Xiaomi Mi Drone 4k FPV Quad

tedpan · 05-07-2017 10:13pm #1

I've been looking at this for a few weeks now and my birthday's coming up so my wife's ordered it for me.

http://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters/pp_363299.html

Clip vs the Phantom 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj40PDk5URM

It seems to have excellent specs like 4k, 4km range, 3 axis, 27 minute flight times and superb video from what I've seen on Youtube.

I got it for 423 euro. Think it's not a bad deal.

Will post footage and findings once it arrives.

Thoughts?

jogdish · 06-07-2017 2:27pm

I was walking home yesterday, and saw this drone in the air ( i asked the owner he said it was the xaoimi 4k, not the 1080, so I assume this is the same one?).

He was very happy with it. Personally I was amazed at how high it was and rock steady in some light brezze - coming from a syma €40 this was very impressive to me. He was also controlling from a distance I would never dream of with a syma.

I am thinking of getting this one now! For when you get yours, some questions

At height, can you confirm it is steady in the air ?
Are you ever worried, crap one gust of wind and my drone is gone?
Fun? Camera look good? FPV easy to use?

Good luck with your drone!

tedpan · 06-07-2017 2:43pm

jogdish wrote:

I was walking home yesterday, and saw this drone in the air ( i asked the owner he said it was the xaoimi 4k, not the 1080, so I assume this is the same one?).

Nice, I haven't seen one in the flesh yet. If it's the 4k it's the same model. It's currently cheaper than the 1080p model. Maybe to get some visibility amongst quad users.

jogdish wrote:

He was very happy with it. Personally I was amazed at how high it was and rock steady in some light brezze - coming from a syma â‚¬40 this was very impressive to me. He was also controlling from a distance I would never dream of with a syma.

Yeah, they seem to be excellent flyers. Just over a kilo in weight with a massive battery gives you a large range and makes it steady in the air. I had a Hubsan X501s before. This should be a nice upgrade and that almost flew itself.

jogdish wrote:

I am thinking of getting this one now! For when you get yours, some questions At height, can you confirm it is steady in the air ? Are you ever worried, crap one gust of wind and my drone is gone? Fun? Camera look good? FPV easy to use? Good luck with your drone!

I will definitely let you know how I get on once it arrives.

Although, flying the h501s, I was never worried about wind, well not huge winds due to the excellent GPS hold, which the mi drone excels in.

I'm guessing it's going to be very simple to use too. Can't wait! Take a look on YouTube of the footage, it looks amazing.

Thanks very much!

tedpan · 23-07-2017 5:25pm

So, it arrived, but I'm away at the moment. No issues with tracking or customs. Once it arrived in the UK, it arrived express delivery next day with An Post.

I will post some video when I'm back..

jogdish · 23-07-2017 5:27pm

tedpan wrote: »

So, it arrived, but I'm away at the moment. No issues with tracking or customs. Once it arrived in the UK, it arrived express delivery next day with An Post.

I will post some video when I'm back..

May ask who you bought from? and zero customs you say? Can't wit for your review

tedpan · 23-07-2017 6:25pm

Yeah, got it from gearbest, the link above. Think it's even cheaper now.

They ship in bulk from China to a UK hub, then send from there with an Irish an post tracking number. No duty.

Will be back on Saturday so will more than likely have footage and review by the end of the day ðŸ˜€

Forgot to say, expect two weeks for delivery.

tedpan · 31-07-2017 10:14pm

So I've had a few short moments to fly the drone today. Have to say it's fantastic, simple to fly, gives great results and I should be creating quality footage soon.

The remote is lovely to hold, simple but does everything you need when coupled with the phone app.

Compass Calibration and the setup took about two hours of messing, updating the firmware before I could take off, but that's all done now so won't take long for future updates.

The battery takes 3-3.5 hours to fully charge.
The remote control is charged with micro USB connector (Standard Android Connector)
Excellent Build quality
The gimbal is awesome
Switched off the beginner mode to fly further. This can be done immediately which is great!
The Return to Home is fantastic, it always lands within a metre of where it took off.

You need a good Micro SD card if you want decent results. The maximum specified in the manual is 64GB. Also the included manual is in Chinese, you can download the English one from the Xiaomi site.

Surprises
No Propeller guards were included
The optional wireless dongle for transfer between for the remote and phone was included.

Here's a few clips from today. It was windy, the footage was very stable and still has 60% from a single charge. Another battery is on the way, so will be able to make longer videos.

Can't believe it cost 420euro and I think it's even cheaper now.

I've probably missed things, give me a shout if you have any questions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I-1LYcbmfE

My Editing software only lets me output to 1080p 30fps. The footage was recorded in 1080p 50fps & 4k 30fps.

Think I may need a new i7 laptop to manage the 4k video editing ;-)

ED E · 31-07-2017 10:18pm

Wow, thats very very tempting. You're getting a huge value compared to DJI.

PS: Your dogs are amazing.

tedpan · 31-07-2017 10:28pm

ED E wrote:

Wow, thats very very tempting. You're getting a huge value compared to DJI.

Yeah, very pleased, can't recommend it enough. There are missing things that DJI quads do, but still has lots of cool features and flies flawlessly!

ED E wrote:

PS: Your dogs are amazing.

Lol, cheers

can't live without them!

tedpan · 01-08-2017 4:32pm

A short clip of day 2. Still getting used to the quad, simple to fly, Impressed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRDiFd7YJ1I

jogdish · 01-08-2017 6:32pm

@tedpan
Thanks for the amazing videos and reports.

In your videos the light/white balance seems off. For example the ground seems very dark, and portions of the sky very bright - I assume this is an issue with crap weather? and cloud cover?

How do you find the App to control the drone? How high would you be willing to get it?

tedpan · 01-08-2017 7:05pm

jogdish wrote:

In your videos the light/white balance seems off. For example the ground seems very dark, and portions of the sky very bright - I assume this is an issue with crap weather? and cloud cover?

Yeah, very little sun and lots of cloud. You can alter the white balance from the remote control right slider. The left slider controls the gimbal pitch.

jogdish wrote:

How do you find the App to control the drone? How high would you be willing to get it?

It's fantastic, although more is done on using the remote. The app is straight forward and simple to use.

Make sure to watch the video on 1080p on YouTube to see the best video quality. Obviously YouTube compress the video, the raw video is better.

tedpan · 01-08-2017 7:12pm

You can remove the 500m max although I think you can only fly 120m legally. Not sure how high I'd go but will try on a calmer day..

jogdish · 03-08-2017 12:04pm

tedpan wrote: »

Yeah, very little sun and lots of cloud. You can alter the white balance from the remote control right slider. The left slider controls the gimbal pitch.

It's fantastic, although more is done on using the remote. The app is straight forward and simple to use.

Make sure to watch the video on 1080p on YouTube to see the best video quality. Obviously YouTube compress the video, the raw video is better.

Just after reading around (tested.com) seems an "ND" filter is what you want on top of the lens to even out bright sky / dull ground. They were referencing a DJI drone lens, not sure, can the Xaomi take a lens filter?

tedpan · 03-08-2017 1:56pm

jogdish wrote:

Just after reading around (tested.com) seems an "ND" filter is what you want on top of the lens to even out bright sky / dull ground. They were referencing a DJI drone lens, not sure, can the Xaomi take a lens filter?

Hmmm, had a look, the nd filters can have bad effects on the gimbal. I cant see any specifically for the mi drone either. I'll keep uploading videos to my YouTube channel, not sure the changes in the weather will make any difference.

Homer · 04-08-2017 10:36am

tedpan wrote: »

You can remove the 500m max although I think you can only fly 120m legally. Not sure how high I'd go but will try on a calmer day..

Be careful where you are flying as large areas of Dublin and the coastline are classified as restricted airspace and limited legally to 15 metres!

tedpan · 05-08-2017 4:27pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewAOX0ezvjk

Another cloudy day, but still lots of fun down the beach

jogdish · 05-08-2017 7:00pm

Really amazing video! I don't mean this in a bad way, but puts two videos to shame.

tedpan · 05-08-2017 7:36pm

jogdish wrote: »

Really amazing video! I don't mean this in a bad way, but puts two videos to shame.

Yep, getting used to it! My fifth flight

tedpan · 05-08-2017 10:23pm

jogdish wrote:

I am thinking of getting this one now! For when you get yours, some questions At height, can you confirm it is steady in the air ? Are you ever worried, crap one gust of wind and my drone is gone? Fun? Camera look good? FPV easy to use? Good luck with your drone!

Are you any closer to a decision on a drone?

I still can't find any local footage of the Phantom 3 SE..

jogdish · 05-08-2017 11:28pm

Closer, urm hard to say.

So this is all pre seeing your footage. I had made up my mind to get the phantom 3 std. After reading about poor app and faulty horizons with the xaomi. Then of course I hear the phantom 3 standard has its own app issues, and one set of satellites to hold its position, while the xaomi has two.

Basically I was all over the place, I eventually decided to cool off and wait - the xaomi will be around for a while and if the mavik/phantom 4 dropped I might be tempted.

But honestly after seeing your footage Im very jealous.

tedpan · 05-08-2017 11:48pm

jogdish wrote: »

Basically I was all over the place, I eventually decided to cool off and wait - the xaomi will be around for a while and if the mavik/phantom 4 dropped I might be tempted.

But honestly after seeing your footage Im very jealous.

Cheers!

Yeah, you're better off waiting, the price may even come down in a few months. The gimbal horizon issue seems to be fixed with the latest firmware, although most drones including the Mavic & P4 sometimes are off horizon.

Really pleased with it, will hopefully be able to fly it tomorrow if the weather holds up..

McMurphy · 06-08-2017 10:39am

Wow.

That's really cool footage, that definitely could hold its own against any of the much more expensive Phantoms etc.

What is the range like on it?

tedpan · 06-08-2017 2:27pm

Rick Shaw wrote:

That's really cool footage, that definitely could hold its own against any of the much more expensive Phantoms etc.

Cheers! Loving it and that's only 1080p

Rick Shaw wrote:

What is the range like on it?

3-4 Kms. Have seen people going 3.5 Kms on YouTube and even further with controller mods. Not sure if you'd ever need to go that far though!

Really solid, impressive piece of kit.

tedpan · 07-08-2017 9:51pm

It's down to 398 on gearbest, might need to buy another one!

jogdish · 07-08-2017 10:42pm

arghhhh!!!

And you did not have to pay VAT? was that by chance or its how gear best do things?

tedpan · 07-08-2017 11:01pm

jogdish wrote:

And you did not have to pay VAT? was that by chance or its how gear best do things?

Nope, I used the Ireland express postage - the free option! It ships to the UK warehouse and then ships here with an Irish an post tracking number. Maybe the vat is included as I've never paid duty on anything from that site.

I did get caught in the additional battery, I thought id save 20 euro by ordering from banggood.com and the customs charges were more than that..

dedaw · 14-08-2017 7:04am

Hi, do you use an iPhone or android device to operate this? Any issues?
Very tempted!!

tedpan · 14-08-2017 7:50am

dedaw wrote:

Hi, do you use an iPhone or android device to operate this? Any issues? Very tempted!!

I'm on android, it's very simple to use, great fun and no issues

tedpan · 22-08-2017 10:15pm

Here's the latest video, with some footage of the drone too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEBMkZeDBGY

Mods, is it possible to change the title to include "YouTube footage" to allow other boardsies to share their experiences?

Thanks in advance

mlumley · 29-08-2017 12:22am

|Any one have any thoughts on this Quadcopter, and the youtube vids of the battery falling out?

I am thinking of getting one and want to hear if anyone has had it happen to them.

tedpan · 29-08-2017 8:23am

mlumley wrote:

|Any one have any thoughts on this Quadcopter, and the youtube vids of the battery falling out?

mlumley wrote:

I am thinking of getting one and want to hear if anyone has had it happen to them.

There's one guy on YouTube who's had that issue with the battery. It needs to click in, then it's extremely secure. I think he either crashed it or got a faulty unit.

CabanSail · 01-09-2017 4:41am

Have just had a look at the Specs.

What a shame they only shoot in Jpeg. No RAW makes it a lot less attractive for aerial photography.

tedpan · 01-09-2017 6:55am

CabanSail wrote:

What a shame they only shoot in Jpeg. No RAW makes it a lot less attractive for aerial photography.

I'm sure it can shoot RAW, although I have not tested it. I will check it out tonight to confirm.

tedpan · 01-09-2017 12:12pm

Hey CabanSail

Just looked in the app.

You can shoot in JPEG or JPEG+RAW Mode.

So happy days!

tedpan · 02-09-2017 6:12pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbhoQFiUEbc

A few clips from today. I have it set to the fastest speed 18m/s or around 65km/h so sometimes the props are visible.

galvo_clare · 13-09-2017 11:58am

tedpan wrote: »

I've been looking at this for a few weeks now and my birthday's coming up so my wife's ordered it for me.

I've just got one and tried to connect the remote by cable to an iPhone 6S. It won't connect at all.
Before I start searching t'internet have you any tips?

TIA

[Edit]
Just to add, I've got it connected now. I plugged in the phone with the remote on and it asked me to trust it. My next issue is it's asking me to donwload a firmware update. I've read that updated firmware causes the drone to crash - maybe it's just one specific bad firmware - I don't know.
Anyway, it won't download without a memory card in the camera so I'll try to dig out a spare one somewhere.

tedpan · 13-09-2017 12:45pm

galvo_clare wrote:

[Edit] Just to add, I've got it connected now. I plugged in the phone with the remote on and it asked me to trust it. My next issue is it's asking me to donwload a firmware update. I've read that updated firmware causes the drone to crash - maybe it's just one specific bad firmware - I don't know. Anyway, it won't download without a memory card in the camera so I'll try to dig out a spare one somewhere.

Nice one

No, you have to do the firmware updates, it won't fly without it. I think some people have no patience and unplug it mid way. Make sure the quad, remote and phone are all fully charged to avoid any issues.

Definitely invest in a memory card

Let us know how you get on!

galvo_clare · 13-09-2017 2:27pm

tedpan wrote: »

Nice one

No, you have to do the firmware updates, it won't fly without it. I think some people have no patience and unplug it mid way. Make sure the quad, remote and phone are all fully charged to avoid any issues.

Definitely invest in a memory card

Let us know how you get on!

Yes it definitely looks like there's no way out of doing the updates. I've taken a card from my GoPro until the other card arrives. Updating away now.

tedpan · 13-09-2017 2:58pm

galvo_clare wrote:

Yes it definitely looks like there's no way out of doing the updates. I've taken a card from my GoPro until the other card arrives. Updating away now.

Cool, the updates only improve things, so wouldn't be worried about them. Hopefully you'll be flying shortly!

galvo_clare · 13-09-2017 3:04pm

tedpan wrote: »

Cool, the updates only improve things, so wouldn't be worried about them. Hopefully you'll be flying shortly!

All updated but the compass needs calibration now. Should that be done outside? I tried but it failed.
I'll have a proper go later.

Incidentally, the trick to getting it to connect seems to be to switch off the Personal Hotspot momentarily. When you switch it on again, the remote picks the phone up.

tedpan · 13-09-2017 3:16pm

galvo_clare wrote:

All updated but the compass needs calibration now. Should that be done outside? I tried but it failed. I'll have a proper go later.

Yeah, has to be done outside in a wide open space. Make sure the remote is a metre or two away. It's easier with two people as you have to follow the instructions on the app.

galvo_clare wrote:

Incidentally, the trick to getting it to connect seems to be to switch off the Personal Hotspot momentarily. When you switch it on again, the remote picks the phone up.

Cool, cheers!

galvo_clare · 14-09-2017 6:43pm

tedpan wrote: »

Yeah, has to be done outside in a wide open space. Make sure the remote is a metre or two away. It's easier with two people as you have to follow the instructions on the app.

Cool, cheers!

Just got it flying. Very impressive. Great performance and easy to fly. Compass seems to be a little finicky about where it takes off but I'll recalibrate it and it might improve. Will see if I can throw up some footage this evening.

Thanks for the suggestions.

tedpan · 14-09-2017 6:47pm

galvo_clare wrote:

Just got it flying. Very impressive. Great performance and easy to fly. Compass seems to be a little finicky about where it takes off but I'll recalibrate it and it might improve. Will see if I can throw up some footage this evening.

Awesome, yeah it really is a good flyer. Looking forward to some footage!

galvo_clare wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions.

No problem!

tedpan · 14-09-2017 6:53pm

Forgot to say, it takes up to 30 seconds to lock on to all GPS satellites prior to taking off. The speed can be changed in GPS settings once you turn beginner mode off, which can be done immediately. You can also change the range and height in GPS settings.

Best of luck!

galvo_clare · 14-09-2017 7:10pm

tedpan wrote: »

Forgot to say, it takes up to 30 seconds to lock on to all GPS satellites prior to taking off. The speed can be changed in GPS settings once you turn beginner mode off, which can be done immediately. You can also change the range and height in GPS settings.

There's definitely lots to explore in the settings so I'll explore over the next few days. I've fired up the footage to youtube - nothing special and it was about the third flight. I still haven't calibrated the compass and I'm sure that will help.
For some reason I was surprised to find there was no sound. I'm sure it'd be fairly rubbish anyway.

Very happy with it I have to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvMaAmJoO2E

tedpan · 14-09-2017 7:23pm

galvo_clare wrote:

There's definitely lots to explore in the settings so I'll explore over the next few days. I've fired up the footage to youtube - nothing special and it was about the third flight. I still haven't calibrated the compass and I'm sure that will help. For some reason I was surprised to find there was no sound. I'm sure it'd be fairly rubbish anyway.

Yep, just video.

galvo_clare wrote:

Very happy with it I have to say.

Awesome, the footage is great, extremely steady. I didn't get blade guards with mine, definitely good for the first flights, but clearly visible at speed.

Cheers

galvo_clare · 14-09-2017 7:26pm

tedpan wrote: »

Awesome, the footage is great, extremely steady. I didn't get blade guards with mine, definitely good for the first flights, but clearly visible at speed.

Yes, I might lose the guards when I get a bit more experience. It'll make the thing more compact for carrying. I got a spare set of blades with it so maybe a spare battery is all I need now.

galvo_clare · 15-09-2017 7:06pm

Gimbal stopped responding there for a few flights. Camera was working fine but I got a 'Gimbal not ready' message.
Tried calibrating it but told it wasn't ready.
Took it off and reseated it but it made no difference. Took it inside for half an hour and tried again. Working again. Wonder if it's temperature related?
Took it up to about 50m and phone told me it had lost contact with drone.
Had no problem getting it back down but a bit worrying. Definitely would have been easier with a working camera. A drone at 50m up is not big.

tedpan · 15-09-2017 7:26pm

galvo_clare wrote:

Gimbal stopped responding there for a few flights. Camera was working fine but I got a 'Gimbal not ready' message. Tried calibrating it but told it wasn't ready. Took it off and reseated it but it made no difference. Took it inside for half an hour and tried again. Working again. Wonder if it's temperature related? Took it up to about 50m and phone told me it had lost contact with drone. Had no problem getting it back down but a bit worrying. Definitely would have been easier with a working camera. A drone at 50m up is not big.

Jesus, I have never experienced that before. I've been a lot farther and higher than that. The gimbal did overheat once when I did a firmware update and was messing around with the settings for an hour before flight. I left it for and hour and haven't had an issue since.

When you lost contact, did you have full visibility of it, no obstacles like trees or buildings etc?

Did you use the return to home function? It will return to within a metre of take off.

Did you manage to calibrate it and fly in an open area?

Sorry for all the questions, it's a bit worrying. My mate has the drone too and haven't had these issues.

galvo_clare · 15-09-2017 7:35pm

tedpan wrote: »

Jesus, I have never experienced that before. I've been a lot farther and higher than that. The gimbal did overheat once when I did a firmware update and was messing around with the settings for an hour before flight. I left it for and hour and haven't had an issue since.

When you lost contact, did you have full visibility of it, no obstacles like trees or buildings etc?

Did you use the return to home function? It will return to within a metre of take off.

Did you manage to calibrate it and fly in an open area?

Sorry for all the questions, it's a bit worrying. My mate has the drone too and haven't had these issues.

Yep, clear sky. I had successfully calibrated the compass earlier in the session. I then went on to calibrate the gimbal and discovered it wasn't responding.
Haven't used RTH yet.

Xiaomi Mi Drone 4k FPV Quad

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