No wonder I can’t stop droning on
With such great speed, flying and footage…
DJI Avata From €589, dji.com ★★★★★
My interest in photography probably first attracted me to drone flying and when I stumbled across the Drone Racing League on TV a few years back I was fascinated.
FPV, or first-person view, is a style of drone flying that uses headsets with screens showing the view from the drone as it flies. Racing drones use this technology and while the footage is breathtaking, the manoeuvres and speed of these drones require enormous skill and practice.
Recently though, DJI, the world’s leading drone-maker, launched the DJI Avata, the FPV drone for the rest of us.
There’s a lot of kit – but that’s part of this fascinating hobby. The drone itself is a small aircraft measuring 180×180×80mm and weighs 410g.
The weight and camera mean you have to register with the Irish Aviation Authority and complete its online training. This course gives an excellent overview of droneflying rules and is full of safety tips.
In my test set-up, I also had the DJI Goggles 2 to see the drone’s view and the motion controller, which acts like an aircraft joystick.
These are optional extras, but to use the Avata you do need a remote controller. There are several controller options, but for a truly immersive experience, I used the recommended kit.
The Avata has four propeller guards for safety and to ensure a smooth flight. Before sending it up, I charged the battery, plus a spare, overnight. The flight time of the Avata is impressive at up to 18 minutes from a full charge, but I recommend having at least one spare battery charged up and ready for swapping out.
With everything charged, I powered on the three pieces of kit: the drone, headset and controller, synchronised to work together.
I like the traditional drone set-up
using a tablet or smartphone mounted on a controller, so I wasn’t sure about using the goggles headset. However, I adapted to the headset just minutes after putting it on. It’s light at 290g and has two 0.5” screens inside, with HD 1080p resolution and a
refresh rate up to 100Hz.
This means you get a smooth, bright and well-defined view of what the drone is seeing. Also, if you wear glasses, the Goggles 2 supports diopter adjustment, meaning you might be able to wear them without your specs.
The controller enables an easy launch procedure and, after an audible chime, the drone launches itself and hovers about a meter from the ground.
Holding the controller, move your wrist left/right/up/down to control the drone’s course.
The controller is incredibly responsive with almost no lag, and it’s so sensitive that if you touch your face or the goggles briefly you affect the flight of the drone.
There’s a small trigger on the controller that works as the throttle button and you fly along a path that’s marked in the goggles with a small circle.
You vary that path as you fly by moving your wrist to control direction.
Squeezing the trigger button speeds up flight and if you release it completely the aircraft stops and hovers.
MOVE YOUR WRIST TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION
The footage it records from its 4K camera at 60fps is breathtaking. Because of the manoeuvrability of the aircraft, you can squeeze through gaps or sweep close to the ground.
This type of footage is called cinewhoop and it really is the sort of footage we’re used to from TV spectacles.
Of course, the full set-up isn’t cheap. My test kit came in at €1,459, but you can get a decent one for €500 less.
Also, FPV flying requires access to good flying areas, practice and patience – although DJI has built in plenty of safety features for beginners.
Perhaps not ideal for beginners, the learning curve on this is less than other FPV drones.
Overall, this is enormous, highoctane fun.
The build quality, endless features, fabulous footage and highspeed flying and reach make this one of the most rewarding drones you can buy.