5 Reasons the Antigravity AI Drone Changes Everything.

[The Droning Company]

Got mine yesterday, going to test it out this weekend.

Please let us know what you think.

 

[Dale D]

Please let us know what you think.

I'm looking forward to my Monday UPS delivery of the Mavic Mini 5 Pro to replace my wonderful Mavic Mini 4 Pro. Was notified "in stock" by Adorama and immediately ordered it, just like the good old times. I will immediately put the wonderful Mavic Mini 4 Pro on sale.

 

[BigRed12]

Since you can look around with this drone, you should be able to look back and see yourself on the ground. Why wouldn't this count as being within Line Of Sight?

 

[boldblue737]

Since you can look around with this drone, you should be able to look back and see yourself on the ground. Why wouldn't this count as being within Line Of Sight?

VLOS is you being able to see with your own eyes the drone in the air, not the other way around.

 

[AnzacJack]

I’m sure he was joking

 

[boldblue737]

A few thoughts from watching endless videos of the Antigravity A1.

1. I’m actually very, very impressed by the apparent level of polish for a first drone from a company that’s brand new to drones. Everything from the UI to the feature set is beyond what I expected. It’s the first time I’ve seen something this new that genuinely looks like it could compete with DJI in both hardware and software.
2. That said, I think they’re trying to prove their credibility with point #1, and that effort has pushed the drone into being very expensive and forced it into a “goggles niche.” That already takes a small drone market and makes it even smaller. Some YouTubers who work closely with Insta360/Antigravity have hinted that a more traditional controller might be coming. Not sure if it would be true FPV or more of a camera-drone style setup like the RC2, but nothing has been formally announced. As it stands now, the stick controller plus goggles combo is impressive and definitely adds to the immersive “you are flying” experience, especially paired with the 360 camera system. But the mandatory goggles are also going to cost them customers.
3. The 360 shots look nice in good lighting, but closer inspection shows how far they still are from a conventional lens in terms of image quality. I understand the limitations of 8K 360, but the footage can be very soft in places and you can see stitch line wobble and other artifacts. So if your priority is pure image quality, this isn’t the right drone. The visuals look incredible when showing vertical landscapes or flying through areas where you have things below and above you with lots of motion. That kind of footage is where it really shines. I think it may struggle with flatter landscapes or slower shots where there’s little motion, because that gives your eyes time to notice the flaws. Flying through mountains or forests looks awesome, but I’m not convinced that a slow pan over a flat Midwest sunrise won’t end up feeling underwhelming.

Ultimately, this drone is more than I expected from Insta360’s, sorry, Antigravity’s first real effort, both in quality and in price. The goggles and the VR interface are both a huge win and a major sticking point, since they’re mandatory unless that rumored controller actually shows up. DJI’s rumored Avata 360 sounds very interesting. If it truly works with both goggles and traditional controllers as either a GPS camera drone or true FPV, while offering 360 capture and D-Log, that could be a very compelling setup. That said, DJI still has a ways to go to match the polish of Insta360’s software and interfaces. The Osmo 360 is solid hardware, but the software experience feels pretty flat compared to what Insta360 does with the X5.

The bigger issue for me is that even if DJI offers better pricing, I’m not prepared to buy anything from them in the US right now with the legal challenges looming, unfair as most of us think those are. I really hope this is just the start for Antigravity, with new control options for the A1 and more drones on the way to provide a serious alternative to DJI. And hopefully they don’t just become the next target for the anti-drone crowd in the US.

 

[mavic3usa]

A few thoughts from watching endless videos of the Antigravity A1.

1. I’m actually very, very impressed by the apparent level of polish for a first drone from a company that’s brand new to drones. Everything from the UI to the feature set is beyond what I expected. It’s the first time I’ve seen something this new that genuinely looks like it could compete with DJI in both hardware and software.
2. That said, I think they’re trying to prove their credibility with point #1, and that effort has pushed the drone into being very expensive and forced it into a “goggles niche.” That already takes a small drone market and makes it even smaller. Some YouTubers who work closely with Insta360/Antigravity have hinted that a more traditional controller might be coming. Not sure if it would be true FPV or more of a camera-drone style setup like the RC2, but nothing has been formally announced. As it stands now, the stick controller plus goggles combo is impressive and definitely adds to the immersive “you are flying” experience, especially paired with the 360 camera system. But the mandatory goggles are also going to cost them customers.
3. The 360 shots look nice in good lighting, but closer inspection shows how far they still are from a conventional lens in terms of image quality. I understand the limitations of 8K 360, but the footage can be very soft in places and you can see stitch line wobble and other artifacts. So if your priority is pure image quality, this isn’t the right drone. The visuals look incredible when showing vertical landscapes or flying through areas where you have things below and above you with lots of motion. That kind of footage is where it really shines. I think it may struggle with flatter landscapes or slower shots where there’s little motion, because that gives your eyes time to notice the flaws. Flying through mountains or forests looks awesome, but I’m not convinced that a slow pan over a flat Midwest sunrise won’t end up feeling underwhelming.

Ultimately, this drone is more than I expected from Insta360’s, sorry, Antigravity’s first real effort, both in quality and in price. The goggles and the VR interface are both a huge win and a major sticking point, since they’re mandatory unless that rumored controller actually shows up. DJI’s rumored Avata 360 sounds very interesting. If it truly works with both goggles and traditional controllers as either a GPS camera drone or true FPV, while offering 360 capture and D-Log, that could be a very compelling setup. That said, DJI still has a ways to go to match the polish of Insta360’s software and interfaces. The Osmo 360 is solid hardware, but the software experience feels pretty flat compared to what Insta360 does with the X5.

The bigger issue for me is that even if DJI offers better pricing, I’m not prepared to buy anything from them in the US right now with the legal challenges looming, unfair as most of us think those are. I really hope this is just the start for Antigravity, with new control options for the A1 and more drones on the way to provide a serious alternative to DJI. And hopefully they don’t just become the next target for the anti-drone crowd in the US.

100% agreed, a plethora of Insta360 videos so far and overwhelmingly impressive. Like many of us, I can see thru the YT bias when it shows and while there is some here, I can still see the drone for what is it. And it looks good especially for being first to market and setting the tone and pace for a 360 camera drone. The rumored RC is unlike the DJI FPV RC which still require goggles for the most part so the Insta360 RC has a phone attached just like RC-N3 so that should tell us something. I fear for the Avata 360 MSRP because just like with the last 3 DJI drones, Americans won't be able to buy at MSRP but for $300 to $500 more and that's going to hit hard for many.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I hate to say it but it's just a personal prediction on my end, nothing more. I don't think DJI is going to beat the Dec 23 deadline with the Avata 360 drone. Either they are not yet ready or more importantly, I believe they *can't* launch what they have after fully seeing the AGA1. See you in 2026.....

According to DroneDJ, DJI already has secured the necessary FCC approval for the Avata360, so it should be unaffected by the Dec 23 deadline, as I understand it, no matter when thereafter it becomes available.

 

[TheRock]

Video quality seems to be iffy with the Antigravity. If you have an Air 2S just pick up an Insta360 Sphere camera and save a ton. Antigravity is a fine effort just like making the Sphere after its first effort flopped. But I think Antigravity will need a second edition and the Avata360 really looks promising, so good luck there. Time to wait and see in a few weeks.

 

[mavic3usa]

According to DroneDJ, DJI already has secured the necessary FCC approval for the Avata360, so it should be unaffected by the Dec 23 deadline, as I understand it, no matter when thereafter it becomes available.

Yes, FCC is already done for the Avata 360, I reported that few weeks ago and was hoping would see something definitive by now. I would *prefer* to place my order for a DJI drone *before* DJI gets added to the covered list....for personal reasons I would rather not place an order to Asia to obtain a drone from a CCP company on the covered list. Just thinking out loud, I still feel good about it so far. Still ready to buy but glad we have AG A1, too.

I would hate for some sellers or customs or eBay to misbelieve we can't import these because they don't know the rules.

The longer DJI waits until after Dec 23 to launch, the more likely the first drone (the most recent DJI drone) will be the first to having it's FCC revoked (under the new powers should FCC choose to do it). if not launched by Dec 23, every day after that is borrowed time for the Avata 360. Was hoping I could wait awhile for launch-day high pricing to settle down.

Plus I haven't seen a DoC yet. without it, can't legally fly. I haven't heard for sure if the FAA will accept a DoC from a covered company without regard to FCC. We're getting close but all this uncertainty sucks.

The AG A1 has a DoC posted 11/28. The last DJI DoC posted on 12/3. The Mini 5 Pro launched on 9/17 and its DoC posted on 9/10. so, 6 or 7 day prior to launch on avg but I guess it could come after. I don't think we have the option to strap on an external module to the Avata 360, we need a DoC.

 

[Wreckhunter]

Video quality seems to be iffy with the Antigravity. If you have an Air 2S just pick up an Insta360 Sphere camera and save a ton. Antigravity is a fine effort just like making the Sphere after its first effort flopped. But I think Antigravity will need a second edition and the Avata360 really looks promising, so good luck there. Time to wait and see in a few weeks.

The Avata360 will not be any better camera wise,but just because it is DJI,well enough said.

 

[dmurphynj]

I just got mine this afternoon. Figured I'd take my first shot with something non-DJI, and I have to say, I'm impressed.

It's far from perfect, but I'm REALLY impressed.

The software is quite good. The interface is smooth and easy to understand.

It's missing a few things -- like, I can't figure out how to change units from metric to imperial, and some other small stuff.

But for a first effort, this is wild. It took DJI years to get to where this is, day 1.

I go back to the early Phantom series - so have plenty of DJI experience - Phantoms, Mavics, Avatas, and a bunch in-between. (even Spark and Tello, for funnies ...)

Is it perfect? No. There's things my Mavic 3 Pro does that it can't. There's things my Avata does that it can't. But neither of those let me take a 360-degree view all around me mid-air, either.

So this is a welcome addition to my stable. Looking forward to taking it out, shooting some videos, watching it improve and what comes next for Antigravity.

Real competition for DJI. I honestly feel a bit less stressed now about the pending DJI "entities list" entry. There's a viable alternative - Antigravity/Insta360 can take a real run at this.

(And FWIW, they list Singapore as the manufacture point for the A1, so it's not 'technically' a Chinese drone ...)

 

[Digitized Life]

One thing I do not like is how it distorts the Horizon into a football shape !
I still feel its gimmicky but a tool for certain shots rather than stand alone

The distortion can be removed during reframing along with many other adjustments. This drone is made for shoot first frame later. It shoots the entire 360 sphere and removes the drone, same as an Insta360 camera. Then you can pick your angles and aspect ratio etc. There are videos on YouTube that explain this. Check this link. Hugh Hou - Antigravity

 

[AnzacJack]

The more i see and read about this, the more excited i get for the avata3

 

[CraigVMN]

No thanks. Watching the footage from the A1 is like swimming around in a fish bowl.

 

[Wreckhunter]

The more i see and read about this, the more excited i get for the avata3

The more i see and read about this, the more excited i get for the avata3

Yuck you dont want something that will not be released in the US and is ugly looking as all get out.

 

[AnzacJack]

Yuck you dont want something that will not be released in the US and is ugly looking as all get out.

could care less about US release and the looks of the drone.
I look at capabilities not appearance

 

[Wreckhunter]

could care less about US release and the looks of the drone.
I look at capabilities not appearance

You may not have to worry about DJI not being from the US.

 

[crazyju]

Flew 6 flights this weekend, the weather was terrible. The A1 was pretty much what I thought I was getting. It is a flying insta360 x5. Software is almost identical to the Studio. I fly the mini 3 pro with goggles and motion controller and this experience is close. The A1 is very easy to fly. Range was on par with my mini 3 pro and I was really impressed with the return to home accuracy. No landing pad and it landed within 3ft of take off all 3 times I used it. This drone is not going to replace any current dji drone for landscape shots and it really struggles in low light. , but it is really going to shine in close up action packed scenes.

 

[Pacefast]

Please let us know what you think.

I am moving to FPV to add to a cinematic drone for close low level stuff !
I was waiting for the DJI Avata 3 FPV but now find the Avata 360 is dual purpose so I kill two birds with one stone
All these drones add to the whole rather than stand alone
I am concerned with distortions in 360 but equally can see with certain shots there are benefits
Hence will wait and see what DJI have to offer !
DJI 360 appears to be 370 gms hence above 250 which I see as a positive ! Nothing deals with high winds like my Air 3