3DR Solo Drone Review
Flying a drone and managing its camera simultaneously needs years of practice. Getting professional-level images with your drone is a challenging task! That is where 3DR’s Solo drone comes in. This drone is optimized for capturing high-quality aerial footage with very intuitive features such as autonomous flight modes. It simplifies the process of capturing professional-looking, dramatic aerial photos, even for amateurs.
In this piece, you’ll learn how the 3DR Solo drone performs across various metrics – its specifications, price, and features, to name a few. By the end of this article, you should be able to make an informed decision about whether or not to purchase the 3DR Solo drone.
Design
When you see Solo, the word “minimal” immediately comes to mind. On top of that slim design, right near the power button, is a massive 5,200mAh battery.
The quadcopter is quite large, measuring just under 19 inches from tip to tip, and quite heavy, weighing a whopping 3.35 pounds with the battery, gimbal, and camera mounted. That means it must be registered with the FAA due to its weight exceeding the 0.5-pound requirement.
When you power on the Solo, the quadcopter becomes more colorful, as brilliant multicolor LEDs beneath each motor indicate the quadcopter’s status. These are plainly visible during the day and become relatively bright at night. For example, when the quadcopter is in flight mode, red signifies the front, and blue represents the back.
On the underside, there is an auxiliary connector and a series of considerably smaller LEDs that indicate the device’s condition during startup. These lights blink while the drone boots up and connects, and the rate at which they blink can be utilized to diagnose an issue if something goes wrong. While no gadgets are yet available that utilize the connection port, 3DR is hopeful that developers will create such accessories via the company’s Made for Solo initiative.
The camera slot, which accommodates a GoPro Hero, is located on the front of the base. This is a simple frame that holds the camera in place in the regular model, but 3DR also offers an active gimbal that pans, tilts, and rotates the camera. A wire runs from the drone’s guts to the gimbal, allowing you to control both the camera and the gimbal. In addition, an HDMI connection connects the camera to either the regular or gimbal mount, providing a live preview to the smartphone app that controls the drone.
Acceleration
The 3DR Solo drone is unquestionably a fast drone like the DJI Mavic Pro(read the full review here)! It has a top speed of around 55 mph, which is about ten mph quicker than DJI’s Phantom 4. Thus, if you require a drone that can keep up with the speed of, say, your car or motorcycle, the 3DR Solo is an excellent alternative.
Modes of Autonomous Flight
How to fly 3DR solo drone? The method and various modes of flying this drone are given below. The 3DR Solo quadcopter features numerous autonomous flight modes, including
- Selfie Mode — In this mode, the drone’s camera will initially focus exclusively on you before abruptly vanishing to expose your surroundings.
- Cable Cam Option — This mode lets you select between two distinct points for the drone to fly.
- Orbit Mode — This mode causes the drone to fly in a broad circle around a selected point.
- Follow Me — As the name implies, the drone will follow you wherever you go in this mode.
All of these modes simplify the process of capturing professional-looking aerial footage with the 3DR Solo. Does the 3 DR solo drone black come with a GoPro? Yes, the 3DR Solo drone comes with a GoPro. Although the Solo utilizes a GoPro camera, integration is excellent. Not only does the gimbal power the action camera — a significant advantage given the relatively limited 3DR Solo drone battery life of GoPros — but it’s also the only drone on the market that allows you to control the GoPro via the 3DR Solo drone app. You can pause and resume video, adjust the resolution, adjust exposure compensation, or switch to still mode to capture an aerial photograph. Any setting accessible directly from the GoPro can also be accessed using the Solo control software.
Performance
The drone Solo 3DR is not without flaws, notable among them being the GPS. Even in areas with clear, wide sky, locking onto a signal takes approximately three minutes. It is the only drone that has been unable to collect GPS in this position. However, the drone was able to lock on and take flight after moving a few blocks to a nearby sports area. Does the 3DR solo drone have object sensors? Yes, the latest versions have object sensors used for scanning obstacles (center, right, left) with a range of 6 meters ahead of the solo.
The battery life of drone solo 3DR is an issue. After 14 minutes of flight, it was discovered that the battery had reduced to roughly 20%, which suggests that you should expect to keep the Solo aloft for no more than 16 minutes until the battery is completely depleted. However, you’ll want to bring it in a little early, so 15 minutes per flight seems more acceptable. The Solo is not the only drone that advertises a greater flying duration than what it actually delivers. DJI’s Phantom 3 series, which claims a flight time of 23 minutes, achieves closer to 19 minutes in practice, and the Phantom 4, which is rated for a maximum flying length of 28 minutes, achieved 23 minutes in field tests. (Learn how to make the battery last longer.)
The video quality is determined by the GoPro you use. You can pair the Solo with a Black Hero 4. It captures 4K video at a maximum frame rate of 30 frames per second. Shooting in 4K necessitates using the widest angle available on the GoPro, which introduces considerable barrel distortion. This distortion can be removed using GoPro’s integrated editing software.
Conclusion
However, the 3DR Solo aerial drone has a few advantages over its less expensive competitor. The controller and 3DR Solo drone app are superior to the competitors, with a more streamlined design and uncluttered UI. The Solo is easier to fly, with more responsive remote and more automated and intuitive flight modes. Additionally, it appeals to hackers and tinkerers because of its open-source plans, which enable you to go deep into the drone’s guts. If you’re looking for a drone that’s ready to shoot right out of the box, the Phantom 3 or the Parrot Bebop 2 are better alternatives. However, if you want to film more complicated scenes and are willing to accept a steeper learning curve, the 3DR Solo aerial drone is the one for you.
FAQS
What makes 3DR Solo drone special?
3DR Solo drone has an effortless flight, i.e., effortless filming and less flight control. It makes flight easier with smooth and authoritative GPS satellite-guided flight. It also features auto takeoff, land, return home, and the ability to hit an e-brake and can stop your flight midair. This makes the 3DR Solo drone so unique.
What is the cost of 3DR Solo drone?
The Solo bundle’s base price is now $400, but you’ll need to buy a GoPro to take video, which will cost between $100 and $400 depending on the model. That puts it about on par with the DJI Phantom 3’s self-contained pricing.
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