The DJI FPV has officially landed – and this ‘First Person View’ kite promises to be an exciting cross between a racing drone and a movie-like, air-based camera like the DJI Mavic Air 2. (Do you want to go to our early impressions? Go to our practical DJI FPV drone review).
The DJI FPV differs in one important way from the other drones of the company – instead of flying it via a video input on a control screen, you get a view on board thanks to a pair of composite headphones. It promises to give you the experience of flying like an eagle, or being in the actual cockpit of an airplane on Microsoft Flight Simulator.
In this sense, the DJI FPV is similar to racing bumblebees, which has become increasingly popular with the rise of professional competitions such as the Drone Racing League (DRL). But DJI’s new ‘ready-to-fly’ drone is less geared towards racing, and more for beginners who want to try out the FPV experience while taking 4K aerial videos.
Although the DJI FPV cannot match the 120mph top speed of pro racing drones, it is faster and faster than any Mavic drone, thanks to a top speed of 87mph and the ability to accelerate from 0-62mph within two seconds.
What is an FPV drone?
FPV (or First Person View) drones are an airplane flown with a set of head-mounted goggles, which give the pilot a live video feed from the drone as it flies through the air, plus a controller. It differs from traditional drones that send their video to a controller or smartphone screen.
It is the combination of these speeds with the strong talent of the DJI FPV that promises to make it a unique drone. It can shoot 4K / 60p videos with RockSteady image stabilization and a decent 120Mbps bit rate, all via its 150 degree wide-angle lens.
The DJI FPV’s 1 / 2.3-inch CMOS sensor is smaller than that found in the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and DJI Mavic Air 2, but the same size as the DJI Mini 2 chip. This means that you can expect videos and images of decent quality in good light, even with a very wide-angle lens.
But the DJI FPV’s USP is really the ability to get a rising view of landscapes and scenery via the included DJI Goggles V2, and also the ability to control it using DJI’s optional optional single-handed motion controller, which lets you control the drone can fly by hand. movements.
Under control
In the standard DJI FPV Combo bundle you will find the drone, a standard remote control, FPV glasses V2 and all the other accessories in the photos above. But DJI also sells the optional Motion Controller, which promises to make the drone fly with your hand gestures, making it work more like a VR headset than any previous DJI drone.
The Motion Controller (below) is an interesting accessory aimed at making FPV drones more intuitive and beginner friendly than before. It includes some handy safety features, including a brake button – press it once and then the drone will do an ’emergency brake and glide’, while a long press activates the ‘return home’ feature.
Whether you use this motion controller or the standard block, you will always need the FPV glasses V2 to see where you are flying. It shows a live video stream of the drone in 810p quality at 60 fps or 120 fps, depending on the quality mode you choose. And up to 10 km from here (if you’re in the US), or 6 km for kites all over the world.
The major technical challenge for FPV drones has always been delay – in other words, a delay in the transfer of data between the drone and goggles. Even a slight delay may mean that the drone is a few feet away from the position a pilot sees in their headset, but DJI claims to have solved it with the latest version of its Ocusync technology, called the O3. It promises to send a high bit rate of 50 Mbps to the Goggles and it apparently offers new anti-interference technology to ensure you get a reliable feed.
Safety first?
Despite these promises of O3’s reliability, there will obviously be safety concerns about the prospect of beginners flying an 87km / h drone using a video headset to guide their movements.
But DJI again thinks that the combination of its safety features and drone laws will be enough to ensure a safe flight. To begin with, the drone laws mean that in most regions, including the US, UK and Australia, you will have to be legally accompanied by an observer or ‘spotter’ when flying with the DJI FPV, as it is not possible to maintain a direct line. of sight while wearing the glasses.
In addition to the ‘Emergency brake and hover’ feature on the motion controller, DJI has packed its standard GPS-based warning for fencing and ADS-B receiver system, which alerts you when other manned aircraft are nearby.
However, if the legal requirement to be accompanied by an observer while accompanying the FPV drone does not put you off, it promises to provide a spectacular flying and filming experience that few competitive drones can match.
You can buy the DJI FPV drone from today in a few different bundles. The standard DJI FPV Combo (which includes the FPV drone, remote control and VPV glasses V2) costs $ 1,299 / £ 1,249 (about $ 2,240).
However, if you need a little more, you can download a DJI FPV Fly More Kit (which adds two extra batteries and a dedicated charging hub) for an extra $ 299 / £ 259, while the optional Motion Controller is available for ‘ an extra $ 199 / £ 139 (about $ 249).