The inclusion of blade rings is also a significant advantage if the drone ever hits living things, even though the 410g Avata is much lighter than the 795g DJI FPV. DJI Avata only supports downward obstacle sensing when used with DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 or DJI Motion Controller in N Mode or S Mode.

One slightly surprising feature if the DJI Avata is that it's substantially slower than its DJI FPV predecessor. This not only allows for greater sensitivity in lower light conditions but also provides greater dynamic range when grading the footage in post-production. As humans don’t come with consistently-specced eyes, the Goggles 2 allows for both a degree of optical adjustment along with Interpupillary Distance changes. Tested in an outdoor open environment without interference. The video transmission bitrate varies with operating environments. FPV flying is almost entirely done with a headset, which DJI calls its Goggles, The new Goggles 2 is one option bundled with the Avata, but it will work with the older Goggles V2 also.Using the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, as we did on many of our flights, is more intuitive for experienced drone pilots. When combined with the excellent view provided by the Goggles 2 and the agility of the Avata, it provided for easy precision flying and a high degree of exhilaration as we cruised low to the ground or between tree tops. In short, flying the Avata is a blast. If FPV flyers want the highest quality video, they usually strap an action camera to their machines, making them even more challenging to fly.

You can attach a phone using USB-C and use it to update firmware and manage the recordings that the Avata makes, but this isn’t necessary to fly or record video. When using the standard DJI Motion Controller in one of the combos, you can perform motion control on the aircraft. That is, you can turn your wrist to control the direction of flight, and the aircraft will fly wherever you point to. You can also press the accelerator to control the speed of flying forward, or release the accelerator to let the aircraft hover in place. The control is intuitive and easy-to-learn. Tested in an outdoor open environment without interference. The video transmission latency varies with different goggles. DJI FPV Goggles V2 can achieve video transmission of up to 810p. When you use DJI FPV Goggles V2 with the 810p/120fps video transmission, the lowest video transmission latency is less than 28 ms.The Intelligent Flight Battery has a rated capacity of 35.71 Wh and a powerful battery life of approximately 18 minutes*. With a built-in DJI Intelligent Battery Management System, battery status is monitored and reported in real-time, allowing you to focus less on power levels and more on flying. To control the limited interface, the Goggles 2 has a touchpad on the right-hand side that can be used to make adjustments to the controls, capture quality and other settings.

DJI Avata only supports downward obstacle sensing when used with DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, or DJI RC Motion 2/DJI Motion Controller in N Mode and S Mode.

You work at BID, what a legend.

Often the size of the sensor is overkill for video capture, and only a small portion of it is used to achieve the maximum 4K resolution. What DJI did with the Avata is use some of that extra additional capture to add a new feature, HorizonSteady. Along with being lighter, the Avata is also much smaller at just 18cm square and 8cm high, enabling it to get through much narrower gaps. The front of the frame also has an angled section, which should deflect the drone down if you flip the underside of a window or other horizontal structure. Compatible with DJI FPV Remote Controller 2, which is sold separately, and the DJI Motion Controller. DJI RC Motion 2 currently does not support the DJI Virtual Flight app.

At a better price than buying separately, DJI Avata Fly More Kit includes two Intelligent Flight Batteries and a Battery Charging Hub, providing sufficient power for your flight. The critical issue here is that this type of flying is a major departure from flying camera drones, and not all pilots will instantly enjoy it. If you discover that FPV flying isn’t for you, then this could be a very expensive mistake. The connection between the drone and the Goggles 2 is Ocusync O3+, the latest version of DJI’s transmission technology. Depending on what region you are flying, O3+ can provide a video and control link at up to 10km, or only 2km if you are based in Europe. Another useful feature is that the Avata has 20GB of internal storage, so forgetting to bring storage isn’t a catastrophe. You can set this space to be used even if you do insert a microSD card to provide some resilience against a card error ruining your best shot.This feature was handy on one of our flying days when the wind was gusty. Without HorizonSteady active, the video was at a severe angle even when flying in a straight line. Both these features can be disabled, but for serious cinematographers aiming to save time in post-production, they’re invaluable. The main difference between these Goggles and the ones you might use with a standard FPV are that DJI's ones have a cut-down version of the DJI Fly app, which means you can fly the drone without a mobile phone or tablet attached.