Drone pilot red tapeīefore all the flying, though, came the bureaucracy. My only objection was jittery scenery caused by a very fast default shutter speed, even when using magnetic snap-on neutral density filters. Video quality was good, though I shot only during the daytime. It's slick, easy to use and delivers results that not too many years ago would have been impossible on a budget under $2,000. Some very gusty wind caused some jerky motion. Only rarely did the Skydio 2 Plus have trouble keeping me in the frame, even on twisty trails. The autonomous navigation technology worked well for me. I set the drone to fly close to show more of the trail and biking experience some of the time, then sent it farther away when I wanted to emphasize the scenery.Īt no time did I worry about hitting a tree. I liked an orbit mode, too, which wheels around you for a more panoramic view. You can easily reposition the drone to shoot from ahead, behind or either side. Here, I used the beacon, which the drone tracks via GPS in combination with an AI vision system that locks on to the video subject. More fun for me was getting a drone video escort to my mountain bike rides - a style of videography I'm more personally interested in creating and watching. But if you change batteries, you'll have to launch from the same spot to get the same flight path. The drone itself creates a smooth path between positions and orientations. I got better with experience, but it can be a daunting start. If you then need to change the drone's settings - for example, changing from video to photo mode - you have to link your phone to the drone's Wi-Fi network. For example, you link your phone to the joystick controller with a USB-C cable, but you use a wireless connection to the beacon's Wi-Fi. But getting all the connections right is complex. The drone itself needed a firmware update, which I retrieved relatively easily through the phone app. I found the Skydio 2 Plus setup to be somewhat onerous. I've long been curious about drone videos and photos, and the Skydio 2 Plus offered a great chance to take my first steps. Prices range from $1,099 for the basic Skydio 2 Plus Starter Kit to $2,169 for the Skydio 2 Plus Pro Kit, which includes the controller, beacon, extra batteries, replacement propellers, a dual-battery charger and other accessories. The drone is available in four kits for various customers. Improved batteries offer about 20% more flight time, up from 23 minutes per charge to 27 minutes now. Using the new beacon, communication range increases from 1.5 km (0.9mi) to 3 km (1.8mi). Using the new 5GHz controller, the range increases from 3.5 km (2.2 miles) to 6 km (3.7 miles), though obstacles in the way and FAA's line-of-sight requirements reduce range.
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