DJI FPV Parts?

[DroneCluelessDolt]

So I'm now seeing some non-DJI parts like arms and motors for the DJI FPV. The unavailability of these as well as the costs of having DJI repair their busted drones are one of the many shorcomings of the DJI FPV. Now with that argument blown out of the water, do you think "real" FPV guys can get more behind this thing more? Of course there are still some criicisms ike maneuverability and the fact that it's not a racing drone, but I really think that DJI FPV is a machine with a lot of potential in the market.

 

[Tomk_]

The cinewhoop has it's place.
The racing drone's of various sizes have their place.
The freestyle drone's have their place.
The toy drone has a place.
Mavic style have thier place.
The DJI FPV created it's own space. It has it's own place.

Everyone has different tastes/needs/desires. No single drone can or should check all of the boxes for everyone. Some people are content with one style. Others have, say: DJI mini 2, Tyro119, Mobula 5, and a couple of toy drones. Whatever floats your boat (and pocket book).

 

[b3yond]

Now with that argument blown out of the water, do you think "real" FPV guys can get more behind this thing more? Of course there are still some criicisms ike maneuverability and the fact that it's not a racing drone, but I really think that DJI FPV is a machine with a lot of potential in the market.

I have 12 drones.
Cinewhoops, lightweight 5 inch racer, 7 inch long ranger, 5-inch basher, 3 inch racer, toothpick racer, Whoops, etc.

All have pros and cons. I don't think "real" FPV guys that already have all the stuff (normal LiPos, chargers, goggle, remote, soldering station,....) will fly towards the DJI FPV drone for obvious reasons (crash resistance, repairability, cost of batteries, limited acro capability...) but it does have it's place and is quite good for what it is.
I already know 3 people who bought a DJI FPV drone and then wanted "more" and bought a $250 5-inch FPV Racer with the Caddx Vista DJI compatible FPV system and some $25 LiPo batteries. The DJI FPV drone was a decent entry for them and provided them with the most expensive requirement for FPV flying, the goggle.

 

[thetechnobear]

the DJI FPV, is a casual flyer for 'first person view' - thats what they marketed, thats what it is...
its fantastic for what it is, and the buying -> flying experience is first rate.

its not a replacement for anything, I think DJI are in this to potentially develop thier own sector, I can imagine a series of drones (fpv race, fpv acro, fpv pro, fpv mini).
of course, they need to see sales... its likely (due to cost e.g. googles) this will always be a small fraction of the drone market,
but perhaps they feel like they have reached saturation in gps drones ... the mini2/air2s are almost 'perfect'

but the build-your-own crowd are not going to be interested in DJI, they were/are not (and i doubt ever wil be) the target market.
they enjoy the constant tinkering, upgrading, fixing of the drone - this is never going to be dji.
(and as Beyond said, they already have the additional gear, so buying the dji fpv is duplication as best)

imho, the 'expensive crash' of the dji fpv has been overblown (even though I crashed mine!) - partly because the DIY fpv crowd wanted to shout they can fix theirs for $20.
Joshua Bardwell's video now looks like an over-reaction 'you have to buy dji refresh, that $500' ... 3rd party spares were inevitable, and it cost < $100 to fix an arm from DJI directly (without refresh) .
he was preaching to choir


anyway, we will see, fortunately the constant talk is dying down now - I suspect most are now just enjoying thier drones.
(and youtubers have all moved onto the next thing, the air2s and speculating on the mavic 3 )

 

[DamnIntrovert]

The cinewhoop has it's place.
The racing drone's of various sizes have their place.
The freestyle drone's have their place.
The toy drone has a place.
Mavic style have thier place.
The DJI FPV created it's own space. It has it's own place.

Everyone has different tastes/needs/desires. No single drone can or should check all of the boxes for everyone. Some people are content with one style. Others have, say: DJI mini 2, Tyro119, Mobula 5, and a couple of toy drones. Whatever floats your boat (and pocket book).

Very nice sentiment. DJI FPV is like a bullied kid at the cafeteria. Better get their own table and build their own niche. Once their tech develops possibly in the second or third version of this thing then DJI FPV may be able to cast a much wider net in the market. Impressive start by trying to get multiple markets but there will always be critics. Get those criticisms and build a much better product, that's the best thing DJI can do.

 

[b3yond]

Impressive start by trying to get multiple markets but there will always be critics. Get those criticisms and build a much better product, that's the best thing DJI can do.

They need to get cheaper. The market for $750+ FPV drones is a bit limited.
For a bit more than the price of a DJI FPV drone battery you can buy this:

iFlight Nazgul5 227mm 6S 5 Inch FPV Racing Drone BNF/PNP SucceX-E F4 Caddx Ratel / RaceCam R1 Cam 45A BLheli_S ESC 2207 1800KV Motor

Only US$239.99, buy best iFlight Nazgul5 227mm 6S 5 Inch FPV Racing Drone BNF/PNP SucceX-E F4 Caddx Ratel / RaceCam R1 Cam 45A BLheli_S ESC 2207 1800KV Motor sale online store at wholesale price.

www.banggood.com

 

[Sayenah]

They need to get cheaper. The market for $750+ FPV drones is a bit limited.
For a bit more than the price of a DJI FPV drone battery you can buy this:

iFlight Nazgul5 227mm 6S 5 Inch FPV Racing Drone BNF/PNP SucceX-E F4 Caddx Ratel / RaceCam R1 Cam 45A BLheli_S ESC 2207 1800KV Motor

Only US$239.99, buy best iFlight Nazgul5 227mm 6S 5 Inch FPV Racing Drone BNF/PNP SucceX-E F4 Caddx Ratel / RaceCam R1 Cam 45A BLheli_S ESC 2207 1800KV Motor sale online store at wholesale price.

www.banggood.com

Of course, and then you buy the goggles, the receiver, the batteries, the battery chargers… and the most expensive investment: TIME. Taking care of LiPOs alone has a steep learning curve all on its own; DJI gives you these huge 6S LiPO batteries which self discharge and self hibernate/store, you inbox the drone, update the firmware and… fly. You pay for the convenience and the seamless user experience. I mean, the link you posted is appreciated but it is a wholly unfair comparison.

 

[b3yond]

I mean, the link you posted is appreciated but it is a wholly unfair comparison.

I don't think so, this is an excellent up to date FPV racer with a robust frame.
The kind of stuff you get when the DJI FPV is getting too boring or you want to risk more.

Taking care of LiPOs alone has a steep learning curve all on its own

Nothing you can't learn in 10 minutes. It's not exactly rocket science charging a LiPo.

 

[thetechnobear]

I agree the batteries are unfortunately crazy expensive... I think $80-100 would be reasonable for this tech, and still make DJI good money.

excluding the batteries, the DJI FPV is actually pretty reasonably priced.

Ive been looking at something like a Diatone Roma F5 or Nazgual etc to supplement the DJI FPV.
sure the drones are cheaper (300-500 euro), but by the time I buy a drone, controller, batteries, charger - we are talking around 1000 euro!

that is obviously excluding googles, since I will use the ones from the DJI FPV - so it be close to 1600 if you were buying everything. (*)
so 1300 euro for the DJI FPV, is actually very reasonable... even 1800 including the (goddam expensive) extra batteries.

of course, traditional fpv-ers argue, you get a better drone, better repair option - and dji fans have thier opinions.
but I dont think either camp can really argue on price, they are pretty similar really.

(sure, analog fpv is much cheaper and something like a whoop, bu that really is comparing apple n' oranges)

my biggest disappointment so far, is the Remote Controller v2 being incompatible with the Air Unit.
if DJI address, this then this will drop the price of getting others drones by nearly 250-300 euro.( ** )
Ironically, whilst that means more will make the move from DJI FPV to other drones, its also makes the DJI FPV combo even better value.





-------
( * ) btw here in the EU, its absolutely tedious trying to find rtf drones, transmitters , batteries etc... you are lucky to find what you want in stock, and would have to use multiple vendors
it feels like really your best bet is to source from Banggood, and wait for it to arrive from China.
... most fpv-ers are not mentioning this - buying a DJI FPV is very easy/satisfying by comparison
I'll admit if you're in the US, it seems much better - also looks to be better in UK (but post brexit no way im order from there, too expensive)

I guess, if you went for a cheaper 5", 4s , a cheaper Fsky transmitter, cheaper charger - perhaps you can get it down to 600 euro?


( ** ) yes, I know you can get transmitters cheaper than the DJI, but then its another RX - gets tempting to move to crossfire....
any direction stil means you are paying a min of 150 euro.

 

[b3yond]

Ive been looking at something like a Diatone Roma F5 or Nazgual etc to supplement the DJI FPV.
sure the drones are cheaper (300-500 euro), but by the time I buy a drone, controller, batteries, charger - we are talking around 1000 euro!

You need some stuff, but once you made your initial investment into controller, goggles, batteries, charger,... the drones get really cheap to build or buy.

 

[Kilrah]

(sure, analog fpv is much cheaper and something like a whoop, bu that really is comparing apple n' oranges)

That. There's basically nothing even remotely close to what the dji fpv provides in terms of live view experience so for someone like me who really flies mainly to enjoy that the price difference with the common DIY quads is irrelevant, I have no fun flying one regardless of price anymore.

Flight time is a strong point too.

 

[b3yond]

That. There's basically nothing even remotely close to what the dji fpv provides in terms of live view experience

Most regular quads can be bought with DJI "live view experience" for quite some time.

GEPRC Crocodile Baby 4 Inch HD 4S LR Micro Long Range FPV Racing Drone BNF Caddx Vista Nebula V2 Cam F7 FC 35A ESC 5.8G 600mW VTX 1404 2750KV

Only US$369.99. Get the GEPRC Crocodile Baby 4 Inch HD 4S LR Micro Long Range FPV Racing Drone BNF with Caddx Vista Nebula V2 Cam, F7 FC, 35A ESC, and 5.8G 600mW VTX. Powered by 1404 2750KV motors.

www.banggood.com

 

[Kilrah]

The Air unit system is OK but still nowhere near the FPV, not to mention the pain you have to go through in order to have a really vibration free experience on DIY quads.

 

[thetechnobear]

You need some stuff, but once you made your initial investment into controller, goggles, batteries, charger,... the drones get really cheap to build or buy.

for sure - but its not cheaper to get into that the DJI FPV

it just makes buying more drones later cheaper/accessible

I find it amusing, that many saying the dji fpv is expensive, have lots of diy drones...
you mentioned you have 12 drones + batteries + controllers + chargers + goggles.
thats a lot of investment ($).

thats alot more commitment than DJI's target market.

although we hear alot about people moving on from the dji fpv to other drones,
I suspect its mainly because people talking about it (like here) are more enthusiasts.
Id bet,its only a small fraction (5-10%?) of ALL dji fpv buyers will even consider another (fpv) drone.
a far larger percentage would be likely to buy a DJI FPV v2 rather than a BNF/RTF drone in the next 1-2 years.
the crossover market, I suspect is actually quite small (albeit vocal )

 

[b3yond]

I find it amusing, that many saying the dji fpv is expensive, have lots of diy drones...
you mentioned you have 12 drones + batteries + controllers + chargers + goggles.
thats a lot of investment ($).

thats alot more commitment than DJI's target market.

Well yeah, it's my hobby.

Id bet,its only a small fraction (5-10%?) of ALL dji fpv buyers will even consider another (fpv) drone.
a far larger percentage would be likely to buy a DJI FPV v2 rather than a BNF/RTF drone in the next 1-2 years.
the crossover market, I suspect is actually quite small (albeit vocal )

Maybe, but at the same time the market for people using DJI drones a lot is quite small as well.
I see lot's of DJI drones on Ebay. Like "DJI Mavic Air 2" only 5 flights, 6 months old. Many people buy this stuff and then figure out it's not that easy to fly like those guys on the youtube videos in your residential area. This is where stuff like sub 250g drones etc. come into play and people get more interested in what else is available.

 

[Sayenah]

Well yeah, it's my hobby.



Maybe, but at the same time the market for people using DJI drones a lot is quite small as well.
I see lot's of DJI drones on Ebay. Like "DJI Mavic Air 2" only 5 flights, 6 months old. Many people buy this stuff and then figure out it's not that easy to fly like those guys on the youtube videos in your residential area. This is where stuff like sub 250g drones etc. come into play and people get more interested in what else is available.

I honestly admire your passion, and frankly you have developed some awesome stuff utilizing the web serial API for folks in CE countries, but you make these sweeping assumptions about people who play with DJI toys. It reminds me of the FPV subreddit on Reddit (for the curious types, check out r/fpv and make a post their asking their opinion on the DJI FPV; hilarity will ensue as holier-than-thou FPV DIY gatekeepers will come out to lecture you how to spend your money).

I am exactly one of those people who buy these toys and then replaces them very quickly. I don’t even bother selling. My Air 2 was 4 months old and I gave it away, just because I wanted an Air2S. I don’t even like photography that much!! Hah! I just wanted the shiny 1” sensor. Who cares.

I promise that those who are burning money on DJI products aren’t boneheads, just that they utilize their resources like time and money differently than you think. Like the people who buy Apple products. In fact, just like Apple, the market for people who want to experience the joys of these things without putting in the time and effort is waaaay bigger than you think! No wonder DJI has become so popular; the “Apple” of the drone world!

 

[Sayenah]

for sure - but its not cheaper to get into that the DJI FPV

it just makes buying more drones later cheaper/accessible

I find it amusing, that many saying the dji fpv is expensive, have lots of diy drones...
you mentioned you have 12 drones + batteries + controllers + chargers + goggles.
thats a lot of investment ($).

thats alot more commitment than DJI's target market.

although we hear alot about people moving on from the dji fpv to other drones,
I suspect its mainly because people talking about it (like here) are more enthusiasts.
Id bet,its only a small fraction (5-10%?) of ALL dji fpv buyers will even consider another (fpv) drone.
a far larger percentage would be likely to buy a DJI FPV v2 rather than a BNF/RTF drone in the next 1-2 years.
the crossover market, I suspect is actually quite small (albeit vocal )

The “small but vocal” crossover market hahahaha!!! This made me laugh man! Cheers