I’m planning to purchase a brand new 5-inch BNF FPV drone with the DJI O4 Professional Air Unit for freestyle, cinematic and presumably some lengthy vary flying, so I believed this is able to be a terrific alternative to doc my thought course of and clarify how I resolve which mannequin to get.
The DJI O4 Professional was solely launched final month, however there are already just a few strong choices that help it. Nevertheless, with so many elements to contemplate—efficiency, sturdiness, ease of restore, and worth for cash—choosing the right one isn’t all the time simple.
On this put up, I’ll examine the high BNF drones that come able to fly with the DJI O4 Air Unit, analyzing their specs, design, usability, and long-term reliability primarily based on my expertise.
Let’s break it down.
The Contenders: 5-Inch BNF Drones with DJI O4 Professional Air Unit
Listed below are a few of the most notable Bind-and-Fly (BNF) 5-inch FPV drones at present in the marketplace that help the DJI O4 Air Unit:
Every of those drones comes pre-built with DJI O4, making them nice selections for pilots who don’t need to construct their FPV drone from scratch. However how do they examine in weight, sturdiness, repairability, and total efficiency?
Let’s dive into the main points.
O4 Professional or O4 Lite?
Personally, I want the O4 Professional on a 5-inch drone. As talked about in my DJI O4 Professional assessment, the Professional model is higher in virtually each method aside from weight and worth. So until you’re flying a micro drone, the O4 Professional is the higher selection for a 5-inch construct, for my part.
Sadly the Axisflying Manta 5 SE solely comes with the O4 Lite, which is a dealbreaker for me. It additionally makes use of the Axisflying aluminum case, which I mentioned in my earlier put up—I don’t suppose it justifies the excessive worth. I beforehand reviewed the Manta 5SE and actually just like the body design, and I want it got here with the O4 Professional as an alternative. Hopefully, Axisflying will launch one other model sooner or later with the full O4 Professional system.
Weight – How Heavy Are They?
Weight performs an enormous function in flight efficiency, effectivity, and sturdiness. A lighter quad is extra agile and environment friendly, whereas a heavier quad tends to undergo from shorter flight occasions and fly like a tank—nice for stability, however not ultimate for freestyle agility.
Right here’s a breakdown of the takeoff weight (excluding battery and GoPro) for every mannequin:
| Mannequin | Weight (with out battery/GoPro) |
|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE | 391g (±10g) |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | 428g (±5g) |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | 437g (±10g) |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | 450g (±5g) |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | 436g (±5g) |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | 488g (±5g) |
| iFlight Afterburner Sport O4 | 490g (±5g) |
Are Aspect Plates Lifeless Weight?
One factor I actually dislike about a few of these BNF quads is the cumbersome plastic facet plates. Whereas they might look good and supply some safety, in lots of circumstances, they’re simply useless weight that:
- Compromises airflow to the electronics, probably lowering cooling.
- Makes it more durable to take aside the quad for upkeep and repairs.
- Provides pointless weight, lowering effectivity and agility.
Simply check out the load distinction between the Axisflying Manta 5 SE and the remaining. By not utilizing facet plates, you may probably save as much as 30g, as I additionally demonstrated in my put up “Find out how to make your FPV drone lighter“.
Fortunately, a few of these quads—just like the Seeker5, Vapor D5, and CineFlow—help you take away the facet plates in case you want a lighter, extra accessible construct. Nevertheless, the iFlight Nazgul may show more difficult since the facet plates look like an integral a part of the body design.
That is the Seeker5:
That is the Vapor D5:
That is the Cineflow:
If weight and ease of restore are priorities for you, take into account going for a mannequin with detachable facet plates or a minimalist body design.
Body Design
For freestyle flying (or simply flying normally), the iFlight Afterburner Sport stands out because the least sensible body with regards to upkeep. Simply wanting on the sheer variety of screws and elements, I can already inform it’s going to be a ache to restore or substitute parts.
On its product web page, iFlight claims that the Afterburner Sport is “designed to push the boundaries of velocity, agility, and sturdiness.” However right here’s what confuses me:
- It makes use of the 2207 motors similar to the Nazgul and lots of different BNF drones.
- But, it’s 30g to 50g heavier than comparable fashions.
- If weight is straight tied to agility and velocity, how does a heavier drone “push boundaries”?
- You’ll, for positive, get props in digicam’s view. To get any helpful cinematic footage you’ll have to use a GoPro on high which makes it even heavier.
If you would like one thing that appears distinctive, perhaps the Afterburner Sport will attraction to you. However for me, it simply doesn’t make sense, and I’ll doubtless exclude it from my choices.
Props in view?
Personally, I’d go for a deadcat body design as a result of the DJI O4 Professional has a particularly large subject of view (FOV). A deadcat-style body is significantly better at maintaining props out of the digicam’s view in comparison with a True-X body.
When you’re new to body configurations, take a look at this information: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-drone-frames/#Configuration
Digicam Safety
A very good DJI O4 setup wants correct digicam safety and tender mounting to get clear footage.
- Tender-mounted digicam? – Helps scale back jello and vibrations.
- Digicam safety? – Does the digicam stick out an excessive amount of? Is the body designed to guard the digicam in crashes?
| Mannequin | Tender-Mounted? | Digicam Safety? |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | Sure | TBC |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | Sure | Sure |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | Sure | No |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | Sure | No |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | Sure | No |
All the iFlight BNF quads appear to have the O4 digicam protruding so much, making it extra susceptible in crashes.
That is the Nazgul ECO:
That is the Nazgul Evoque:
The GEPRC Vapor D5 offers respectable digicam safety, which is a plus. As for the DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC, I couldn’t discover photographs of it with an O4 digicam, however its O3 model, it appears to supply respectable safety as nicely.
Ease of Restore
Drones crash and break—that’s simply the fact of FPV. A well-designed body needs to be straightforward to take aside for repairs and upgrades.
The DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC has a distinctive break up top-deck design the place the digicam cage has its personal high plate. Which means to entry the FC stack and VTX, you solely must take away six screws of the secondary high plate—an excellent design selection for straightforward upkeep.
For the remainder of the quads, you’ll usually must take away your complete high plate to entry the electronics:
- GEPRC Vapor D5 – 10 screws
- iFlight lineup – 8 screws
To be sincere, this isn’t a dealbreaker because you received’t must take the quad aside that incessantly. But when straightforward upkeep is a high precedence, the Seeker5 DC is value contemplating.
Right here’s the Vapor D5:
Right here’s the Nazgul ECO:
Right here’s the Nazgul Evoque:
Right here’s the Cineflow:
Sturdiness
Sturdiness is essential, particularly for freestyle and bando flying. Thicker carbon fibre and a sturdy body design assist quads survive crashes higher. Thicker arms additionally improve stiffness and scale back vibration which is essential to ease of tuning. Some quads use 6mm thick arms for sturdiness, whereas others go together with 5mm to save lots of weight.
| Mannequin | Arm Thickness |
|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE | 5.5mm |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | 5.0mm |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | 5.0mm |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | 5.0mm |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | 6.0mm |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | 5.0mm |
I’ve personally flown the Nazgul ECO (analog model) so much, which has 5mm arms. In my expertise, they provide loads of stiffness and minimal vibrations. Would 6mm arms be extra sturdy? Most likely. However the tradeoff is further weight. For most individuals, 5mm arms needs to be tremendous until you’re consistently flying in high-risk environments (bando diving, hardcore freestyle, and many others.).
Flight Controller and ESC
When it comes to FC and gyro, there’s nothing out of the bizarre—all these choices ought to work simply tremendous. New to FCs? Study concerning the completely different processors and gyros right here: https://oscarliang.com/flight-controller/
Relating to ESCs, all of the choices within the desk ought to work nicely, however there’s one essential factor to notice:
Current BLHeli_32 ESC will proceed to work as they’re, so it’s not likely a dealbreaker, however maintain it in thoughts in case you care about futureproofing.
The BEC is mainly a voltage regulator on the FC that can be utilized to energy the DJI O4 Air Unit. Whereas the O4 Professional can take direct 6S LiPo voltage, utilizing a BEC remains to be advisable as a result of it acts as an influence filter, defending the air unit from potential voltage spikes and damages.
At 1200mW output energy, the O4 Professional consumes round 10W to 11W, so a BEC with no less than 9V 2A output is required for steady operation.
Notice: The iFlight Evoque F5 V2 and SH CineFlow 5 use the BLITZ Mini F7 FC, which doesn’t have a built-in BEC for the DJI O4 Air Unit—you’ll must energy it straight from the battery (VBAT), which implies you lose filtering and voltage safety.
| Mannequin | FC/Gyro | ESC | BEC for DJI O4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE | F405 / ICM42688 | 60A Bluejay | 12V 2A |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | F722 / ICM42688 | 60A BLHeli_32 | 12V 2.5A |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | F722 / ICM42688 | 60A BLHeli_S | 9V 2.5A |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | ATF435 / ICM42688 | 55A BLHeli_S | 9V 2A |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | F722 / ICM42688 | 55A BLHeli_32 | No (VBAT solely) |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | F722 / ICM42688 | 55A BLHeli_32 | No (VBAT solely) |
Moreover, all these flight controllers embrace onboard Blackbox reminiscence, which is vital for superior PID tuning and filter changes. The Evoque and CineFlow has 8MB of reminiscence (BLITZ Mini F7), the Nazgul ECO has 32MB (iFlight BLITZ ATF435), whereas the remaining have 16MB.
Motor Measurement and KV
All these fashions use 2207 motors. The upper KV shall be extra highly effective at the price of being extra energy hungry. I feel it’s changing into a pattern within the passion to make use of larger KV motors, whilst you don’t must fly full throttle on a regular basis, having further energy if you want it’s an enormous benefit. For cruising at reasonable speeds, small KV variations received’t considerably affect flight time—the motor design and total drone weight have a much bigger impact on effectivity. Personally, I want barely larger KV motors for his or her versatility.
| Mannequin | Motor Measurement & KV |
|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE | 2207 1960KV |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | 2207 1960KV |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | 2207 1960KV |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | 2207 1800KV |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | 2207 1750KV |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | 2207 2050KV |
GPS
The following consideration is whether or not the drone comes with GPS. I extremely suggest getting a BNF with GPS, as it will possibly save your drone at some point in case you lose sign—it’d simply fly again to you utilizing Betaflight Rescue Mode.
Additionally, take note of the place the GPS is mounted. The optimum location ensures fast and constant satellite tv for pc lock earlier than and through flight. If it’s mounted too near the VTX antenna (or worse, beneath it), GPS efficiency could undergo resulting from interference.
Personally, I like how the Seeker5 DC mounts its GPS—it’s positioned distant from all antennas (so long as you don’t put a GoPro on it). The CineFlow additionally has respectable placement, because the GPS is above the VTX antennas, avoiding sign blockage. Nevertheless, on most different quads, the GPS is positioned below the VTX antennas, which ought to nonetheless work however not optimum.
| Mannequin | GPS Obtainable? | GPS Location |
|---|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE | Sure, M10 | Beneath VTX antennas |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | Sure, M10 | On high of digicam |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | Sure, M10 | Beneath VTX antennas |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | Sure | Beneath VTX antennas |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | Sure | Beneath VTX antennas |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | Sure | Above VTX antennas |
Value & General Worth
Lastly, let’s examine pricing and see what you’re getting to your cash. These costs embrace GPS, an ExpressLRS 2.4GHz receiver, and the DJI O4 Professional Air Unit.
.
| Mannequin | Value |
|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE (O4 Lite) | $339 |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | $574 |
| GEPRC Vapor D5 | $450.99 |
| iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO | $484.99 |
| iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V2 | $694.99 |
| iFlight SH CineFlow 5 | $625.99 |
I’ve to confess—I’m tempted to get the Axisflying Manta 5 SE, swap out the O4 Lite for the Professional, and both promote the O4 Lite or maintain it for a micro quad. However in case you don’t need to take care of swapping parts and simply need to fly straight out of the field, the GEPRC Vapor D5 appears to supply the greatest worth on paper. The iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO can be priced fairly, nevertheless for $34 extra, it gives much less: ESC and BEC are weaker, the motors have decrease KV, and the digicam has no safety.
I additionally actually just like the design of the DeepSpace Seeker5, and its specs look improbable—however at $574, it’s a bit expensive.
As for the Nazgul Evoque and CineFlow, these are the solely quads over $600, and truthfully, I feel they’re a bit overpriced primarily based on their specs and design. For that cash, you would get the Vapor D5 AND purchase an additional set of O4 Professional as backup!
Closing Ideas – Which One I Am Going to Get
After weighing the professionals and cons, I’ve determined to go together with the GEPRC Vapor D5.
When it arrives, I’ll do a full assessment, together with:
- Tuning its PID and filter settings
- Seeing how a lot efficiency enchancment I can get
When you additionally need to get the Vapor D5, right here’s the AliExpress affiliate hyperlink, which is the place I’m ordering mine from: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_ompjqMI
I’ll replace this put up if I get the possibility to check extra of those quads, however for now—which 5-inch BNF with the DJI O4 Professional Air Unit are you contemplating? Let me know within the feedback!