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FPV drones have become more and more mainstream in recent years, and continue to be increasingly popular in film, TV, and online media. Until recently, FPV has remained a specialised field, requiring skilled piloting abilities, and a good knowledge of electronics, programming and tinkering.
Some companies have attempted to simplify the process by selling pre-built and tuned FPV drones. This helped make FPV drones more accessible to a wider market, and contributed to the growing popularity of the hobby and offered content creators a new dynamic way of capturing their environment. However, the required tools and accessories to fly FPV (particularly the goggles and batteries) have been large, cumbersome, inefficient and even dangerous.
With standard FPV drones, you would be lucky to fit in a 6 minute flight time using regular LiPo batteries. Additionally, you wait anxiously while they charge, wondering if today will be the day that one decides to explode and burn your house down.
In 2021, DJI released the DJI FPV which was their first 'smart' FPV drone which took away a lot of the headaches by allowing longer flight times, including safety features, and smarter charging. However, this release was not perfect. While some might appreciate the long flight times and safety features, the camera quality isn't great, and it has narrower field of view than the wider angels preferred by FPV pilots. And the biggest drawback is the weight of the drone which makes it sluggish in the air, and the fragility of the drone if an accident occurs. Unlike a standard 'dumb' FPV drone which can be repaired (if you know what you're doing), the DJI FPV drone will need to be sent to DJI for repairs or replaced completely.
However, yesterday DJI announced the release of their new cinewhoop style DJI Avata and DJI Goggles 2. This model offers the same 'smart' features as the first DJI FPV release, however has a better camera with a wider field of view. Additionally it has ducted propellers which makes it safe around people and objects. The DJI Avata seems to be the perfect all-rounder, suitable for indoor and outdoor flying with an added sense of durability.
The new DJI Goggles 2 are smaller, more comfortable, and have better resolution and clarity allowing the pilot to see clearly with little latency. Additionally, the Goggles have a video output which makes it simpler for spectators to watch the action as its happening on a separate screen.
We think this will be a great tool in the toolbox. It takes up less space in the camera bag, and having a longer flight time on a cinewhoop will be a game-changer to get the perfect shot. There is enough to think about when flying drones commercially, and we feel this drone will no doubt heal any headaches, and allow full focus on the project.
This year has been the most exiting year of DJI product releases, with the DJI Mini 3, Mavic 3, Ronin 4D, RS3 Gimbal, M30 enterprise drone, and the rumoured Inspire 3 which will hopefully be announced next month.
