DJI Neo Drone - First Flight and Awesome Footage!

[@FunFlyingPilot]

I couldn’t agree more with your lead in comments - amazing how much fun it is flying drones. I am 80 years old and have 42 years as a GA plane owner and pilot. Knowing that my active flying days was coming to an end, about 5 years ago I took up flying drones. I sold my plane this year and am effectively grounded but still enjoy flying drones more than I can put into words. It is an amazing hobby combining flying and photography(always been my secondary hobby). I spend much of my time planning my next flight (have traveled most to the western states flying.). Every flight is a good flight - just some are better. Haha. I always enjoy your videos, reviews, and products. Keep up the good work.

[@mssippijim]

The Neo is the most fun I've had with anything since my first fpv tinywhoops. I lost a great flying buddy a few years back. We had got into fpv together and used to fly together several times a week weather permitting. He would have loved the Neo.

[@Flyingramses]

Fabulous video thanks, love your enthusiasm 👍🏼🙏😁

[@sergeantbilko7070]

The video samples were outstanding and the music fit the mood perfectly.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks so much for posting and it was easy to get some great shots of Lake Superior with the DJI Neo. I had a week of good weather and had a ton of fun flying that drone all over the state. Check back soon for more DJI Neo content and I appreciate your support. Rick

[@richardkoh2423]

Thanks Rick. Excellent video. You forgot to mention that it can also fly using the DJI Fly App on a mobile phone.

[@eagleeyeviewimages]

Absolutely love my neo

[@PsychoticBovine]

I just got mine today (Indiana here). Only tested it indoors, updated firmware on all batteries, drone, and controller.

[@busterhoodstar6598]

If you own a pair of Rokid or Xreal glasses connected to your phone, you can fly it FPV. I tried it yesterday.

[@DionProbo]

Beautiful places to shots 😍😍

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for posting and it was a great vacation up in Michigan with some beautiful areas to fly. Stay tuned for more this week. Rick

[@BobCaseyAerial]

Very nice video

[@Brez71]

Fantastic as usual Rick What do you know of the rumours of a cheap set of goggles and fpv controller as a cheaper option than the goggles 3 specifically for the Neo

[@lynsmith1096]

Good review Rick

[@paullawrence8572]

Loving my Neo, tough little guy as well! Nice footage from it as well there Rick.👌

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks 👍 I'm really enjoying this drone and will have more content posting this week. DJI has done it again with this one and I think a lot more folks will be flying.

[@dallasc.hunteriii490]

Great video with that super small DJI drone! Drone Pilot in Ohio.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and I was driving through Ohio last week on my way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I did get a chance to pop up the Mini 4 Pro for a few flights along the way in your beautiful state to capture some amazing farms. I'll have more interesting drone content posting this week and next so be sure to stay tuned.

[@mssippijim]

I can't get over the fact that some folks actually complain about the video quality. It looks fine. Did you dial the sharpness back a bit, as some prefer?

[@Dronevalley]

I agree, the 1080 / 60fps looks great to me and that footage was right off the memory card with no post-processing applied.

[@rlm1305]

Could you test on what it takes to fly the Neo in a geofenced area?

[@Dronevalley]

If you're flying the drone without a controller it flies everywhere I've tested it. The minute you connect a controller, you have some restrictions. That makes sense since in autonomous mode it can only fly about 50 yards max and with the controller you can fly km away. I'll do more testing and post a clip with the findings.

[@Sky_High_Neo]

Great video. Looks like a really nice place to fly.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and those clips were from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as NJ for the farms. This drone is a joy to fly and really responsive with the controller.

[@Glenrsi]

Awesome scenery Rick. Pity it does not work with my RC-N1 controllers. Cannot justify buying another controller. Great video. 👍

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for posting and it's a shame that you need the RC-N3 to fly it. I'm still trying to figure out if it uses a new version of Ocusync or just enhanced Wifi for the connection. As simple as it is, it would have made sense to build the connection tech to work with existing controllers. I do have a clip posting this week that shows you how you can use the RC-2 controller with it if you have that one so I hope you'll stay tuned. Rick

[@Glenrsi]

@@Dronevalley : Thanks for reply Rick. Sadly i only have two RC-N1 controllers. Will stay tuned. 👍

[@hoog111]

@@Dronevalley I think it’s ocusync 4 so only the latest controllers.

[@RonaldBrown59]

Congrats on your new Neo, it seems to operate well as a camera drone. I'm still waiting on my pre-order to arrive. Thanks for sharing Rick.

[@Dronevalley]

Ron, it's a pretty amazing piece of tech and seems to fly as well as the Mini 4. The only thing to keep in mind is that with its light air frame it's a slave to the wind so elevation is always a factor. I hope yours arrives soon and you have a lot of fun with it. I'll be reviewing the X1 Pro/Max from Hover this week as well to compare the two. Looks like this "selfie" drone category is really a thing.

[@RonaldBrown59]

@@Dronevalley Thanks Rick, I think it might be coming today. And I’m looking forward to your review of the X1 Pro Max.

[@SymonPixel]

Whats with the blue green colour video? Weird maybe its my TV 😮

[@richardhykes6939]

Hey Rick$ I'm needing to know how to check ✔️ the volume on wireless microphone from ya'll. ? I bout 1 it's working but I'm checking how to set the volume. Keep on flying my friend. ❤

[@richardhykes6939]

Oh my !! I forgot to tell you it's rc2 controller dji mini4pro

[@gregb1599]

My Neo flipped and crashed, but to be very fair it was on a very windy day with gusts of 45kph or is it 30mph? Sorry not a American here. I had it on follow at low altitude as I was worried it would get blown away, however it was rock solid in staying in one place until the wind flipped it!

[@MikeLockheart]

Will you please do a video on the full unboxing type and talking about all the specs ? Like battery time, flight transmission, max range, etc. ?? Because this drone if able to fly more than five back yards away will make me have a reason to get excited about drones once more ! After crashing my mini 2 and not having the money to buy a new one, this 200$ drone gives me hope !! Thank god DJI finally made a good drone, that is in my price range.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and check my channel. I posted an unboxing video last week for the drone that covers the specs and shows you everything you need about the drone. I can fly 7km with about 17 minutes of flight time. The only real restriction is a stiff wind, which can affect it's flight distance. I hope that help. Stay tuned for more content this week. Rick

[@MikeLockheart]

@@Dronevalley I found it. what's it max wind recomendation ? because I live in Oklahoma and it is always around 13 mph winds.

[@Craig92276]

Have you tried it with the DJI RC 2 controller? Does one controller work better than the other or have more features? ?

[@AutomationTechDad]

One day humans will fear the drone sound

[@kodak_jack]

For about the same price, especially in the kind of wind you flew in, would the 4K be a better choice? The Neo seems as if it's just gimmicky as compared to the more polished 4K. I don't understand why the Amazon link is without the controller and a combo with the controller isn't even shown.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and they're built for different use cases. I'm working on a clip now to explain the pro's and con's of each but basically the Neo is a quick, autonomous drone that you can power up and take a video in about 30 seconds. The 4K (or any standard drone) takes about 2 minutes to launch and a lot of work to frame and capture the shot. You also don't need a controller with the Neo so it's perfect for KZbinrs that are creating content outdoors, where the other drones can be a little intimidating. Stay tuned for the clip and I go into more detail.

[@gregb1599]

​@@Dronevalley30 seconds?! No way it takes less than 15 seconds from turn on to flying 😂

[@gregb1599]

I just timed myself doing it. Feel sorry for US consumers as other markets get the controller included in the combo, and its cheap compared to buying it separately. In our market to buy the controller separately it's $189 however as a combo it's just $50

[@philipnicholson3216]

DId you post process the video ?

[@Dronevalley]

Nope, the video footage you see is right off the SD card and was recorded in 1080 /60 fps. It's a pretty amazing flying camera that a ton of fun. Stay tuned for more content this week. Rick

[@philipnicholson3216]

@@Dronevalley I checked them out but don't see them with a controller like you have - what's the deal with that ?

[@DarwinFpvOfficial]

Could i please have a neo i really wanted one for my bday but my parents said no because that cant afford it but mabye you can help me out!

[@gliderrider]

You’re like a kid in a drone store.

[@byates59]

You can also fly it with a smart phone!

[@Dronevalley]

Good point and I did forget to mention that in the video. I'll have more Neo content posting this week so be sure to stop back soon.

[@davektowner]

Thats a lake?!? 😮

[@Dronevalley]

Yep, I was on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last week for vacation and that is Lake Superior. I couldn't believe how big it is either and it looks like an ocean, with small waves and everything. Simply amazing!

[@gekoldronevideos]

Hi Rick, great Neo video👍👊👌I also really love this drone and for the price it’s simply awesome. I made a video with enhanced Neo footage with Topaz Video AI and next weekend I will post another one on my YT channel. I’m really impressed with this little but very capable drone. Keep you’re great video’s coming. Greetings from 🇳🇱

[@Dronevalley]

That footage looks amazing and you're flying in a beautiful area. I've used Topaz for other projects and it's pretty amazing in smoothing out motion and removing artifacts. Great job and I'm glad you're enjoying the Neo.

[@gekoldronevideos]

Thanks Rick😀👍

[@bettyli6635]

And you can fly with your cellphone as the controller but it's not as responsive as the controller.

[@Dronevalley]

Thanks for the post and I totally goofed in not mentioning that. I did fly it a little with the phone but the virtual joystick was a bit tricky to get used to. Stay tuned for more content this week. Rick

[@frankc.9853]

I keep hearing NOT to fly over water... In the words of Vinnie Barbarino, "I'm so confused." I know that I just dated myself with that! LOL

[@gregb1599]

No controller, not recommended, but some still do with no issues. But much safer with the controller and phone app as then you have GPS for more accurate hight. I personally will not fly my Neo over water, as because it's so small and light a random gust of wind can flip the drone over. It's happened to my Neo but was only set in follow at low altitude.

[@frankc.9853]

@@gregb1599 I have the RC 2 with the screen but if I try it, it'll be strictly over the shorelines. I refuse to go in Lake Michigan to retrieve a drone! 😄

[@gregb1599]

@@frankc.9853 Fair enough! I use the UAV wind app and even when the app says it's good to fly, my Neo gets regular warnings of high wind warnings. Hopefully they release the next Mini 5 pro with the same features as the Neo but with the much higher wind resistance and of course similar features of the Mini 4 pro

[@Dronevalley]

The issue is with the TOS sensors on the bottom of the drone that are used to judge height by bouncing an IR signal off the ground and timing the return. Over land you're OK but over water it gets a little sketchy. The TOS only kicks in when you're under about 15' so if you stay above that, even over water, you'll be OK. Just be careful. On a side note, that was lake Superior I was flying over in the video. We were in the UP for a short vacation and it was an amazing area.

[@frankc.9853]

@@Dronevalley Awesome thanks! Great video as well! I am a little more confident in trying it now!