You're here because you're probably curious if it's worth it to buy the new DJI FPV system and if it makes so much of a difference compared to analog FPV.
DJI Is also releasing a new FPV drone which I also reviewed here (mainly its leaked specs and photos for now). You could just as well have no idea what I'm talking about and still enjoy this review, so don't go anywhere.
First of all, FPV stands for First-person View (check out my Drone term glossary list, for a better understanding of more terms). You can literally learn a ton about drones just by reading this single article. To put it in simple terms, FPV Drone racing basically makes you feel like you're in the cockpit of the drone and it's a fantastic experience.
However, the video feed you see is generally analog and standard definition. It breaks up a lot if you have obstacles in the way. We needed this so far because it was pretty much the only way to achieve low latency transmission, which is essential for controlling a fast-moving FPV quad.
PROS
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However, as tradition goes, DJI, the leader in everything drone technology on the market made a move to disrupt this industry in a big way.
They decided to make a system that records and transmits a digital signal, increasing obstacle penetration, while still keeping the latency low.
This is their second revolutionary product that disrupts current drone technologies in the last couple of months, as not so long ago they released the DJI Mavic mini, which is an incredibly good 3-axis camera drone under 250g.
I have reviewed the Mavic Mini and compared it in many ways to its competition if you want to check that out.
I got the package with the Goggles, the air unit with the camera and the transmitter.
I chose to connect it to my Helifar Fuuton 2, which is an amazing 4s beast of a drone.
Everything was neatly packaged as expected from DJI, and it all feels premium quality, as expected for the price.
The air unit consists of a camera and a video transmitter. The case is made of durable aluminum that also doubles as heat-sink for cooling, so expect this to get very hot. This entire piece weighs around 53 grams. The dimensions are as follows:
It's made specifically to fit on most racing quad-copters on the market The lens is 150 degrees and can record hd video as high as 1080p in 60fps, as it has a built in DVR that stores the video in the micro SD card slot that's on the side of the device. The camera comes with 3 basic camera settings (in terms of image adjustments)
The air unit has two antennas in the back with MMCX connectors. These antennas are the only obvious downside of the overall build, as they are easy to lose if you're not careful.
You need to tie them really well, or put them inside a 3d printed slot so they don't come out. Even if I ziptied them twice, I still managed to lose them somehow. Fortunately they're like $15 to replace so it's not such a big loss. You can get individual parts from getfpv.com
The most eye catching piece of equipment in this package, the goggles look like something from the Ant Man movie and they certainly would have been made by Tony Start, as the quality is top notch.
They feel solid and really like a professional piece of equipment, that's pretty light weight too. These also have the option to record the footage that you see in the goggles directly in 720p 120fps.
A thing you'll notice right away are the 4 omni-directional antennas mounted using RP-SMA connectors that can be upgraded if you want.
The Goggles come with some of the following features;
The Radio Controller came with the package I got, but frankly it's optional to use if you already have another radio that you like. I thought I won't use it and use my Taranis Xlite instead, but oh boy was I wrong.
I absolutely LOVE how the sticks feel on this transmitter. Some people think they are too loose, but I think they're way better than anything I've tried before and make the flying experience that much better.This is coming from someone who would have doubted buying this transmitter in the first place.Here's some other good things about this transmitter:
The gimbals are on par with the Hall sensor gimbals from Frsky, if not better and in terms of ergonomics, this is a total win.
By the way, the 4km range is in FCC mode (about 2.5 miles) so you won't be able to reach this kind of range in Europe, for example. You can also check my top on some of the longest ranged drones (ranked by price and category).
As I said before, this is quite a revolutionary product in the industry, so revolutionary in fact that I could compare it to the red and blue pill analogy from the matrix. If you try this system you won't ever want to go back to Analog, so be careful, it's that good!
If you're interested in other types of Virtual Reality Headsets for drones I suggest you check my article explaining it better.
There's really no comparison, but I'll try to put them side by side for you to see how much of a difference this makes. People who have flown drones with analogue systems their entire lives have shocking amazed reactions when they see the action camera quality from the goggles directly.
There's no static, the details are absolutely incredible... and frankly this is the only thing that made me want to fly FPV again in the last few months, as I think I have finally found the ultimate Flying experience simulator.
I don't just want to watch the beautiful landscapes in post processing from my gopro, I want to be immersed in the experience and feel like a bird while I'm doing it.
I want to see all the branches and avoid them, be in awe with the sunset as I dive between some trees in the forest.
This is what the DJI FPV System delivers, a lag free birds eye perspective that made me happy I can finally experience flight without the risks or costs of flying myself.
Unlike other HD FPV system, that suddenly stutter and freeze when signal wakens, the DJI one gradually reduces the resolution of the image so you know what's coming.
One disadvantage compared to Analogue goggles is that your friends can't watch what you're doing at the same time (I would say the only disadvantage).
Unless they also have the same goggles, but it was much simpler with analogue to hook up your friends to a cheap monitor or goggles and see everything in real time.
This is one of the main concerns of an HD FPV system, as digital signal is more troublesome to send over in real time and tends to have a lot of lag.
However, everything changes with this new system (I know, I seem like a fanboy, but I swear I just like it a lot and have a hard time getting over how cool it is).
The latency from the radio is about 6ms while the lag from the drone to the FPV goggles is about 23 ms, which is super small, similar to what you get from analogue FPV.
There are a few modes that can affect latency and image quality:
Any HD system has the downside that as the signal gets weaker you risk losing image all-together. In analogue systems, you'll gradually get a worse image and more interference, but will still be able to discern roughly where you are.
The DJI System handles weak signal better than any othe HD system, but it can still stutter and freeze from extended range or objects getting between you and it.
Being a proprietary system, you won't be able to use any other type of goggle with the same camera or for your friends to see when you're flying, which is a shame.
A pair of these goggles aren't that cheap, so it could be quite a disadvantage if you like sharing things live.
The DJI FPV System comes in two configurations:
Only do this if your local regulations allow 700mW power.FCC mode is disabled if you bought your system from places like Europe, for example.
No, you can't. You need to have a display that works with the same frequency as DJI. For now you can only see it with another pair of DJI FPV goggles.
Yes, but only if they have the same goggles from DJI (not standard analogue ones).
No, it's not the same as the other FPV goggles from DJI. These ones are designed for the FPV air unit.
Yes, you can get them from the official DJI website as well as banggood.com
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