Capt. JJ Kelley, UMA Pilot…

Well!  I brought home a GoPro Karma last weekend, and finally got to start test flying it!  It is beyond amazing.  I have some video clips but they are not edited yet, and needless to say, only tests because I need to learn to fly the Drone before concentrating on footage/photos!  LOL

I named him “Rascal” and badged him, since the first few days of ownership it was constant rain.

As my buddy Allan stated tonight, soon I will actually be Captain of “The Rascal” by flying in the cockpit (AKA the controller) and not be constantly looking from controller to drone, to controller, to see where the aircraft is, and make sure I’m not near obstacles…. LOL.

The image clarity on the Hero6 is astounding!  Its got the 4K technology, (and even at 60 fps!) but i’m still on 1080 at the moment.  I have everything so far on auto settings coz there’s too much to concentrate on flying for right now.  Hope to upload some edited clips soon for you all, so please stay tuned.

This evening

Out of the box, the KARMA is a breeze to set up, and understand.  I had purchased two outstanding manuals that I fully recommend.  Both by amazing photographer/author Jordan Hetrick  I have the “How to use the GoPro KARMA DRONE” and his “How to use the GoPro Hero 6 Black”

He is my kind of teacher! well written and laid out instructions, tutorials, explanations, tips.  You should absolutely invest in the paper or kindle editions; the value add is indescribable.

So, more testing to be done, practicing to be had as a pilot first, then I’ll look at his camera tips manual, and really hone my craft!

I got the drone not only for fun, but to bring a new element to my Fine Art Image Collection.

My decision on the KARMA as opposed to some other popular drones was so easy, due to the versatility to take the GoPro off the drone and use it in ways similar and beyond my GoPro Hero3 for years.  SO was there a trade off?  only slight for my purposes and a no brainer.  The KARMA batteries are approx 16-20 minutes, where, say the DJI for example has a model reaching 27 minutes.  and the KARMA has about a 3,200 foot range while some of the DJI’s may (i think ) go near 4,000 feet (this is range to controller), but those are both features I don’t necessarily need for my intentions.  In fact I hit a special at Best Buy that gave me an additional Battery for free, and I have the 400w inverter in my Jeep, so I can virtually go anywhere for any any amount of time and be completely set up for shooting all day long!

So, Logistically, one needs an adequate speed as well as capacity micro SD Card,  SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) is typical for photo stills, but the SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) is imperative for video.  I recommend a minimum 64 GB capacity to be adequate for general purpose.

As for speed class, please get at least a V30 (this is a rating you need if shooting video – the “V”) there are I believe V6 (think turtle) up to V90 the Hare, but $$$!  You can generally get a SDXC V30 on sales prices around the $40-$60 US range.  Your stills SD Cards will NOT typically have the “V” rating they will be a plain number.  These numbers on both cards signify the processing capability at MB/sec.  Your 64GB SDXC V30 card should also have a 3 on it.

See these specs explanations: Micro SD Cards for video

Okay, I gotta run, but I will post some edited clips as soon as possible!

Cheers All,

JJ