This is a companion topic for our recent blog post on blog.unmanned.tech
Joshua Bardwell recently took a jaunt to Fly Five33, home of three-time Multi GP world champion Evan Turner, to see if the DJI O4 air unit with racing mode could hold its own against the likes of HDZero and our old friend, analog. Spoiler: it might just have some chops, although it’s not the second coming of Christ, if you catch my drift. Weight-wise, the O4 isn’t too shabby either, tipping the scales at a mere 171 grams—just a smidgen heavier than HDZero’s 163 grams, which shouldn’t be a deal-breaker unless you’re particularly fond of counting grams.
Evan demonstrated his wizardry with HDZero, clocking a blistering 31.14 seconds on the laps while testing for interference among systems. Astonishingly, when DJI was powered up, we didn’t hear any complaints about interference, which is like finding out your teabag has brewed a perfect cuppa without the usual faff. Close proximity tests showed that while DJI goggles began to interfere at just a couple of inches away, racing camaraderie should remain intact for the most part.
Now, while the DJI O4 Lite’s narrower field of view (117 degrees) may leave a bit to be desired in the racing scene—kind of like trying to navigate a crowded pub with your eyes closed—it’s worth noting that latency issues were non-existent and video quality was impressively top-notch. Evan managed to set a quick lap time of 29.8 seconds with the O4, proving that practice makes perfect, even if it takes a bit of getting used to.
In short, the DJI O4 seems to be a contender worth keeping an eye on, but let’s not get too carried away just yet; more testing is required, especially in indoor environments where its performance could shine. For all the nitty-gritty details, do take a gander at the full video here:
For further reading on FPV racing, check out our guide on HD FPV and learn how to build your own mini FPV quadcopter.
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