Why is DJI FPV a Game Changing Drone?

[dronemaster]

Why is DJI FPV a Game Changing Drone?

When leaks came out about the new DJI FPV Drone, the FPV community was divided Some hated it while some loved it. In pretty much the same way that there were differing opinions between digital and analog transmission systems when the DJI FPV System came out, there’s a lot of discussion and even outright arguments as to whether the DJI FPV Drone is something that we really need in the market.

The DJI FPV drone is the first hybrid drone designed to function both as a regular drone as well as an FPV drone. It boasts a 4k 60 fps camera and can transmit live views to the goggles at less than 28ms latency. The DJI V2 FPV Goggles likewise offers viewers a 150 degree FOV which provides an absolutely immersive experience especially as you can see 810p crystal-clear video through the device.

As for the drone itself, it boasts a 20-minute flight time (under optimum conditions), up to 10km range, and much improved signal strength and clarity, the latter two of which are thanks to OcuSync 3.0, the successor to OcuSync 2.0 which had already changed the game and had become the benchmark of consumer drones in the market.

But despite these features, what really made the DJI FPV a game-changer is that it is the easiest and most convenient way to learn FPV. First of all, it’s ready to fly out of the box. All you have to do is bind it and off you go.

While there are fully-built traditional FPV quads that are being sold, it is inevitable for you to learn about air units, soldering, configurations, power management, and a lot of DIY and research about other topics. As such, it would take you days or weeks to build your own quad from scratch, and there are always inherent dangers of, at best, malfunctions due to incompatibilities in components or, at worst, fire or electrical-related accidents.

The DJI FPV Drone also has tons of safety features such as obstacle sensors, Return to Home functions which can be set up based on your liking, and Find Your Drone features. Perhaps most importantly, DJI FPV also has an Emergency Brake and Hover that can be activated at a push of a button. Should you feel that your craft is in danger, you can press it at any time during flight and it will stop and hover while waiting for your next command.

While these features already inherent to the DJI FPV may be replicated in some capacity, it would entail even more research on additional modules, and it cannot equal this particular drone in terms of compatibility and performance.

Admittedly, the DJI FPV drone is not without its failings, but it is a valiant and respectable first attempt at something new and fresh in the market. It is neither as fast, durable, or responsible as some high-quality FPV builds, but it more than makes up for it with its rich features and stable ecosystem.

Much like the original DJI FPV System the DJI FPV drone is an enclosed system, even more so than the former which at least provides some form of customization such as for frames and motors. However, those who lack the time and skills to maintain and build their own drones can greatly benefit from this product.

It is also a very accessible drone and, for its price, those with no experience with FPVs as well as those with little to no experience to flying drones at all can use the DJI FPV drone as their starting point, regardless of their skill level or experience.

At the very least, this can be an even better starting point for those just starting to get into FPV. It is also a decent cinematic drone that can provide some breathtaking footage when used correctly. In conclusion, I think that the DJI FPV Drone is a game changer because it provides a new way to get into FPV without all the hassles of building your own quad, a concept not native to those who have grown to love and support the DJI FPV system since it was released a year and a half ago.

I believe that the public, those who have been criticizing the DJi FPV Drone for the past few weeks and months, will be able to see this product in a different light once they are able to see what it can do in the hands of responsible pilots. At the very least, DJI can definitely learn from the constructive criticisms that it has gotten from the community in order to provide updates on their current product and, ultimately, come up with a new and improved model, maybe around this time next year.

 

[droneguy]

It's not for everyone, but any new product pushes innovation and is ultimately a good thing. I won't be surprised if you see similar functionality to the pause button make it's way down into other flight controller software in the near future. There are already 3-4 gimbals in the works to hit the market by summer. Competition brings innovation and a larger user base which ultimately means more investment from manufacturers due to increased revenues. And so the cycle continues. Drone technology is advancing exponentially and we are all benefactors of this as consumers. The new DJI FPV drone is very good, but overall it definitely won't replace my daily flyers, but it will do very well for DJI and who knows what other innovations will come in the future in a v2 offering.

Hopefully the large wave of new FPV pilots act responsibly and don't get bad press for the hobby with some of the stunts I've seen already online. We don't need further regulations and limitations!

 

[dronemaster]

I agree with you 100%. This drone is made specifically for a subset of FPV users, which is why I get pissed at "pros" who grill this product for being something that it is not designed to be. I also agree that it will help drive manufacturers to top this product and, ultimately, with new features and advancements, the consumers will win in the end.

 

[rktman]

The problem I have with the "it's not for everyone" criticism is, what drone is for everyone?

I'm not getting the substance of that complaint. To me, it's no different than saying the Tello sucks as an FPV racing drone and therefore is flawed.

Huh? It's not suitable for FPV racing pilots. It's for kids, and is an excellent teaching and experimenting tool. Similarly, a top performing racing quad is not, for the same target audience as a Tello.

The DJI FPV is not designed for cinematic videography. So it will not be a good investment for someone planning to use it for Real Estate presentations, event filming, or amateur imagery.

It wasn't designed as a racing drone, so it won't be winning any competitions, let alone entering them to begin with.

What it is designed for it does very well, IMO. I have no doubt one of the primary markets DJI is targeting are existing customers that would like to try a different direction with the hobby: Flying the aircraft for the sake of flying it, not capturing images.

This doesn't mean you can't capture some pretty awesome, cinematic-like footage. The hybrid nature of the bird enables that with the characteristics of the camera system.

So, I agree this drone isn't for everyone. That's like saying coffee ice cream isn't for everyone. It misses the point: The question isn't flavor. It's ice cream. Of ice cream lovers, different people like different flavors, some many, some just as few.

 

[thetechnobear]

totally....
this drone is clearly aimed, at those that were not interested in building a drone, or even messing about with one of the RTF drones.
the thing is, those making the loudest critcism, know this... e.g. they know that about things like lipo batteries catching fire... as a hobbyist for many, this is a 'red flag'

what gets me is the unsubstantiated claim, that for some reason dji flyers are going to be less responsible - seriously? have you seen some of the diy fpv pilots videos on youtube?


unfortunately, I think there are a few motivations for this...

the enthusiasts have invested a lot of time, and money in this hobby...they now feel anyone can do it, and that this some how detracts from their hobby or devalues thier skills (it doesn't)

some wanted DJI to do something aimed at them... but its not, its either too expensive, or its not 'hardcore' enough... so they feel they were ignored (?)

(look at the pc/mac arguments, its not too dissimilar )

then we have some youtube channels, that are 'in buisiness' to serve the diy fpv market - they are concerned, this drone brings them little ... since thier business is not setup this way.

finally, I think of course, we are getting saturated coverage on youtube - so Im sure some feel like its an invastion, a take over of their community.


don't get me wrong, I have a lot of sympathy for all of this - Im sure Id feel similar, its pretty natural.


but 'distruptive' technologies are often like this, the existing users are worried about change, is it to thier benefit or not... but I really think the growth in the community from this drone, and the technology showcased will bring benefits - to everyone diy and rtf flyers alike.

I do hope some of this negativity will die down, once the hype dies down...
it would be a real shame if dji fpv flyers were made to feel unwelcome in the fpv community, and end up treading thier own separate path.
(which will happen, if they kept being told how 'crap' their drone is)

 

[droneguy]

I think the whole point about saying it's not for everyone is that there are a lot of FPV options on the market today. DJI has a huge marketing machine behind it and it's message is that this new drone does everything and this is the start of FPV as we know it. I get it... it's marketing. For new users to FPV it's misleading. DJI has opened the door to FPV many users and that is a great thing. What long time FPV drone pilots like myself are trying to add to the conversation is that a lot has changed in the past two years in FPV. The challenge or opportunity as I see it is for new people interested in FPV to learn more about what is currently available and possible across the FPV landscape. There are people on both sides of the DJI FPV drone soap box saying one is better than the other, but that is pointless. There are different options available to meet the needs, budget and expectations of pretty much anyone interested in FPV. Not everyone has the budget for DJI FPV, but are still interested in FPV drones. There should be enough respect amongst all people to allow for open dialog about what is possible and more importantly listen to what interested people would like to get from the hobby. The FPV community is very supportive and collaborative.

 

[droneguy]

A lot of people have not heard of FPV drones until the DJI launch. A lot of rewcent dialog online is from ignorant people with a point of view from someone who knows very little about what FPV has to offer. Many have just tried FPV for the first time with DJI. Long time FPV'ers get defensive and add to the chaos. Everyone just needs to calm the ( Mod Removed Inappropriate Remark) and respect the fact that many FPV options means everyone interested should have a product that meets their needs and budgets.

 

[rktman]

I think part of the problem is that "FPV" covers a lot more ways of using the drone than just the most popular, freestyle and racing. I'm guessing this FPV model will open the thrill of immersive flight for a lot of people that aren't interested in those two pursuits, but are more than happy to simply fly around more sedately, flying between a few trees here and there, flying up to an over small objects, and generally just enjoying FPV.

It's an untapped market for FPV, older people, thrilled to be a bird, being an acrobatic pilot is too scary, and always will be. However, the turnkey FPV experience will be worth the money for these people and being older they've got it.

 

[thetechnobear]

It’s not just older people ... it’s non enthusiasts.

I can hand my dji FPV over to my GF to have a go, or to friends that pop by the house ... these don’t want to take up the hobby, but can still enjoy the thrill.

I see Ken Heron is back with another video deliberately stirring the pot ... seriously bringing people on cam that you know up front are going to issue ‘hate’. Sure it makes for good view numbers - but it’s not going to help the community.

 

[DroneCluelessDolt]

It's not for everyone, but any new product pushes innovation and is ultimately a good thing. I won't be surprised if you see similar functionality to the pause button make it's way down into other flight controller software in the near future. There are already 3-4 gimbals in the works to hit the market by summer. Competition brings innovation and a larger user base which ultimately means more investment from manufacturers due to increased revenues. And so the cycle continues. Drone technology is advancing exponentially and we are all benefactors of this as consumers. The new DJI FPV drone is very good, but overall it definitely won't replace my daily flyers, but it will do very well for DJI and who knows what other innovations will come in the future in a v2 offering.

Hopefully the large wave of new FPV pilots act responsibly and don't get bad press for the hobby with some of the stunts I've seen already online. We don't need further regulations and limitations!

Been flying DJI FPV for about a week now and I love it. Give some respect to this drone i.e. not making it freestyle so close to the ground or near obstacles, not treat it as a full-blown racing drone, putting in lots of time in sim before putting it on acro mode and you'll have lots of fun. I primarily enjoy its range and battery life, plus the view from the goggles are spectacular! I own both this and some 3-inch and 5-inch quads and for recreation and filming that is STRESS-FREE and convenient, the DJI FPV is fast becoming my go-to craft.

 

[droneguy]

Awesome! You sound like the ideal DJI customer for this drone! There are man people out there that will agree with you wholeheartedly. I think the challenge for people that are very new to FPV is the lack of knowledge to know what is available and what the differences are. There is a lot of misinformation online and it just adds to the confusion. The fact that consumers have so many options is great because there is something for everyone to meet their individual needs and expectations.

 

[rktman]

It’s not just older people ... it’s non enthusiasts.

I can hand my dji FPV over to my GF to have a go, or to friends that pop by the house ... these don’t want to take up the hobby, but can still enjoy the thrill.

I see Ken Heron is back with another video deliberately stirring the pot ... seriously bringing people on cam that you know up front are going to issue ‘hate’. Sure it makes for good view numbers - but it’s not going to help the community.

Yeah, I agree now that you pointed that out. I was thinking funding to some degree, so just assumed that would bias the sales toward people over 20-30.

 

[rktman]

I think the challenge for people that are very new to FPV is the lack of knowledge to know what is available and what the differences are. There is a lot of misinformation online and it just adds to the confusion. The fact that consumers have so many options is great because there is something for everyone to meet their individual needs and expectations.

@droneguy one thing I think is as sure as the law of gravity: There WILL be some idiots that are reckless, negligent, careless, clueless, stupid, and many more types of foolish behavior. Crashes -- a lot of crashes -- are in these customer's futures. Some injuries, hopefully no deaths, too.

It is human nature. I think (hope) we'll escape any sort of epidemic of serious property damage (excluding the drone), injury, or death. Those of us that are responsible will not be impacted.

However, it could go the other way. We'll have to see.

 

[bzmot]

It's not for everyone, but any new product pushes innovation and is ultimately a good thing. I won't be surprised if you see similar functionality to the pause button make it's way down into other flight controller software in the near future. There are already 3-4 gimbals in the works to hit the market by summer. Competition brings innovation and a larger user base which ultimately means more investment from manufacturers due to increased revenues. And so the cycle continues. Drone technology is advancing exponentially and we are all benefactors of this as consumers. The new DJI FPV drone is very good, but overall it definitely won't replace my daily flyers, but it will do very well for DJI and who knows what other innovations will come in the future in a v2 offering.

Hopefully the large wave of new FPV pilots act responsibly and don't get bad press for the hobby with some of the stunts I've seen already online. We don't need further regulations and limitations!

Well we already have that. PosHold in iNav for instance.

 

[thetechnobear]

Yeah, I agree now that you pointed that out. I was thinking funding to some degree, so just assumed that would bias the sales toward people over 20-30.

yeah, DJI are like Apple - their target market is not the 'budget' end (nor 'fpv enthusiast')

I'm loving the dji fpv, as @DroneCluelessDolt said, its a stress free flyer - pop it into the air, get 10mins of flying, don't worry too much about it going out of range, running out of battery - just fly.

I'm going to buy another drone (possibly iFllight Nazgul) to complement it, for when I want to race between the trees, where its close range - so I don't worry about range etc, as its all pretty close to me.
(that said, I would love to have the smart battery tech on this kind of flyer!)

I guess others might think a camera drone (dji mavic air2) + race drone might be a better combo... which I can understand, but having had the Air, I actually wanted an fpv drone for camera/cruising duties

 

[droneguy]

Well we already have that. PosHold in iNav for instance.

iNav and many other FC software can replicate the Position hold functionality, but the Pause button from DJI is way more than that. You can be mid-trick, inverted racing towards the ground and realize you need to bail. The pause button does an exceptional job of very quickly righting the quad and then going in to position hold with GPS assistance. It's a little more advanced on the DJI.

 

[rktman]

I'm going to buy another drone (possibly iFllight Nazgul) to complement it, for when I want to race between the trees, where its close range - so I don't worry about range etc, as its all pretty close to me.
(that said, I would love to have the smart battery tech on this kind of flyer!)

If you've been following my other conversations in the non-DJI FPV forum, I had the same idea. My chosen aircraft for that purpose is the iFlight Alpha A85.

Assuming you're planning to get the Nazgul with the Caddx Vista to use your DJI FPV goggles, you're going to need a separate analog RC, and order the drone with an additional analog receiver. The Remote Controller v2 does not work with the Vista at the moment.

I went cheap and bought a Jumper T-lite (props to @Madhungarian ) -- same formfactor as the DJI v2, and I'm betting on a future firmware update for the RC v2.

 

[thetechnobear]

If you've been following my other conversations in the non-DJI FPV forum, I had the same idea. My chosen aircraft for that purpose is the iFlight Alpha A85.

Assuming you're planning to get the Nazgul with the Caddx Vista to use your DJI FPV goggles, you're going to need a separate analog RC, and order the drone with an additional analog receiver. The Remote Controller v2 does not work with the Vista at the moment.

I went cheap and bought a Jumper T-lite (props to @Madhungarian ) -- same formfactor as the DJI v2, and I'm betting on a future firmware update for the RC v2.

yeah, Im aware of that ..

Id been looking at the TBS Tango, as similar form factor, and well respected.
but interesting about the Jumper T-lite, I will check that out, as you say, if we get some kind of firmware update to allow DJI RC, then this makes sense as a 'stop gap'

its interesting that the DJI FPV FAQ , has a few questions which are answered with 'check firmware for details', Ive taken this as some indication that their might be planned changes in these areas.
(as other questions, simply say Yes or No) - and the RC being used on other drones is one of these questions...

whats not clear is does could this mean DJI Air Unit v2, or the RC being updated to support DJI Air Unit v1.
(of course, neither may happen )

anyway, my current plan is... get a little better at M mode on the DJI FPV.
then I'll sort out this drone... if im lucky (which I doubt) we may know more from DJI, otherwise I'll just bite the bullet and get drone + controller.

Im also looking to see if I can find a full kit that I can build, or some where that can help ensure Ive got a full BOM - Im happy to build myself, what I dont want to happen, is I end up having to place multiple orders, or find im missing pieces when I come to put it together ... thats not my idea of fun!

 

[bzmot]

iNav and many other FC software can replicate the Position hold functionality, but the Pause button from DJI is way more than that. You can be mid-trick, inverted racing towards the ground and realize you need to bail. The pause button does an exceptional job of very quickly righting the quad and then going in to position hold with GPS assistance. It's a little more advanced on the DJI.

That's exactly what PosHold is supposed to do. I never tried this functionality personally but I did test simple gps rescue in betaflight. You can be doing a power loop or an inverted corkscrew and when you hit that gps rescue button it will stop you dead in your tracks and use the gyro to right itself, start ascending (depending on settings) and follow the return to home path. I see no reason why pos hold wouldn't work the same way, except without returning home. It uses the gyro, the compass, the barometer and the gps - every sensor you have available.

Of course you have to give credit where credit is due. DJI is really bringing new cool features into the trade and chances are hobby fpv will adopt some of them for our benefit. That's a win win for everyone.

 

[NG Wildman]

I think it's interesting how many people are labeling and categorizing those who purchase the DJI FPV.
I think it shows a lot of ignorance on their part. Here's why: I, for example, have several types of drones, RC boats, trucks and cars. I also drive a full size Diesel pick-up truck, a sports car and have had many types of motorcycles over the years. I like 4-wheelers, trikes and dirt bikes. There are many different kinds of vehicles. I enjoy them all and I use them as often as I can. I have just as much fun driving my RC boat that does 84 MPH as the smaller ones that go 18 MPH. One of my favorite drones to fly is my Typhoon H...because it just looks and feels really cool to fly. I am lucky that I work a lot and can afford some toys. But, I would be diverse in my likes even if I couldn't buy them. As one matures, they generally tend to have several likes and not Pidgeon-hole themselves into things like thinking they can only like one thing at a time.
Perhaps this is not an age thing as much as it is a maturity level.