Walkera Vitus - finally a serious contender to the Mavic?

[WolfgangStiller]

The range of only 1.5kkm means I wouldn't consider this as a Mavic alternative even at half the price. It's not that I really expect to fly 7km with the Mavic but it means that it shorter distances it has much better signal integrity and I can get solid video feed miles away from the Mavic. This matters a lot when shooting video in the mountains.

 

[DocCuzi]

Walkera is nothing more than a cheap copycat company. They've been doing this for years with their helicopters. They wait for Blade to release something and then they copy it but it's always an inferior product.

So... buy at your own risk.

Everyone's entitled to opinions but for the record, I am not in agreement with yours on this. I own many of their products and am quite satisfied with the quality and reliability.

 

[DocCuzi]

I think Walkera are quite well respected in the racing drone market.

Truth!

 

[DocCuzi]

Um their runner 250 had lots of problems.

To offer an assist so people understand better what's really going on. The runner 250 is a racing quad. When in GPS mode it has altitude hold so it'll behave a lot more like a DJI meaning if you release the sticks it'll stop and hover.

When ANY racing quad is in full racing mode, you must fly it completely. There is no GPS mode when I'm full race mode so I'm short if you release the sticks your craft will crash to the groud.

Racing is not for everyone. Now, the signaling from walkers controllers has been less reliable than others so most experienced pilots rid themselves of the devo controllers and replace them with frysky controllers and receivers and the problems are eliminated.

Racing is very different than drifting through the mountains examining terrain, as it's a very very intense discipline. It's not for everyone.

 

[DocCuzi]

I know, but the 210, 215, 320 and even the 150 are highly rated. The 250 motor cut off was a big problem

I've had a 210 loose signal not long ago. I purchased a frysky X9D plus and changed the receiver in all crafts and have never experienced signal losses again. For people who fly alone, they aren't likely to experience the problem, but if you're flying with 20 or more people, guarantee you will experience it on all walkers racers. Change the transmitter and receiver like I did and it'll never happen again.

 

[DocCuzi]

Walkera VITUS 320 5.8G Wifi FPV With 3-Axis 4K Camera Gimbal Obstacle Avoidance AR Games Drone

$800. That's too close to the Mavic to be really competitive on price. Now at $600 it would be a tough choice - would you pay an extra $400, just to have a DJI badge and their famously bad customer service?

At $600 it would pull me into the market and presuming reviews were not terrible I'd go for it. As it is, I'd pay the extra $200 for the name and model that's easily re-sold and has so many vids and tutorials and whatnot for it. Having said that, DJI's famously bad customer service is why I have not purchased one, including seeing so many stories of them crippling those already purchased unless you agree to let them screw you over later.

I'm just not feeling it, so nope to both at the moment, and the Spark is a toy with a toy's range, so for now I remain without a drone.

Update: looks like the price has bounced around a bit, and that's for the obstacle avoidance version, though I can see no sign of any version without it. I'd happily buy one if a lot less money and without such features. However the range appears to be no more than 1.5 km, and no idea if that also applies to CE models, which is what us peasants in the resoftheworldoutsideofmurica have to put up with.

799.00 is the going rate. I'll gladly post some stuff when mine arrives and I've had a chance to see if it lives up to the hype. I would say to anyone who's looking to get that 3 mile range from their drone, this is not one to consider because even with boosters, you will not get that kind of range.

 

[DocCuzi]

I echo these sentiments. I started my foray into droning with the Walkera QR-X350 because it was within my budget range at the time. Little did I know I'd be getting sucked into dozens of hours of:
1) troubleshooting to get it to operate in all of its published functionality.
2) significant repairs due to crashes resulting from MAJOR hardware malfunctions at no fault of mine (it literally dropped out of the sky on more than one occasion).
3) add-ons and upgrades to achieve the same built-in functionality on a stock Phantom.

And because I was so vested in the other Walkera heli products as well (which all operated on the same transmitter, which I liked) I kept buying replacement parts (including an entire quad once).

So. Much. Trouble.

And because Walkera is a Chinese company with their culture of warranty policies, forget about making a claim. Based on the forums I didn't even bother. Seemed cheaper to just repair yourself or get a new one. BTW, good luck finding manuals that make much sense.

In sum, I'm glad I bought the Walkera Phantom-knockoff because it confirmed that I loved flying drones and led me to a Mavic purchase. Also, I learned a LOT about drones and all the integrated technologies from having worked on mine for so many hours. In many ways it was a labor of love. But what started out as a $400 initial purchase I ended up spending probably twice that for a really poorly performing product. Granted it's sort of unfair to compare such different generations of product but if the Mavic is a 10 (and I think it absolutely is) then the QR X350 is a 3. And if I had to speculate, this new quad of theirs is a 6 or 7 at best. And if you lose it or crash it, don't expect any useful customer service from this Chinese company who knows they're a world away from any obligations to you (you think DJI is bad you've no idea).

If you're going to buy Walkera, get their cheaper helis and call it a loss if they break or malfunction. That's where their value lies. Their products are often a lot cheaper than their copycat equivalents because of their lack of support and warranty.

The QR's you refer to i thought were garbage. I thought they were ugly too so I never got one.

 

[DocCuzi]

So I have looked at a couple more movies and foto's.
To be honest, the build quality seems far off from the Mavic's, both the drone and the controller.
While I like that there will be some competition to the Mavic, I think I would still choose the mavic if I had to buy a new drone now.

I've ordered one and am waiting for its arrival. I am more anxious to see reviews from some known reviewers. The video I've seen this far has been unimpressive. Let's wait to see when it's compared side by side with a mavic or a karma.

 

[DocCuzi]

Their 250 often fell out of the sky because they designed it wrong to where if you cut the throttle it would turn off the props and lots of peoples quads fell and broke.

If not in GPS mode, a racing copter is a racer. NO ONE's racer when in full race mode holds altitude. That's not a flaw, that's how Racers work... ALL OF THEM. Racing is not for everyone, additionally, if not flying FPV, there's no headless mode so everything is reversed.

One really needs to know how to fly before trying racing. I don't think your comment is accurate at all. Anyone who races will know this so you should reconsider.

 

[Kestrel]

If not in GPS mode, a racing copter is a racer. NO ONE's racer when in full race mode holds altitude. That's not a flaw, that's how Racers work... ALL OF THEM. Racing is not for everyone, additionally, if not flying FPV, there's no headless mode so everything is reversed.

One really needs to know how to fly before trying racing. I don't think your comment is accurate at all. Anyone who races will know this so you should reconsider.

Save the condescending reply.. I have a 250 size racer that I built myself. So please don't try to tell me I need to learn how to fly first. Just because I own a Mavic doesn't mean i'm a noob..

 

[DocCuzi]

Save the condescending reply.. I have a 250 size racer that I built myself. So please don't try to tell me I need to learn how to fly first. Just because I own a Mavic doesn't mean i'm a noob..

Maybe my comments were a bit strong and for that I'll apologize so please accept this as such. I was really directing the comments to the audience as not everyone is as fluid with open flying.

DJI has done the impossible in that most novices can fly their crafts without tragic incidents. Me, I started with racers and DEMOLISHED a few before my skills got to a place where i was in very good control of a craft without GPS, altitude and auto levelling. Racers in sport, full acro open or intermediate mode even if equipped with GPS and those other features I just mentioned disable the fly by wire elements so yes, if one isn't as versed and releases the throttle the craft will plummet to the ground and not hold position.

I'm particular, you mentioned the runner 250 PRO or advanced which I own. I have never had the experience you referenced and neither have the multitude of folkes I fly with.

In short, none of these things is perfect DJI WALKERA or any other company and I was merely defending the 250 which is a very very good racer. I hope this brightens your opinion of me a bit. Take care...

 

[DocCuzi]

Masheen I'm still waiting. I did see some footage from Aliashanmo video and his review was horrible. The footage wasn't sharp and it had some jello... that's right I said Jello. I've never seen anything like his showing before "ON ANY CRAFT". I'll post the link after I'm finished. I have seen several and nothing I've seen thus far puts it on par with "a functioning mavic". Yes, I said it because I've seen a few of those with odd behaviors but, "NOTHING LIKE WHAT YOU GUYS WILL SEE IN THIS VIDEO". I hear walkera has already released updated firmware for the gimbal, the flight controller and the main board so perhaps ALI's was not received with the latest. Ok guys... Laugh it up because here it is.

 

[DocCuzi]

Here's a screen of the new firmware Upgrade/Update. These are from screen prints as I do not have my own as yet.

 

[diydrone]

Recent Vitus footage

diydrone

Coupon tip

 

[DocCuzi]

Recent Vitus footage

diydrone

Coupon tip

I've ordered one but let's be level about this. At this time right now, it's got mavic like features and the internal hardware is good but the software has a ways to go to catch up with the Mavic.

I'll post some footage when mine arrives

 

[DocCuzi]

That looks pretty acceptable for a 1st issue model.
Obviously the makers will improve IQ with subsequent models.



Looking forward to your comments and critique.

While we wait, here's the most comprehensive review I've seen to date

 

[DocCuzi]

Very promising unit.

Better horizon control and similar battery life to mav.

Still some programming work for Walkera but it does look good.

Pity the SD save function didnt work for that chap, would have been good to review some footage since the updates.

Guess we can wait to view your footage DocCuzi hehe

At $800 it looks like a fair deal to me, which will continue to improve with updates.

RIP 200,000 bees

Having watched other reviews, the specifications on the craft state the maximum memory card it can handle is 64gb. Every review I've seen where someone used a 64gb card, they got no video. A few people stepped the card down to 32gb and had success. I think that's why Dustin's recordings and photos were a "no go". I've ordered 2 32gb cards and am very anxious to receive my craft.

Additionally, the Android software doesn't work yet. It's to be released this month and I purchased a Nvidia Shield tablet 8" to use pretty much exclusively with this craft. I'm hoping the software is available soon as I expect deliver within the next 10 days.

 

[Hollow Dog]

While we wait, here's the most comprehensive review I've seen to date

Surprisingly this seems to be the only real review on YouTube.
Not a stellar review, but there is hope.
Nothing like some competition to keep the manufactures honest.
Glad to see this on the market.

 

[DocCuzi]

Surprisingly this seems to be the only real review on YouTube.
Not a stellar review, but there is hope.
Nothing like some competition to keep the manufactures honest.
Glad to see this on the market.

I definitely agree with you! There's one guy who reviews a lot who trashed it. The MFR responded there are "pre-final production" crafts out there that people have gotten their hands on which were loaded with inconsistencies. Additionally, the MFR also stated the craft the current android software is "NOT" what to use to fly the craft as the final hasn't been released yet and is due later this month.

Seems my own will arrive before the masses of reviewers get there commentary out there. Notably, some have said the "feel" of the crafts construction isn't on par with the DJI mavic as the Vitus feels more plastic like. Likewise, they've also commented "How Good It Looks". I'd take that to say it feels a little cheaper, though heavier in weight but that it is still quality. There's also discussions about the remote.

People have commented it feels good, but there's a "FAN" in it to keep the components cool and that it makes noise. I've seen a bit where people were complaining about gimbal malfunctions, and the MFR attributed that to pre-production models as well as people not having the proper firmware on the craft. Seemingly, one cannot upgrade the craft with the beta android software. You can only get things right using an apple device for now until the android software is finalized.

 

[DocCuzi]