The Eachine E013 Micro FPV Drone’s jam-packed with features you’d never expect for such a great price. Plus, it’s tough enough for beginners to learn how to fly.
The Eachine E013 — also known as the “Small Pepper” — is a tiny FPV drone that’s great for learning to fly. It’s tough and can take a beating. This little quadcopter features a remote control (RC), 5.8G 1000TVL 40CH Camera and VR006 3-inch goggles.
[taq_review]
Here are some photos of the Eachine E013 “Small Pepper” Drone
The Eachine E013 Micro FPV “Small Pepper”drone shown in overhead view.
Eachine’s E013 Small Pepper drone, frontal view.
A peek “under the hood” of this little quadcopter.
A rear-view of Eachine’s E013 Micro FPV RC Drone Quadcopter.
Eachine E013 Drone Specs
Quadcopter Size:
8.3×8.3×4.35 cm
Box Size:
30 x 19.5 x 9.5 cm (with goggles)
24.3 x 12.8 x 8.2 cm (without goggles)
Gyro:
6-axis
Frequency:
2.4 G
Channel:
4 CH
Battery:
1s 260 mAh (included) (upgrade)
Motor:
615-17000KV 63000 rpm (upgrade)
Flying Distance:
70 m
Transmitter Power:
3 * AAA battery (not included)
Flight time:
About 5 minutes
1000 TVL 1/3 CMOS FPV Camera
Frequency:
5 8 G
Wireless channel:
40 CH
Output power:
Table Text
Operation voltage:
3v-5.5v
Current:
200-340 mA
Camera sensor:
1.3″ CMOS
Clarity:
M7 1000TVL camera
View angle:
120°FOV H170°
Signal system:
NTSC/PAL
VR006 Goggles (One-Antenna Version)
Size:
138 x 129 x 79 mm (without antenna)
Weight
164.7 g
Display
3″
Resolution:
500×300 pixels
Antenna connector:
RP-SMA
Working voltage:
1s Battery (3.7-4.2 v)
Working current :
350-450 mA
Receiving sensitivity:
-95 dBM
Built-in battery
500mAh 3.7V
Working time:
1 hour
Features:
Small and light, convenient to carry. One-Key Auto Search function. Sorry, only English available. Support OSD function.
Can display current power. Support AV-IN. One-hour working time.
In the box you will find the Drone, Goggles, Controller, Battery, Charger and spare props. Pretty standard RC drone pieces. The manual is pretty easy to read even though it’s small print. Banggood was kind enough to send me extra batteries to help with the review. Each battery only lasts 5 minutes and takes 25 minutes to charge. Since the batteries don’t cost much, it’s worth it to buy a 5 or 6 pack.
What comes with the Goggles version of the Eachine E013
1 Quadcopter
1 Transmitter
1 1S-260mAh Battery (Upgrade)
1 Goggles Charging Cable
4 Blades
1 pair of goggles
1 Straight pole antenna
1 USB charging cable
2 Cloths
1 Blade removal tool
Here’s the box the Eachine E013 Small Pepper drone comes in.
Here’s the E013 fresh out of the box, and all the things that come with it.
The Eachine E013 Small Pepper manual is clear and helpful, even though the print is very small.
Make sure you buy some extra batteries so you won’t need to wait while charging.
Video: Getting Started with the Eachine “Small Pepper” Drone
The Eachine E013: Better Than a Simulator?
I’ve been trying to learn FPV racing for some time now. I have a couple of full size FPV drones which are tough to learn and expensive to replace if you destroy them. The E013 is cheaper to repair or replace. Many online suggest learning on a simulator. I don’t agree. Sure, a simulator has the benefit of using a full size controller. But that is it. The downsides are that you don’t get to use the goggles and it doesn’t feel the same as a real drone to me.
The goggles that come with it are not adjustable and are very small so they won’t be right for everyone. They do fit kids well though and my brother in-law had no issues using them. It’s fine for me because I have a bigger and adjustable pair. Even if you have goggles of your own, it’s worth it to spend the bit extra and buy the drone with the goggles.
Side-by-side comparison of the more standard-sized Eachine VR D2 Pro goggles (left) vs. Eachine’s VR006 goggles that come with the E013 (right).
Taking the Kids for a “Ride”
While I used my goggles the kids got to be a passenger with the smaller ones. This is because the signal is broadcast and any receivers can watch without causing problems for the pilot. I say, “Pilot,” because when you wear them you feel like you are in the cockpit flying the drone. That is why drones are becoming more and more popular. Now you don’t have to be a pilot to enjoy the awesomeness of looking down on the town and feeling in control.
I have been obsessed with flight my entire life. My favourite dreams are of me flying through the air. Although the E013 can only be flown indoors (Unless there is zero wind) it gets you started. Once you are happy with that then the next step is a cheap full-size drone you can fly outdoors. Then move up from there. FPV Racing isn’t for everyone. Some will get nauseous. If that’s you, then you can move on to aerial FPV which is slow and steady and makes you feel like you are flying a helicopter.
Just One Mod
The one modification I did to this drone was to poke the FPV antenna out the top of the drone. I had to put a small hole in the top but it helps the signal strength.
Poking the FPV antenna out the top allowed a stronger signal.
The E013 has a lot of features that you wouldn’t expect from a tiny drone with such a great price. Features such as headless mode which means the drone will come toward you when you press down on the right stick no matter which direction the drone is facing. That feature is good if you are flying without the goggles. It has a Return to Me button and a 360 Degree Roll button. It has three levels of difficulty for flight modes.
So if you are looking to get into fast-paced flying with twists and loops then the E013 is for you. It has a lot of features and fun packed into a small drone. It’s so easy to fly my 12-year-old daughter flies it well. But that shouldn’t be a surprise with kids these days.
The Flying Bear DLP 3D printer’s messy but fun to play with. The detail in the prints is crazy high. Plus it works great and I barely had any problems with it.
3D printing has been a wonderful hobby. The kids like it, the wife not so much. But she tolerates it because she knows anything positive to take my mind off my chronic pain is a good thing. I can only do so much at a time, but it’s better than nothing.
Until now it has been Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM, also known as FFF, or fused filament fabrication), which takes spools of plastic and extrudes the plastic at a small width (.4mm most common). This process places them layer upon layer. There are many types of 3D printers that use a variety of materials including metal powder, PLA filament, and liquid resins. Metal printers are industrial-grade and very expensive, and back when I started this hobby the resin printers cost over $2000.
Resin printers are also known as Stereolithography. That is the process of projecting an image to cure the resin. With DLP 3D printing, a digital light processing(DLP) provides a light source for curing the materials to form the objects through an LCD screen.
The recent influx of cheaper FDM printers was a sign of DLPs coming down in price. From over $2000 down to less than $1000. This one is less than $600 USD at the time of writing this review.
The Flying Bear DLP 3D printer has been a messy but fun printer to play with. The detail in the prints is crazy high. This printer works well and I had very few problems with it.
The printer specs are similar to those of other SLA and DLP printers. I’m assuming the cost of the resin is the reason for the small print size. This printer has a 120 x 68 x 210mm build volume which is quite small in terms of 3D printing, but not for SLAs or DLPs. The board or screen has WiFi built in and is configured through a text file. I’m not sure if it’s my WiFi network or the printer, but I haven’t been able to get it working. It connects to my network but not to any of the software. The 4-inch colour touchscreen is a great interface, much better than the text and turn-dial menu system.
Unboxing the Newest Flying Bear Shine UV Resin DLP Color Touch Screen 3D Printer
The printer was well protected in the box with foam shaped to the contours of the printer. The tools were packed inside the printer in their own foam box. This 3D printer comes with a power supply, rubber gloves, a scraper and an Allen key. It was supposed to come with a bottle of resin but it wasn’t there. I contacted the company and they said they can’t export the resin to some countries. Which I don’t believe, because I can buy resins from any other site.
Flying Bears sends this 3D printer securely packed in foam.Once you remove the styrofoam, you can unwrap it.The Flying Bear Shine UV DLP Resin 3D printer in pristine condition.A frontal view of the new Flying Bear DLP 3D printer.Lift the cover to finish unpacking the printer. The Flying Bear Shine comes with a user manual.A rear view of the printer.
Printer Navigation
The touchscreen is a very nice full-color display. The main screen has a seven-button layout. Three of those are basic commands. You can click the others to display screens with controls, settings, and information.
The first screen displays a menu with your options for printing, controls, and settings, shutting the printer down, displaying printer info, stopping a print job, and information about the company.
The first button brings you to the Print screen. To prevent accidental starts, you first have to confirm that you want to print.
When you’re about to print, this screen shows you the file you’ve selected and tells you if the printer’s ready to print.
The Control button takes you to a screen where you can do things like adjust the Z axis and turn the LED on or off.
Here, you can choose from more options – or stop the printer if you need to.
Next is the Settings screen. The display consists of two files. The first is the sysconf (system configuration) which I won’t mess with. The other is the wificonf where you can enter two lines; your WiFi SSID and the password.
Here you can add your WiFi connection and password to connect the printer to your network.
When you click the i (for info) option, the following screen appears with your IP address, screen mode, and other information. like the IP address for your network.
When you click the i option, information about your network and the printer appears.
The fifth button simply powers down the machine. The next is the emergency stop. This isn’t for stopping the print, it’s to stop the homing if there is a problem. To stop the print there is a stop button on the print screen.
Last is the Company info screen.
This screen tells you the model name (Flying Bear Shine), the tech support email, and other information in case you need help.
Print Quality
I expected the quality of this printer to be awesome, but it is better than I expected. I have seen many prints online and have wanted an SLA or DLP printer for a long time. It is only recently that companies like Flyingbear released DLP printers cheap enough for everybody. On FDM prints the .1 layer height has been considered high quality. On the DLP as well as the SLA, .1 is considered low quality and .025 is high quality. At those resolutions the layer lines are almost invisible.
Print of the Eiffel Tower
The first print I wanted to do was the Eiffel Tower. I have always liked this model and it’s usually one that is done when showing off a DLP or SLA printer. It printed very well but I messed up the post-processing. I dipped it in alcohol then put it in the sun. The problem is that resin that remained between the parts has left a thin film of resin that hardened there.
Printout of Eiffel Tower: Front view.Eiffel Tower printout with an overhead view.Eiffel Tower 3D printout with a closeup of the top.Eiffel Tower 3D printout with a closeup of the bottom.
Print of a Medieval Castle
Another model I love that is popular for showing the detail your printer can print is a castle on a hill with lots of tiny trees. And if you look at the image of the bottom you will see another mistake I made. Putting it in the sun in the window made it stick to the wood a bit and pulled off a bit of the finish.
Print of medieval castle with trees.This part of the castle was too close to a sunny window.Closeup of trees from medieval castle print.Print of medieval castle from the front.
Print of a Green Lantern Ring
Being a DC comic fan I, of course, had to print a Green Lantern ring. It was my first attempt at adding manual supports. My supports stuck too well, and I had to cut them off the ring.
Prints of Flash and Superman Rings
After that, I thought I would give the Flash and Superman rings a try. I tried them by placing them face down on the build plate. The problem with that is the liquid pools on the ring – so it cures as it cures.
When I purchased the resin I chose green for the Green Lantern ring and Kryptonite. Superman is my favorite of all the comic book heroes so of course I needed to print some kryptonite. The giant Lego kryptonite was a great option.
Print of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude
I found this cute little model of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. It should be printed in white or clear resin, but I only have green for now.
Print of Skull Dice.
My last model is of the skull dice. It didn’t work. I suspect it was because there is no drainage, or the resin isn’t clear enough to see it.
Software
DLP and SLA slicing software is different from FDM slicing software. The company gives out the program called “FLYINGBEAR-Shine slicer” and “Creation workshop”. I’m not sure if it’s developed in house or if it’s a derivative of an open source software.
The supports are different on DLP printers and have to be added through third party software such as Autodesk Meshmixer. The included slicer works great and odd times it will connect through FTP to the printer over the network. You can then upload prints to do on the printer. The Creation Workshop is another slicer that looks good but compared to the Flyingbear one, overcly omplicated. I stuck with the Flyingbear one because it worked most of the time. That, and the slicing time for the Creation Workshop takes a lot more time. Slicing creates an image for every layer, and then the printer prints each layer all at once where FDM uses G-code. The G-Code is just commands for the motors to move the tool-head line by line.
Printed Tools
There are no “upgrades” or “modifications” for this printer, but there are tools to print and use. Although, you need an FDM printer to print these.
The first and the one I use the most is this lid to keep the resin-covered when not in use. This is one I designed myself in Fusion 360.
Vat cover.
Next is a drain tray to let the build plate drip the resin in the tray. I found it faster and easier to use the scraper that came with the printer, and to push it off the build plate.
PROS
High accuracy
Strong material
Tinted cover to see how the print is going
Big bright touchscreen controls
Easy to learn
WiFi uploading
2K LCD with resolution up to 2550 x 1440
Z-Axis adopts Ball Screw to improve printing accuracy and stability
CONS
Glitchy WiFi
Small build volume
Supports are difficult
Messy post-processing
Needs lots of room for baths and tools.
Evaluation
People online who have DLP printers say these are very messy. I now actually know how messy it really is. You need more space than with FDM printers, despite the printer being smaller. You need room for an alcohol bath and paper towels and a soapy water bath. It’s a lot, but worth it.
I keep the water and alcohol in Tupperware containers that seal airtight. DLP printers are a great idea if you want to print figures or anything you want printed with super fine detail and almost no layer lines. It has a high precision Z-axis ball screw. If the WiFi would work at all times it’d be that much better, and it could be so for you.
I can’t wait to see DLP become mainstream. That will happen when the cost of resin gets lower as the cost of printers did. It will happen just like it did for filament and FDM printing.
Types of resins aren’t as clear as FDM filaments. The Wanhao resin I purchased is made for Wanhao SLA printers. There is no smell but it’s good advice to keep the room well ventilated, and using gloves in handling.
Before I had an DLP printer, I would advise against buying one as your first printer. Now I would say, go for it. Yeah, the resin cost more but it won’t be long before its price drops. Even without the promised resin, the Flyingbear shine is a great choice for a great price.
I’m really happy to present yet another review in a long line of SJCAM products! Thanks to SJCAM I’m now able to also test the new SJ8 PRO.
The PRO version is the highest version of the three available designations; AIR, PLUS and PRO. This is the first SJ camera that manages to record videos in 4K at 60fps – just like the most famous brand GoPro.
So could this camera really be the ultimate “GoPro killer”? Let’s see its specifications first!
The SJ8 Pro out of the box.
Specifications for SJCam’s SJ8 Pro
[go_pricing id=”sj8-pro”]
Unboxing
Accessories for the SJ8 Pro
This camera is sold in two different packages. First, there’s the “Small Box” one containing only the camera, charging cable, and the Manual. The “Full Set” one, as the one I have received, contains all from the “small” pack, plus a lot of accessories. Adding many accessories is quite usual for SJCAM, but now you have another option there.
Here are all the components that come with the SJ8 Pro’s Full Set.
The components for the SJ8 Pro’s Full Set are as follows:
1 x Original SJCAM SJ8 AIR/PLUS/PRO Action Cam;
1 x Battery;
1 x Waterproof Housing;
1 x Quick-Release Buckle;
1 x Handlebar Seat Post Mount
1 x Curved Adhesive Mount;
1 x Flat Adhesive Mount;
2 x 3M Adhesive Tape pieces;
1 x Universal 1/4″ Camera Tripod Mount
1 x Tripod Mount Adapter;
1 x Cleaning Cloth;
1 x USB-C connector Cable
Design and build quality
The general shape of this camera is actually not much different from the most other cameras. But when you take a closer look, you can clearly hear all the materials screaming how these are not cheap at all!
The LCD screen on the front of the camera tends to run hot.
All the surfaces are covered by a rubbery paint that helps with the grip. What you immediately notice is that the buttons are backlighted, which is very beautiful!
LCD screen and touchscreen
The SJ8 PRO has two screens. The one in front is a classic LCD screen, and it is one of the rare cameras that has a main, capacitive touchscreen on the back. I can state with pleasure that it works perfectly, exactly like the one on your phone!
The touchscreen ability is very useful; you can go through the settings a lot faster before taking footage of your adventure. Behind this nifty function, there is a superbly intuitive and clear menu. Still, it can be an irritatingly slow chore if you want to change something during the action. It will all depend on what you need to do, and I don’t consider this feature a “malus”.
I just want to add a little note about the front LCD, actually about its temperature. I can’t precisely tell you why, but it is always very hot! And honestly, I left it switched off during my tests, just to speed up the cooling down of the entire camera.
The SJ8 Pro’s dual microphones are in the locations shown above.
Dual microphone
Another feature that this camera has is the dual microphone. One is positioned on the front and the other on the side, and, at least in theory, this ensures a perfectly clear audio recording. But we will dwell on this in its specific section.
The camera features a USB-C port and a screw mount for the tripod.
USB-C port
On the same side of the second microphone, there is the USB port. It is not your classic USB port but finally a type C! Now we can say goodbye to the struggle of trying to find the proper plug orientation!
Jokes aside, the type C port has an advantage of a double face; both literally and figuratively! We have the comfort of an omnidirectional and resistant plug, but then there are not that many devices that use the type C! So you have to acquire your own cable if the provided one is not enough for your needs.
The SD card slot is tucked next to the battery. It seems like it might get too hot in this location.
SD card slot
On the bottom of the camera, there is the essential bushing for an eventual tripod, or any other standard 1/4″-20 screw mount. Furthermore, in the battery door (a part of the battery itself) there is the SD card slot.
Honestly, I don’t think this is a good idea because it is well known that the battery can be quite hot during the recording and when the camera is being recharged. That doesn’t help the SDcard much! I have noticed that during a 4K/60fps recording the battery and SDcard corner becomes too hot to hold comfortably.
Menu overview
This camera’s menu is very well made. With help of its touchscreen, SJCAM has managed to create one of the most intuitive menus to be found on an action camera. We can easily find everything we need:
The back of the SJ8 Pro has a touchscreen display and menu.
From the top left to the bottom right we see:
Selected Mode
Recording time/Recording left
Mic/Battery status
Zoom in/out
Playback
Resolutions menu
Modes
Actual mode settings
General settings
In the Mode Settings we can find every setting for any mode, like:
White Balance – Auto/Sunny day/Cloudy/Fluorescent/Underwater
Color – SJCAM/Flat
Metering – Center/Spot/AVG
Gyro Sensor – On/Off
Encoding – H.264/H.265
Distortion Correction – On/Off
Loop Recording – On/Off
File Size – 1min/2min/3min/5min/10min/15min/20min
Video Quality – Fine/Normal/Economy
ISO – 6400/3200/1600/800/400/200/100/MAX100/MAX200/MAX400/MAX800/MAX1600/MAX3200/MAX6400
Audio – On/Off
Time Stamp – On/Off
Same goes for the General menu:
Language – Czech/Danish/English/French/German/Hungarian/Italian/Japanese/Korean/Polski/Portuguese/Russian/ Simplified Chinese/Slovak/Spanish/Traditional Chinese
WiFi – On/Off
WiFi Frequency – 2.4G/5G
Format (SDcard, that is)
Auto Power off – Off/3min/5min/10min
Screensaver – Off/30sec/1min/3min/5min
Front Display – On/Off
Indicator Light – On/Off
Keypad Tone – On/Off
Brightness
Color Temperature
Volume
External Mic – On/Off
Date/Time
Gimbal Control – On/Off
Frequency – 50Hz/60Hz
Default Settings
UI – Classic/SJCAM
Version – v1.2.0 (2018.05.25)
For more on navigating the menus, see the video below.
You probably didn’t notice the lack of one little but (in my opinion), very important feature: ROTATE! With this camera, you can’t rotate the image upside down, and I don’t really get it. People like me — who use the camera upside down 90 percent of the time — are forced to make a post-production rendering so as to rotate the image. It may seem like a little thing but it is very important! So SJ, add this to the menu, please; it’s an important setting!
Since the Firmware v.1.2.4 (July 9th 2018) the Rotate setting is available in the Menu!
Some advice on the settings
After this little grumble, I’d like to offer some advice about the settings.
First of all, this camera has both the classic H.264 as well as the H.265. The new video encoding generates smaller files with the same quality, but it is not quite like that. I have noticed an important detail loss with the H.265, so maybe you’d prefer to retain the default H.264.
The second important thing is to ensure you have set the ISO to MAX3200 or MAX6400 because by default the camera has a setting of 100 ISO-FIX. This means that the camera makes beautiful videos in bright light, but in the low light, the images become utterly black! I had to repeat several tests for this reason.
My last bit of vital advice is to keep the front screen switched off because it heats the camera like a BBQ and it’s not very good for anything it has inside!
Except for these things I have no other warnings of this sort. All in all, this cam is really beautiful to see and comfortable to use.
Video
Honestly, it was more difficult to grasp this camera than other models. Not because it is complicated to comprehend but because, after A LOT of testing, I understood that it has been primarily created to make videos in 4K and not so much with other resolutions. Yes I know, it’s a strange thing to affirm, but let me explain.
I’ve always said the most used resolution and frame rate is 1080p 60fps and I don’t want to go against my own theory. It is still valid but it seems SJCAM doesn’t think like me. They concentrated all the resources to develop the 4K and not the other resolution. It’s not that hard to prove because I only need to tell you is that the 1080p bitrate is only 18.000 kilobitseconds (Kbps = thousands of bits per second transfer rate).
If you don’t know what the bitrate is, well, in simple words, this is the number of details in a video. You can go deeper into this theme by reading my guide HERE.
Usual bitrate at 1080p on any other camera is around 30.000kbps, yet this camera has only ~18.000kbps making very light files with very ugly images. Contrary of that, the 4K with 30fps has 60.000kbps and with 60fps the transfer rate can reach 100.000kbps! Honestly, I never found such a high bitrate before and talking about the quality, it can make big difference between a “normal” camera and a good camera!
Now I’m going to show you some classic videos with the standard resolution of 1080p 60fps compared with the 4K 60fps
The difference is evident, the 4K on this camera is on another level compared to all the other cameras. I have no doubts about that!
I’m quite disappointed about a couple of things here. The first one is the low quality of the 1080p resolution. I am 100% sure that it is a software problem because this camera has one of the best hardware sets on the market. It could be the direct rival of the GoPro Hero 6 and I’m not joking. That’s why I think, with some corrections in the firmware, they can make one if not THE BEST of all affordable action cameras on the market.
The second problem is the framerate. I can’t understand why the 4K 60fps has real 60fps but the 1080p 120fps and 720 240fps resolutions have doubled frames, meaning half of those are the same. This problem can also be easily solved with a simple firmware update, and I’m confident in the future!
Since the Firmware v.1.2.4 the 240fps issue is fixed but the problem with 120fps remained!
After these few lines of criticism, it’s time to talk about the huge quality of the 4K and the magic of the camera’s Gyroscopic stabilization. I am truly amazed about how good this camera can stabilize videos! I think this feature can almost replace a Gimbal!
As the first example I want to show you how it kills the shakes as a dashcam in my car:
And the magic it can make during a bike ride:
It uses up a little bit of field of view, but it’s worth it!
Same place, different resolution:
As you can see, the quality is superb, you can see every detail of every leaf. It’s just amazing! And it doesn’t have too much of speed effect!
You also can notice the color gamut of this camera, it’s a pleasure to see all these colors faithful to reality, here’s where the high-level sensor makes the difference!
In the low light conditions, this camera shows all its potential. With the ISO wound up to 6400, it succeeds in capturing all the light in its field of view. I was honestly impressed how good it gathers the light also on far objects, like houses or far intersections. These colors are incredibly realistic too, it’s not all yellow and dark. If there is a lighted tree, you can see the greens! It seems like an unimportant thing but it’s not. It means that the sensor knows how to do its job!
I think this is one of the best cameras I ever tested in the night lighting conditions!
Audio
We can clearly find the section on the SJAM website where they advertise the presence of two microphones, built in to capture a perfect sound, even in a concert.
This promotional image from SJCam claims the two microphones ensure perfect sound.
I won’t hide from you my happiness to be able to write about that because I like a lot the cameras with good sound recordings. Now, I don’t want be rude but I think my car is not as loud as a concert but the results are like this:
Well, it’s not exactly what I expected.
Apart from this “LITTLE” problem, with a normal audio volume, it will be quite acceptable. The high frequencies are clear, but the bass is croaking a tad. This may be good enough for recording a conversation but not good for the music. Still, during normal usage, you will not encounter any trouble.
Photo
Following my theory on the video quality, the photos must be good as well. Luckily this theory is confirmed because this camera can make good photos for an action camera. OK, you didn’t expect a DSLR, but these images are good enough to be generally satisfied.
Photo taken with the SJ8 Pro during “the golden hour,” when the sun is low in the sky.Night; low-light conditions and streetlights.Inside of car at night with street lights (low – level light conditions).Daylight with shade.Photo taken from wooded clearing of the sky with a sunburst.The camera captures a high level of detail.Hilly landscape in bright afternoon sunlight.Hilly landscape in bright afternoon sunlight with wildflowers in the foreground.Closeup of mullein (Verbascum thapsus) wildflowers.
Samples
In this link you can find all the media files present in this review with the original quality, straight from the camera.
The battery performance is extraordinary! I read that the battery of this camera is one of the most capacious with its 1200mAh – it has 150 to 200mAh more than its rivals.
The results of my test are hard to beat. This is a list of the main resolutions and frame rates:
4K 60fps – 90 minutes (46,1 Gb)
4K 30fps- 89 minutes (24,7Gb)
2.7K 60fps – 70 minutes (14,8Gb)
2.7K 30fps – 109 minutes (12,1Gb)
1080P 60fps – 118 minutes (12,5Gb)
1080p 30fps – 135 minutes (7,20Gb)
Charging time – 130 minutes
Wifi and app
Both Wifi and the app are still the same as with all the other SJ cameras. Everything works perfectly and everything is stable as it should be. In the beginning when the camera was released, the App had a few problems, mostly with the resolutions. The app resolutions simply didn’t match the camera resolutions and it was risky was to choose the 4K resolution just to find out in the end that your entire video was made at 720p. Luckily, they fixed this problem by the end of June.
In summary
This camera, in general, is a good camera. It could be a GREAT camera but it’s not the first time SJCAM released a camera with bugs and fixes it through its firmware updates later on. The SJ8 PRO has a good video quality and an amazing battery life, but the audio is still poor. So, this and some other tweaks must be performed in its software area. I will recommend this camera anyway because after all, it is a good camera. I hope to see in coming firmware updates all it requires, to make this camera truly A BEAST.
If you’re looking for a high-quality drone that’s easy to use and takes spectacular photos, the Xiaomi MI Drone 4K delivers great value for the money.
In today’s review, and with huge excitement, I aim to show you literally everything about the Xiaomi Mi Drone.
It is likely the best drone for aerial photography currently on the market, so let’s see all the reasons for such a statement in this full Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K review.
The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K WIFI FPV With HD 4K 30FPs 1080P Camera 3-Axis Gimbal RC Quadcopter Xiaomi Drone with remote
It’s always been one of my biggest dreams to have my own drone. It is well in-line with my thinking that “there is nothing more fascinating than flying!” Nowadays, many manufacturers have given us the chance to follow such dreams with this new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft that we simply, and wrongly, call “drones.” There are many machines of this type on the market: big, small, tiny, short, fast, fat, heavy, light, with cameras, with multiple motors, with and without lights, based on airplane or helicopter principles, etc…
The choice is already huge and continues to become overwhelming. Today we will study one of the best buy drones, the Xiaomi Mi 4k drone or better called a quadcopter. A quadcopter UAV is simply a drone with four propellers.
This drone has a remotely controlled camera that is capable of recording video footage in 4K resolution, which manages to capture every fine detail of the landscape below. Using the long-reaching Remote Controller you are free to fly as far as 5km (3.1 miles) away, having the opportunity to explore places you have never explored before!
The Xiaomi Mi Drone 1080p quadcopter flying above.
Before I start with the review, let me warn you that every country has its own laws about remotely controlled flying machines, and not every country allows them. I also want to seriously state that you should never operate them in places where it might present danger to anything and anyone!
Absolutely avoid flying your drone over, around, or near airports, big cities, densely populated areas and/or events, and along the highways… in short, do not fly at places where it might be potentially dangerous for you and for other people.
That being said, we can launch our drone review!
Product Specifications for the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K
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The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K: Our Ratings
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At the time of this writing, was offering this product for $453 if you enter the code, MCMI4K. That would make it the best drone deal for under 500!
Unboxing and accessories
In the box there is:
1x Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K
1x RC controller
1x Camera
1x Battery
1x USB cable
2x Manuals
8x Propellers
1x Wall charger
Here’s the video.
About the Xiaomi Mi Drone
I’d be lying if I told you that this drone is ugly. It is made of white plastic with golden details. The plastic appears fragile to the look and touch, but it is actually quite strong and also very light. I like the two-tone white/gold design, it makes the Xiaomi Mi drone look pretty classy!
On the crossform shape of the drone we first see the 4 propellers fixed to the motors at the end of drone’s arms. Under the motor pods we have 4 different LED lights. The two white lights denote the front part of the drone, while the red and green LEDs on the back motor undersides act as navigation lights. These navigation lights are used in the same manner as on boats and planes: Green to starboard (right side), Red to port (left side).
On the backside of the drone we find the battery with its gold button and 4 LEDs that form the battery status indicator. Very useful to know the status of the battery; also when it is detached from the Drone.
Under the front side of the drone hangs the camera, like a huge eyeball, easily noticeable. Thanks to the camera mount which is composed of 2 plastic frames separated by 4 soft round rubber shock-absorbers, plus a 3-axis stabilizing system, this drone has one of the best stabilized cameras currently on the market.
The GIF below shows the xiaomi mi drone 4k’s camera in action.
There is the usual landing gear on the drone underside; shaped like two plastic triangles positioned aside of the camera. The landing gear is not fixed, rather it can be folded by two dedicated buttons located on the “hips” of the drone. By folding the landing gear up, the drone becomes flat, and thus more portable.
The last thing I want to mention are the three strange “things” on the bottom of the drone. What are those? Well, the two larger circles are the Sonar Mechanism’s and the smaller one is another small camera; the synergy of these two features allows the drone to land safely. And drone will land at the same place where it took off. We will go deeper into more details later in the review.
The Remote Control
An important part of the whole experience is the drone’s Remote Controller, or simply RC. It is a quite big and heavy contraption, but there are a few strategically placed rubber strips to help with the grip.
The two main levers are big, offer perfect grip and reveal that they are a very precise mechanism. If you perhaps don’t like the levers you can change them since they are simply screwed onto the RC commands.
On the front of the RC there are:
The left lever is to control the elevation of the drone (up/down) and the angle (turn about itself left/right);
The right lever function is to move the drone (forward/backward and slide left/right).
The two big buttons are the Power Button and the Automatic landing/take off command.
In the middle there is the battery status indicators of the RC and a ring to support the unit via a neck strap.
Above that there is the Return To Home (RTH) button, its function is self-explanatory: bring the drone back from wherever it is.
On the front corners we see another two wheels. The left one is used to control the camera tilt from 0° to -90°. The right wheel is programmable, and can be used to modify the drone LED intensity, or the cam’s EV (exposure value) during the flight.
At the front top, and extendable from the inside of the RC housing, there is the smartphone support clamp.
On the backside there are two buttons. With the left hand we remotely start or stop the video, and with the right we can shoot photos. These functions do not work simultaneously. [go_pricing id=”anet_a8_5a_5a775b3351a3e”]
The Best Drone with a Camera
We think this may be the best drone with a camera! The camera has the usual shape of a 3-axis gimbal, but it is further shielded from vibrations by 4 soft rubber balls. Xiaomi declares that this simple mechanism is able to annul more than 1000 shakes per second. There’s no possibility to count these vibrations, but the smooth work of the camera is very impressive.
On the back of the camera is a small heat dissipation fan which helps the camera stay cool. At the sides of the fan are the USB port and SD card slot. The frontally placed lens gathers images in 100° FOV.
How To Setup The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K Before Flight
In order to successfully fly the drone, you must be sure to have everything you need! It’s not as self-evident as you might think, because the first time I forgot to take along the Remote Controller! But I’m not the only one like that, right? Later I solved this by taking the entire drone box with me.
The most important step is to ensure that all the batteries and spares for the remote controller and drone are fully charged, ditto your phone. After that we are ready to go out and complete the drone setup by following these steps:
Take the drone out of the box, and fold the landing gear down till the locking buttons click into place. The gear might look broken when unlocked, but in actuality it is not. Make sure the gear is locked by lightly pushing on it, if the gear doesn’t move then it’s OK.
Ok, now’s the time to mount the camera. Before doing anything, we need to detach the small door from the drone underside to expose the camera contacts. Don’t try to pull the door open with your nails because it is near impossible. Instead, lay the drone on a smooth surface and push the the lock mechanism (nearest button). The door will fall open by itself. Now, without taking off the 4 white cubes around the motors, turn the drone over and mount the camera with the lens turned towards you. It’s an easy mechanism, no muscle required. Mount the front side first, then the back, until you hear a click. As always, test the connection. Try to pull out the camera, and if it won’t budge, then everything’s well.
The last pre-flight step is obviously, to mount the propellers. These are in different colors; two silver and two gold. You can see this by the color of their plastic mounts, and these are to be mounted in accordance to the color of respective arms. You just slighty press the propeller to the top on its motor until it sits on the axle, and then turn the propeller in the indicated locking direction. Also, after any mounting action, try lifting the drone by the propellers to test the mount. If everything stays attached, it’s OK.
I want to remind you that drones, upon encountering any problem can’t just be stopped like some ground vehicle. Drones fall down and are likely to cause hurt or damage below. So do not ever take off before being absolutely sure everything has been mounted correctly. It is a mandatory procedure for all aircraft of any type, whether manually or remotely piloted!
Drone is assembled, so it’s time to concentrate upon the phone and the Remote Control.
Turn on the Remote Control by pressing twice on the power button: the first press fast and the second one for two seconds. When you hear the beeps and see the lights, it’s turned on.
The last step is to put the phone on the RC. All you need to do is pull out the phone support from the front of the Remote Control and connect the phone to the RC via Wifi or Cable. I advise you to use the cable because it is safer (connection can’t be lost) and you will use less battery power.
As you can see, this drone was made to be an “easy to use” product. There are just a few procedural steps to follow, but everything is straightforward. All the mechanics are very sharp and nothing seems sluggish or cheap. When everything is assembled, the drone is very strong and well made. There is absolutely nothing to make you think of sloppy manufacturing. Exactly the opposite – the Xiaomi Mi Drone exemplifies stability in every aspect.
Now that we know how all the pieces are put together, we are ready to fly the drone!
First steps
I want to start this part by taking a little step back to establish relation with the previous section, then:
Turn on the RC
Turn on the Drone by pressing the power button with two clicks. The first fast, the second click two seconds long (like the RC)
Turn on the App
Connect the phone to the RC
Follow the instructions from the app to pair the drone with the RC
Now the drone and the RC are perfectly connected
If everything went well, you will now see either the drone position on the map, or what the camera is seeing.
All you need to do to is wait for the “Could fly” signal from the app to turn on the motors.
You power on the motors by simultaneously pushing the left lever on the RC to its lower right corner, and the right lever to the lower left corner.
The drone never gave me the green light a.k.a. “OK to fly” the first time. To “fix” this problem you simply move the drone just 1m (3 ft) up and rotate it. Usually this is enough to ensure proper calibration which allows you to fly. I don’t understand what the problem is, maybe it’s just that the compass requires calibration, because after the first takeoff the GPS signal is perfect.
I made this little video of what you have to do from start to finish before flight:
Video From the “Best Buy Drone”
The videos taken from the Xiaomi Mi drone are simply gorgeous! With its 4K resolution, the camera manages to capture every single detail on the ground. As opposed to the action cam reviews, I will use the maximum resolution possible, as the job of any drone is to help make spectacular cinematic videos.
My first flights went well and I was quite amused by the colors. I was in a field and the grass was more grey than green…
Once home, I studied the app and fixed this by increasing the saturation and contrast. I increased the saturation from 0 to 50 and the contrast from 0 to 13. I’d recommend you experiment with this for better video quality.
Also the light changes are perfect, even with backlight conditions!
After several flights, I made two short montages. The first one uses standard color settings, which shows that the colors are quite bleak:
In this one, I changed the color settings so everything has a more natural look:
I swear I only added the music and nothing more; these videos are directly from the drone!
During these videos I noticed that the gimbal is a bit awry, nothing major but there is almost 3° of imprecision. You can notice this when looking at the horizon line, it’s not perfectly straight. I read on internet that this is a common problem for the Xiaomi Mi. I couldn’t find the way to level it, but if I do I’ll update the review.
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Photo, Best Drone To Buy?
The photos provoked the same thoughts as the videos. These had the same anemic colors, but are quite sharp nevertheless. Obviously not DSLR quality images, but great anyway!
Noise
I can ensure you that this drone is not one of the most quiet drones on the market!
App
The app for the Xiaomi Mi Drone is designed very, very well. It simulates your presence in the cockpit of an aircraft, in the know with all the parameters.
Let’s explain all the information on the screen!
In the top left corner there is the altitude (relative to the takeoff point, not from the sea level).
In the top right corner there is the drone battery power percentage.
In the lower left corner there is the drone distance from the RC.
In the lower right corner is the number of satellites the drone is reading its data from.
After that, from top to bottom, we have:
The GPS status and various warnings.
The video recording timer.
On the bottom of the screen is the angle of the camera, and other various parameters: H.S is the horizontal speed of the drone, V.S is the vertical speed, the RC signal (in this case: Strong), the video transmission quality, and the EV of the camera.
The four bars on the screen edges are graphic presentation of the corners parameters.
On the left side we have the percentages of the top distances we can reach within the actual parameters.
On the right side we have the battery consumption data and the GPS signal quality.
Now let’s examine the 5 touch buttons on the screen.
In these screenshots we are in the camera view that allows the pilot to see what the drone sees via the camera. We can switch between this mode and the Maps mode by using the upper left button. The Maps section is where we can see where the drone is geographically located relative to the controller, giving a better idea of the territory and the distances.
Under this button are the camera settings. Here is what we can manipulate:
EV
Saturation
Contrast
Sharpness
White Balance
On the right side, we have the Rec/Shoot button and the preview button, where we can see what was previously recorded.
The last button allows the control of other settings and calibrations. There is a section for everything: the Drone section, RC section, Battery section, Gimbal section, Camera section, Map section, and Account section.
Let’s list the content section by section:
Aircraft Section
Connect Device – It connects the phone to the drone
Firmware update – It checks if there are any new updates for the drone
Compass – Used for compass calibration
Beginner Guide – In this section the app explains to a rookie what to do
Beginner Mode – With this mode turned on, the pilot has flight restrictions; like 50m (165ft) altitude limit, and 100m (330ft) distance limit from the RC
GPS mode – Allows the pilot to manually change the max speed, max elevation and other parameters
VPU Mode – Allows to the pilot to fly the drone only with the sonar – without GPS, including indoors
ATTI Mode – Allows the pilot to fly the drone without any support
Show more info – Shows more info on the main screen of the app, like gimbal angle and other parameters
Imperial Units – On/Off
IMU – Shows GPS parameters
Head Light Settings – Change the intensity of the lights
RC Section
RC Calibration – It allows the pilot to calibrate all the movement of the RC mechanics.
Stick Mode – It can invert the stick functions.
WiFi Settings – To change the name and password for the Wifi
RC Pairing – Starts the connection between the RC and the Drone (binding)
Right Dial Settings – It changes the function of the wheel on the right corner of the RC
Battery Section
This section shows all battery info, including the temperature of the battery pack
Gimbal Section
Gimbal Calibration – Auto calibration of the gimbal
Gimbal Adjustment – Manual adjustment of the gimbal
Camera Section
Mode – PAL/NTSC
Video Resolution – 4K @30fps/2.5K @60fps/1080p @ 100/60/30fps
Photo Size – 4:3 12Mp/16:9 8Mp
Photo Format – JPEG/JPEG+RAW
Use Grid – On/Off
Lights turn off when shooting – On/Off
Format Card
Reset all camera settings
Maps Section
Satellite Map – On/Off
Enable Coordinate Correction – On/Off
Account
Flight Record – Total km, minutes and takeoffs
Flight Log – Every movement of the drone
Feedback – Send an enquiry to the Support
Check for updates
Version Info – Mi Drone V1.3.9.20604
History message
Account
Flight Functions
The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K comes off the production line with these functions:
Take off – The drone makes an automatic takeoff without risks
Land – The drone makes a fully automatic landing by scanning the ground to find the perfect location
RTH – The drone comes back to the pilot and lands automatically
Orbit Flight – With this mode we can set the altitude, speed and the range of a virtual circle around a position on the map to make a perfect 360° circling record.
Dronie Flight – The drone will point the camera at the pilot and then start to fly backwards, creating a great cinematic effect:
Waypoint Flight– The drone will follow a path pre-set from the Map.
Tap-fly Flight – Simply the drone will reach the POI tapped on the Map.
It’s incredible how well these modes work, simple but very effective! Probably the only thing this drone doesn’t have is the “follow me” mode, which is where the drone follows a pre-set object, like someone on a bike. With these modes it is very easy to create really spectacular footage.
Battery Performance
This drone uses a 5000mAh battery, which is sufficient to fly for about 18 – 20 minutes. Obviously this time depends on speed, wind and various other factors. During the flight the Mi drone will automatically warn the pilot when the battery reaches 30%.
The battery can only be charged with its own charger, because it has its own particular plug – incompatible with anything else. A full charge requires about 100 minutes.
Summary
This is one of the best camera drones under $500 that you can purchase. It has everything you need to have fun or to record unforgettable videos and photos. This drone is perfect for every job and for every skill set, from a rookie to professional pilots. The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K is almost perfect, and excepting the issue regarding the gyroscope bug, I can’t find anything bad, calling it the best buy drone!
I heartily recommend this drone to anyone who wishes to work with a good camera that can fly.
Pro:
Beautiful Design
Easy to Set Up
Very Easy to Fly
Great Video Quality
Long RC Range
Fast Charging Battery
Cons:
It is not the smallest drone on the market
On startup it’s slow to connect with the satellites
