Drone or camera? the hover camera X1 might be the answer

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Drone technology has evolved massively over the last 15 years and most certainly that has had a lot to do with military applications, but this is not an article about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rather it is about consumer drones that are largely used by instagram influencers, hobbyists and real estate agents (sometimes those people are all three)*.

Ok that last comment is just a little cynical, drones are used for all sorts of very important commercial and safety applications, they are used in movie making and recently for replacing fireworks with artistic displays in the sky. But this story is about the consumer applications of drones and finding the right device for you.

For me drones have always been too complex to fly, too bulky to carry and too expensive. But that is all about to change.

I have a fascination with drone technology, as a keen photographer, the idea of being able to put the camera exactly where you want it, to get an ideal perspective on the shot is remarkable and it gives so many creative opportunities.

drone technology has evolved massively over the last 15 years and most certainly that has had a lot to do with military applications, but this is not an article about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rather it is about consumer drones that are largely used by instagram influencers, hobbyists and real estate agents (sometimes those people are all three)*.

The firm that most people think of when they think consumer drone is DJI, formed 17 years ago they are ‘the Apple’ of drones right down to having sophisticate retail shops for people to learn about and purchase the product. Products like the DJI Phantom, DJI Spark and the Mavic all set the standard for drone technology and what started as ‘a difficult to fly’ and ‘temperamental’ are now incredibly easy to fly, making it a great time to drone.

The new DJI Mavic 3 Pro is incredible technology featuring incredible optics, long flight time, obstacle avoidance and able to transmit HD video up to 15 kilometres but they are expensive (ranging from $2199 USD to $4799 for the top spec that has 1TB of memory).

Standard Spec for the DJI Mavic 3 Pro

4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera
Dual Tele Cameras
43-Min Max Flight Time
Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing
15km HD Video Transmission

So it would be largely agreed the DJI Mavic 3 Pro is state of the art in ‘prosumer drone technology’ but it ticks my boxes, its too big and cumbersome for me to take with me all the time, its still requires skill to fly it and it costs way too much for my budget.

I started writing this story reading about the ‘Hover Camera X1’ which appears to have mastered the concept of making it really easy to fly, taking pictures and video of the subject (you) and to control without using a remote controller. Manufactured by ZeroZero a firm started in 2014 by two Stanford graduates who wanted to build high precision control systems that use embedded AI to deliver exciting consumer products.

At the time of writing there are over 170 drone projects seeking funding on Kickstarter and Indiegogo but none of the others appear close to the level of product maturity and ZeroZero’s current Hover X1 product has raised over $340k in sales from 1000 backers who are confident in the potential. It’s also already shipped to reviewers and customer who have provided lots of positive feedback.

So Enter the Hover Camera X1 (small enough when folded to fit in a pocket or handbag) able to lift off from (and land back on) the palm of your hand. It can be used to orbit you, take an overhead video from up to 15 meters above you, and to follow you as you walk, run or ride (at up to 27 kilometres per hour) but more on that in a moment.

This is not the first drone for the ZeroZero Hover company the three previous versions all had specific functionality that have made their products very innovative at the time. The V-COPTR Falcon has an impressive 50 minutes of flight time, its camera on a gimbal able to move on 3 axis and shoot in 4k video (transmissible up to 7 kilometres). This device also has an auto follow functionality and importantly obstacle avoidance – but it still requires you to use a physical controller, so this is much more a professional or at least ‘prosumer’ experience.

The team at ZeroZero recognised the need for smaller size and ease of flight and quickly designed and launched a couple of products over the next couple of years.

The ‘Hover Camera Passport‘ was created on a foldable form factor and started using gesture control to direct the drone to take pictures. An impressive device it only weighs 242 grams including the battery, can fly at 27 kilometres per hour and can hover for 10 mins at a range of up to 20 metres.

Then a new model called the ‘Hover 2‘ increased flight time to 23 minutes, range up to 5 kms and included improved image stabilisation. But It also included a one handed controller ..!

Hover Camera X1

Which brings along the ‘Hover Camera X1‘ firstly its incredibly light – 125 grams that is half the weight of previous drones, (so of course its smaller and has less battery), it has the nifty palm take off and gesture control – this is a drone that is absolutely designed so that you do not have to know how to fly a drone.

Hover Camera X1
Hover Camera X1
Hover Camera X1
Hover Camera X1
Hover Camera X1

The enclosed design protects the blades and its small enough to go in your pocket. There are five flight modes (each recording video and or a series of still images in quick succession). Hover, zoom out, orbit, follow and bird’s eye (from above).

Stabilisation has been improved from previous versions including horizon levelling which makes an enormous difference. The storage is fixed and not expandable, available either as 16 or 32 GB. The adjustable gimbal can move from -90°~15°.

Folded: 127mm ×86mm ×31mm
Unfolded: 127mm ×145mm ×30mm
FHD / HDR 2.7K ultra HD image
32 Mbps
60 fps
12 MP
90
Visual Inertial Odometry VIO (figure that out)

The VIO technology apparently uses surroundings to locate the drone, enabling “centimetre precise” flying with no need for compass calibration. Eliminating reliance on GPS, so you never need to worry about GPS signal loss or flyaway, importantly allowing beginners to fly confidently indoors and outdoors.

There is an app for your phone that allows you remote control of the drone and ability to live preview the images, enabling you to adjust composition and angles of the shots in real time. One battery is going to allow about 11 minutes of flight time

So the question becomes how much and do you ‘need’ one. Well currently it is pre-launch so sales are via Indiegogo (yes – which comes with its own risks / rewards), the X1 is $299 USD ($450 AUD) which gets you the drone, 1 battery, cable and a bag (this is claimed to be 23% discount to the proposed RRP). That is about 1/3 the cost of a drone from DJI but its definitely not playing in the same league.

So do you want an X1? I guess that is entirely up to you. For me the ease of control, portability, and video stability mean that this is a toy that I am sure I would find plenty of time to play with.

PRICE | Hover Camera X1 is $299 USD (~$450 AUD) kit options with additional batteries are also available.