Low-Budget vs. Expensive FPV Drone - Why Spend More?

The Darwin BabyApe is a budget drone that currently costs $80, while the popular Nazgul Evoque F5 costs close to $500. Why does one cost so much more? Is it worth spending the extra cash? What do you actually get when you pay more?
Darwin BabyApe: tinyurl.com/5n7bswdm
- Use code "H8WQCE4" at checkout for an extra 3% off.
Nazgul Evoque F5 (Digital): tiny.cc/6dhzuz
Nazgul Evoque F5 (Analog): tiny.cc/7dhzuz
Nazgul5 V2 Analog (Amazing Value!): tiny.cc/8dhzuz
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/ matt_pochwat

[@maxximus91]

So glad you're back Matt, I've really missed your content. You do a great job explaining things clearly for us beginners. Thanks for all your expertise.

[@MattPochwat]

Glad you like it. I do my best!

[@hidalgocordones]

Totally agree 👍🏿👍🏿

[@mansoormansoor7163]

thank you@@MattPochwat

[@jkgtag8279]

Who else actually thought the first clip was a udget drone?

[@marzuXC]

Me☠️

[@lobo2k393]

Me

[@Thedutchaquascaper]

Me, that shit looked ass

[@thetroopers8842]

I did

[@Borgier01]

Same

[@PaladinFPV]

I love your practical and down to earth approach to the hobby. I’m glad your back to making videos.

[@Caybil]

Excited to see new content. Bought the Nazgûl V2 based on your recommendation and was not let down. The drone is an absolute beast! Thanks and keep up the good work!

[@villepulkka756]

Thanks Matt for these videos. You were one of the first FPV content creators I watched and got inspired by. Starting with Eachine novice 2 starter pack and now have built up 2 HD 5'' quads. Winter is around the corner so about the time to go train inside with a tinywhoop.

[@ThomasSmartt]

Dude, I've been binging your stuff over the past couple of days and have been learning so much!!!! Thanks for doing these videos.

[@shaneridge9557]

I'm already bought into analog and can't justify $500+ for goggles and $200 per drone on upgrades. I don't use mine for filmmaking either just close range freestyle so the range thing doesn't bother me much. Although the one time I saw through dji goggles in person has made me want it ever since

[@chairfpv]

exactly for close freestyle analog is fine but for cinematic and long range digital is king

[@aduckcalledronan]

Awesome video Matt, glad to see your posting again!

[@billmcdonald4335]

Low budget is all I can run, and I have to say the Baby Ape Pro was a good choice for me. I crashed it many times, some pretty hard, and had to replace a motor from one impact, but I've gotten dozens of hours [yep, hours] of flight time with it, and it's still flies like new. A great park flyer, but not one for wind or distance [VTX isn't the best, is it?]. Still, I'd recommend it because it's cheap, tough, and reasonably easy to repair.

[@abertheham]

Man. Keep that comin Matt. Your production quality is …👌 That was just a pleasure to watch.

[@dannyd7979]

Super informative in a timely manner, huge props (no pun intended). Really enjoyed this

[@redXtian]

Very digestible info for people looking into getting into this hobby. Thank you!

[@shaaww]

For the action camera, there are new options really really good if you dont want to go for gopro, like the runcam thumb pro, or the firefly lite 2. Really cheap for the value you are getting, you have to use gyroflow tho.

[@SloppyMechanics]

great video, thank you for putting it up! i love the expensive and the budget stuff. unbelievable for 80 dollars

[@p_for_poo]

I was gonna look up a video on comparing analog vs digital, except you stated the the main key point I was looking for on how digital has latency. thanks!!

[@thomasduthie]

Welcome back! Havent watched the video yet but looking forward to it!

[@keithburden4906]

for a young flyer i really enjoy your videos and you explain everything as you go along and i love your editing also you have the same flying style as me carry on posting your videos are really good

[@oscarjoya1673]

Me encanta ver tus vídeos, explicas de una manera tan fácil de entender y me gusta que te tomas el tiempo para los novatos en este ámbito, de verdad muchas gracias, gracias a ti estoy aprendiendo inglés

[@crewleader3834]

Glad to see you making new videos. Ngl I checked your channel recently cause I noticed I hadn't seen you in a while, miss your informative content. I have a nazgul and was thinking about getting a cheaper quad now that I have the whole equipment set but I would personally prefer to get a ducted drone around 250g (ofc when I have the money) :)

[@jacks__9229]

So glad you've posted again, buying my first fpv drone soon due to your great videos

[@MattPochwat]

which drone are you considering?

[@Geeksmithing]

Yay Matt! Good to see ya again!

[@kakafpv]

Thanks for making this video, nice information

[@OrikzHD]

cheers for sharing your knowledge

[@hobbyistnotes]

Very nice video! Trying to get in to the FPV drones and there so much stuff so hard to wrap had around it at first...

[@dronefeverpty9594]

My man Matt is back! woot woot!

[@thecia9051]

Yay u posted your the reason why I’m getting into fpv

[@MattPochwat]

Awesome man! It's a great hobby

[@DragonfyrMedia]

Of all the videos I've watched, this is the best

[@tm_fpv]

Your videos are really good bro, good explain

[@heliharris69]

Where have you been... Missed your content.. and straight forward easy to follow approach... Great to have you back.... A follower from the UK.

[@chrisalexthomas]

The first drone I bought was the baby ape and I have to say, it's really fun to fly this thing around and throw it about a bit. I really enjoyed it. It's not very sturdy though. Hard crashes on concrete is going to break the arms. So if you buy it. Buy a couple of extra arms too. just in case you do what I did and then you need to wait 4 weeks to get replacements from China. Which is a bummer and really stops you in your tracks. Always buy a couple of spares. You'll thank yourself for it later. Even if it costs another 20 euros

[@OdysseusVrakas]

Welcome back Matt!!!

[@conover1978]

Best video out here on this topic!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@RLeeVisuals]

Woah! Hey, dude glad to see you back!!!!!

[@jeremiahthomas2669]

Awesome stuff brother

[@DRONEPOISON]

Nicely done video for the beginners. We'll done

[@makatron]

Nazgul F5 deadcat configuration is by far my favourite pre made drone.

[@johnvdl]

Thank you! Great video!!

[@FlyZoneFpv]

Way to go brother. Great explanation on fpv . Fpv life baby . 👊🏻👊🏻🤘🏻

[@MattPochwat]

Thanks brother

[@fractalrender]

You didn’t mention also that you can pull the baby ape almost every where!. And the nazgul it’s more restrictive for using. In my case I have for cinematic the iflight cinewhoop or a smaller cine8, and for flying around an emax tinyhawk which catches almost no attention.! I guess that’s also important!. Great explanation as usual for beginners like me!. Cheers from argentina!

[@Cyanid3-VX]

I love my baby ape. I mounted a Runcam Thumb Pro on mine and gets really good video.

[@Doboxik]

The thing with the quality parts is also durability and ease of fixing after crashing. Quality gear tends to take a beating a lot better than cheap parts. So in a long run it is better to invest in some good stuff that will last.

[@teabagNBG]

im so glad i found this video.. i have a few action cams and never wanted to get me dij because i kind of wanted to want a drone wich i can just mount it ... this way i can save alot of money...

[@shadowofchaos8932]

6s baby! Nazguls are fun to fly.

[@kuyayan]

Saved this vid in my sub folder!

[@jiltedfpv7661]

Matt... just wondering, why did I have to use a Hex in Beraflight... and what do I do moving forward with updates? I have the Nazgul 5 V2. Thanks. ✌️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Vittalb461]

Hi Matt I am thinking of buying the DJI Avata, the Babyape, or a Tinygo 4k am I sacrificing quality over price if I go for the babyape or the tinygo? Also, could you do a review of the tiny go 4k?

[@ginseng_juice9829]

Glad you're back. I'm try to dive to fpv from your videos. I bought an mobula 7 and I wonder if the vtx here is compatible with the goggle that I have. Can you make an video about that of how to configure the goggle for the beginner? And I found that I need my controller XJT module though. Thank you.

[@Lloyd_workshop]

so how much and which model do you recommend getting for a durable fly better ( without camera quality ofc) since i will use a go pro

[@simonneilzreid]

It’s beam a year since I wanted to get in to FPV but the drone or rc or the goggles are so expensive but many with this drone I could start thanks a lot Next video could you do a cheap goggles vs experience thx

[@rasmus1600]

About that power tho. If the batteries are using the same cells, having double the cells gives double the voltage. i.e. 3s 2V batteries gives 6V, while 6s batteries gives 12V. The way you connect the batteries in series or parallel determines the output voltage and current. More batteries in series gives a higher voltage, more batteries in parallel uses the same voltage but with more current available(more Ah).

[@DimmyV]

Great video Matt, where did you get your Inst360 Go2 mount from on the Nazgul?

[@KaiFilmsss]

I love your content ❤ ty

[@JustTechGuyThings]

@Matt Pochwat the Baby Ape can carry a fully sized gopro 8 with battery... If you make a charge cable to USB-C, you can even ditch the battery.

[@brockbedfordFPV]

Dang it matt now I gonna have to buy another quad 😂…great review my dude 🤘🏼

[@gusbi4475]

finally you are back🤗

[@Chet-U-Betcha]

Noticed u picked up the geprc cinelog 35 performance model. I've been looking into that model myself 😁

[@neildebeer7938]

Hi Matt. I want to get in to fpv I have a tight budget of 300 dollars (incuding controller, Goggles and charger).Any recommendations. I was debating between the tinyhawk 2 and the baby ape pro. Any thoughts

[@FroggyFPV]

Thinkin about getting either a Tinyhawk 2 freestyle or the baby ape, whats your opinion?

[@BrodieReed]

Production quality is best in the game 🎉

[@Worexon]

Do I need googles for baby ape or could you get the footage on a mobile with an app? And if soo what controller will work?

[@tamoghnadey]

Can the default camera be changed that comes with the baby ape drone? Also can you make a video on how to connect the transmitter and goggles with the drone ? i have fs i6 fight controller

[@FPVFRASHA]

hey i was wondering if i buy a iflight Evoque with 03 air unit to use it with my dji controller 2 can i get it with the tbs receiver just for when i get a tbs module at a later date? like will it still be able to bind to my controller 2 when i get it and its not a bnf its tbs as easy as i would with the controller 2? thank you :)

[@JombieMann]

Is your Baby Ape the pro? By this time all the BA's should have the caddx ant camera which is a big upgrade from the 700tvl camera on the original ape. I have one of the BA's and that thing is durable. I have hit unknown number of trees and even into a chain link fence with no damage. I have chewed up plenty of props. Also the screws have a tendency to fall out so you need to check them before a day of flying. I have more flights on it (by far) then on any other of my quads. I recently put a Thumb Pro on it and I think the quality of the Thumb is every bit as good as the more expensive action camera's.

[@mattmcelwrath]

Great video man! If you haven’t yet, print some tpu feet for the baby ape. It’ll make it wayyyy more durable.

[@airdevil21]

I love the baby ape pro! Cheap and it is flying well enough out of the box. I got the older pro and the newer pro. I mostly fly Micros in acro for freestyle and the fun of it.

[@Kastonrides13]

if i get it what headset would i have to buy to go with it

[@airdevil21]

@@Kastonrides13 I use the skyzone o4x or my HDZERO goggles with the analog reciever. But I started with a eachine ev800d.

[@TeeWalz]

Should I go with deadcat or true x frame for my first drone? I wanna do both freestyle and cinematic. I can’t decide!!!

[@twindaddy8291]

Do these drones all come with remote controls or do u have to purchase the remote separately

[@dronesndstuff626]

Yay, got that right. But mostly because I thought: The shadow on the ground is from a pretty small copter :D

[@johnhikaleatryon3930]

Hey Matt awesome content! I am working up to FPV and building. I was given a leeds quad drone 7140-92 and controller still in box, but person could not locate battery, cover and charger? I have been unable to locate the specifics so i can purchase a replacement battery pack any help for a drooling and aspiring pilot would be appreciated. Thanks for everything you post.

[@nickrshorts]

hey, i have had drones before but never a fpv. i have a gopro hero 10, what drone would i need. so do i get a full rig. im on a tight buget.

[@Ab-vf6bg]

Thanks a lot

[@Dec_K]

I have a DJI FPV drone & looking to get a cheap drone to practice with. Is there anything that can link to the remote 2 & DJI goggles V2 with analog. I am guessing I need to add analog reciever onto the goggles & probably would need a new radio. Just looking for cheap practice & not worrying about expense of crashing

[@boom7837]

Hey I have a question. What battery are you using on ur baby ape. I am using a ovonic 450mah 3s and get no where near that performance I was so shocked especially with a camera mounted

[@saulchavez4242]

Great video, had a dji fpv but it felt very heavy with my gopro 11 on it so I just order the johnny fpv qav s 7inch long range drone realising there's not really any videos on it🤦‍♂️ hoping my gopro footage doesn't look all jello like it does on the dji fpv drone

[@maxortner1997]

nice video! what do u think about the Dji avata?

[@person4203]

What action cam do u use with your tiny ape

[@user-rr9jt7ol3e]

thank you but kann you make a video over the BabyApe set i mean with googles and that stuff

[@islotplops3357]

What goggles do you like to run and controller for the expensive one

[@NoahN999]

is the xt30 and xt60 connector the same thing what one would would i use with the 4s nazgul5 v2

[@2740hansen]

bro, i'm lost. been flying simulator for 200 hours and want to start FPV. I need a sub 250g quad to freestyle, race and cruise maybe 2 km. possible? do i go digital or analog? any budget friendly suggestions for drone and goggles? i dont want to compromise quality too much though. love your videos thanks in advance

[@Hovaloft]

Nice video. I only use my naked GoPro 10 on my Cineloi25.

[@maverickmissle1401]

For those wondering why the Nazgul looked worse than the babyape, it had nothing to do with the drone. As Matt said, he put the Insta 360 on the Nazgul and a GoPro on the babyape. You can tell it’s the Nazgul in the clip because even though Matt tried to hide it, you can see it clearly had more power being a 5 inch.

[@jakobohman7056]

Could you swap out some pf the parts on the cheap drone for more expensive parts. For exemple buy a better fpv camera or better motors?

[@g8torx861]

What rates do you use on your nazgul5 v2?

[@almostcinematicfpv]

My BabyApe had an ESC that shot out flames while plugging in a lipo. 🔥 I was lucky that I wasn’t burned.

[@aaronbell5743]

I like what you have have said in this video. Can you suggest a bundle for me goggles, drone, batteries, charger everything and where to buy? I want to purchase open the box charge it then fly. I like the Nazgul and want the clear digital view. I'm ok with spending the money so suggest some good stuff. Just got a Drone mask for my DJI mimi 2 and I all ready want more of this FPV flying. I just do it for fun if you needed to know.

[@tylertrimble3184]

How on earth did you mount the naked GoPro onto the baby ape?🤣 great video!!

[@mgsg50]

I thought you sold the evoque? Really happy to see you making videos again!

[@MattPochwat]

I crashed two drones that weren't conformal coated into a lake on the same day. Had to pick up another one.

[@gazzabyerun9048]

I was wondering when you were going to make some new videos with drones/rc , 💯nice job with the video, thanks! 💯would like to see a review of that GEPRC Cinlog 35 you were holding up in this video! Keep the videos coming! Be safe...

[@MattPochwat]

I'll try to do a quick review on it. Not a huge difference from the previous version but I have a few points I'd like to make!

[@gazzabyerun9048]

@@MattPochwat thanks!

[@user-nh5ug9kk1o]

Does the Darwin baby ape have different flying modes

[@-SuperDOG]

Please make a video about the Eachine Novice 2 - V2.0 Fly More RTF FPV racing drone

[@johnkurpiewski3996]

I was hoping it was going to be another 5” there are ones available for under a 100$ from AE They come with BF 4.3 and actually fly good bone stock. The frame is crash test approved as I completely wrecked the corner of my house and the quad is ok . Can’t beat it for 88$ and is still under 100$ TYD.

[@icychemicals1542]

Does the $500 one come with goggles and a controller. I want to get that one but the babbyape comes with those so idk. Im looking at the digital one.

[@copperplanplays2653]

Can i ask if you buy babyape drone you get remote controller?

[@solomoneckley640]

I would spend more if I could spend more

[@jarule275]

Don't. Rich people get rich by living on less and investing the rest. I'm not broke and I'd still buy the cheaper one. 🧠

[@solomoneckley640]

@@jarule275 that’s the thing. I can’t

[@animefans6863]

Where i can buy that budget one?i want to practice it before buying good one

[@enginesandmore1013]

As a owner of the baby ape. I can confirm you actually can mount a GoPro to the baby ape and still fly it. Its heavy, but it will fly.

[@rianime9371]

I thought the first shot was good and probably the premium. Until I saw the second shot, which looked much more premium.

[@quicksdrones6556]

Thanks

[@shaunvaughn3323]

I always have at least 10 spotters at the top and bottom of mountains when I fly mountains