
Like myself, you might be right into a lot of action sports, and drones are an amazing way to get action shots! But, can you put a GoPro on a drone? I did some research and this is what I found.
Yes, you can attach a GoPro to a drone depending on what kind of drone it is. A lot of drones have a way to mount a camera on to the drone and some come with mounts specifically for GoPros. But not all of them have this mount so its important to check always before you buy a drone.
If you want more information concerning the best drones that may carry GoPro’ s then keep reading!
First, Check What Mount Your Drone Has
It is crucial before buying a drone to check if it meets all your requirements or any other future requirements you might have.
Usually, you have 3 options when it comes to camera attachments on a drone :
- Fixed Camera. This is the camera that comes with the drone and is fixed onto the body or a gimbal and was designed to remain on the drone. Since you’ re looking for a drone that you could attach your GoPro too, you’ d want to stay away from these drones.
- Stationary mounts. Some drones come with a mount attachment to attach various cameras. Unlike gimbals, mounts are stationary which means the constant shakiness and movement of the drone while it’ s in flight will affect the picture and video quality.
- Gimbal mounts. Then you have drones that come with gimbal attachments. Gimbals broadly speaking produce better video and picture quality since they counter the drones’ vibrations and movement.
With that said, let’ s take a look at 6 drones that have stationary mounts, and 5 drones that have gimbal mounts for video and display quality.
5 Best Drones With GoPro Gimbal Mounts
GoPro’ s are super exciting pieces of technology, and attached with a drone makes them even more fun! Here’ s a table of some of the top drones that have GoPro gimbals and some cool information you didn’ t know:
Drone Name: | Flight Time: | Gimbal: | Price: | Purchase Link: |
GoPro Karma Quadcopter | 20 min | Hero 5 included with gimbal | $1, 099 | VIEW |
Yuneec Typhoon G Quadcopter for GoPro | 20 min | 3-axis gimbal included | $350 | VIEW |
3DR Solo Quadcopter | 20-25 min | Solo Gimbal | $999 | VIEW |
Holy Stone HS700 FPV | 20 min | 2K Camera + GoPro mount available | $210 | VIEW |
Traxxas Aton Plus Quadcopter for GoPro | 20 min | Carries a 2-axis GoPro-compatible gimbal | $399 | VIEW |
As you can see, there is a significant wide price range for these drones, meaning they should accommodate most drone enthusiasts’ budgets!
6 Drones That Have GoPro Stationary Mounts
I also took the liberty of just naming a few drones that include a GoPro mount or a GoPro can be attached to them, so keep reading to find out more :
Drone Name: | Flight Time: | Camera & Mount: | Price: | Purchase Link: |
3DR IRIS+ | 20 min | No camera but comes with mounting area. | $830 | VIEW |
Phantom 4 | 28 min | 4K exchangeable camera. | $1, 599 | VIEW |
Altair Aerial Blackhawk | 17 min | GoPro Hero 3/Hero 4 | $100 | VIEW |
Walkera QR X350 | 25 min | Does not come with camera but can mount a GoPro Hero 3 | $390 | VIEW |
Blade 350 QX2 AP | 10 min | CGO1 1080p HD exchangeable camera | $469 | VIEW |
Ghost Drone Aerial 2 . 0 | 25 min | Gimbal attachment and 4K camera | $400 | VIEW |
3DR IRIS+
The 3DR IRIS+ drone is designed to allow pilots to complete some recreational flying but also allow them to fully capture some great video footage and photos.
Flight Time: This drone has a flight time of between 16 to 22 minutes. You might be wondering why there is this type of large gap between those numbers, nevertheless the answer is quite simple. The flight time is affected by the quantity of weight the drone is carrying plus the weather conditions at the time, so if the mount and GoPro attached are a bit weightier this will decrease the flight time.
Flight Modes: This drone has both manual and automatic flight modes which will permit you to focus on the footage you are trying to capture or the photo you are trying to take.
Camera and Mount: The 3DR IRIS+ does not actually come with a camera or perhaps a gimbal attachment which means that if you are interested in buying this specific drone you have to be willing to spend a few extra dollars on buying a gimbal if you would like steady footage.
However , the drone still has a mounting area and you can attach your GoPro to the drone when you yourself have the right mounting equipment.
Price: The drone costs $830, which i think, does not make it a fantastic choice and you might have better options out there considering it doesn’ t feature a camera.
The drone still has many amazing features nonetheless it just requires a little extra spending.
DJI Phantom 4
The Phantom 4 is classified as a quad-copter, which is a drone more suited to carrying weightier cameras and other accessories such as gimbals which are necessary to stabilize the camera for pristine footage. DJI advertises and sells a wide variety of Zenmuse series of gimbals specifically to be properly used with GoPro cameras.
This does mean that you will have to take away the gimbal that comes with the drone and use a new gimbal on the drone, but it’ s really worth it for the footage you will be able to recapture with this drone!
Flight Time: The Phantom 4 has an approximate flight time of 28 minutes which is plenty of time to capture amazing footage. Once again, the flight time may change depending on the type of camera and gimbal that you install.
Camera and Mount: The Phantom 4 is equipped with a 1-inch sensor and shoots amazing 4K 60fps video. Of course, this camera can be swapped out for a GoPro camera as long as you change the gimbal mount attached to the drone.
Price: The Phantom series of DJI drones has been discontinued, but you can still find them on Amazon for around $1, 599.
Altair Aerial Blackhawk
The Altair Aerial Blackhawk can be an intermediate drone made to be used alongside the GoPro Hero specifically, or it can be combined with another action camera that is similar to the Hero.
Flight Time: The drone has a flight time around 17 minutes when the throttle is handled perfectly.
Camera and Mount: The mount on the Blackhawk was created to carry a GoPro Hero 3 or the Hero 4, but it can also be paired with a camera that is similar in proportions to these cameras. So , if you own one of these cameras it is a big bonus for you personally.
Price: At $100 this drone is a steal for the amount of fun you can have while shooting all the footage!
Walkera QR X350 Pro
The Walkera QR X350 brings a new element and enjoyment to aerial photography. The Walkera also has autonomous flight and allows the pilot to focus on the footage instead of avoiding obstacles.
Flight Time: Walkera improved the flight time of the X350 to 25 minutes with the pro.
Camera and Mount: The drone can be paired with the Hero 3 but doesn’t actually come with a camera and needs you to spend a bit extra to mount one on.
Price: The Walkera QR X350 has a cost price $390.
Blade 350 QX2 AP
The Blade series of drones is similar to DJI’ s series of Phantom drones and it has also seen a lot of improvements built to the drone over the years. The QX2 AP is the latest in line of their quad-copters and now introduces safer technology.
Flight Time: The QX2 has a 10 minute flight time which is not bad, but it would have been great to see a longer flight time for this drone to get the most out of it.
Camera and Mount: It has a CGO1 1080p HD camera nevertheless, you can also remove this and mount a GoPro camera on the drone as an alternative.
Price: The drone comes at a high price of $469 which is a bit high priced considering it has a flight time of only 10 minutes. Usually, drones of the same quality are quite a bit cheaper.
Ghost Drone Aerial 2 . 0
The Ehang Ghost Drone can be an amazing drone and incorporates a lot of features into the drone it self. With immersive aerial-filming with VR goggles, this brings a lot of joy for any enthusiasts flying it.
Flight Time: The drone has a flight time of 25 minutes, which is a great amount of time and energy to capture amazing footage of any scenery.
Camera and Mount: The drone comes with a gimbal attachment and 4K camera that helps capture amazing aerial footage with the camera. It is also able to mount a GoPro which can be an amazing bonus!
Price: For only $400 it really is one of my favorites on the list, because of the features it has and its convenience.
Final Thoughts
A drone having a way to mount a GoPro is extremely convenient for both enthusiasts and commercial drone pilots alike. With this type of wide range of GoPros available on the market, taking amazing aerial photographs never been more exciting—or innovative!