DJI FPV combo
The FPV is ludicrously fun to fly. Traditionally, FPV drones have been quite tricky to get the hang of, but DJI has made a version here that you can get to grips with almost immediately. There are some fiddly aspects when setting up the drone, but in comparison to the military operation that other FPV examples demand, DJI’s device is a piece of cake.
Set up is a matter of charging various batteries, attaching the rotors and connecting to the DJI app. One slight downside is that the FPV doesn’t come with a dedicated carry case, meaning that without an extra investment, it’s quite difficult to lug around securely.
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The battery life is seriously impressive for an FPV drone though – running to around 20 minutes of flight time, which is more than double the distance of regular FPV drones. The “intelligent battery” also enables you to get “low” and “critically low” battery warnings directly to your phone, ensuring no inopportune power losses.
Switching the drone on for the first time might come as a shock, with a loud rumble, vibration and light show reminiscent of Transformers. It’s part of the fun, and all adds to the theatre of flying the FPV, something that it has in abundance.
FlightFlying the drone is an incredibly immersive experience. If you’re not used to flying from a first-person view, our advice is to start sitting down: it’s no use wearing the goggles if all you see is the drone crashing to earth because you’ve fallen over. The perspective is easy to acclimatise to, however, and most people will be zipping about within minutes.
The FPV can reach 87mph, so zipping is exactly what you will be doing – although normal mode is capped at 31mph, and two other modes are only suitable for more seasoned drone pilots. It feels super responsive, lean and easy to manoeuvre, but in case things get a little too high-octane, DJI has helpfully included a handful of features which everyone from total beginners may find useful.
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GPS, obstacle sensors (although you can switch this off in manual mode for more freedom) and the always-handy “return to home” feature are great for keeping your drone safe. Plus, the range is up to 10km, which while unnecessary for most people, is still an impressive feature.
This isn’t a drone to fly solo, as wearing the FPV’s goggles blocks your line of sight to the FPV, a legal non-negotionable. What this means is that you’ll need to find someone willing to be your “spotter”; that is, a patient, generous friend or family member that will look out for the drone as you pretend you’re top of your flying class. Then again, if they have a flying licence, you might not be able to hog the drone all of the time.
CameraThe goggles are something that, once you get over the fear of looking slightly odd in public, give you an unsurpassed view of drone flying. They’re powered by a USB battery pack that connects to the side of the goggles while flying, so make sure you’re wearing a coat with pockets unless you want it to swing around.
Controls on the side of the goggles are easy to navigate and intuitive when scrolling through options on the goggles’ lenses. The lenses give users an up to 150-degree field of vision, and the HD video transmission at up to 120fps makes your view smooth and uninterrupted.
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There’s great versatility when it comes to capturing footage in-flight, with the option of taking both stills and 60fps 4K video in the same session without touching down. The camera isn’t actually as good as options in some of DJI’s other, more photography-led drones, but still provides smooth, cinematic footage and good-quality stills.