volta also doesn’t, like the GoPro concept below, have a mechanical gimbal that would allow it to follow you around a scene, like the DJI Pocket 2.
While the Volta is useful on its own, it still needs the help of Mod accessories like the Media Mod to become a really powerful vlogging setup. So GoPro has created a new Hero 10 Black Creator Edition bundle, which includes the action cam, a Volta grip, a Media Mod (which has a built-in directional mic, plus 3.5mm in and HDMI-out ports), and the Light Mod to help illuminate your subjects.
Naturally, this is a pretty pricey setup. You can buy the Volta on its own for $90.99 / £83.99 / AU$139.96 with a GoPro subscription, or $129.99 / $119.99 / AU$199.95 without one. But if you want the full Hero 10 Black Creator Edition, you’ll pay $581.96 / £558.46 / AU$890.33 (for existing GoPro subscribers) or $784.95 / £759.95 / AU$1204.75 (without a subscription).
Luckily, there’s also currently a special deal on the Creator Edition for new GoPro subscribers. If you don’t have a Hero 10 or an existing subscription, you can pick up the bundle for $531.95 / £508.45 / AU$820.33, which is pretty decent considering the setup’s filmmaking powers. But should you wait to see what GoPro has in store for later this year?
Analysis: A handy accessory, but is it a stop-gap?
Our GoPro Volta review concludes that the accessory is a “compelling option for creators on the go” that’s both “comfortable to use and adds plenty of functionality” to the Hero 10 Black and Hero 9 Black.
The Volta is effectively three GoPro accessories in one, given it can act as a tripod, battery grip, and controller (both wireless and wired) for the action cam maker’s two most recent Hero models.
The only real downsides are that it isn’t fully waterproof, can’t act as a wireless remote for older GoPros, and lacks extending selfie-stick powers for wider group shots. But could the Creator Edition bundle also be a mid-cycle stopgap for a more streamlined vlogging setup?
Earlier this month we discovered GoPro patents for a DJI Pocket 2-style camera that suggest it’s planning to resurrect its Karma Grip as a new all-in-one camera with a mechanical gimbal.
Naturally, patents can only be treated as concepts rather than signs of concrete plans, but these were highly developed and match GoPro’s comments earlier this year that it’s planning new ‘types’ of action cam for 2022.
The downside of the Volta grip and Creator Edition bundle is that it lacks a mechanical gimbal to follow vloggers around a scene as they’re talking to camera. So while both are certainly worth investigating if you already have a Hero 10 or Hero 9 action cam, there could be a more exciting vlogging solution coming later this year.
