You know those really impressive aerial footages you see on YouTube and such. There used to be a time where getting a video shot like that requires you to hire a helicopter, bring a video camera on-board, strap yourself in, and take off for 30 minutes at a time. It was a huge affair, and it was not cheap, as you might have guessed.
Flying drone technology though took all of the pains of aerial photography and videography away. It made aerial videos and photography way more affordable than before. It made them way simpler than before too. Basically the rise of the likes of DJI made aerial photography and videography accessible to the regular public.
For 15 years DJI has been the leader in consumer drone technology. For 15 years also they have innovated non-stop to make drone flying easier, safer, and even more affordable than before. For 15 years, they have stuck to the same recipe of multiple rotors and small electronic body housing the battery and camera package with their world renown 3-axis gimbal.
Once again, DJI innovated and revolutionised consumer grade flying drones with their latest DJI FPV. As suspected, FPV stands for First Person View. This is a different breed of flying drones.
The DJI FPV shares more similarities in looks with the DJI Aspire professional filmmaker drones than the consumer level Mavic or even the prosumer level DJI Phantoms. But it is unlike any other drone that DJI has ever made. It even flies a little differently compared to DJI’s existing drones.
For one, the camera gimbal assembly is mounted a little differently compared to the regular DJI drone. The whole design concept allows for better aerodynamics to keep flight as stable and smooth as possible.
If you look at the marketing shots too, you realise that the drone looks like it is in a forward moving position, with its front propellers point toward the ground and the rear propellers pointing up. That is because this is default state it should be at, on the move.
What the marketing photos do not tell you though is how the new DJI FPV is modular. According to DJI, each part of the FPV, including the rotor arms, the outer shell housing, and camera gimbal is detachable and replaceable. That also means that servicing or fixing or even replacing parts on the drone is much cheaper and easier than before.
Of course, in-line with its name, the DJI FPV comes with DJI’s FPV Goggles V2 for an immersive flight experience. You can get video feeds at 1440 x 810 resolution at up to 120fps in 142o Field of View. Or you can get up to 150o field of view at 50fps. You can get your video feed at about 28ms latency. In wireless video feed mode, that is as close to instant as you can get. If you want, you can take on up to eight passengers on the flight too with audience mode.
You can even record your flights at 4K resolution at up to 60fps on its single-axis gimbal camera. While that sounds like you are going to get choppy videos, the DJI FPV features their RockSteady stabilisation technology to ensure that you get that DJI smooth video. You can even record videos at 1080p resolution at up to 120fps for 4x slow motion videos.
Of course, this would not be a DJI drone if it is not easy to fly. You can fly it in Normal (N) mode with all the flight assistance tool available to you like proximity sensors, smart flight modes, and even GPS. You can turn it to Manual (M) mode if you are a more experienced or confident flyer. There is also Sports (S) mode that sits in between both N and M modes. It offers the flexibilities and controls from M mode but retains the safety measures that N mode offers.
There is also a new way to fly the DJI FPV. You can now fly it with a single motion sensitive joystick instead of the traditional remote. Of course, that will take a little bit of practice still. You can practice with the drone with DJI’s Virtual Flight App too, to ensure that you are ready to take on the skies when you are out of your home. You would want the practice, this thing can fly at north of 100km/h.
The DJI FPV is available now in Malaysia from DJI’s local retailer. You can get your hands on one from both DJI’s official store on Lazada and Shopee as well. The price of this flying goodness is MYR 5,299 (US$ 1,299*). For that money you are getting your hands on the drone itself, a regular remote controller, a DJI FPV Goggles V2, additional replacement propellers and the usual chargers, cables, and battery pack. For more information on the DJI FPV, you can visit DJI’s website.
*Actual retail price in US$