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M**Y
Great starter drone.
I look over each new drone VERY carefully, including the controller and the instruction manual, when I first get it. I like to be VERY familiar with it, before I start flying. And, when I do finally launch, it's baby steps, all the way. That's why I still have quadcopters and drones that I've been flying for ten years and more. I was flying LONG before it went mainstream. I have quite a collection, over 30. Some are mere toys. Some are professional models costing thousands of dollars. (In the pictures, the EX5 is on the right and it's $1000 cousin is on the left.)I like the EX5 as a budget entry into the compact drone market for a lot of reasons. First, let's consider the difference between a quadcopter and a drone. Both fly with four propellers. Both have a compass and a gyroscope. And, there are some basic similarities in the controls. Now, some quadcopters are a little more advanced and have altitude hold (provided through a barometric pressure sensor). And, they boast of features that can make flying less difficult and thusly more fun, like 'one key return to home' and 'headless mode'. The reality is, those modes can only REALLY work if either A) They have GPS and have recorded a point of origin as reference or B) They are in sync with the transmitter and always reference that relationship for flight instructions.By it's simplest definition, a real DRONE is any craft that is capable of 'autonomous function'. In this context, it is capable of completing flight maneuvers WITHOUT human manipulation. Preprogrammed flight can only be successfully completed if the aircraft has GPS and can refer to its latitude and longitude throughout it's flight to carry out it's preprogrammed 'orders'.This one meets the most basic standards and can be called a 'drone' because, once it records it's home point, it can actually return to home at the push of a button. No one needs to be at the controls. Beyond that, it's more of a fun little quadcopter that was designed to LOOK like a drone that costs MUCH more. Because it DOES have GPS, it can perform some simple autonomous functions like RTH (return to home). It also has auto take off and land. With the app, you can do some simple flight planning. But, I would be very wary of trying that, seeing that this drone does NOT have any kind of obstacle avoidance. If your preplanned course is not carefully set, your aircraft may run into trouble, while following it's commands.I really like the simplicity of the controls. There are a lot of buttons. But, each one is clearly marked for what it does and doesn't take a degree to operate. All of the buttons have direct control over the features that everyone wants to see in the drone like camera tilt, take pics or start/stop video, take off, return to home, etc.What stabilizes a quadcopter in flight is a combination of all the modules and the central processor. There is the compass, gyroscope, barometric sensor, GPS (with sonar and positioning cameras in more advanced models). The processor needs to be powerful enough to handle hundreds of inputs per second, from all of those modules and sensors, including those from the controller. Some quads don't have a great processor, which results in very poor performance of the quad, drifting in different directions and slow response to all inputs. I have had experience with some like that. The worst ones had what we TBE or toilet bowl effect. The processor was so slow that it could not keep the drone in one place, even with GPS. It would begin to swirl in ever enlarging circles, because it was always trying to catch up with itself and the coordinates it was supposed to be locked onto. This drone has an excellent processor. The drone's movements are precise and it's stability is rock solid.The single sonar sensor on the bottom does a good job of keeping the drone stationary indoors, where there is no GPS reception. Just remember to not rely on that sensor too much over smooth surfaces like tile floors or pavement. It works best over irregular surfaces like grassy yards and rough terrain.The proprietary battery and charger work very well, providing excellent flight time for the capacity provided. Remember that flying conditions and added weight will affect it.The control range of this drone is very good, despite the controller's antenna being inside the body of the controller. (The 'rabbit ears' antennas on the top of the controller are NOT functional. They are just for aesthetics, to give the appearance of a more sophisticated device.) You can control the drone very well, as far as you can effectively see it. The WiFi signal from the camera is not quite as strong. You begin to lose signal at about 300 feet. But, that range is good enough for most circumstances that you would fly this drone under.This drone is heavy enough that you MUST register with the FAA. You must also follow all current FAA regulations regarding the operation of UAS. So, always fly within line of sight, don't fly over people, events, airports, national parks, etc. If you follow all the FAA guidelines, you will also keep your drone safely within good operational limits.So, with all of that, I can comfortably give this drone my recommendation and a five star rating.
D**K
A solid option for beginning drone users that won’t break the bank.
I’ve owned and used a number of drones over the past 4 years. I’ve owned high end DJI drones and super cheap toy drones as well. I would say that this drone is a great drone for a beginning drone user because of it’s ease of use. That said, it is not perfect, but it’s a solid option for the price point. From the unboxing experience it is evident that this is like a less expensive DJI Mavic Mini (it looks so similar to the Mavic Mini).Design: 4/5 As I mentioned, this drone is similar to the Mavic Mini in a lot of ways. First and foremost, it folds down to an easily hand held design. The case is comes with is also small and holds all of the accessories in a compact package. Probably one of the most important aspects of the design is the weight. The drone comes in at under 250 grams, which means it can be used without registering it. My small critique of the design is that the plastic battery “door” on mine doesn’t really have a secure snap in place after you insert a battery. So far that hasn’t caused any issues at all, but it just feels like with a hard crash that it could allow the battery to fall out. Again, this hasn’t been an issue to date, but still something I felt that was worth mentioning.Ease of Use: 4/5 The drone is incredibly stable for such a small and light drone. The GPS and small camera sensor on the bottom of the drone help to keep it in place when just hovering.Battery Life: 5/5 As advertised the battery life is very good. The drone comes with 2 batteries that are charged using a micro USB cable. Eachine claims 30 minutes of flight per battery, and I would say that is roughly what I have been getting. In the app it shows you how much battery is remaining while you are flying and warns you when the battery is getting low.Camera Quality 3.5/5 To be sure, this technically can record in 4K, but that said, the camera is good enough, but reminds me of the quality of using a less expensive action camera. The camera only pivots up and down and using software based stabilization to try and prevent it from being shaky. The drone doesn’t have an SD card, so all of the photos and videos that you take are recorded directly to the phone you have the drone connected to (via WiFi built in to the drone).
J**S
Find something else
Your browser does not support HTML5 video. This drone can not stay GPS locked to save its life. I have attached a video that shows how terrible this drone is.I tried very hard to try to keep this drone, but it is just way to unpredictable on what it will do next on its own.However, from all the trying I did, the battery lasted very long. Pretty much through the entire review.Unfortunately it will be returned.. Stay clear.
J**Y
Very happy drone owner
Just picking up the hobby and didn't want to spend a bundle and crash it like my drone. This drone is awesome. Camera only rotates up and down but very clear picture. Range is great for the price and controls are super responsive. Be very careful where you take off from becuase the drone will return to that location once the home button is pressed. Before stepping up to the mavic mini give this drone a try. Very pleased actually bought another one after flying this one for a day
D**Z
Might just up and fly away on you **DO NOT BUY**
Flew this drone for the first time outdoors. Very little to no wind. Flew it for about 10 minutes, a little squirrely but controllable.I decided to fly it a little bit above the treeline to get images of the yard, etc. Drone decided to just fly off in one direction never to be seen again. This is supposed to have an "auto return to home", but it did not. Great way to waste money.**Update**Amazon refuses to refund any money for this. The Auto return home feature did not work, and the drone just takes off on you. Do not buy this product, no one will help with it.
Trustpilot
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