Thinking about moving to Karma - comments?

Marich · Oct 12, 2016

You're already anticipating problems if you're seeking ways to ensure the manufacturer is responsible for flyaways you know are likely to occur.

Bigskyflyer · Oct 12, 2016

Crisp Rice said:
I think that Karma will be the way forward for me also.

I have read on GoPros support forums that Karma actually allows for take off and landing on a moving surface (boat mode?).
Solved: Boat launch - GOPRO SUPPORT HUB

This is huge for me and if I understand this, may imply that the software guys who left 3DR for Go Pro have managed to do what was discussed for Solo in this regard. I have read on Phantom forums that DJI absolutely disallow take off unless the drone is level and still during initialisation, yes people are managing to take off from boats but they will have the same response I got from 3DR if it goes into the water.

If GoPro are saying we can do it, it will be very difficult for them to use that as an excuse to not be responsible for a flyaway after I took off from my boat.

Assuming that I am not completely off base, this is actually something that makes the Karma superior to what is currently available and not just a side grade to the Solo, at least for me and anyone else who flies from boats at all.

I'm not sure where you are getting your info on the phantoms not taking off from boats but it is not accurate. I have done it many times with my P3 with no issues at all.

Crisp Rice · Oct 12, 2016

Bigskyflyer said:
I'm not sure where you are getting your info on the phantoms not taking off from boats but it is not accurate. I have done it many times with my P3 with no issues at all.

I agree, and as I said in reference to DJI drones above: "yes people are managing to take off from boats" - my point is that there is no warrantee when the drone has an error that was not the pilots fault, they will use the excuse that the pilot armed his drone on a moving surface.

I have watched my good friend take off (p3p) from his boat many times. The issue is with what will happen when it crashes. Will the manufacturer play fair or not? A wiser person than I said that there are two kinds of RC Aircraft, those that have crashed and those that will crash. I am not naive about this and understand that. What I don't agree is that manufacturers should loophole me. Even better, I should identify my needs and look for a product that satisfies them.

3DR did not treat me fairly because they had a way out. Mea Culpa. And now I am looking for a drone manufacturer who won't use that as an excuse, but more, I am looking for a drone manufacturer that understands that flying from a boat, dock, kayak, etc, is something that most of us will want to do at some point. And make it possible.

I was a huge 3DR fanboy and am so sad about the end game we are witnessing. And If I were younger and had more time I would be buying a few and playing the long game. But that isn't an option so I am searching for the best options and hoping for thoughtful feedback from some of the folks on this forum who have helped me previously. Respect.

Crisp Rice · Oct 12, 2016

Marich said:
You're already anticipating problems if you're seeking ways to ensure the manufacturer is responsible for flyaways you know are likely to occur.

Yes, Agreed. My Solo flew away and several wiser (than I) folks on this forum believed that 3DR should have replaced my Solo (based on tlog posted) but used a loophole to deny responsibility. The entire thread is here on this site. If you are interested.

Once bitten as they say. I am now looking for a drone that can meet my requirements. Do you blame me?

Maddog · Oct 12, 2016

I think you guys are getting off topic..

Crisp Rice · Oct 12, 2016

Maddog said:
I think you guys are getting off topic..

Omg, I got trolled!
Staying on thread topic, I am with OP for reasons I stated above.

Ralph E. Johnson · Oct 15, 2016

I have two Solos and I don't think there is anything out there for the price to compete with it. But I have added the Mavic Pro for one really good reason and that is travel. I'm going to Ireland in November and want to film the castles and ruins. I would not have been able to take the Solo because of the size but Mavic will fit in my wife's purse I will attach a video when I return. Only problem is if it arrives before I leave

Maddog · Oct 15, 2016

Ralph E. Johnson said:
I have two Solos and I don't think there is anything out there for the price to compete with it. But I have added the Mavic Pro for one really good reason and that is travel. I'm going to Ireland in November and want to film the castles and ruins. I would not have been able to take the Solo because of the size but Mavic will fit in my wife's purse I will attach a video when I return. Only problem is if it arrives before I leave

Would like to know how it performs.

adrew · Oct 15, 2016

I won't buy gopro karma based on the single reason - weight:

karma drone (no battery, no gimbal, no camera), 1006g
karma battery, 545g
karma stabilizer, 230g
karma(incl. battery, stabilizer, Hero5 black camera), 1898g (4.18lb)
karma(incl. battery, stabilizer, Hero5 session), 1857g (4.09lb)
,
Now look at dji mavic:
dji mavic (incl. battery, gimbal, camera), 734g (1.62lb)

Marich · Oct 15, 2016

adrew said:
I won't buy gopro karma based on the single reason - weight:

karma drone (no battery, no gimbal, no camera), 1006g
karma battery, 545g
karma stabilizer, 230g
karma(incl. battery, stabilizer, Hero5 black camera), 1898g (4.18lb)
karma(incl. battery, stabilizer, Hero5 session), 1857g (4.09lb)
,
Now look at dji mavic:
dji mavic (incl. battery, gimbal, camera), 734g (1.62lb)

Agreed - among the newer drones Mavic seems most interesting.

franknitty69 · Oct 22, 2016

one thing to keep in mind is NFZs. both the mavic and karma has enforced NFZs. the mavic at least has a mechanism for you to acknowledge and fly in certain areas. with the Karma, it doesn't appear that NFZs can be 'unlocked', so the Karma will be more restrictive than the Mavic. for some thats a showstopper. for example i live in dc, the mother of all NFZs. where my house is i could fly the mavic, by simply clicking ok. the karma on the other hand, will not take off.

franknitty69 · Oct 25, 2016

***update regarding karma NFZ***
it appears that its not restrictive as i estimated. at this time you can't 'unlock' an NFZ though.

"Karma is automatically restricted from flying within 1.5 miles of any major airport. If you’re within 5 miles of an airport it’ll tell you it’s in a no-fly zone but you can accept the terms and still fly (up to 1.5 miles out) – denoted by yellow dotted lines."

GoPro Karma Drone

twitchyzero · Oct 26, 2016

yeadh read that on a AMA

Ian [P13] · Oct 26, 2016

The Solo will perform better in higher wind, I've flown at winds which were base 25MPH gusting to almost 40MPH in the lake district, it was fairly terrifying but Solo did it. There's not a chance of a Mavic or Karma doing that.

The bottleneck actually in Solo is the ESCs, that's why the SiteScan Solo has different ESCs so it can drive the motors harder. The Solo can actually go to 100MPH (Philip has a Solo doing that) but the consumer Solo is software limited to the 55MPH top speed (which it has to be for the ESCs in use).

Solo will get Arducopter Master so from software side there's a good few years of improvement likely. For parts 3DR can't release the molds (we've asked) to have a 3rd party make parts whilst they're using the same platform for SiteScan. Obviously concerns have been raised about parts so 3DR is aware so we'll have to see what comes of that.

Maddog · Oct 26, 2016

Ian [P13] said:
The Solo will perform better in higher wind, I've flown at winds which were base 25MPH gusting to almost 40MPH in the lake district, it was fairly terrifying but Solo did it. There's not a chance of a Mavic or Karma doing that.

The bottleneck actually in Solo is the ESCs, that's why the SiteScan Solo has different ESCs so it can drive the motors harder. The Solo can actually go to 100MPH (Philip has a Solo doing that) but the consumer Solo is software limited to the 55MPH top speed (which it has to be for the ESCs in use).

Solo will get Arducopter Master so from software side there's a good few years of improvement likely. For parts 3DR can't release the molds (we've asked) to have a 3rd party make parts whilst they're using the same platform for SiteScan. Obviously concerns have been raised about parts so 3DR is aware so we'll have to see what comes of that.

Ian, is the Sitescan Solo different in any other ways besides the ESC's?

Ian [P13] · Oct 26, 2016

Maddog said:
Ian, is the Sitescan Solo different in any other ways besides the ESC's?

It has an M8N GPS, likely similar or the same as the one Jordi is selling.

Maddog · Oct 26, 2016

Ian [P13] said:
It has an M8N GPS, likely similar or the same as the one Jordi is selling.

So 3DR must be keeping a Solo inventory to sell to Site Scan customers. Given the cost, I'm doubtful they will sell many.

There were some posts by members who called 3DR with questions about Sitescan but the people they talked to were less than helpful/ knowledgeable about it.

fpvsteve · Oct 27, 2016

Ian [P13] said:
The Solo will perform better in higher wind, I've flown at winds which were base 25MPH gusting to almost 40MPH in the lake district, it was fairly terrifying but Solo did it. There's not a chance of a Mavic or Karma doing that.

The bottleneck actually in Solo is the ESCs, that's why the SiteScan Solo has different ESCs so it can drive the motors harder. The Solo can actually go to 100MPH (Philip has a Solo doing that) but the consumer Solo is software limited to the 55MPH top speed (which it has to be for the ESCs in use).

Solo will get Arducopter Master so from software side there's a good few years of improvement likely. For parts 3DR can't release the molds (we've asked) to have a 3rd party make parts whilst they're using the same platform for SiteScan. Obviously concerns have been raised about parts so 3DR is aware so we'll have to see what comes of that.

Ian, there are videos out with a Mavic flying under extreme windy conditions during the typhoon in Taiwan - I would not make the statement that Solo does better w/o a direct comparison.

Also, certainly there is no Solo doing 100mph. You will need a dedicated race drone to reach such speeds. A drone of the size and bulk shape of Solo would require likely 120+Amps continuous draw to reach such speeds. Besides other ESCs, that would require different motors, and certainly a completely different battery. ;-)

hackbard23 · Oct 27, 2016

the world record is 118 mph (vertically) and the Power from the battery was 2300 Watts
that said the biggest difference was that the record drones weight was just 906 gramms...

SPP · Oct 27, 2016

adrew said:
I won't buy gopro karma based on the single reason - weight:

karma drone (no battery, no gimbal, no camera), 1006g
karma battery, 545g
karma stabilizer, 230g
karma(incl. battery, stabilizer, Hero5 black camera), 1898g (4.18lb)
karma(incl. battery, stabilizer, Hero5 session), 1857g (4.09lb)
,
Now look at dji mavic:
dji mavic (incl. battery, gimbal, camera), 734g (1.62lb)

I will get the Karma and the Mavic.
From a land + underwater + aerial video guy point of view, if only 1 model I were to be allowed to take on a trip , Karma will be the choice. People seems to forget that Karma is designed for a regular Joe to fly easy and do those 3 : Land , Air & Sea within 1 package. Need dive housing to do deeper than 10 meters...yep. Need a simple handle to hold camera underwater...yep. Add US$80 + cyan filter = US$130 extra and all good for 3 zones.

If I do only aerial and need a good walking on me legs, Mavic will be the choice.

However these two are cheap, so buying both make sense.
Cheap as in what we get for it/them compared to a mere 12 months ago.
.