Featured News

Trending News

11 August 2023
<a href="https://www.skydio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Skydio</a> recently announced it is exiting the consumer-drone market.
The Droning Company's resident "Drone Geek' Chris Fravel discusses Skydio's move, its impact on the drone world, and more in the exclusive report below...
<h5>Watch!</h5>
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&nbsp;

Breaking News: skydio Abandons consumer drones

Product News

17 July 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
Here we are at roughly the mid-way point of 2023 and the number of drones being sold globally continues to climb at a rapid pace. People the world-over are taking more interest in remote aircraft and flying them for a variety of reasons, ranging from photography and video to mapping and thermography.
No matter what your&nbsp;why&nbsp;is though, we all start in one of two categories of drone pilots. We either start by flying GPS drones like those made famous by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dji.com/">DJI</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://shop.autelrobotics.com/?ref=TodAxbE3FiMGn">Autel</a>&nbsp;or we start by flying FPV drones. Whether or not those two worlds cross over in the future is entirely up to the journey of the individual pilot, but it is fair to say you either start as one or the other more often than not.
Today I am going to talk to those looking to start in the GPS category of drone pilots. We will cover great beginner options for FPV drones in an article to come in the near future.
By the end of this article though, I will have introduced you to a few GPS drone platforms on which a novice pilot may easily cut their teeth in 2023.
<h5>What Is a GPS Drone and What Does It Do?</h5>
A GPS drone is broadly defined as a drone that uses GPS positioning to hold its spot in its airspace in all three dimensions. Many of these drones also have the ability to return to its launch point when signal is lost between the operator and the drone or when the battery level becomes critically low.
While I do not like to over-generalize, GPS drones are more often better for beginners to learn on when it comes to minimizing crashes and out-of-pocket expense compared to FPV drones because of these positioning capabilities.
In theory (best not in practice) an operator can put their drone&rsquo;s controller down and walk away from it and the drone will hold its position in the air until it is time to land due to low battery.
All of this said, here are my top-5 choices for GPS drones for beginners in 2023:
<h5>#5 </h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 2 SE</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/oB2n7GNllxTsoFs5e0Gj6y8bGQ7AIVbt41gQ6cnn.png" alt="" width="456" height="184" />
<table style="height: 282px; width: 67.7148%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50.0078%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/2.3&Prime; CMOS | 12MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 2.7K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPEG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.0078%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 40 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 10 KM (6.2 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 31 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
When you are eyeing up options for your entry-level GPS drone, the&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mini-2-se?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page&amp;vid=132621" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DJI MIni 2 SE</a>&nbsp;is a great compromise of capability and cost. While not the most advanced or high-performing drone on this list, it certainly is economical coming in at just $339 for the drone, the controller, one battery, and a handful of helpful basic accessories.
As the saying goes though, &ldquo;you get what you pay for,&rdquo; and it rings true in the case of the Mini 2 SE. It has the lowest video resolution of all the options on our list at 2.7K and also lacks an obstacle avoidance system outside of its downward landing sensors.
Aside from those two major drawbacks, the DJI Mini 2 SE has all of the same capabilities of its predecessor the DJI Mini 2. The Mini 2 SE was designed to cannibalize parts DJI had in-stock from the production of the Mini 2, but at a lower price-point for consumers.
Do not let the &ldquo;Frankendrone&rdquo; nature of the Mini 2 SE deter you from purchasing it! It&rsquo;s an impressive and capable little machine that will make for a great entry-level drone for any beginner of at any range of skill.
<h5>#4 </h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 2</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/b86fWNQAicyxGj5gHCOToS8OTWihvVukqLVezd41.png" alt="" width="457" height="179" />
<table style="height: 239px; width: 71.3532%;">
<tbody>
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<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/2.3&Prime; CMOS | 12MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 4K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPEG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 100 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 10 KM (6.2 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 31 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.dji.com/mini-2?site=brandsite&amp;from=landing_page" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The DJI Mini 2</a>&nbsp;is one of the best mini drone platforms on the market today and it has been out for years. When it first hit shelves, it was the drone everyone wanted the original Mavic Mini to be, touting a maximum video resolution of 4K and with the ability to shoot RAW photos.
The only place the Mini 2 falls short is in its less than spectacular sensor size (for today&rsquo;s market anyway), its lack of obstacle avoidance sensors, and its inability to shoot in D-Cinelike. It is rather rigid and inflexible in its camera capabilities as a whole, but hey, it still shoots 4K which will leave a lot of content creators and entry-level drone enthusiasts totally satisfied.
The DJI Mini 2 drone is no longer available on the DJI website, but if you dig enough you can still find them for sale on third-party sites for around $400. If you are comfortable purchasing drones second-hand, you could possibly find it for even less.
<h5>#3</h5>
<h5>Autel EVO Nano+</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/1yGzLfzVam85jSmn46IJFxuvamFUjPxJV70CNpV9.png" alt="" width="457" height="168" />
<table style="height: 255px; width: 68.9276%;">
<tbody>
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<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/1.8&Prime; CMOS | 50MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 4K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 100 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 10 KM (6.2 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 28 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The only drone&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;made by DJI on our list, the&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.autelpilot.com/products/autel-robotics-evo-nano-plus-drone-premium-bundle?ref=TodAxbE3FiMGn&amp;variant=39550210703406" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Autel EVO Nano+</a>&nbsp;is a hearty little mini drone that packs a ton of punch. I actually had the privilege of conducting a full-scale review on this drone on my YouTube channel, you can check it out by clicking here.
The only place the Nano+ falls short compared to the number 4 and 5 drones on our list is in flight time. The marketed flight time is just 28 minutes, which really translates to 20 to 24 minutes in real world conditions.
Overall the Nano+ is an extremely capable drone with a larger sensor than the first two entries on our list, which allows for more detailed and sharp images off the camera as well as fantastic performance in low-light conditions for a drone of this size.
Not to mention it is the first drone on this list that offers tri-directional obstacle avoidance sensors (front, back, and bottom). This obstacle avoidance system will help to prevent crashes in some of the tightest airspaces you can imagine.
<h5>#2</h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 3 Pro</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/WOPmoVCZhqNyGjNCNAK8kE9H83OFEztFMj2gYc9y.png" alt="" width="463" height="304" />
<table style="height: 237px; width: 68.2201%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/1.3&Prime; CMOS | 48MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 4K at 60fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 150 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 12 KM (7.4 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 34 or 47 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Talk about a&nbsp;game changer&nbsp;for the mini drone market.&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mini-3-pro?vid=113961" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The DJI Mini 3 Pro</a>&nbsp;packs a TON into a very small package. Capable of 4K video at 60fps, RAW photos, and an increased sensor size of 1/1.3&Prime;, this thing absolutely&nbsp;BANGS. Plus the added feature of true portrait mode shooting makes it the perfect aerial imaging solution for content creators that focus mainly in the realms of TikTok and Instagram Reels.
It also comes with a tri-directional obstacle avoidance system that makes everything else in this category pale in comparison. Throw in a flight time of 34 minutes with the base batteries or up to 47 minutes with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus and you have a mini drone that can keep you creating for longer than ever.
The best part about this drone is its performance-versus-price-point. You can purchase the DJI Mini 3 Pro with the DJI RC (smart controller) for just $909. If you can live without the smart controller, you can also purchase this powerful little package with the DJI RC-N1 (basic controller) for $759 &mdash; an incredible amount of power for a pretty low price.
<h5>#1</h5>
<h5>DJI Mini 4 (Pro)</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/TES9dMfA4xpKDma3X3K11RHXsxIHKq7EF5qlNBko.png" alt="" width="463" height="304" />
&nbsp;Note: Speculated Specifications
<table style="height: 243px; width: 68.6244%;">
<tbody>
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<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Camera Sensor: 1/1.2&Prime; CMOS | 48MP
&nbsp;
Max Video Resolution: 5.1K at 30fps
&nbsp;
Photo Formats: JPG &amp; DNG (RAW)
</td>
<td style="width: 50.006%;" width="312">
Video Bitrate: 200 Mbps
&nbsp;
Operating Range: 12 KM (7.4 Miles)
&nbsp;
Maximum Flight Time: 45 or 57 Minutes
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The relative unknown of the list also happens to come out at the top of the list. Recently images of what appears to be the&nbsp;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://youtu.be/NYvRgxtKfMs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DJI Mini 4 leaked</a>&nbsp;and it all but ensures we are going to see a new version of the DJI Mini drone again this year. While we do not have any concrete information regarding a potential Mini 4&rsquo;s specifications, I did my best to reasonably predict what we might see from it.
I believe we will see a slight increase in quality and performance across the board on this drone. It will maintain its ability to shoot true portrait mode with its 90-degree gimbal rotation function, will include a slightly larger sensor for even crisper and more-detailed images and videos, a max video resolution of 5.3K at 30fps, a maximum range of 12 KM, and an improved flight time from 34 minutes with the standard battery and 47 minutes with the Battery Plus to 45 minutes with the standard battery and 57 minutes with the Battery Plus.
The DJI Mini drone series has had very little to criticize since the release of the DJI Mini 2 and I believe that will continue to be true moving forward. The only place DJI could improve on the Mini series of drones is by continuing to work to build up wind resistance for the drones, which are prone to getting pushed around in high winds.
<h5>Closing Thoughts</h5>
Getting your very first drone is always exciting. The idea that these machines are capable of opening up a whole new perspective for us is magical. It can be as wonderous as giving you views of a mountain range or ocean from a bird&rsquo;s-eye-view to as simple as eliminating the need to ask somebody to take a photo of you or your family on vacation.
No matter how you intend to use them, drones are powerful tools for anyone looking for a new way to look at the world.
If you choose to purchase a drone from this list, it is my professional opinion that you will not be disappointed in any of the options. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses at the end of the day, but they are all extremely capable UAV platforms that will leave you wanting to fly more and more.
<h5>Learn More: Best Beginner Drones for 2023</h5>
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Best GPS Drones for Beginners in 2023 

Consumer Drones

6 February 2023
By Chris &ldquo;<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheDroneGeek/">The Drone Geek</a>&rdquo; Fravel
<a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.autelrobotics.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Autel Robotics</a> is a world-leader in consumer, prosumer, and commercial drone technology. Their UAV platforms have been some of the most popular among hobbyist and professional remote pilots alike.
The <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://shop.autelrobotics.com/products/drones-evo-nano-plus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EVO Nano+</a> is no exception. Boasting a variety of features including a 12MP, 1/1.28&rdquo; CMOS sensor, up to 4K at 30fps max video resolution, obstacle avoidance, intelligent flight modes, and more all in a compact package, the EVO Nano+ is one of the most powerful drones on the market for its size.
Let's take a closer look at all of the pros and cons this little powerhouse of a UAV packs and decide whether or not it is the drone for you.
<h5>Build Quality</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/JualiUXyEk73hA2Io2R4hveQ68FR2zSBFH6pB3Zm.png" alt="" width="509" height="339" />
The build quality on the EVO Nano+ is extremely high-quality overall. The plastic used for the body of the drone feels sturdy while allowing the drone itself to maintain a weight light enough to avoid mandatory registration with the FAA if flown recreationally (which requires all drones weighing 250g or more to register no matter their intended use). It&rsquo;s a high-quality and seamlessly portable solution for any weekend warrior or pilot on-the-go.
Where the Nano+ lost points in this category was in the plastic used in the arms. It feels noticeably cheaper than the rest of the drone and gives me concerns about impact resistance and wear and tear over time. To say the arms on this drone feel &ldquo;flimsy&rdquo; would not be unrealistic by any stretch of the imagination.
All that said, I was quite impressed with the build quality on a drone that is meant to be lightweight and compact.&nbsp;
Build Quality Rating: 8 out of 10
<h5>Controller</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/bV9AaTZLnm2nKJAty9wFsNMsCItNaENLowfhwc3k.png" alt="" width="434" height="394" />
The Autel controller is one of my favorites in the game. I enjoy how ergonomic it feels in my hands and the fact that it is akin to a gaming controller &ndash; with which I have a lot of experience. It&rsquo;s sturdy, well-constructed, and easy to figure out and use for drone pilots at any level of experience and knowledge.
What I am not crazy about is the USB-C port placement for the device interface and the joysticks.
The cable port is very awkward and if you forget to take your cable out before closing the device holder, it can damage the cable if done so with too much force. It also makes it difficult to use any other cable besides the OEM cable.
I dislike the joysticks because it seems like a battle to get them to catch the threading and screw in. While not a huge deal, it can mean the difference between getting a shot and not getting a shot if time is limited between set-up and use.
Again, despite the two downsides for the controller, this thing is pretty great and my favorite standard drone controller on the market today.&nbsp;
Controller Rating: 8 out of 10
<h5>User Interface</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/vhJTY7HyJtawusEAdWElrX6uwhsDVeOPVNoBhvYo.jpg" alt="" width="465" height="290" />
The Autel Sky app is easy to use and creates a link between your device, the controller, and the drone very quickly. I love how easy it is to access the photo and video album for the Nano+ and the menus for switching between photo, video, and intelligent flight modes are seamless. The ability to switch from Standard to Smooth to Ludicrous flight modes is also very easy to do through the app interface.
I&rsquo;m not a fan of the menus for changing camera settings and parameters. They&rsquo;re somewhat messy and they are sometimes difficult to use and keep set the way you want. Maybe with some practice I&rsquo;d get smoother at adjusting these settings, but for somebody who has limited experience flying an Autel drone, it could be frustrating for the first few flights.
User Interface Rating: 8 out of 10
<h5>Flight Characteristics</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/3M4D5tENKzthyMRn4GQY2cEETuNERlBXBgffOqRh.jpg" alt="" width="658" height="370" />
The flight on the Nano+ is smooth and enjoyable. It&rsquo;s surprisingly powerful for its size and handles adverse wind with relative ease. I did get some fight when wind speeds exceeded 20mph, but overall, I&rsquo;d feel confident flying the Nano in almost any conditions other than rain or extreme winds. The handling is also well-tuned, and I feel as nimble and agile as ever flying the Nano+.
The big concern for the flight characteristics is the Nano+&rsquo;s inability to control a consistent spot in the airspace. While it is able to hold GPS position and flight some pretty strong winds, I will say that it gets blown around a lot in a 5&ndash;10-foot space. This is not ideal when trying to thread it through tight spaces and crowded airspace. It&rsquo;s not a major mark against the Nano, but something to note before buying.
In general, the flight experience I had with the EVO Nano+ was positive and chock-full of fun.&nbsp;
Flight Characteristics Rating: 8 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Flight Time</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/GVwDeVfKCpoZfz90Mi57VJfA4EsoEtX4CKbDzMRT.jpg" alt="" width="644" height="362" />
Featuring a marketed flight time of 28 minutes, Autel was close to replicating my experience when flying. My average flight time over the 10-15 times I&rsquo;ve had it out is around 24 minutes. Not exactly 28, but certainly in the ballpark, proving that this is a great drone when it comes to its ability to stay in the air for long spans of time.
Conditions will always play a role in a drone&rsquo;s total flight time. The harder a drone must work to maintain position or navigate through airspace at the operator&rsquo;s desired pace, the more power it will use and the less flight time you will get. I do wish that the Nano+ had an option for an upgraded battery that gave it closer to 40-minutes of actual flight time (marketed at 45-minutes maybe?). At this point in the game, Autel has proven they can create a battery with a 40-minute-plus flight time, so this should be used to adapt a Nano battery that delivers at least 35-40 minutes.
While it isn&rsquo;t quite what I was hoping in terms of total time in the air, the approximately 24-minutes of consistent flight time I got out of the Nano+ was more than enough to get the shots I needed and have as much fun as I could.
Flight Time Rating: 8 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Camera Performance</h5>
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/JAPlZnRFL26bgcgNIO3cSX396cY5hDMTGtKZtix3.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="475" />
I am not sure if I was expecting too much, but I was let down by the camera slightly on this review. The image on the camera is true to its word in that it delivers a high-quality 4K image. However, out of the box the images and video are too sharp. There&rsquo;s a ton of sharpness-related noise in the video clips I captured that, to me, are off-putting and the pictures it captures suffer a similar, albeit muted, fate. The other glaring issue with the camera is a slight color-bleed problem. I had a few photos come through that had a magenta or green bleed that happened largely around the outer edges of the images. In one photo I took, the photo was completely balanced and well-colored aside from an obvious pixel issue in one of the windows where, in three different photos, it appeared as a magenta, green, and white splotch respectively.
Where I was pleasantly surprised with this camera was its lowlight performance. At a humble size of just 1/1.28-inches, the sensor would lead you to believe that this drone is not built for great low light performance. However, when the camera settings were balanced just right, I found that the low light shots I got both on the photo and video front were rock solid considering the sensor size. My ideal exposure settings for low light with the Nano were an iso of 1600 and a shutter speed of 1/10. This did lead to some streaking because of the longer exposure influenced by the slower shutter speed, but the lights of the city of Williamsport were phenomenally caught and noise was kept to a minimum. Is it my go-to for low light shooting? No. But does it have the stopping power to make for a solid back-up option? Absolutely.
Yes, I was slightly let down by the camera on the Nano+, but I also admit that my expectations may have been a little higher than they should. For the size of the drone and the sensor, this camera is a solid piece of aerial imaging technology.&nbsp;
Camera Performance Rating: 7 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Intangibles</h5>
The Autel EVO Nano+ has some intangible features to it that should be addressed, for better or worse. Starting on a positive note, I really enjoyed the intelligent flight modes, with my favorite of them all being &ldquo;Flick.&rdquo; It also has an impressive panorama shooting mode and solid front-obstacle-avoidance. On top of that the Nano+ premium bundle comes with a nifty carrying case, a 4-port battery charging hub, and an impressively quick set-up and breakdown time.
However, I wasn&rsquo;t thrilled with how difficult the gimbal cover was to take off and put back on and the arm/propeller protection strap gave me anxiety over the possibility of bending the propellers and ruining their integrity.
The one con I want to go into detail about as it relates to intangibles was a glitch I experienced in the return-to-home function on the drone. I was flying over a creek in my area and at one point a metal railroad bridge was between myself and the drone. It should be noted that I had visual line of sight on the drone with the drone at that moment. The railroad bridge caused enough of an interference between the controller and the drone that the signal dropped out altogether. Normally, this would not be an issue as the return-to-home function would send the drone back to the home point. This was not the case and unfortunately I went into a full panic without any indication that the return-to-home was working or where the drone might be other than over the water.
This story ended with a happy ending though, as I ran back and forth between the closest point on shore to the drone&rsquo;s last known location and the original home point, I found that the Nano+ had, indeed, returned-to-home as it was supposed to do. The lapse in responsiveness of this critical feature was disheartening though and caused more of a panic than was necessary.
Intangibles Rating: 7out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Closing Thoughts</h5>
In closing, I didn&rsquo;t care for the sharpness of this drone&rsquo;s photos and videos right out of the box, but this is easily remedied in either the in-app settings for the camera or in post. Let&rsquo;s also not ignore the color bleed issues I experienced in the magenta and green areas, but this issue could be unique to this drone or a very small batch of drones that might be defective or in need of a firmware update to resolve the issue. Every other &ldquo;negative&rdquo; mark this drone got was admittedly somewhat nit-picky. The reason I was critical with this drone is because it will cater to the beginner and hobbyist sect of drone pilots. That being the case, I believe it is crucial for a drone like this to be as easy as possible to get in the air and produce high-quality footage and photos without a lot of creative thinking or input. To me, it&rsquo;s somewhere between a consumer level drone (for the right reasons) and a prosumer level drone (for the wrong reasons).
All that said, the EVO Nano+ was fun to fly and I had a great time with it out in the field. It&rsquo;s compact and lightweight, which makes it super portable; but it also delivers a stable experience that you&rsquo;d normally only get with heartier drones. Despite my earlier comments, I do think the images and videos that come out of this drone are great and certainly worthy of consideration in both social media projects as well as some commercial applications given the operator is well-versed on how cameras work and putting the camera in a position to do as well as it can. I also loved the intelligent flight modes with &ldquo;Flick&rdquo; continuing to be my favorite of any drone I&rsquo;ve ever flown. It has fast charging times for the batteries and controller, accurate obstacle avoidance sensors, and a nice carrying case to boot.
I&rsquo;d recommend this drone to any of my friends, no matter their skill or experience levels. It&rsquo;s high on my list of &ldquo;favorite drones I&rsquo;ve flown,&rdquo; and Autel&rsquo;s continued innovation comes through on the Nano+. I think if you&rsquo;re a beginner or just a hobbyist looking for a new drone, the Nano+ should be considered. It&rsquo;s easy to use and produces great results. For that and the reasons we talked about earlier in this video, positive and negative alike, the Autel EVO Nano+ comes out of this review with a final score of 7.7-out-of-10.
The Autel EVO Nano+ retails for $679 for the standard package and $719 for the premium bundle. It comes in four different colors including grey, white, red, and the classic Autel orange.
Total Score: 7.7 out of 10&nbsp;
<h5>Watch the Review Video!</h5>
<iframe style="width: 668px; height: 376px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jsb4zKoG5tg" width="668" height="376" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&nbsp;

Gear Check: Autel EVO Nano+ Reviewed!

1 December 2022
By Jason La Marca, Owner, Fly High RC
<a href="https://www.flyhighrc.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fly High RC</a> was founded in 2022, with the idea to supply hobby grade drones at an affordable price. Starting at $53.99, the<a href="https://www.flyhighrc.com/product-page/fly-high-rc-900-pro-series-foldable-drone" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 900 Pro Series Foldable Drone</a> is a great way to get into the hobby.&nbsp; We currently have four models and we will continue to expand our product line-up in 2023.
Despite the low price tag of the 900 Pro Series, its features are extensive&mdash;dual 4K HD cameras,13-minute flight time, headless mode, altitude-hold mode, 3D flip, 3D view mode, one-key takeoff and landing, APP control, LED lights, a foldable design, and more.
Another option for the entry-level enthusiast is the <a href="https://www.flyhighrc.com/product-page/fly-high-rc-v800-pro-series-multi-control-stunt-drone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">V800 Pro Series Stunt Drone</a> ($66.99), which has the ability to do aerial stunts. V800 features include a 4K HD camera, ten to 12 minutes of flight time, headless mode, altitude hold mode, 3D flip, 3D view mode, G-sensor, one-key takeoff and landing, APP control, LED lights, and the option of voice or remote control.
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/W81lJS04o6AMHTXCGHDPrAAf4USKxCD10STkIt4X.jpg" alt="" width="461" height="311" />
V800
For the intermediate to advanced hobbyist Fly High RC offers the <a href="https://www.flyhighrc.com/product-page/fly-high-rc-9000-series-foldable-drone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9000 Series Foldable Drone </a>($276.99). The 9000 is equipped with dual 4K HD cameras, and features headless mode, altitude hold mode, 3D flip, 3D view mode, one-key takeoff and landing, APP control, GPS follow me, optical flow hover, and self-stabilizing. A flight time of up to 32 minutes and a 0.74-mile control distance are also part of the package.
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9000 Series
Another option for the intermediate to advanced enthusiast, the 10000V Series Foldable 2-Axis Drone. At $470.99, you are getting an advanced 2-Axis drones with up to 30 minutes of flight time and a 0.74-mile control distance, as well as dual 4K HD cameras, 5G WiFi image transmission, headless mode, altitude hold mode, 3D flip, 3D view mode, one-key takeoff and landing, APP control, GPS follow me, optical flow hover, self-stabilizing, and height setting.
<img src="https://media.thedroningcompany.com/images/tincy/1UPuMkOHchT4VMIpL3pI3pNsNLOcbqKTOkpJzCN5.jpg" alt="" width="455" height="179" />&nbsp;
10000V
<h5>About Fly High RC&nbsp;</h5>
My career originally started in the Semiconductor Industry&mdash;which I am still in&mdash;but expanded to another industry all together. It started 15 years ago. I was looking for a hobby to decompress after work. I stumbled into the radio-controlled industry. So glad I did, because my eyes were opened to another world&mdash;the RC lifestyle. I continued to enjoy remote controlled cars, trucks, buggies and drones for one to two years. After that, JJ Customs LLC was born&mdash;a hobby shop born in a garage. Originally open on the weekends only, due to my day job, it expanded to a storefront showroom open five days/40 hours a week in San Jose, California within four years. Which brings us to the current time. I still wanted to offer something more for the radio-controlled industry, so I decided to create three brands. Two of them were designed to support the radio-controlled vehicles sold at my hobby shop: SpeedTek RC and RC Hop Ups. SpeedTek RC is focused on speed-related, aftermarket radio-controlled upgrades, and RC Hop Ups is focused on durability-related upgrades for all of the ground-level name brands, including Traxxas, Arrma, Losi, Team Corally, and more. The third brand I created was Fly High RC. Fly High RC was designed with the idea of offering hobby grade drones at a competitive price and at the same time offer repair/maintenance service for all of our products.
Find us at <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="http://www.flyhighrc.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.flyhighrc, </a><a href="http://www.instagram.com/flyhighrc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.instagram.com/flyhighrc,&nbsp; or </a><a style="color: #ba372a;" href="http://www.facebook.com/flyhighrcs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.facebook.com/flyhighrcs</a>

Fly High RC Drones Offer Extensive Features

Gear Reviews

By Chris Fravel
The <a href="https://www.autelmfg.com/collections/evo-lite-drone/products/autel-robotics-evo-lite-premium-bundle-6k-video-drone-with-1-cmos-sensor-adjustable-aperture-f2-8-f11-3-axis-gimbal-3-way-obstacle-avoidance-40min-flight-time-7-4-miles-transmission?gclid=CjwKCAjwp7eUBhBeEiwAZbHwka_WUZ6-ru4vyAet35IzF9Heje5e9zouy_NeB_YSZMehpgTi6hrcUhoCWu8QAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Autel Robotics EVO Lite+</a> ($1,829 direct) is a pro-level drone with features that include 40-minute flight time, a 7.4-mile transmission range, three-way obstacle avoidance, a three-axis gimbal, and 6k/30fps HDR video. Camera performance is supposed to be impressive, so after familiarizing myself with the free Autel Sky app&mdash;which helps users enhance their photography and videography skills&mdash;as well as the handling of the drone itself, I dug right in. Here's what I discovered...&nbsp;
<h5>Camera Performance</h5>
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The Autel Evo Lite+ touts a 1&rdquo; CMOS Sensor with an effective resolution of 20 megapixels. It has an adjustable aperture ranging from f/2.8 to f/11 and its shutter speed can be adjusted between 1/8000 to 8 seconds. It also has a max ISO of 6400.
At first glance, the camera is extremely flexible and can fit into just about any photographer or videographer&rsquo;s toolbox nicely. What really struck me, though, was the 6K video resolution. The image that came out of the camera when shooting 6K/30fps was brilliant, sharp, and dynamic. I&rsquo;m still searching for words that can accurately describe my amazement as I reviewed the footage.
My only wish for this footage is that Autel incorporate some kind of specialized LOG format for their video. Currently, they&rsquo;re using a RYYB color format, which is fantastic right off the SD card, but leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to post-production and flexibility when editing.
As for photography, the Autel Evo Lite+ is capable of shooting in JPEG and/or RAW formats, which makes it a serious option for photographers looking for an aerial solution. Editing the photos was seamless and the files off of the SD card were flexible. I found no major flaws with the photography experience, and it&rsquo;s even more difficult to pinpoint areas where I think there is room for improvement.
Overall, pros and cons factored, Autel knocked it out of the park with this drone and the 6K camera on it. The only obvious room for improvement is to add some kind of LOG format for video. If they can accomplish that with a firmware update, this is going to be a formidable aerial imaging tool.
<h5>Low-Light Performance</h5>
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I mentioned&nbsp; the 1&rdquo; CMOS Sensor on the Autel Evo Lite+ earlier, and we are going to mention it again. This large sensor allows in enough light to make it possible to capture professional imagery in low-light conditions. This rang true during the low-light stress test where we opened the camera up in two different low-light scenarios: evening (the twilight period before and after sunset) and night (when the sun sets completely).
The evening shoot went absolutely swimmingly and the amount of noise in the footage was minimal if at all noticeable. A low sun setting behind the mountains of northcentral Pennsylvania made for a hearty challenge for the Autel Evo Lite+, one which it handled with grace by producing brilliant photos and videos.
Where the challenge became a bit more difficult for the Autel Evo Lite+ was during night time. Now, I only preface it that way because the noise became a bit more noticeable in the multimedia captured. This is not to say the camera does poorly in low-light, because that&rsquo;s simply untrue. While the 1&rdquo; CMOS Sensor is great in low light, there are limitations as to just how little light it can process and the darkness of night&mdash;even while illuminated by the light pollution of the city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania&mdash;showed us where the limitations began.
I would still absolutely recommend the Autel Evo Lite+ to anyone who is looking for an aerial-imaging solution that does well in low-light conditions. If you have enough know-how with camera settings such as aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, you can compose your shots well enough to minimize noise and retain details in even the darkest corners of the frame.
<h5>Quickshots Modes</h5>
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Most of the time, I do not use automated flight modes to conduct drone operations. I like to push the limits of what each drone is capable of. That being said, I&rsquo;ll be the first to admit I had a really fun time using the Quickshots mode on the Autel Evo Lite+. There were four different types of Quickshots within the Autel Sky app which I&rsquo;ve outlined and defined below:
Flick. Best described as a &ldquo;pole-vault shot,&rdquo; the operator selects a subject by clicking and dragging a box around it. The drone locks onto this subject and makes a direct pass at it. The drone then flies over the subject, keeping the camera locked on the subject and rotating to finish the fight path backwards. I call it a &ldquo;pole-vault shot&rdquo; because the subject acts as the point at which a pole vaulter would stick their pole before hurdling over the cross bar. I&rsquo;m not sure how much that makes sense to you, but it does to me, so we&rsquo;ll roll with it.
Fade-Away. A typical pull-back shot. The operator selects a subject by clicking and dragging a box around it. The drone locks onto this subject and begins moving backwards and upwards away from the subject, creating a reveal-style shot.&nbsp;
Rocket. This shot mimics the action of a rocket launching off of a launch pad. The operator selects a subject by clicking and dragging a box around it. The drone locks onto this subject and begins moving directly upward to a height predetermined by the operator.&nbsp;
Orbit. The operator selects a subject by clicking and dragging a box around it. The drone locks onto this subject and begins to move sideways in a direction indicated by the operator in a circular motion. This creates an orbital path around the subject to create a cinematic shot. In fact, "cinematic feeling" is how I would best describe some of these Quickshots. They are an easy and efficient way to get a shot that feels like something out of a Hollywood movie. While I still hold firm as a drone pilot who prefers to control his aircraft manually, I can definitely attest to Autel&rsquo;s proficiency with the creation and application of these Quickshots. I loved how unique the Flick shot was and the rest of the Quickshots were easy to set-up and executed well by the programming within the drone. This is absolutely a well-done venture on Autel&rsquo;s part and adds value to the Evo Lite+.
<h5>Tracking Mode</h5>
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I don&rsquo;t usually shoot with any kind of automation mode active on my drone. It&rsquo;s just not my style. However, I really liked Autel&rsquo;s Tracking Mode on the Evo Lite+. Is it perfect? No. Could it be improved? Yes. Was it fun? Absolutely.
The tracking leaves a bit to be desired in actually staying locked onto the subject. I stood about six- to seven-feet away from the drone and juked it before sprinting past it in the opposite direction, and it lost me immediately. It almost didn&rsquo;t make an attempt to even turn and try to lock back on. However, when the drone was locked&mdash;and I wasn&rsquo;t intentionally trying to break that lock&mdash;it held me in frame extremely well, even at some pretty big distances.
The only other improvement that could be made is that the drone should follow me when it&rsquo;s locked on. It may be user-error and I may be missing something, but as far as I could tell, there was no setting that allowed me to completely let go of the controls and have the drone follow me as I walked about the area. If this function is not already loaded into the Autel Evo Lite+, then a firmware update should be sent out to add this functionality. That would make it even more fun than it already is!
<h5>Conclusion</h5>
It is no surprise to me that I ended up loving this drone. If you are a professional drone pilot who specializes in photography or video, the Autel Evo Lite+ is a solid multimedia tool that will produce absolutely pro-level results in a compact and easy-to-use package.
Even if you don&rsquo;t fly professionally, and just want a reliable drone that is easily packed into your luggage for weekend getaways or summer vacations, the Autel Evo Lite+ is still a great fit. This drone is the most well-rounded drone I have ever seen for price, performance, portability, and ease of use. I think that Autel set the tone for not just its own drone line, but the drone lines of its competitors for years to come. Bravo!
<h5>WATCH THE COMPLETE REVIEW!</h5>
<iframe style="width: 748px; height: 421px;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/leSNTyTeE54" width="748" height="421" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Chris Fravel has been flying drones for six years. Self-proclaimed as &ldquo;The Drone Geek,&rdquo; Fravel is well-versed in consumer and prosumer drone technology and creates content on his social-media platforms for that demographic. Fravel is also the founder and owner of <a style="color: #ba372a;" href="https://www.dronegeekproductions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drone Geek Productions</a>, an aerial-imaging and multimedia-production agency serving the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

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