Tested: Hover Camera Quadcopter Drone

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We review the Hover Camera Passport, a lightweight foldable quadcopter that uses computer vision technology to track your face and body as it flies around you. We love its sturdy compact design and ease of use, and take the drone out for test flights around the city. Here's what we think of the resulting footage.
Shot and edited by Norman Chan
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Tested is:
Adam Savage / donttrythis
Norman Chan / nchan
Simone Giertz / simonegiertz
Joey Fameli / joeyfameli
Adam Isaak / adamisaak
Kishore Hari / sciencequiche
Frank Ippolito / frankippolito
Sean Charlesworth / cworthdynamics
Jeremy Williams / jerware
Patrick Norton / patricknorton
Thanks for watching!

[@tested]

Enjoy tech? Check out Projections, our series about AR and VR: bit.ly/2ufaYr2

[@anononomous]

Such a neat clean design.

[@therealchicken7395]

550$? Fuck that, you can buy the dji phantom 3 advanced for that much

[@MrJest2]

That was my question - what the price was. I realize reviewers can't give exact prices, but a ball-park or MSRP would be good enough to compare this with, say, a $3000 quad. Without the pricing I can't judge the quality vs. dollars trade off if I am in the market for something cheaper, and am willing to put up with some deficits in order to save bucks. It's annoying (although, yes, hardly a chore) to go look it up separately after watching a review.

[@Palewolf]

The price is shown at 0:42

[@jfbeam]

Exactly. Why do all these crapcopters have so little technology but such a huge price tag? There are cellphones at half the price with far more capabilities -- and they have an expensive cellular subsystem drones don't need.

[@jahbones]

That's not the point though, the point is for it to be super portable. Which the dji phantom isn't compared to this.

[@Crokto]

mavic is a couple hundred bucks more though

[@jfncho]

cool idea, but image quality looks like a front facing camera on an older gen phone.

[@minihjalte]

Yeah its very bad.

[@Cloxxki]

Indeed. While I've never bought any "copter" before (I just fold a piece of paper and toss it off a tall structure to see it flikker up to a km away, above the horizon), I've been following trends a little bit. If I'd get a copter thingy, I'd want to it reliably track doing cross-country skiing, mountainbiking, running, and the like. With very few interactions/instructions. Or just short voice commands. And make good footage. It should be programmed to come when called, so I don't need to stop doing what I'm doing to grab it by the neck and store it in my back, while on the move. You're on a bike ride, the copter takes off, ideally by itself from your backpack, and you can just instruct it verbally what to do, on the go. That, I would buy. And this seems to be working toward such a product. The future will be awesome.

[@philipwpartain]

I would sort of agree and say that the 'review' is harsh, but the reviewer forms his opinion based on a) his expectations compared to others in the price range, b) his expectations based on the claims & promises of the manufacturer, c) the fact that (as of this moment) nearly 150k people are watching to find out if it's worth spending $550USD to get on. Regarding the idea of it being a "great prototype..." I think it certainly is what we (the consumer) ended up with, the problem is that it was NOT marketed, PRICED, or sold as a 'prototype'. It seems that the ONLY thing it delivers on is it's ability to 'Hover'. I admit that I said 'ouch' a few times during the review...but that's why I watch these. I want to know the good, bad, & ugly before I buy, or as in this case, DON'T buy. ;-)

[@BisMaxx]

unfortunately you would have to get distracted while on your bike ride by YELLING at the top of your lungs so it can hear your commands. The speech feature is a bit out there. Unless of course you develop a watch with a microphone like "KITT" (80's Knight Rider series). And nobody seems to realize the struggle that it is to provide a drone with a battery source that is plentiful but also lightweight... This sort of tech still has a LONG way to go....

[@darkkforest]

you're in the future... the post-future

[@coulsonbeach6390]

looks like someone taped a camera to four pc fans and whacked a battery pack on it, i want one :)

[@AeroicaGaming]

Michael Baker LOL..I laughed when I read that. They do look like 4 x 120mm PC cooling fans 😂

[@TUnit959]

I wonder how well that would work actually

[@AeroicaGaming]

LOL...if the PSU could take it (which it should) it would be an amazing but expensive and noisy cooling solution.

[@TUnit959]

I meant as a quadcopter. I looked it up and sadly they can't produce enough lift to actually get itself off the ground.

[@AeroicaGaming]

***** oooo..gotcha. Nice idea

[@ucheucheuche]

I really liked this review, thorough and genuine.

[@barukbok7]

Thank you, I just ordered it few days ago, and I'm cancelling it now

[@tofikkhan3001]

Aka that is 🦧🐒🐄🐗🇦🇩🇦🇱🇦🇴🇧🇪🇦🇩🇦🇹

[@readysetdrone]

I'll wait for V2 of this quad. Thanks for a good review!

[@KiLLJOY1056]

The V2 is actually really cool. It has 4k and a gimble, only problem is its too expensive i could get something so much better for the same price

[@MichaelAcosta]

Thank you for the excellent review!

[@giraffebecky]

This guy is really good at this (reviewing products)! I'm impressed!

[@erwinmalimban2197]

Great review! No bullshit intro. Just straight to the point.

[@bossev]

great honest review. thanks!

[@MrDwaynecasey]

Thanks for the review! Considering the newer one. But there are definitely good points to consider here....

[@khyrianstorms]

I love the colour gradin of this video. And it's well edited

[@vsmash2]

good analysis, great presentation.

[@LONEWOLFAirsoft]

This is a very good and honest review. Thanks souch for the information.

[@BrandonKoops]

Love the Color grading/fade effect!

[@Bobby-lv2kr]

Design is amazing and just out of the box, You don't have to worry about propellers at all and on top of that the foldable approach is awesome I hope in next version they improve video quality and add more sensors to it

[@jonbal20]

Ya salió la nueva versión y es impresionante el Hover X1

[@brubrushanghai]

Thank you very much for your review

[@adamsunday2010]

Great Review - Well presented and detailed.

[@TheMixmastamike1000]

Awesome review!! And what a cool drone

[@beliasphyre3497]

That's a well done review.

[@andyb7337]

Dope, drones are making progress!

[@citizenx6337]

Wow i was just about to buy it, thanks!

[@vjaytvcanada]

amazing ... great review

[@tomstestkitchen]

This is why I love your channel. This is an honest review, short comings and all, of a product I've been interested in. Have you looked at the Yuneec Breeze yet? It's in the same price range and seems to overcome a lot of the issues you mention here.

[@Palazzinappa]

very useful review!

[@stanjones2126]

Very helpful. Thanks.

[@entheogenetic]

Wicked COOL! Thanks!

[@AndreaDRosa]

Thank you you just made me save 500$. Was abut to buy it for my travels as a time and space saving drone , but if the image quality isn't there there is no point

[@c.s.prometheus]

Beautiful drone

[@SuperKax3]

Great review.

[@KSchawacker]

They really were onto something with this! Perhaps some more robust version of this will surface soon.

[@accordingtohonda4308]

This has potential to be freaking amazing, give it some time to flesh out

[@Nathen]

MAN your video quality is butterrrrrrrrrr

[@LeeLucas]

Great honest review and having looked at a few reviews of this Hover Camera my biggest Gripe with it at first was the noise levels. For example I was looking at this as being a super way to record myself performing a song with my guitar. But it's just impossible to do such a thing with the noise of the damn thing. The 4K was never going to be an issue with me regarding the actual video quality, but seeing here how it's even worse downscaling to 1080p really is bad.

[@SpaceZombie]

Awesome design!

[@jdquad]

Excellent review as always, I would love to review this for my channel!

[@Cutlerylover4life1]

It blows my mind that a youtube channel with this high of production value can't get their audio right!

[@josenelsonyee9058]

it's really cool. I want it soon.

[@GabrielC96]

Great review pointing out the bad while also commending the genius design, hopefully they can make a 2nd gen and improve.

[@BizzyKit86]

I'm so glad I watched this review. I was literally about to part with £500....

[@exmoorman]

Great idea to be improved upon

[@wi11y1960]

Good review. Thankyou for this video. Saved me the headache of buying something that would not fulfill the needs.

[@aaronsz6749]

I think it's a nice start, with time they're going to improve it.

[@Mirzadon007]

you got 1 sub for quality ! looking for more

[@jeshuagustafson2162]

Mirza Belal same

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

Great design and concept, it really needs its own controller, even if its optional though.

[@MrHauerManuel]

amazing audio

[@michaeljeacock]

as a mk1 it seems quite cool can't wait for later gens.

[@bigglyguy8429]

It's rather amusing to watch this, while enjoying my modern Hover X1, which is pretty much identical, yet much smaller and lighter. I can fit mine in my pocket easily, while this is pretty hefty looking :) Edit: also the 4k camera shown here is nothing like as good as the 2.7k cam on the newer one, while has better stabilization too. I love the way the company has stuck to the concept, just improving it rather than changing the design, as it really is a great design. This vid also makes me appreciate the 12 second or so start-up time of the new one! I've used mine on a really windy beach and while the drone itself was wobbly the actual footage was fine.

[@BrettW]

What's up with the audio on this one? The noise cancellation seems off as it's noisy as fuck when he's talking but disappears when he stops?

[@BrettW]

Fixed after the demo. Okay

[@JurassicCollectables]

hmm yes. Audio issues seem to be frequent, may be they are testing new mics? Joey's a pro so I trust his judgement

[@JurassicCollectables]

to me it seems maybe it was recorded too quiet so it overcompensated?

[@Alex-mp4kl]

"...on this one." lol oh you. I remember my first tested video.

[@acexprt]

Brett your Just not used to the pro audio some professional KZbinrs have.

[@martinbishop1463]

Great review can you tell me as someone that just wants a selfi drone if their is a good one coming out?

[@TiagoTiagoT]

That design looks like it would make for an interesting acro/race quad for beginners.

[@perniciousvideo]

I had such high hopes for the Hover camera...I guess I'll cross fingers and hope they update/upgrade and come out with a better version.

[@seanpshamrock]

simple use with great approach just a platform to grow from.

[@AlGreenLightThroughGlass]

Early days, evolution will see these get much better

[@jonaslolucasify]

thanx for doing this video! i was considering it but now, not for $599.

[@youngboy4129]

8-10 mins flight time and it costs $599? NO THANKS

[@ArianasMoments]

Eddie Young righhtttttttttt

[@touchsky6671]

Agreeeeeee

[@wysiwyg2006]

exactly. 10 mins is ridiculous and looks like it takes ages to connect and boot up

[@jacksavage7347]

i knoooow if it were 100- 150 then maybe

[@ghosttjr2]

and tons of yello too ; P

[@DanielA-yg3un]

That's so well designed. It looks like a laptop charger with some pc fans attached to the side, so compact. It's unfortunate the technology is not there yet, at least at a reasonable price.

[@screwloose455]

I like the 1991 video quality. Great touch.

[@musikSkool]

So cool, it reminds me of a portable HardDrive from 2005.

[@stephendevore9362]

Good review. I wasn't sure what qualities of the camera would be? And the true abilities of the face tracking really were? Thanks 😎

[@SuperFactsCS]

a bit of software improvement and this could be a must buy for cell phone bloggers

[@aaron4820]

Seeing this test I was expecting this to be some $150 toy, but at $549, I feel sorry for this project especially with the announcement of the Mavik, this is pretty much going to be a dead on arrival launch.. :(

[@aaron4820]

I've since owned the Mavic and tried this passport out from a relative who owns it, and would like to update on the comment above: The two aren't comparable, weirdly while the Mavic is far more capable, it just isn't something for an amateur to pick up and use to take some selfies, the passport is something you can genuinely throw into a backpack, throw into the air and it stays hovering with absolutely no worry it would damage anything or anyone, the Mavic however, despite being way smaller and portable than the phantom(s), is still a very serious machine. If you're into drones already, the Mavic is a no brainer being "only" a few hundred bucks more expensive than the passport, but if you aren't, the user friendliness of the passport makes it far more suitable for your average consumer than the DJI offer. Still, for what it offers, anything more than $300 imo is too much, but comparing it to the Mavic is not right as there are things this passport offers which Mavic cannot. (namely safety and usability for complete amateurs)

[@crenshawyeo]

a balanced comment here on youtube!? 2017 is going well

[@saiyan_princestudios9790]

Update for 2019, you can find them on eBay for $100 heck yeah!

[@charlesbenoitthomad]

I wish I had the coin. Really cool.

[@sheriftaha4919]

nice work bro i like the review more than the hover camera

[@nielsjoubert7825]

Hi Norm! One comment: you said this quad does not have an IMU (around 4:30). I believe that's incorrect! It's still using an IMU to keep it level!

[@firstnamelastname4752]

Good lord, if you can't do sound right then stop trying. Hire a sound guy. Or learn how to do it properly.

[@Excludos]

What's wrong with the sound?

[@niqhtt]

static'y hissing in the background? I hear it, but don't use headphones so it isn't horrid.

[@G33kyAli]

There's static every time he talks! It's so ANNOYING!

[@bertramchristensen4172]

i had problems with the sound too only on headphones though

[@MrJest2]

Interesting; I just watched it and there were zero problems with sound. I suspect this is a KZbin issue - I think they are encoding and propagating the video a bit too quickly (probably because of complaints by content creators), and so depending on what server you wind up streaming from the quality of sound may suck for a while. I'd suggest give it an hour or so and check it out again when all the processing world-wide is completed.

[@1st1anarkissed]

so would one need to record audio separately and pair in post production if using this as an aerial tripod for vlogging? I really like this thing!

[@kutalp]

The best thing about this thing is .

[@TheAce198687]

i love the device

[@friggetyfuck]

Another great tool to make videos I'll never watch again after the first time.

[@ClutchFirst]

That quadcopter would have been cool if it was launched a year ago. Maybe they should market it as an indoor toy.

[@aidanmco]

I thought this would be fun for $100 or so, and then I looked it up... It's $550 dollars! That is more than I paid for my phantom, a HD drone with a gimbal, gps, and half-mile range. The only thing that is good is the portability.

[@Pascotam]

Over $500 is actually a bit crazy. I think it should be sold at roughly $200 at most.

[@michelleperguidi8807]

Wow! I was really liking this product but it really failed my expectations! For that price you would expect a lot better product! Great review!

[@wibulsinthatheeyakorn6355]

camera quality is great

[@MohdFaisal-nh9yg]

So sweet

[@touchsky6671]

Great review and very clear! IMO, it's a good product after watching the video, but not a good product to use in my life. I prefer considering it as a toy, you could play it and have a fun with it. Its flight time and camera quality are kind of awkward!

[@Mrdopestar173]

Hiii there! What camera, lens and FPS are you recording on? i love the quality.

[@sak2988]

I wait for this drone alongtime to come out ..... rr really

[@KL00100]

I'll wait for the next gen.

[@T-800..]

Norms uneven hoody string is making my OCD go overload!!

[@LatiNoble]

Let me just say that I LOVE Tested and Mythbusters and I have no respect lost for either. That said, both Unbox Therapy and Casey Neistat gave great reviews to the Hover Camera. Casey did say it was the funnest drone he ever used and would find a use for it in the future. And the footage Lewis showed was really crisp inside a professionally lit studio. Also the point seemed to be missed completely: 1. This drone has a total flight time of 16-20 minutes. It's not meant to follow you around all day while you vlog. 2. It was mentioned that, "it would crash into a tree...". That alone would cause a loss in props on almost any other drone or worse, a loss in the product completely. That's worth more than $550USD alone any day of the week. 3. The whole point of this drone is to have a portable, quick and safe solution to the problems of a traditional drone. And there, I feel, this drone definitely delivers. For more experienced vloggers or photographers, it would be the "quick draw" drone to their professional drone. Comparable to the "quick draw" point and shoot to their DSLR. When all is said and done this comment and this episode are not really going to matter considering the numbers. As of now over a quarter million people have seen this review and it's only six days old. BUT... Casey's and Unbox Therapy's videos came out yesterday and already have over 2 million combined views. I predict a long waiting list in the near future.

[@summersmith7924]

For 550 I could get the phantom 3 advanced. Gimbal✔ Gps✔ Cinematic footage✔ Down sensors✔ Active track✔ Orbit mode✔ Long range✔

[@uavpilot6715]

This quadcopter looks more like a prototype to me! I like what they've done to it, but it certainly needs improvement.

[@skylitknight5775]

This is very cool, are there alternatives? What I mean is what is this machines competition? And does it have a tech genre archetype, like would this be called an auto drone tracking camera?

[@heydrones9012]

Using a drone for selfie is a suitable request, but make a drone for selfie is not a good way. I also got a hover camera for test, the quality of EIS is still bad for video and the lightweight and short flight time make the drone get worse at out door. Due to the optical flow sensor for hovering, it was easily shake and drift around and hard to take photo. I don't think it worth $599, as I know that it is $150 cheaper, the concept of the product may be wrong at the beginning.

[@bobm1182]

that case made me think that apple just released some sort of idrone lol

[@wxfield]

Is that sasquatch @ 1:30 ?? Wow, that's a hairy dude if it isn't !!

[@kishorehari]

Hairy Hari!

[@R3_Live]

There should be a small tracker unit that you just keep on your person with a mode the drone uses to simply stay in proximity of it without any recognition software.

[@kokhowe]

Thanks for the very honest and clear review. Your video just killed whatever remaining interest that I have in this drone. Really too bad that it fails in its most important feature - video quality. I will easily choose the Yuneec Breeze over it.

[@kevinyip6688]

Nice

[@maniacaudiophile]

I do remember seeing this thingy about 2 years ago.... it would be impressive two years ago... not anymore tho...

[@EastyUK]

Cellphone control of anything scares me anywhere but in a excluded location. I always have the switch to atti mode on my phantom 4 when its in auto-modes. Nice video mate, need more integrity like this in reviews. Certainly need to make people aware that resolution is only 1 facet of a 12 sided dice regarding image quality. this should be $150 at most comparable to products out there.

[@ZennExile]

This would be a ton more stable and responsive with a properly designed cage that doesn't interfere with the airflow off the props. You should cut all the internal cage structure out of the way and see how much more stable and responsive the flight is. And you can fix the camera tracking with a different lens.

[@CinecomCrew]

Too bad the sound in the beginning is very unpleasant to listen to. Other than that, thank you for the review :-)

[@linux750]

This anime awesome first draft or prototype. It needs improvements before it can be mass produced for retail sale. If future versions meet the specs that the dude on the video specified that they should, then I will purchase one.

[@underyourbreath331]

Yeah, the video itself is pretty par, but their camera and software will inevitably be improved upon, I'm much more impressed with its design.

[@CrazyST4RProductions]

Check out Staaker. It's a drone that follows you with at tracker on your arm.

[@Pascotam]

I,d like to buy a drone with “duct fans” coz they give me an impression of “safety first”. But then secondly, how about the price tag? Is so much more expensive than many other drones with the same physical form factors. I think a price drop of 50% is really, really needed. Anyway, thanks a lot for this review video. It has given me valuable information for my purchase plan. Hope u could give a few video of its competitions later on. Thumbs up for your video man!