![]() It lets a co-pilot view the flight and control the camera and gimbal. Karma will have a companion smartphone app called Passenger (it was yet not available during our hands-on time). Depending on the Hero camera you’re using, you can shoot up to 2K or 4K. Controlling the gimbal manually resulted in jarring motion, but using one of the Auto Shot Paths will create smoother-looking shots. With the videos we shot using a Hero5 Black, we noticed the Stabilizer did a very good job at keeping things steady (although YouTube detected shakiness after we uploaded the videos, we thought it looked fine, except for instances of jolts we attribute to our computer’s processor). There’s an Orbit mode where Karma circles the user Reveal mode, where the camera pitches downward and slowly tilts up to present a “reveal” of what’s ahead and Dronie, where Karma shoots a selfie of the user. For example, in Cable Cam mode, Karma travels along a line, back and forth the user just needs to set points A and B. You only need to tell Karma how to set up the shot, and the drone takes it from there. These presets let you create smooth, professional-looking shots. The manual controls are fun if you’re just flying around, but if you’re shooting video, it’s best to use the Karma Controller’s Auto Shot Paths feature. The left button is used to manipulate the gimbal, while the right buttons initiate start/stop recording and tagging cool moments for easy editing. ![]() On the left and right shoulders are controls for the camera. A hard push on the right joystick sent Karma zooming away, while delicate right push on the left joystick had the drone slowly rotate clockwise. During our flight, Karma was very responsive to our controls. The left joystick handles ascend, descend, and rotation, while the right stick is to pitch the drone left, right, forward, and backward. Despite facing a bright setting sun, we had no issues viewing the display at arm’s length. It’s brighter than the latest iPhone displays, which is key for using outdoors, and it’s why we suspect GoPro went with a built-in display instead of using a tablet or phone, as it’s done with other drones. You flip it open to reveal a bright, 900-nit five-inch touchscreen color display with a 720p resolution. The controller itself is large and bulky, but has a good firm feel to it. The Karma is sleek and one of the easiest drones we’ve flown to date. Its position at the very front allows the camera to capture wide-angle video without the propellers in the picture. With either a Hero5 or Hero4 mounted to the harness and connected via the Mini USB or USB Type-C port, the Stabilizer keeps the camera relatively steady, which is what we noticed during use. At the front is a detachable (just twist and pull out) three-axis gimbal system called the Karma Stabilizer. So how is Karma more than a drone? It actually consists of multiple components, aside from the flying unit. A GoPro engineer didn’t seem concerned, and said the propeller is easy to fix. During an attempted landing in strong windy conditions by another journalist, we witnessed the Karma crash and break one of its propellers. Overall, the Karma has a solid construction that, while not as rugged as the Hero cameras, can take a light beating. Should an accident damage these parts, they are user replaceable. There are no parts to attach: Just flip out the foldable propeller arms and landing gear, and it’s ready to fly. True to its word, the Karma is ready to go when you are. At 2.2 pounds (it’s roughly four pounds when you include the battery, controller, stabilizing gimbal, and accessories), it’s relatively light – we held it comfortably in one hand – so hauling it isn’t an issue. That might be a stretch – it’s bigger than the word “compact” would suggest, but it’s in-line with many quadcopters, in terms of size. The Karma is a ready-to-go drone that fits neatly inside a specially designed backpack, although GoPro says it’s compact enough to fit inside most bags. GoPro’s Karma is the professional drone for the rest of us.
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