Mavic Air
Spark
MJX Bugs 5w review - moving camera + GPS
Battery Life
Range
Camera
Motors
MJX Bugs 5w has been quite a surprise to me, as I didn’t actually expect it to be better than the Bugs 2w that I tried a while ago.
The ability to move the camera, the smaller frame and very precise gps made it one of my favorites to fly.
It’s great for lower budgets builds where you prioritize GPS and framing the perfect shot.
Image stability
This is probably the most important factor when choosing a camera drone. You want the image to be as steady as possible.
Shaky footage won’t ever be cinematic, at least not when it comes to drones.
The Bugs 5w doesn’t have a gimbal, but it does fly quite stable and the footage doesn’t have any jello.
You should look for the following in a drone if you want good image stability:
- A 2 or preferably 3 axis gimbal is the best possible way to stabilize a camera. It’s usually found in more expensive builds.
- Electronic image stabilization. Drones like Parrot Bebop 2 or even the cheaper Tello have it.
- Get yourself a GO Pro drone and use a very stable Action cam with electronic or optical image stabilization!
Battery Life
This is generally valid for any type of drone. How long it stays in the air is even more important for making sure you take a certain shot, usually with more expensive camera drones in professional setttings.
The Bugs 5w also has a bigger battery life than most drones at this price. Just consider that the DJI Spark has exactly the same battery life, and it’s twice as expensive.
Drone GPS and stabile flight
You can take very nice shots with a drone that only has the previous items we’ve talked about, but if you want to be stress free… having a stable drone or GPS is the way to go.
I have tested the precision of the Bugs 5w and the results are quite satisfying. The return to home distance from the initial point is about 1m or so. and when it comes to staying in the air, you can easily drink your coffee in peace while it flies by itself.
Besides that, drones with GPS also come with useful functions like return to home and follow me, that can be super useful for saving time and money.
- Drones with GPS
- great for stability at higher altitudes and distances
- Safer with RTH options and if battery is too low
- Drones with Optical flow cameras
- much cheaper
- holds position pretty well under 20m height
- can work indoors too
The price for the Bugs 5w is usually quite well under $200 and that’s quite affordable considering it doesn’t really have much competition.
The flight range of the drone is in fact about 1 km, but I put the actual range at 300m as that’s about as far as the video signal goes.
And yes, the quadcopter is suited for beginners too. Why is that?
Mainly thanks to the GPS that allows you to easily learn the controls and if you mess up you just stop pressing any buttons and the drone will simply hover.
Here’s a dainly price history for the Bugs 5w so you know if now is the right time to buy it.
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| Product | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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I know, the transmitter above is from JJPRO, however it’s exactly the same as the bugs one.
A pretty good controller, with a button for return to home, a wheel for changing the camera angle and even the ability to turn the GPS off for more thrills.
Camera
The camera has a small servo inside that moves it in the air, quite smoothly I would say.
The 1080p footage is pretty wide and gives the impression of a gopro camera thanks to the fisheye.
Photo samples
These are photos taken either inside at arms lenght or outside. I wanted to show you how good the camera is for photo details and the wide angle of it.
Bugs 5w
