why on earth made you do the video in an area where you cant fly...?

Hi All! A lot of you have asked about DJI Mavic Pro. I'll have something up shortly on that (and yes, even including flying). Note that if some have seen other peoples videos where the Mavic video appeared 'soft', it's simply because they were doing it wrong. On the Mavic you have to set a focus point, which many KZfaqrs didn't do correctly. Anyway, hang tight!

Yes, the Karma has been recalled, but I had finished my review at about the exact same that notice went out. Eventually, it'll start shipping again, and thus will let you know whether it's worth waiting for. My full in-depth review here: In-Depth Review: www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/11/gopro-karma-drone-review.html

Informative, but disappointing we didn't see it fly, or any footage. :-(

this is the best detailed video of the karma so far! thank you!

There are rarely few seasoned drone reviewers who are able to look beyond the paper specs and ask ourselves the real reasons of getting a drone. Drone racing, commercial crops spraying...you and i most likely are getting one to take aerial perspectives of our life experiences and encounters to share with friends. We all agreed GoPro videos on youtube are sticky and addictive and we all aspire to create such content. If you look closer, such great story-telling videos usually consist of footages taken from different perspectives with a simple storyboard. This is when you could see the light of why GoPro Karma is such a clever design with that intention in mind; a detachment gimbal and camera to capture different perspectives from the sky, on the ground and in the sea. We would then see the real benefits of the four pre-programme flight paths capturing cinematic aerial moments. The last thing we wish to do with the drone is to fly them aimlessly in the sky like a kite. Do we really need a drone to fly 7km away at breakneck speed? On a side note, what about the all important "collision avoidance" and "follow-me" features EVEN THOUGH like all greedy consumers i might not really need them? But i want them! So it great to hear that Karma already have all the hardware necessary for future firmware upgrades to allow "collision avoidance" and "follow-me" features. i read that in the reddit/Engadget interviews with Mr Woodman and Pablo Lema respectively. But GoPro did not end just there because we know all too well what happened to our wonderful footages. They are most likely buried in the SD card or backup hard drive waiting for that glory day to tell our stories if and only if we could finally managed to overcome the steep learning curve of video editing software. This is when GoPro Quik Desktop comes in handy. Now, It is really easy to stitch together those recordings into a wonderful story backed by a massive royalty-free but always-seems-appropriate music library. Have a try. It is really an Apple-like video editing software sans the frustration. Finally, the GoPro plus provide a nice finish with a convenient cloud-based repository of our ever-increasing collections of videos within Internet-reach. So in my opinion, GoPro is no longer an action camera or drone company we are familiar in the past. It has finally evolved into one that has delivered the promise for an end-to-end, Apple-like ecosystem consisting of Hero 5/Karma/Gimbal Grip/Quik desktop/GoPro Plus allowing us to tell and share our stories effortlessly to everyone! DJI is merely another drone company.

Great vid Ray! Answered a few questions I had after seeing some other more.... superficial videos about it.

Great job. Most thorough walk through I've seen

Great unboxing "hands-on" video. Looking forward for the flying "hands-on" video to see how this performs compared to the others.

One of the better pre-release reviews I have seen on the Karma showing more of the controller features than on other channels. You did a good job for where you were at the time, don't worry about some of the hater comments.

Thanks! Very good review indeed. Cheers from Scandinavia.

This is the best video on the drone, GREAT EXPLANATION!!!!!

Wow, DC RainMaker is doing drone video stuff, This guy is a genius in the cycling tech arena!!

Nicely done.

This is so much better than the Mavic because we know the quality that GoPro puts out in its cameras.

Thanks - nice review.

I'm looking forward to DJI's event on Monday, when they're likely to introduce the Mavic.

I actually purchased this drone from BestBuy about a month ago. First, let me say that this is the first drone I have purchased or flown, but according to GoPro this drone was made for folks like me. I am new to drones, new to GoPro and they claim I am their target audience. So I bought in and ponied up $1200 (kit plus a battery). I was enjoying using the Karma but on three separate occasions while trying to land the Karma it would take off just a few feet from the ground while landing. It shot straight up in the air, I let go of the joysticks (manual and videos says it sould stop and hover) and it rose like a bullet and flew straight off. I had GPS and the battery was about 3-4 minutes left and was landing per the controller instructions. THe first time I was able to get the Karma to respond and land safely, the second time it took off and almost flew into electrical wires. I was also able to finally (and just before it almost hit the wires) get Karma to come back down and land. Again, GPS was on and trying to land before the battery low warning came on. And now the third and sadly final time it took off on its own. I was again trying to land Karma and it shot straight up in the air and took off forward lodging itself 60 feet in the air in a top branch of a tree. A few moments later the battery fell out of the Karma. And there it sits in a tree until I can A) pay a tree guy/gal to go up and retrieve it or B) try and shoot it down which will probably end up destroying the drone, camera and gimble. Since, I spent all of my money on the drone and extra batteries and props I cannot afford to pay someone to retrieve it. If you are thinking about buying this, DON'T. Wait until GoPro can get this thing fixed properly. Otherwise, be prepared to have $1200 stuck in a tree mocking you all while you fight the urge to throw up. I am gutted that I foolishly spent this money and stupid enough to believe the hype.

Great video, very thorough. It wouldve been even better if you showed us the flight modes and how it handles.

Great review man, thanks! I think I will hold off on getting the Karma until they add more features to the design. I saw the DJI ad and the features on that one look awesome, specially the object avoidance and tracking. DJI will avoid running into objects automatically. I think that's an important feature to have. So I will wait a while before getting the Karma. Again, thanks for the review!

nicely done! i hope there is a follow up review on flight video captures / response time / and Battery life on actual normal flying.

Pls do a full, list comparison when you have both Mavic and Karma tested in the field. thx!

At the moment you won't see much flight footage on the net until the Gopro 5 is released. Was considering the Phantom for aerial photography because it's the best on the market and it can shoot RAW which is something I really need. One thing I don't like about the phantoms is the price of the batteries, frigging too expensive for what they are. But this all changed when I learned about the release of the Karma Drone and the GoPro Hero 5 :-) the package is cheap for what is on offer, the batteries are cheap compared to DJI lipos, the controller includes a decent screen in a nice package. One other thing I was worried about was the fisheye effect of the Gopro's apparently when the GoPro 5 is attached to the drone it has a linear mode that flattens the horizon, it also now shoots RAW and HDR photos. But I will still wait till it's released to see more in depth hands on reviews before I buy it but I think this will defiantly be my next purchase :-)

The Karma is pretty awesome just got it.

Great video! Rather than ripping the Karma, you tell the good and the bad of the drone. Thanks!

What about calibrating the GoPro karma, how would that be done? I am so excited to get this drone. The handheld gimbal sold it for me and the passenger app, my dad will like controlling the gimbal while I fly.

Can you put an extension pole at the end of the gimbal grip?

Very cool video, can't wait to try it. lol

So will it "allow you to take off. On the DGI is useless around airport, even in sometimes legal areas. Can you disable the restricted settings on this. There are approved uses that an override needs to be made available for.

great video! make a video of the karma flying

awesome vid man but I was really looking forward to a fly demo sucks u where by an airport

I really like the build quality of the entire package. Everything seems very solid and not cheap. Both Yuneec and DJI (Yuneec more so) feel cheep and toy like. For the money the Karma package seems very well suited. There's a lot of Karma bashing already mostly because of lack of features but to be honest, for the money the Karma is a perfect fit for the GoPro ecosystem. After all, the GoPro is meant to be a versatile action sports camera that can be mounted everywhere. The Karma is just another mount, in this case an airborne one. I love the modularity of the gimbal. That is really cool. One thing you didn't confirm is whether or not the hand held grip can be mounted to the backpack. I have seen other video where that is shown. Yes the features and even the software are a bit on the low end but for the money I think it is a good buy. I like the dynamic "home" feature. I'm a little perplexed as to why they don't have a "Follow Me" feature. That's a bit odd considering one of the main things people do in action sports is film themselves in action! So the fact that it doest have a traking feature is very odd. Overall I think this is a good value based package. One thing you should clarify is whether or not the GoPro is included. You make it sound like EVERYTHING you see in the case is included... but I don't think the camera is included. Thank you for the overview.

The GoPro comes with the drone? Awesome!

Excellent video 👍 I just love the controller, but no additional stabilization or obstacle avoidance in this day and age, is a major thumbs down for me. How curious, the price difference against the dji mavric, is the same as gopro's camera lol

keep it up mate!

I own the hero 3 black. You mentioned you can't change settings while in flight , but can you still see the live video on the remote?

Karma has a practical size and flight time that's practical for adventures. I'm still looking for a viable means of safely transporting my Typhoon H. Karma will be great for getting in fast, getting the shot and moving on to the next location for a shoot.

Do you need to have the controller on to have the karma on fully? The reason being is because I'm trying to figure out what isn't working correctly. It's either the drone or the controller. My stabilizer will not prop itself up once turning on the karma. Customer service thinks it's the controller but I don't think that's the problem. I also know the stabilizer works fine because it works with my grip without any error.

I wonder if you are locked into using the transmitter monitor, or can you use FPV goggles/glasses? I use the Epson Moverio glasses with my DJI Phantom, and wouldn't switch to the GoPro if it didn't have that capability.

Hi there i only ask if there is follow mode for this karma? Thank you and God Bless.

I like how every video I click on of the GoPro karma has an Ad for the DJI mavic in the beginning

U should get a better recorder cuz the sounds is a little bit weird but overall it is really good, helps a lot thx

can you put the gopro session on karma without buying another harness ?

Can't wait for that M600 review you got on your wrist :D

Can you program it to fly a certain path and do it automatically?

I have a GoPro Hero 3+ Black, will the Karma remote pair with it? So I can see what's being recorded... I don't mind turning the camera on manually

As you probably know by now you missing the ring that holds the gimbal in the grip, you forgot to pull that out which was under the remote compartment👍🏼😊

How does it work with a hero 4 when the connections don't match up?

I really want to buy this drone is it worth the money

Awesome, but How do you get it?, Could I buy it?

when I buy the drone does it come with the go pro hero 5

Love the quality here, what camera did you use?

Are you able to direct the camera upwards past the 90 degree angle on this one?

thank you

Hey I was just wondering can you use the go pro on the drone for other use like example clipping it on your surfboard could please respond thanks

Do you know if the drone and controller will be sold by itself, aside from the package deal? Planning to get the Karma grip at release but don't need the Karma right now because I have a Phantom. If some point down the road I decide to switch out my Phantom for the Karma, If I buy the package deal that would give me 2 grips and I don't need that. Also the tracking feature, avoidance, etc.....do you think those will get added on to the 1st gen Karma or possibly a 2nd gen?

How long does the battery for both Hero 5 and the karma ?? Because I want to these but nobody actually talks about the battery!

Basically a 3DR Solo in different skin. Very similar architecture it seems.

do u like the inspire 1 v2 better ??

Does anyone know if the controller sticks are customizable?

Good video thanks but would be much better if you could demonstrate it flying. After all that's its purpose.

Any idea if this works with the Hero 8??

Did it come with the camera? Is this the official version which comes with it?

good vid

Is the Hero 5 Gopro included with the purchase?

Does it come with the GoPro or no

Does the hero 5 come with the karma drone?

does it come with the camera?

does the camera come with the drone ??

does it come with the go pro

This is a lot more information than in other videos. One thing I would like to have clarified. The little wheel on the remote can only make the camera point forward or down. No angles in between?

Hey DC, How's the battery life of drone and controller?

can you get the drone without gopro and is it cheap because I have a gopro already

Hey does it come with the hero5?

How many packs of batteries can this back pack hold??? I hope atleast 3.

What is better? Mavic or Karma?

how about ur away from home how can u get wifi conection

The go pro hero 5 is not included correct?

does it comes with a camera

can we use hero 4 session ?

Can it work with my session?

Is there a pro mode like we can change the camera setting like aperture, iso, and shutter speed? Thanks!

can you put in a different action camera

Can I put a signal booster to the Controller?

Is the grip water resistant at all???

Just by listning a little to the material.. Is it mere plastic and fragile, or can it withstand some form of beating like the camera itself?

Does it come with the gopro?

Did it come with a camera

hows the battery life like

When buying "All + Hero 5 Black" do you get a hero 5 in its original package or just attached to the drone. Basically I'm asking if I get everything i would normally get if I just bought the camera

you can not change mode 2 to mode 1,throttle left to right?like yuneec.

So does the GoPro karma come with a GoPro?

What is the weight of the entire backpack? (with drone, charger, battery, GoPro Hero 5, Karma grip, gimbal, controller etc. I.e all the things shown in the first part of your review).

Does it come with a camera?

There is no physical cable link between the GoPro camera and the drone body. It means they use the wireless video communication from camera to the drone and then to the remote controller. This design may bring more time delay of the video downlink. Could you check it?

It come with 2 batteries?

does anyone know why the karma isn't compatible with the hero 4 session?

Wouldn't it be nice if you film this else where but the airport.......

both the karma grip and the drone work with hero5 session right?