DJI O4 - Worth the upgrade? How does it look with SCENIC DIVES?

[@Rcschim]

In case someone with an Chimera 7 needs the cam mount part with DJI O4 holes: here's a link to an onshape doc: cad.onshape.com/documents/9bd96a9a83f2f87033cbd2c7/w/bf49607e3d671dd01bc9bc23/e/f4538960ce915b670978b5b1?renderMode=1&uiState=6797372d2d8dc754e6120589 or directly an STL file: drive.google.com/file/d/10BqdTsM7GOWXnlAA8L-JwKl3dkWU6A3b/view?usp=sharing

[@MOEMUGGY]

Coming from years and years of blurry analog on a junky old pair of FatShark Dominators, I'm still blown away by the image I have now on my DJI V2 goggles and 03 air units. Maybe someday when I get rich and famous I'll upgrade to G3's and 04. The V2's have been are real work horse for goggles.. like the Nokia phone

[@evFPV]

I totally agree with you... at 250€ per air unit, it is just crazy... took a me long time to upgrade my 4 drones to O3, I am not moving to O4 in years... if i ever do it. O3 is more than enough for what I need

[@MOEMUGGY]

@evFPV I'm hoping the 03 air units go on sale now they're outdated. I'll buy several more as spares. The only thing I'm noticing is things like the face foams for the V2's are getting harder to come by. I'll be buying a few more of those before they're all gone. No way I'm buying all new gear for just a slight improvement in resolution and recording.. at least until my V2's die of old age.

[@blueskyfpv]

Thank you very much. This was a very helpful comparison. Beautiful flight footage too. All the best.

[@RGMGFitness]

Gorgeous location(s) to fly! So much open space!! I've got my new O4 Unit (PRO) ready to go..just waiting for some nice weather. Thanks for sharing...

[@Rimzler]

Very nice test!! Man can't wait to get my hands on it ahaha

[@Rcschim]

Thanks Andrea! Let me know one thing: how is the translation to Italian sounding to you? As a non Italian speaker it sounds good to me, but the German version sounds weird.

[@Sonic_Ox]

Thank you, Mario for the detailed, honest comparison video. You always produce content that I find interesting, informative, and entertaining. To my eye, the 04 does look a bit better in almost every situation I've seen. I'm not sure it's $50 better, 😆. I own three 03 air units, and I have 4 quads. I have been saving money for a fourth air unit. I think I'll try the 04 for comparison against the other three. It's nice to have options. Thanks for making videos that make my decisions easier. Happy flying, amigo. 🫡 🍻

[@Rcschim]

Yes, if you need a fourth air unit, is go with the O4pro!

[@TorontoFPV]

Very nice comparison thank you

[@Humboldt710]

My o4 AU pro is on it's way to me! Stoked. The footage looks amazing!

[@Rcschim]

Have fun flying and testing it, really nice, tech innovation always freshens up this hobby ;)

[@Tribal1974]

Awesome honest review, Thank you

[@charlesmcguire9711]

Thank you so much Mario for providing the link to the O4 Chimera camera mount. You are a saint for sharing this. God bless you. Tchuss

[@Rcschim]

Nice to hear someone can use it. Don't plan on using o4 on my chimera 7 yet, but I had fun remixing the o4 cam mount in on shape yesterday.

[@charlesmcguire9711]

@Rcschim I keep hearing and reading that the O4 records footage that's almost as nice or equal to a go pro. I'd love to trade in that GoPro weight for a battery or just get rid of it altogether. Where do you plan on putting your O4 ultimately?

[@Rcschim]

@charlesmcguire9711 I've put the o4 on my foxeer Aura 7, because it had no cam and already the right cable. Will leave it on there for now, because the Aura is pretty lightweight. This will mean u fly mostly Aura this year ;)

[@enjoy_and_fly]

Danke für den Vergleich👍. Ich habe es leider noch nicht geschafft, die O4 richtig zu fliegen. Bin schon gespannt drauf

[@Rcschim]

es ist ein Fest für die Augen ;)

[@scottyh72]

Thanks Mario!

[@sosdeathvalley]

Man buddy that a nice view love it thanks for sharing I am new to dji and got both the 04 units and thinking about the 03 to try out

[@Rcschim]

O3 units could be a really good budget option if they sell for around 150$ I'd say. (cheapest I got them was around 170$ at flywhoo shop a few month ago).

[@Videolinquency]

Thank you for a highly useful comparison. But the demo footage was so impressive it stole the show. As a language professional, I should be able to come up with a better comment than 'wow', but that's the exclamation your flights deserve.

[@BrandonBeans]

Beautiful flights! The color rendition of the sky is vastly superior with o4 pro, but I think (as you said) if you are happy with o3 then don't FOMO over it. Thank you for reminding me to turn sharpness down on the o3 😉

[@evFPV]

FOMO?

[@BrandonBeans]

@evFPV The emotion: "fear of missing out" 😂

[@evFPV]

@@BrandonBeans oh ok! Hahahaha good one!

[@MCsCreations]

It's a real game changer, isn't it Mario? It's really impressive how DJI improved it! I only hope DJI fixes the issue with lite version. A connector behind the camera breaks too easily. Because a 1 board 4k recording that weighs around 10g? Really impressive indeed! BTW, before O4 I liked Walksnail a LOT, mostly because of the 1s board. But now DJI knocked it out of the park. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@daemn42]

I'm running the O4 on the new iFlight SH CineLR 7 at 2.7K@60fps Ultrawide + Rocksteady, and when cruising low I'm seeing what sorta looks like microstutters in the ground detail. (see my latest on techdaemn channel) Was thinking maybe it's a little prop vibration, or an issue with Rocksteady but I think I'm seeing it in some places in your video as well (and you have Rocksteady off). It seems more pronounced when the ground detail is really crisp. I suspect that if I run a ND filter it may go away as it'll introduce some motion blur, but then I've never run an ND on my GoPro and have never really seen this effect before. Otherwise, the picture is really nice, and love piloting through it.

[@Rcschim]

Hi Daemon! Nice to see an RCG OG FPV guy in my comments! 2.7k60 and ultrawide records Gyrodata? I had 4k60 ultrawide and didnt see gyrodata recorded... why do you stick with UW and 2.7k? less res for more bitrate per area? I now always go for 4k so I can zoom in (if I chase someone, or see somethin interesting...) for many shots (especially fast moving ground) I love the motion blur thru ND filters. makes it look so epic. That is cinematic to me - and not stuttery bulls. of 24fps that so many think it will make it "cinematic". I had no stutter complaints when gyroflow was enabled on my copter (considering the copter shook quite hefty in the winds there). it was way worse with DJI o3 on this same copter - but O3 sometimes had loose inside parts that caused stutters to be introduce THROUGH the gyro... greets, Mario

[@Woodyyes--]

thx

[@MechDale]

Thanks for the comparison, I think I'll wait a little longer to invest in the o4.

[@TheMadmacs]

the 04 does look pretty amazing, can't help worrying about exposure and latency. i wonder if dji will do the same as runcam and have two cameras. i've noticed people saying the signal quality is incredible, i'm already baffled by vistas, its hard to imagine being better even slightly!!! ps did you see mads techs vid on the lite....? very ''not dji'' engineering issue!

[@Rcschim]

I only heard that there's a bug. I bought them as well, but don't have an application alredy. Maybe I pack it on a RC Car for testing. Now with O4 you don't need an FC with ARM signal anymore to get into full RF power... nah, exposure shouldnt hinder good latency. this new cam has a larger chip, slightly wider aperture - so it can gather more light (fast shutter times - lower latency). I feel like you: couldnt think of how the already good vista video link could be improved by O3. Then you fly it and dont want to go back. Between O4 and O3 it's not such a huge deal - but still - the good colors make the video link look definitly better than O3. But not as big of a change so I cant go back to my O3 copters and planes. Of course when editing footage I will throw away even more flights now if they were not shot with O4 :) greets, Mario

[@jastofpv]

Vielen Dank für den Vergleich, gerade für mich als Einsteiger ins digitale wichtig. Werde so wie's aussieht mir eine O4 Pro zulegen

[@L..E01]

Danke dir👍

[@minaexperiment]

O4 sure has a more natural look to the image. More filmic.

[@Rcschim]

Qestion to you, MC from brazil: first - where's your comment? :) and 2nd: how do you find the portugese translation? Do you use it or are you more used to my english? (for reference: if I listen to my video and use the translated german - it's ugly. correct most times except for special words, but to weird. only a last resort if someone really doesnt understand english... Quite amazing tho - how good translation works in general.

[@elxero2189]

Nice work man thanks for the comparison. Side note...im always disappointed by deadcat frames with any amount of props in view...whats the point really sigh

[@Rcschim]

Not much of a problem if using gyroflow. Or one could make a protruding can mount that moves the lens forward (kinda like the chimera mount)

[@chriscflint]

Props in the picture with the Aura for me makes it a No Buy unit. And a question when doing the "side by side" which one is the acurrate real colour because the 04 was much greyer and the 03 looked too over saturated.

[@Rcschim]

the grey reality of winter landscape is better captured by O4 :) props in view is only a problem without gyroflow (it zooms in). if it would bother me more, I'd adjust the cam mount TPU parts and get them out of the way (it was maybe my bad job of designing the cam mount...

[@chriscflint]

@@Rcschim Thanks for the response, personally after watching a few of 03 vs 04 i still think the 03 has better colour?? I have just bought the Avata2 which of course is 04 and hopefully this means the end of buying the biggest pieces of junk I have ever bought for FPV video (GoPRO). I intend to run it in D-Log-M and see what LUT's can do. You have a wonderful place to fly unlike here in Australia where everything is Licenced or controlled.

[@Rcschim]

@@chriscflint If the colors of O4 look weird here it's either my color grading (didnt apply a lut, just basic color correction), or it's the rather dull winter colors. The colors of O3 definitly look a bit unnatural, to warm, greenish. Avata2 should have pretty similar quality to O4 cam - back last year when it came out and I tested it for a week, I really liked it. Here we also have a lot of regulations. I think AU is large - there must be enough places where you can fly and nobody cares.

[@onclefly8450]

Hi Mario, Yes, the colours are not real on one is the other

[@jerejo33]

1:22 looks almost like cined/mLog is turned on

[@mog59]

Great comparison and video as always, Mario 👍. Thanks so much for this work. For me the O4 is clearly better because of the dynamic range with (for example) details in the sky. Not as good as with a GoPro but it comes closer. I’m really unsure whether I shall invest in a third system besides my analog quads and digital quads with the old DJI full air unit. I would need the third sort of googles … What do you recommend? Best greetings, Manfred 😎👋

[@Rcschim]

If you have DJI goggles V1, it's hard and expensive to upgrade. If you have g V2, you can still keep them and use o3 air units. Else try to grab goggles 3 for cheap (got mine at flywoo for around 550$). And then you can use o3 and o4 with them, but have to keep g V1 for old air units ;)

[@takiascona]

​Hallo,Ich habe eine frage,mussten Sie für die Brille zusätzlich zoll gebühr bezahlen oder sowas? Mfg Goran

[@Rcschim]

@@takiascona no, I dont think so, 9/2024 I paid 549$ for the goggles 3 @ flywoo shop...

[@takiascona]

@@Rcschim Thank you.

[@Dronesteve-72]

Mario Compared with the avata 2 would these do the same distances ? Just a thought Tia

[@Rcschim]

Nah, the avata2 would be lost up there. Not enough battery. Video range maybe...

[@The_GreenMachine]

off topic of this video, but is it possible to make a LR 5" setup? doing a trip in about a year and a half and thinking of getting my GEPRC mk5 DC set up to do more long range vs more or less "freestyle" type flying.

[@Rcschim]

Sure, just use a good battery and you can fly your 5 inch copter for long.

[@buddybuilds7985]

I like to see Sid by side comparison with raw footage that you will see if you are wearing the goggles. No color grading, no 4K 60, just a side by side of the 1080p that the goggles produce

[@Rcschim]

there are some DVR comparisons... note: the O4 dvr is in dlog flat colors (while in the goggles you can have a standard LUT be applied - so the colors look nicer)

[@pooljunki1]

its been awile since ive watched on of your videos sadly i dont really fly anymore

[@Rcschim]

maybe I can convince you to fly more again!

[@BackyardAirways]

I was intending to upgrade my Moz7 to the O4, with all the hassles of design modifications, but from all the videos I've seen, the improvement in dynamic range wasn't as significant as I had hoped. Should I go for it anyway?

[@Rcschim]

I think you will love the increased quality! I can draw the o4 part for your lens mount if you want, I'm good at onshape.

[@BackyardAirways]

@@Rcschim Thanks again Mario! I'll order the O4!

[@djdubz]

Nice comparison. But wish you would have left them both flat and/or did the same adjustments to the o3 footage like you did on the o4. Of course the o4 is superior simply by specs, but would love to see how the o3 was with the same post adjustment you did to the o4. Not really a fair comparison

[@Rcschim]

I agree. I think my O3 is pretty stock settings, but I don't think it has dlog settings or does it have flat colors? But the color science isn't the big difference here - rather the new sensor and maybe better lens for more clarity.

[@dirtndronebai]

Is there a noticeable difference on signal quality between O3 and O4?

[@Rcschim]

On the very end of reception o4 handles very low Mbit better, smoother, but in general, o3 was already super good.

[@dirtndronebai]

@Rcschim That low mbit you mention is mainly because 2.4Ghz is now being used in video transmission on O4 which makes a huge difference for me flying mostly mid to long range.

[@Rcschim]

nope, no 2.4ghz band used here according to the specs: www.dji.com/at/o4-air-unit/specs if it was - the tiny antennas wouldnt work that well on 2.4 (do you remember how large 2.4ghz antennas had to be back in the days?)

[@--JohnDoe]

Rc shim, if you crashed way up there, would you attempt to get it?

[@Rcschim]

Ha, depends on the location. You can go up there by cable car, and then 2hrs or more to reach the western end... Probably not ;)

[@SirCrashaLot]

04 is looking good!

[@tiagomiguel3992]

I wanted to see if I could convert my Chimera 7 (not pro) to the O4, but I don't have any files for the camera mount. Do you think it's possible? easy to get? I didn't want to abandon my chimera. good video

[@Rcschim]

Do you have a 3d printer? I could draw the chimera camera mount easily and send you the file to print. Maybe someone already made a mount ... It's an easy conversion for sure. My chimera is also the v1

[@Rcschim]

I already made an Chimera 7 cam mount here: drive.google.com/file/d/10BqdTsM7GOWXnlAA8L-JwKl3dkWU6A3b/view?usp=sharing

[@tiagomiguel3992]

@@Rcschim thank you very much. is this file for O4? in the video the chimera is flying with the O3.

[@tiagomiguel3992]

@@Rcschim When I get home I'll see, once again thank you very much 😎👍👌

[@Rcschim]

Yes, it's O4pro compatible now

[@L..E01]

Hallo! Die Antennen die du an der DJI O3 montiert hast, passen die zu den IFLIGHT Chrystal Antennen an den DJI Goggles V2? Falls ja, sei bitte so nett und schick mir bitte die Links der Teile die ich für die Umrüstung der DJI O3 Airunit brauche. Besten Dank

[@Rcschim]

ja, am Chimera hab ich ein UFL -> SMA Pigtail, dann SMA TrueRC Singularity long/flexible aber es gingen auch direkt welche mit UFL anschluß wie diese hier: www.truerc.ca/shop/5-8ghz-2/transmitter/singularity-5-8 bei TrueRC kannst suchen was Du brauchst, und dann evtl. hier in EU in einem shop finden. LHCP und UFL ist wichtig.

[@ImperialArmour]

I'm looking at this one a 55" 4k panel and still struggling to see a major difference. The biggest difference was in the dynamic range, the shadows on the o4 look underexposed.

[@Rcschim]

What resolution is your tvs KZbin app give you tho? If it runs in 1080 you will not see much with the low bitrate

[@ImperialArmour]

​@@Rcschim I'm running a computer to the 4k TV. KZbin is running at 4k. I'm pausing at various points and again, seeing the underexposure of shadows below the tree canopy on the O4.

[@Rcschim]

Ok, so I just wanted to make sure your view is not limited by low res and low bitrate. Yes, the difference is subtle. More obvious for sure in low light. Also maybe I was bad at color grading the o4 footage which was shot in dlog m. Had no lut to apply, just basic color correction....

[@teippiviritykset]

i don't know anything about drones, but to me your o4 video at 1080p looks worse than 4 year old mavic mini because it has like waves from the vibration of the drone. Is this possible to get off somehow? maybe rubber dampers on the camera module or something?

[@Rcschim]

if you mean the jello vibration in the Gyroflow stablized dive: yes - it's there - and it's almost inevitable. On the dive I throttle down, RPM of motors changes (lower RPRM - low HZ vibrations show up on footage). One way to hide this is by increasing shutter times (by using ND filters wich block some light). That's what I normally use on my drones. Had no ND filters for the new lens yet. On mavics you have really good rubber dampened gimbals, and you also dont have those drastic dive manauvers (wich zero G and lots of RPM changes). If you look back on my channel I always fought against jello since I dont like this look either :) greets, Mario

[@teippiviritykset]

@@Rcschim yes. thank you very much! Really want to get O4 setup, but don't want to make bad decisions...

[@sleepingbearffg5008]

Great review 04 wins 👍👍💪💪 big difference. They can hide but you found.. lol

[@flo0079]

O4 schaut viel besser aus. Die Farben schauen so unnatürlich aus. Merke das bei meiner Avata auch immer. Schim falls du mal was hergeben willst zb auch deine alten O3, gerne melden. Danke und Grüße aus der STMK

[@ronniequalls7217]

The 03 looks better , I don’t know what you talking about, you just looking for a reason to upgrade, I’m staying with the 03 and my range great on my 03 😂

[@DirtyLew42]

“I don’t think the upgrade from o3 to o4 is worth” - Mario in this video

[@eyeflytinkerings]

He explains very well in what regards O4 is better - which is actually pretty obvious. The O3 artificially sharpens and color-grades the image, whereas the O4 may look flat - but thats because a flat color profile was chosen. This gives you much more details and dynamic range, but is targeted at users that are willing to do color-grading themselves. Don‘t be fooled though: If you‘d compare both color-graded, it‘s fully clear the O4 is superior. Which again doesn’t mean O3 is bad at all, for most of us it‘s perfectly sufficient.

[@ronniequalls7217]

@@eyeflytinkeringswell you be the duck 🦆 and upgrade 😂it’s not enough for me to waist the money, I’ll wait on the 05 , which I know will be much better than both 😂

[@enjoy_and_fly]

Danke für den Vergleich👍. Ich habe es leider noch nicht geschafft, die O4 richtig zu fliegen. Bin schon gespannt drauf