The Horizon Hobby Blade Chroma with ST10 and 3-Axis Gimbal for GoPro Hero ($899.99) is a drone targeted squarely at videographers who already own a GoPro Hero3 or Hero4. It's a solid aerial video platform, stabilizing your action cam with a 3-axis gimbal and streaming video back to the drone's remote control. But be aware that, when compared with competing models with integrated cameras, the video transmission range is somewhat limited. If that's not a concern, the Chroma is definitely worth consideration. But our favorite consumer drone is still the Editors' Choice DJI Phantom 3 Professional, which has an integrated 4K camera and an outstanding operating range.

Design and Features
The Blade Chroma aircraft is identical in design and features to the Blade Chroma With CGO3 4K Camera, so you can expect the same operating time on a fully charged battery, about 24 minutes. You can refer to that review to read more about the drone's features, performance, and other details. The Chroma does weigh about 3 pounds, which means that you'll need to register it with the FAA prior to outdoor flight.

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The Chroma is just a little bit bigger than a DJI Phantom—it measures 9.5 by 15.7 by 15.7 inches (HWD). I transported it in its shipping box during the review period, but you'll likely want to invest in a more elegant transportation solution if you buy one. If a compact design is a true priority, the Xiro Xplorer G ($499.99) is worth a look. We haven't yet reviewed it, but we did evaluate the Xplorer V, which has the same 15.7-by-15.7-inch footprint, but uses collapsible landing gear that makes it easier to toss into a backpack. It's also a bit lighter, at 2.2 pounds.

Instead of shipping with an integrated camera, the Chroma includes a 3-axis gimbal that fits GoPro Hero3 and Hero4 action cams. A video transmission system is included to stream video from your camera to the included ST10+ remote control. You'll need to instill the transmitter yourself—it clips onto one of the landing struts and is a pretty easy install job as long as you're comfortable using a screwdriver.

The gimbal can be installed and removed fairly easily. And because the aircraft is identical to the Chroma model that's bundled with a camera, you can opt to buy a CGO3 separately and use it as well. You'll just need to bind the remote control to the CGO3, which is a simple process.

The transmitter requires you to plug a small antenna into its side. There's also a cable that plugs into the transmitter and splits out into two connections—one goes into the gimbal, and the other goes into the GoPro's mini USB port. The latter cable needs to be threaded through the gimbal and securely plugged into the GoPro before the camera is locked into the gimbal. It sounds a little tricky, but it's not that difficult once you get the hang of it.

In my field tests, I found that the video transmission range of the Chroma with the GoPro attached is a bit limited when compared with using the aircraft with the CGO3 camera and its integrated transmitter. With the GoPro version I was able to fly about 1,000 feet from the remote control in a suburban environment, and about 1,600 feet in a rural area free of potential interference and visual obstructions while maintaining a smooth, steady video feed. Compare that with the CGO3 Chroma, which matched the suburban range and extended the rural range to about 2,000 feet. DJI Phantom 3 models that use Lightbridge to transmit video, which include the Phantom 3 Professional and the Phantom 3 Advanced, offer even better operating range—they fly 2,500 feet from the operator with ease.

Out of the box, this operating range isn't a concern. The Chroma is pre-configured so that it won't fly further than 650 feet away from the remote control. If you feel comfortable flying longer distances you can use the Chroma GUI to extend the limit. The GUI also allows you to set the maximum altitude—by default it's set to 400 feet, the FAA limit for flying in the United States.

Video quality is completely dependent on which GoPro you use with the Chroma. I used the Hero4 Black, which records footage at 4K quality. With a GoPro you will get audio, which isn't the case with drones with built-in cameras. But the soundtrack is dominated by the buzzing of the Chroma's four rotors.

The gimbal does a fine job stabilizing video footage. Aerial video is smooth and steady, even when turning, changing altitude, and making sudden maneuvers. The ultra-wide field of view captured by a GoPro does mean that propellers are often in frame, but you can choose to capture video with a narrower field of view, or crop 4K footage down to 2.7K or 1080p when editing.

The gimbal can tilt up and down. As with the CGO3 camera, there is a bit of lag when adjusting camera tilt via the ST10+. This delay takes a bit of getting used to, and can be disconcerting when trying to make a camera move during flight. This is an issue that extends to all models we've reviewed that use the ST10+, which includes the Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K and the Typhoon G. But DJI Phantom models that include on-remote gimbal control are much more responsive.

Conclusions
If you already own a GoPro action camera, you can save some money when buying a drone by opting for a model includes a GoPro gimbal mount. Even at its full retail price (it's currently selling for less), the Horizon Hobby Blade Chroma with ST10 and 3-Axis Gimbal for GoPro Hero is a solid choice. It's a bit smaller than the similar Yuneec Typhoon G, so it's less cumbersome to transport, but it's not quite as svelte as the Xiro Xplorer G.

The limited operating range is a turn off for pilots who want to cover a good amount of ground when capturing aerial footage, but it's not as much of an issue if you prefer to leave the geofence in place and keep the Chroma within a 650-foot range of its launch point. Our Editors' Choice consumer drone is still the DJI Phantom 3 Professional, which is a pricier model, and one that uses an integrated 4K camera rather than a GoPro. But it lives up to its asking price with extremely stable flight, some automated flight features that are missing in the Chroma series, and excellent control range.