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Crystal Sky 5.5" opinion after a few days of use.

Steady Eddie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2019
Messages
133
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36
Age
73
Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Pros:
1. Good visibility in direct sun. This is it's greatest advantage. Maybe not as spectacular as some say though.
2. With the DJI Mavic mounting bracket, it's really neat and manageable in the hands and no messy cables. Way better than an unwieldy and top heavy tablet mount.
3. Great battery life compared to a cell phone.
4. Fast setup time. Very quick to connect to the controller and I like the way it switches on automatically.
5. Really nice display. Hard to describe, but crisp and sharp come to mind.

Cons:
1. Seems to be more laggy that my iPad mini4. Also had a freeze or two.
2. Touch screen not as responsive as the iPad but I have to say here that I have not taken the protective plastic off yet as I am waiting for a glass screen protector. So maybe not a valid con.
3. Using the built-in GO4 app, I notice that the performance of the built-in GPS is very laggy. Weird this, because I also have Litchi installed, and it's really slick in that app. I'm talking about how fast the device position updates in map view between the two apps and how fast the drone responds to pilot's change of position in Follow me.
4. Lack of a place to attach a lanyard when using the DJI mount for the Mavic.
5. The Crystal Sky is not cheap.Time will tell if it's really worth the money.

I'd love to hear thoughts from new and long time owners. I've still got lots of playing to do!
 
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I recently bought the 5.5” version and I have to say, other than the brightness of the screen, it’s a piece of crap. I’ve had the same issues, serious lag on the Mavic 2, some lag on the Phantom 4, app crashes often, touch screen not as responsive as an iPhone (I found it to be worse with a screen protector), basically it’s worse in ever way compared to an iPhone (except the screen brightness, which is not THAT much brighter in direct sunlight). I haven’t tried Litchi on it yet though, perhaps I’ll give that a go and see if anything improves...
 
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I recently bought the 5.5” version and I have to say, other than the brightness of the screen, it’s a piece of crap. I’ve had the same issues, serious lag on the Mavic 2, some lag on the Phantom 4, app crashes often, touch screen not as responsive as an iPhone (I found it to be worse with a screen protector), basically it’s worse in ever way compared to an iPhone (except the screen brightness, which is not THAT much brighter in direct sunlight). I haven’t tried Litchi on it yet though, perhaps I’ll give that a go and see if anything improves...
Take a look at the official DJI forum and see what people say about CS monitors. Real horror stories regarding screen backlight failures and lack of GO4 updates. The excuses from DJI themselves are pathetically weak. Hmmmm.
 
Take a look at the official DJI forum and see what people say about CS monitors. Real horror stories regarding screen backlight failures and lack of GO4 updates. The excuses from DJI themselves are pathetically weak. Hmmmm.
I have looked through some of forums to solve my issues, but the more I read, the sadder I get. ?
 
I had a CrystalSky for approximately four months to go with my Mavic Air. It took my flying experience up a notch after being able to see what I was shooting at last! I just sold it this weekend after getting a Mavic 2 Pro with Smart Controller.
 
I have a CrystalSky 7.85 When I first got it I was getting a lot of lag and jerkiness in the display but The last few times I've used it it has seemed to be pretty good. I don't know if it was a firmware update or what. I still prefer to use my Ipad Mini 4 because of it's better app support and it's a lot lighter but if I need a bright it's nice to have a CS.
 
I have a CrystalSky 7.85 When I first got it I was getting a lot of lag and jerkiness in the display but The last few times I've used it it has seemed to be pretty good. I don't know if it was a firmware update or what. I still prefer to use my Ipad Mini 4 because of it's better app support and it's a lot lighter but if I need a bright it's nice to have a CS.
Hi...the 7.85" is better on a tripod. It's at eye level so no neck strain looking down all the time. Also, once the CS is on a tripod, the RC becomes very light.

You can buy a tripod mount for the CS from Mavmount for $29

I highly recommend this set up

Used tripods are cheap, and you may happen to have one around the house collecting dust
 
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I've had mine, (both 5.5 & 7.8") for about a month now, I started off with phones (Samsung Note edge) last year and then move onto a pair of Epson bt300 glasses and larger tablets (Lenovo tab4 10" & Apple Air 10"). I will cover the phone first, I know my phone is dated (2012), but it has a good screen. the obvious issues are the same with all phones except the most recent (Samsung 8 & above, Nits 1200). With that said about phones, the CS would win due that its less expensive than any new phone (Apple or Android). I picked up the tablets thinking that bigger screen would be easier on the old eyes. That is a yes and no answer, both tablets still suffer from glare in sunlight (Lenovo only has 340 nits & Apple Air has 430 nits). The larger screen did give me a better view of what was going on. The second issue (apple only) I experienced FPV lag/screen interuptions (pixeling & picture drop outs), The Lenovo works very good with both the Go & Go 4 apps, just the screen glare is its big drawback. Now for the Epson bt300 glasses, so far to date this is the best way to fly IMHO, you get a sharp clear picture (720p resolution) that equals a 55" widescreen TV, I never get dropouts or pixeling. The only time you lose signal is when you actually have loss signal with your bird, it will pick right back up when signal is reestablished. They work with all of my birds (Spark, Mavic Pro, Phantom 3 Pro & Phantom 4). I like to fly close to the ground (tree top or lower) when possible and the depth perception I get from wearing these glasses gives me the confidence that I will not crash due to Lag or interuptions.

The CS has been the next best compared to my Epson bt300's. The screen brightness in daytime is great (1000 nits), and the resolution (1080p) makes looking at the screen a breeze. Battery life is right up there with the Epson's, so need to worry about running low (appox battery life 2-3 hours). When I brought my 5.5 it came with only one battery, but the 7" came with two. I have 3 to go around, so no worries about going dead as you can hotswap batteries, the Epson gets continuous charge from the controllor. If you are planning to do S&R work or even corporate/professional assignments the CS has the HDMI out, so you can connect it to a larger screen for others to watch. In the past the cost of the CS was a drawback, but with the cost of new phones I don't see that being a drawback any longer. If you are part 107 or looking to getting your 107 for commercial work I would see this as a must have tool.
 
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