2 Pro DJI FPV Drone - Forest & Mountain surfing + first impressions

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Mar 21, 2021

I recently picked up the DJI FPV Drone, and as someone who's almost exclusively flown the DJI Mavic 2, I've been shocked by how easy it has been to transition to the FPV using this system. Yes, I know it's not "real FPV", but that's exactly what I wanted - a drone that could easily capture dynamic FPV style shots, but without the steep learning curve and DIY aspects of traditional FPV flying.

My first flight with it I quickly got to grips with the controls, but the greater speeds and FPV view took some getting used to.

My second flight I took it up in the mountains to do some "mountain surfing", though I didn't fly long range.

For my third flight I used the motion controller, which is surprisingly easy to learn - a very natural and intuitive way to fly.

My latest (5th) flight with the drone I took it out into the forest, and this is the video I'm most proud of. I started out in Sport mode, zooming around tree tops at high speed, then I switched into Normal mode and flew through the forest. This is where I really came to appreciate the obstacle avoidance system and high resolution digital FPV video feed. The obstacle avoidance isn't as aggressive as in the Mavic 2, but I actually like it a lot better. Rather than stopping you flat, it slows you down smoothly so you can course correct or stop if needed, and what I've found is that once you learn how it works you can use it to create fake slow motion shots. I don't consider either Sport or Normal modes to be so-called "beginner" modes. They are good for that, but really they are tools to be used for different kinds of shots and situations.

I haven't even touched manual mode, and I may never do so - I don't have much interest in doing acrobatics, and the S and N modes work perfectly for capturing cinematic FPV style footage. It's been a remarkably seamless transition from the Mavic 2 Pro to the DJI FPV, and I'm looking forward to using both in concert to increase the variety of footage in my videos.

Vue D’Oiseau · Mar 24, 2021

I really liked you going through the forest , seems easy to move around without crashing

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Mar 24, 2021

Vue D’Oiseau said:
I really liked you going through the forest , seems easy to move around without crashing

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

I did some more forest flying yesterday up in the mountains, zipping through even tighter gaps in the trees. Normal mode obstacle avoidance saved my bacon several times again, but also made for kind of slow and janky navigation at some points.

Karlewski · Mar 25, 2021

I do not know if I'd say tighter gaps but, both you guys flew some SWEET tight places, WOW!

Illuminationsfromt were you on the new controller too? Seems between the goggles and controller way more accuracy is possible. I'd love to hear both of your guys' feeling on that??? Nice work!

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Mar 26, 2021

Karlewski said:
I do not know if I'd say tighter gaps but, both you guys flew some SWEET tight places, WOW!

Illuminationsfromt were you on the new controller too? Seems between the goggles and controller way more accuracy is possible. I'd love to hear both of your guys' feeling on that??? Nice work!

I didn't use the older DJI FPV system, so I can't compare, but the new controller seems very precipice - love how it feels and handles. Goggles are what really makes it possible though due to the high resolution which enabled me to spot and avoid small twigs and branches.

Karlewski · Mar 27, 2021

I hear that, I was very nervous shooting the start of this video. No way was I going to see those little leafless twigs on my phone 's screen. I felt a bit better knowing the drone would likely find snow and not water if. . . .

mrgadway · Feb 19, 2022

I am very impressed with your flying skills considering you just started the FPV drone. This model seems to fly very smooth and I was wondering if you felt the same as compared to your mavic 2? I fly fpv with my m2z but I can not fly anywhere as smooth thru trees etc as you are doing with the FPV model. Is the FPV that much better than the m2 or do you think you could make your flights look the same with a mavic 2?

Chaosrider2 · Feb 19, 2022

IlluminationsfromtheAttic said:
I recently picked up the DJI FPV Drone, and as someone who's almost exclusively flown the DJI Mavic 2, I've been shocked by how easy it has been to transition to the FPV using this system. Yes, I know it's not "real FPV", but that's exactly what I wanted - a drone that could easily capture dynamic FPV style shots, but without the steep learning curve and DIY aspects of traditional FPV flying.

My first flight with it I quickly got to grips with the controls, but the greater speeds and FPV view took some getting used to.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

My second flight I took it up in the mountains to do some "mountain surfing", though I didn't fly long range.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

For my third flight I used the motion controller, which is surprisingly easy to learn - a very natural and intuitive way to fly.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

My latest (5th) flight with the drone I took it out into the forest, and this is the video I'm most proud of. I started out in Sport mode, zooming around tree tops at high speed, then I switched into Normal mode and flew through the forest. This is where I really came to appreciate the obstacle avoidance system and high resolution digital FPV video feed. The obstacle avoidance isn't as aggressive as in the Mavic 2, but I actually like it a lot better. Rather than stopping you flat, it slows you down smoothly so you can course correct or stop if needed, and what I've found is that once you learn how it works you can use it to create fake slow motion shots. I don't consider either Sport or Normal modes to be so-called "beginner" modes. They are good for that, but really they are tools to be used for different kinds of shots and situations.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

I haven't even touched manual mode, and I may never do so - I don't have much interest in doing acrobatics, and the S and N modes work perfectly for capturing cinematic FPV style footage. It's been a remarkably seamless transition from the Mavic 2 Pro to the DJI FPV, and I'm looking forward to using both in concert to increase the variety of footage in my videos.

The first video here is inspirational!

Thanks for making it, and thanks for posting it!

TCS

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Feb 20, 2022

Chaosrider2 said:
The first video here is inspirational!

Thanks for making it, and thanks for posting it!

TCS

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

IlluminationsfromtheAttic · Feb 20, 2022

mrgadway said:
I am very impressed with your flying skills considering you just started the FPV drone. This model seems to fly very smooth and I was wondering if you felt the same as compared to your mavic 2? I fly fpv with my m2z but I can not fly anywhere as smooth thru trees etc as you are doing with the FPV model. Is the FPV that much better than the m2 or do you think you could make your flights look the same with a mavic 2?

Thank you!

The big advantages of the DJI FPV over the Mavic drones is that they are smaller, faster, more responsive, and more durable. It doesn't fly more smoothly, and most of the time the footage is actually nowhere near as smooth as a Mavic. However, do the speed, size, and maneuverability it is much easier to fly in forests and other confined spaces. Plus, when you crash the FJI FPV has a much higher chance of survival. I've crashed half a dozen times and never had more than a bent prop, which was easily fixed just by bending it into place.

The main issue with the DJI FPV is that the camera isn't great at all compared to a Mavic, and its location means that you usually have to crop the video to get the props out of the image. I've recently improved my video quality with the DJI FPV by sticking an action camera on top. (DJI Action 2 and GoPro Hero 10 work great).

In my opinion, the DJI FPV is supplemental to a Mavic, especially if you want to record aerial photos. I'm actually working on a big comparison video between most of DJI's recent drones, which I should have ready in a week or two.