DJI FPV drone test: Futura has tamed the beast of the air!
Futura was able to take to the air with the surprising DJI FPV. This racy aircraft mixes the world of racing drones and that of leisure devices gifted for the image. A look back at an extraordinary flight experience.
Do you like our News? Subscribe to the Daily newsletter to receive our latest News once a day. You will also be interestedA few weeks ago, Futura announced the release of the DJI FPV. This drone is one of a kind. It looks like a racing drone and is piloted as such using an FPV headset, but its playground is not necessarily that of the speed and obstacle racing arenas for experienced remote pilots. . It's more for beginners looking to have a great time, without risking a crash or loss of control. And on this point, we can say that the DJI drone fulfilled its mission.
With its look that is both stocky and almost aggressive, the DJI FPV seems eager to take to the skies. Its three-bladed propellers do not deploy, as on the Mavic range, but attach to the rotors. The manufacturer provides a replacement kit and experience shows that it is very necessary. As soon as you turn on the drone, the atmosphere is planted, at the end of the self-test, an aggressive roar and the light signature are there to show that the aircraft does not have the same character as the others at all .
Fly inside the drone
It's time to board on board by putting on the FPV mask. Boarding, because there is something strange about not seeing the device anymore. After having properly memorized the functions of the radio control buttons, you must cross the controls downwards to start the motors. From the outset, the drone that we no longer see, stands out frankly with the sound level of its roar.
Stocky and looking just as nervous as its behavior in flight, this drone does not seem made to stay on the ground. But, beware of optimism when maneuvering close to the ground. Fortunately, the DJI FPV is robust. © Futura
Piloting in FPV has something confusing for a professional remote pilot like the author of this article. And for good reason, during flights, the remote pilot is accustomed to not taking his eyes off the aircraft in its evolutions. But for a beginner, learning becomes much more natural. No risk of making a mistake by reversing the controls since, unlike other drones, it is piloted by always going forward. Moreover, maneuvering it laterally or backwards remains perilous since the obstacle sensors are only on the front and the bottom of the drone. It is a matter of simply directing oneself towards where the gaze is directed. From this moment and after a few initiation flights, we find ourselves sneaking at high speed between obstacles, even the narrowest ones, such as door frames.
FPV atmosphere
The helmet design, quite successful, gives a futuristic look with its four small antennas. It is light enough and comfortable enough to be worn during a flight. A word of advice: to fly in FPV, it is better to be seated. At the first sharp turn, the body will follow what the pilot sees and, if the drone holds the air, it is the remote pilot who risks hitting the ground. The headset is powered by an external battery connected via a cable and whose autonomy we estimated at nearly two hours. Under the helmet, two small settings allow you to adjust the distance between the screens and the eyes of the wearer of the mask. On the left side of the helmet, two buttons are present but we did not find the use of them. On the vision side, the information is indicated on the lower part of the helmet. At the bottom left, altitude, speed in m/s and distance are displayed. On the right, there is information related to the autonomy of the drone, the helmet, the level of reception and the number of satellites detected. On the right side is the icon related to shots.
The DJI FPV headset is comfortable. It has a correct autonomy, but it is not always easy to read the flight information while piloting the aircraft. It has a micro SD card slot to save filmed images directly from the helmet. © Futura
On the top right of the headset, you have to get used to handling a clickable mini-joystick that allows you to navigate through the adjustment menus. Nearby there is another button to go back or exit a menu and, finally, a last button is used to start recording the scene taken by the drone directly on a micro SD caste introduced into the helmet. Additional security that allows images to be retained, even if the drone is lost.
Eye-opening images
Clearly, shooting is not the main quality of this drone. We let ourselves be carried away much more by the playful side of speed in three dimensions. The sensor that moves from bottom to top is capable of filming in 4K and up to 60 frames per second. This 4K is also essential, because the propellers are visible on the edges of the image and if you want to obtain beautiful sequences, it is necessary to crop them. This is all the more true as the contours of the image are a little distorted and less clear. That said, a distortion correction option makes it possible to make both the propellers and these defects disappear.
On the radio control, to control the camera, you can use quick switches to tilt it up or down or horizontally. It is also possible to use the wheel placed at the front left to gently reorient the angle of view downwards or upwards. The image settings are rudimentary, but this is not the main asset of this drone.
A remote control that you can't see
A remote control devoid of tablet or smartphone support is confusing when you are used to piloting drones. All the settings are therefore made via the helmet and as much to say that it is not easy, even if, to make its first flights, the drone can be used as it is. All the buttons of the radio control fall under the fingers and it is better since we wear the helmet. Piloting the drone is very simple even for a beginner. It is better to practice using the Normal flight mode, which is activated from a selector on the front of the radio control. This mode makes it possible to benefit from the anti-collision system of the drone, namely its proximity sensors located at the front and under it. Visual alerts are displayed in the helmet near obstacles. This assistance is deactivated as soon as you switch to the very nervous Sport mode. For fear of not being able to control the "beast" enough, we did not venture into Manual mode for long, which disengages the assistance and requires making a small modification under the remote control. The drone can then perform acrobatics, which we avoided doing for fear of breaking it.
The only weakness of the radio control lies in the small handles whose base is very thin and twists easily. © Futura
The manufacturer also provides as an option and at the price of 149 euros a joystick that recalls the controls of the Wii. Its use is intuitive, even if it requires time to adapt and learn, if only to take off and land the drone.
On the autonomy side, the nervousness and the speed of the drone will not allow it to fly for long. But it must be said that a flight session is stressful enough to take a break while recharging the heavy battery whose hull also serves as rear skids for the drone. Difficult to fly for more than 15 minutes and pay attention to the automatic return to home mode when the battery drops below its critical threshold. Not having correctly memorized the key to press on the radio control, we did not manage to deactivate it and the aircraft returned to its base by caressing the branches of a nearby tree. It is better to spend a good time watching the video tutorials that DJI offers to learn more about the drone, rather than being surprised in mid-flight.
And at the regulatory level, there is theory and practice. In reality, it is not possible to take advantage of the drone to the maximum of its possibilities without violating the regulations. First, an observer must be present and must not take his eyes off the drone. The concern is that, when we sneak between trees, the drone is fatally lost to sight by the observer. Unless you have a totally unobstructed area outside of public space, it's almost impossible to use it without breaking the law.
An expensive toy, but one that you never get tired of
The DJI FPV is sold in a bundle version at a price of 1,349 euros. The pack includes the drone with its FPV headset and battery, a battery for the drone, the remote control and two propeller kits. It is possible to replace its transparent shell with a fluorescent green shell. You have to add 149 euros to have the DJI motion controller, in other words, the famous joystick. A Fly More DJI FPV kit with two batteries and a charging station is offered at 279 euros. It is also possible to opt for DJI Care Refresh insurance which allows the drone to be replaced in the event of a destructive crash. This option costs 169 euros.
Futura's opinion
The DJI FPV seduced us. It's a hell of a "toy", very advanced, which you never get tired of. It cannot really be said that it belongs to the same family as the usual drones. It has the advantage of making drone piloting accessible to virtually any beginner and will appeal to experienced remote pilots. On the image side, if the shots are not at the level of a pro drone or a DJI Air 2S, they are so impressive that it erases any imperfection. For its price of nearly 1,349 euros, the DJI FPV is certainly expensive, but it is true that it does not stay stored in its box for long.
Futura's noteWE love
We don't like
DJI FPV Features
Interested in what you have just read?Subscribe to the newsletter The Daily : our latest news of the day. All our newsletters!
Thank you for your subscription. Glad to count you among our readers!
Related definitionsA smartphone: simple definitionWhat is a joystick?Definition of "4K"What is an icon?What does "autonomy" mean?