Shane
Whether you’re into field trips, sight-seeing, extreme sports or even just taking the dog for walkies, there’s the HoverAir X1 drone to record your every move.
Foldable and super light weight, this is the professional grade HD camera equipped drone you can take anywhere, in your pocket or a small carry bag.
Essentially the HoverAir X1 is a 12MP HD camera with propellers that can record in varying modes; 2704 x1520 @ 30fps,1920 x 1080 @ 60fps and 1920 x 1080 @ 30fps (HDR).
To operate, you will need to first charge up and depending on the camera recording mode you choose may depend on the battery life you get. The battery life is painfully short. On average I was able to use the drone for around 15 to 20 minutes on HDR, but each time this would vary, with one occasion only seeing about a 10 minute use time. I recommend having a couple of spare batteries with you.
You also need the free app (Android and iOS). The app takes you through tutorials and literally guides you through the varying flight modes; Hover, Follow, Side track, Dolly track, Zoom out, Bird’s eye, Orbit, Snapshot, Smart control, Manual. You need to cycle through the basic modes first, before you begin more advanced modes.
It is also within the app that you can view and retrieve your recordings. These are kept on the drone itself via the 32GB storage.
The HoverAir X1 drone needs to be used during well lit hours. As it uses tracking technology to keep you in check (so it doesn’t get itself lost) and to avoid any obstacles. If the drone cannot ‘see’ so well before take off, it generally will not leave your hand.
Same can be said if you do not hold the drone properly for take off. If the HoverAir X1 thinks the gimble (the moving mechanism where the camera lens is) has a block or is obstructed it will voice an error.
The drone will take flight from your hand and for it to land, outstretch your arm, it will go right back to your palm.
On the HoverAir X1 itself you can select flight modes via a toggle button. But if it’s windy, even slightly, the drone struggles to balance. This is due to the 125 gram weight. It’s a feather so will get knocked about by the wind.
The HoverAir X1 is a near-to pro grade action drone while also being user friendly enough for beginners.
Developed in New Zealand, the HoverAir X1 is a world first palm-sized autonomous drone designed specifically for hands-free aerial photography (up to 15 meters) and videography. Capable of doing spatial arial recordings to action tracking filming and more.
