After creating excitement with the $ 200 NeoDJI is again with another innovative drone, the flip. It has a unique folding design and a wrapped propeller to protect people. It also integrates 3D infrared obstacle recognition into the pursuit of subjects and has a long list of impressive functions.
Borrowed with a camera Mini 4 ProThe Flip Can high quality 4K 60p videos can absorb indoors or take a little risk. It is delivered with vlogger-friendly functions such as Direction Track and Quickshots for Social Media. And it can be flown either with DJI controllers, a smartphone, voice control or pressing a button.
It is not a need for permission to fly it, and the best thing is, it is Price for 439 US dollars Since an RC-N3 controller is enclosed, it is one of the cheaper drones. To see how well it serves creator, I flew it into a castle, a 500 year old house and in nature. It is not perfect (hello, stiff winds and obstacles) and it has a hard competition with that Hoverair X1 ProBut it is one of the most useful creator drones ever.
design
The flip has a clever, user -friendly design. All four propellers fold and stack under the body under the body under the body like a kind of Star Wars spaceship. DJI chose this construction in such a way that it could contain permanent (rather removable) heiches that protect the props to limit damage or injuries in the event of a collision. The design also uses large propellers that support performance and reduce the noise. For comparison: Djis Neo has tiny, quickly spider propeller that make a high olfactory noise.
DJI held the starting weight, including the battery and microSD card, under 250 grams using carbon fiber and other light materials. This means that the flip can be flown without special permits. However, it is still quite bulky, especially compared to the slim hoverair X1 Pro.
However, the flip has a much better battery life than its rival. DJI promises up to 34 minutes of maximum flight time (approx. 27 minutes under real conditions), compared to only 16 minutes for the X1 Pro. The batteries can also be charged quickly and take about 35 minutes with the optional four-battery charger. However, you need a memory card because the flip only has 2 GB of internal memory.
The flip is the first light drone of DJI with a 3D infrared sensor for the forward obstacles and also has a downward vision sensor for the detection and stability of landing site. In contrast to the Mini 4 Pro and other DJI drones, however, it has no side or rear obstacle sensors.
A little problem is that the propeller of the flip does not have much approval, so that you can snap at starts even in short grass. Like the NEO, however, it is more designed for starting and landing from your hand. For this purpose, it has a button on the opposite side of the network switch to automatically select a flight mode and the start, just like the NEO. It can also be flown with the app, voice control or manually with a controller-the DJI RC-N3 controller (for which a smartphone is required) or the RC 2 controller with an integrated 5.5-inch display.
Functions and performance
Steve Dent for Engadget
In sports mode, the flip can sum up with up to 26 miles per hour, which is not bad for a light drone, but a little slower than the Mini 4 Pro (37 miles per hour). However, the reduced weight and the large surface are not the best in strong wind. For example, when it flew over the roof of a lock, it was hit by a gust that almost pushed it backwards.
However, the flip can do things that you would never try with a mini 4 per. The complete propeller protection, the stability and the relatively low sound make it well suited to fly in large rooms full of fragile objects and people. Together with the excellent image quality, this is a good choice for event experts and content manufacturers who work in public spaces.
It is also perfect for beginners, because like the neo you can start the flip from hand to the push of a button. It then flies a preprogrammed mode and lands back where it started. One of these modes, the directional route, enables the drone to fly backwards and to follow them for vlogging. There is also a follow-up mode for activities such as running and hiking as well as social media-friendly flight modes such as Dronie, Rocket, Circle, Helix and Boomerang. Note that the video in this automatic modes is limited to 4k 30 fps.
At the same time, the flip with a smartphone or the supported controllers is easy to fly manually. Although it is not as can be seen as the Mini 4 Pro, it is easier to fly for beginners and makes a stable camera platform. You must be careful in areas with non -structured soils (for example concrete concrete), as it can throw off the sensors of the flip and make it unstable. In this case, it is best to switch to sports mode in order to deactivate the visually -based flight stability sensors (and then to fly carefully, since obstacle detection is also deactivated).
Steve Dent for Engadget
Oddly enough, the flip does not work with Djis Guardian glasses N3 and Motion 3 controllers, in contrast to the much cheaper neo. This is because DJI sees it mainly as a camera drone as a acrobatic device.
If you hope to use the flip to pursue yourself or others, there is a big problem: the obstacle detection in one direction except forward or below is missing. For example, if you fly the drone back, you have to make sure that nothing can overthrow. And automatic avoidance of obstacles does not work at all if you use the intelligent functions of the flip such as Direction Track or ActiveTrack, even though the drone lasts 10 feet before you meet something that recognizes it. The lack of this function is strange because obstacle avoidance is an important part of the specialist persecution, and DJI did not say whether it had plans to fix this problem through a future update. None of this is a problem with the Hoverair X1 Pro, which can follow forward and even to the side with complete obstacle recognition.
Thanks to the DJI O4 transmission system, the flip offers an excellent range for such a tiny drone with up to eight miles. At the same time, it can send a high -quality video signal of 1080p 60 FPS, which can be recorded as a securing to the controller. However, if you fly with your smartphone with a Wi-Fi connection, the range is limited to just 165 feet.
camera
Samuel Dejours for Engadget
The cameras are the biggest difference between flip and neo. The flip has a much larger 1/1.3-inch 48 megapixel sensor and a 24 mm equivalent wide angle 1.7 lens. It is the same as that on Mini 4 Pro and offers sharp, noble videos in good light.
You can absorb 4K videos with up to 60 fps (100 fps in time mode for the MO) instead of only 30 fps like the Neo. In addition, the Flip 10-Bit-D logm video supports, which enables an improved dynamic range with light lighting, as on skiists. You can also take 12 MP or 48 MP RAW (DNG) photos.
The video quality is noticeably sharper than with the NEO and the flip is a much better drone for night shots or thinly illuminated interior settings thanks to the lower noise level. Although the DJI Air 3S and Mavic 4 offer higher quality due to the larger sensors, there is no big difference in good light. Since the flip only has a single camera, the video is noticeably loud when using the second fold. Note that when you record it in the automated modes (directional route, dronia, etc.) there is no manual control of the camera to set exposure, shutter speed and ISO.
The HoverAir X1 Pro has the same 1/1.3-inch sensor and offers a very similar video quality (also with a log mode), although I represent the colors of DJI as a more precise touch. The hoverair has a slightly inferior 4K 60p video, unless you spend an additional 200 US dollar for the Pro Max version, around 8k 30 FPS and 4K 120 FPS.
With a three-axis gimbal, the flip shoots a silky, smooth video, even if it is packed by the winds. You can choose the follow-up mode to keep the camera level even if the drone banks or the FPV mode, which enables the camera to tilt a more exciting perspective from the first person. In general, the video remains smooth with sudden maneuvers, while the film material from the Hoverair X1 Pro has occasional sticks and tense movements.
The camera’s camera does not rotate 90 degrees like that on the Mini 4 Pro. Therefore, the maximum resolution for vertical video is 2.7 k.
Diploma
Steve Dent for Engadget
The Flip represents a courageous change of direction (and the design) for DJI. In contrast to open prop drones, the creators have the opportunity to shoot inside and to shoot people with a relatively high video quality. And this only happens for 439 US dollars -much less than the 759 US dollar Mini 4 Pro. However, the flip is not perfect, since its main errors are reduced maneuverability, problems in the wind and the lack of obstacles when using intelligent modes such as ActiveTrack.
As I already mentioned, DJI also has a serious competition in this category, namely the 500 dollar -hoverair X1 Pro. Both offer functions such as PALM start, intelligent flight modes and specialist tracking and the similar quality, but the Hoverair X1 Pro offers an active collision detection on the back, a wider lens and more internal memory. It is about half the size of the flip. In turn, the flip has twice as high as the flight time and a much longer transmission area.
The choice then depends on what you want. If portability, subject tracking and obstacles are decisive, the Hoverair X1 Pro is a better option. Others who prioritize the battery life, a smooth video and a more established company should choose the flip. In any case, DJI usually dominates all drone categories, so it is nice to see several products in this creator -oriented space.
This article was originally released on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-flip-review-a-a-and-useful-create-with-a-few-flaws-181507462.html?src = RSS
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