Blade Chroma 4K Camera Drone Bundle with Flight Case & Second Flight Battery

~the Case~If you're going to get a Blade Chroma 4K camera drone, you will no doubt want a protective hard case for it eventually; so you might as well get it all at once with this flight bundle and you'll have zero worries about damage during shipment! You'll also get 2 batteries, 2 sets of propellers the FPV flight control transmitter with folding sunshade; battery charger unit, power brick & assorted cords and cables. The custom foam lined case also has a cutout for a third battery. This case is the real deal super heavy duty model the pros all use; having side latches as well as in front, heavy lifting handles on both sides and in front. The case is travel ready, having wheels, and extending pull handle. What about security? Glad you asked. The case is designed to accommodate up to eight individual locks; four on the front & two on each side. There is also a customizable nameplate sealed in plastic beneath the main carry handle. Perhaps best of all is that this case can take the flight ready drone & camera without disassembly, a time saving plus.~the Drone~The fastest growing segment of the drone market is for units in the $500.00 to $1200.00 dollar range, and the Chroma is becoming a fast favorite across the marketplace because it is essentially a smaller, quieter version of the Yuneec Typhoon Q500; using several of the same parts & the same controller. The Chroma is a smart looking mid-size drone; standing 9.5 inches tall with a 13 by 13 inch body. Tip to tip on the diagonal; rotor span is 26 inches. Weighing in at 2.8 pounds, the flight ready Chroma is a bit heavier than others in this size range but with thirty minute flying time per battery I don't mind so much because it's very stable, and can fly in winds up to 15 mph! Currently the Chroma is offered only in white; However another Amazon vendor, "Mightyskins" has an excellent selection of custom skins designed for the Blade Chroma drone.This is not your basic slap & tickle hobby drone that you can fly immediately after unpacking without reading the manual first.Top speed is 40 mph. With a rumored service ceiling of over 30,000 feet; once you disengage the altitude limiter.Not that I endorse any illegal flying mind you - it's just nice to know what your new drone is capable of.The Chroma is a pretty sophisticated UAV (UAS) for aerial photography and requires various calibrations and sequencing before being ready to fly. There is firmware to download along with the compass and accelerometer calibrations; which have tutorials on YouTube.The rotors (propellers) are coded either A or B to match up with corresponding code marks on the motor hubs, easy peasy!This drone comes with a full compliment of operational modes for every need. In "Smart Mode" a 25 foot safe zone is established around the pilot which the drone cannot enter. This is the mode you want to learn on a little before moving on...baby steps. Smart mode is sort of like 'headless mode' in that the drone will move in whatever direction the stick is moved regardless of which way it is pointed. There is "AP Mode" for the more experienced drone pilots, where the drone responds to the stick controls in the conventional manner. Then there is the "Follow Me Mode" where the drone follows whoever has the transmitter, at a distance and altitude set by you. It frees up your hands for composing the perfect shot. "Tracking Mode" is similar, as it will keep the camera pointed at the transmitter. The Chroma also boasts a "Return Home" mode where the drone automatically returns to the takeoff point and lands for you. The "Adjustable Boundaries Mode" allows you to set the flight boundaries thru the controller, helping to avoid sensitive airspace, and the neighbors.~Flying the Drone~Hands down, for me one of the best features of this drone is the FPV, first person view transmitter controller. You see from the camera's point of view; with the various controls and modes around the edge of the touch screen monitor built into the transmitter. The basic buttons and toggles on the controller are ergonomically placed. A disc switch on the upper right rear of the transmitter allows you to toggle between performance modes. Near that is the button for recording videos. This is the same flight controller used with the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 drone. The bundle includes a collapsible sun screen hood that attaches to the transmitter screen with two small suction cups.It is advisable to get a few flights under your belt to become familiar with flying the drone in the various modes; before attaching the camera gimbal. No need to un-necessarily subject the camera to crash damage. Another feature I like a lot is that if you think you're about to loose control of the drone, just release the sticks, and the drone will hold position where it is (in all modes)! Nice. The Chroma is a very stable aircraft, and quite responsive to the controls. A light touch goes a long way. The four main lights below the motors deliver specific information according to the colors shown, giving you more information. You'll have to memorize these few flashing codes in time, as well as other maintenance issues to optimize your flying experience.The streamlined body of the Chroma kinda resembles a hot rod with wings, and it pretty much flies the way it looks. Without the camera attached, in the "AP" mode, this thing is fast, agile and powerful; did I mention this is no everyday hobby drone? It's quick and precise in the air, and ignores the little breezes that carry lighter drones away. This drone is extremely quiet, amazingly so actually. Your first few flights should really be somewhere wide open, oh, and be aware that flying near power lines can cause loss of GPS signal! As with all things, there's a learning curve here. As you become more and more acclimated to the drone and transmitter, your confidence & skill level will improve accordingly. I bought this drone for shooting travel and vacation videos primarily, but it seems every bit good enough to also do commercial work as well if that is your desire. The FAA just announced new regulations taking effect the end of August (2016) covering the operation of all UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems.) They are essentially making it wide open and requiring a minimum of fees and certification.The future is Here, and it's drones! Best $850.00 I ever spent!

After a week of use I found that in Smart Mode the unit would go left, right,and forward but not backwards. I am more than 15ft. from the drone so the safety feature should not be a problem but yet it would still not go backwards. When I put it in AP mode it would do everything I ask it to do. It flys perfect in everyway in AP mode. I did notice than on start up that the left rear LED light near the GPS antenna would flash 2 or 3 times fast then go to normal light sequence. I still fly in AP mode and love this little machine. My friends are amazed at pictures it takes and I use the lowest setting it has I am still glad that I bought this drone.. The little hiccup is why I onl give a 4 star.

I flew this twice. The first time I flew it I had it in the air, about 20 feet high for about 30 seconds and it lost satellite signal and flew into a tree and crashed. It broke one of the blades, broke the housing on the copter and scratched it up. I glued it back together where it was solid again. The second time I flew it I went to another location thinking that maybe I was in a bad area the first time. I started flying it and I hovered about 20 feet off of the ground and flew it around. All was good. Then I decide to take it up higher. I took it up to about 80 feet and all of a sudden it lost satellite signal again and it took off. I tried desperately to get it to return but the last time I saw it was over the top of trees moving right along. I will not be buying another one.

Good quality camera, very stable, surprisingly so!Would be nice to have zoom on it.The casing is a bit brittle. The white "legs" that the drone is landing on is made of plastic and I flew may be 15 times, and noticed a little crack on one of the legs.Overall, impressive unit, the case it came with is durable and strong. The camera and the casing though looks and feels brittle.

Have several and this rates right up at the top with my 3DR Solo and DJI Phantom 4, overall quality and value per buck surpasses them ALL including a touch screen 5.5" screen in remote without need of mobile device for video feed. For the price you cannot beat it! Flown often and frequent since purchased and yet to have an issue and its the ONLY Drone I can honestly say that about thus far !!

The Chroma is very easy to fly right out of the box. Twice the quadcopter did not properly react to the controller so I did the old turn it off turn it back on routine. Worked like a charm. The UHD video almost looks three dimensional. It is a way cool big boy (or girl) toy.

Sweet quadcopter. Haven't tried out all the frleatures yet but nice stable flight. Good pics.

All I needed at the time.Survived, 3 years, countless props and one fuselage replacement.