HoverAir X1 Flying Camera Drone: The perfect AI Camera Person?

Not so long ago, filming video used to involve lugging around a camcorder that weighed about as much as a small dog, which was pretty limited in terms of the shots it could record. Footage was captured on video cassette in crappy standard definition, complete with tape noise. Sharing the footage was a pain in the ass, resulting in degraded copies. Then we got smartphones, they were lighter and could record high-definition or 4k video, but again they were limited in terms of the sort of shots they could capture. Enter stage left the Zero Robotics  HoverAir X1Drone, an intelligent flying selfie stick that can capture cinematic HD video footage in ways that were previously only available to video production companies and Hollywood studios. Best of all, it’s a metric ton of fun to use.

Drones might not be anything new, but I’d long shied away from them as they typically involved a steep learning curve and lots of farting about before you could even begin to get usable video. The team at Zero Robotics have turned this on its head thanks to some extremely clever engineering and a liberal dose of AI.

The HoverAir X1 test review unit was finished in sturdy white plastic (it’s also available in black). It came with a charger, two batteries, and a soft bag for storage. Its super compact, lightweight design makes it an ideal travel companion. This is largely due to a clever set-up that shrinks it to 127 x 86 x 31mm when folded, down from 127 x 145 x 30mm when unfolded, which, unlike most drones, makes it exceptionally easy to throw in a hand laptop bag or hand luggage without consuming an unreasonable amount of space.  Weighing in at just 125g (including battery), it’s also light enough to take anywhere. Its propellers are housed in mesh cages to protect them from accidental collisions with trees and other objects, extending their durability.

Zero Robotics earns serious kudos points for their laser-like focus on keeping everything simple. This translates into just two buttons on the drone: the power button (also a start button), and a second button for selecting which flight mode you’re after. There’s also a super easy-to-use app (Android/iOS) but you can use the drone without the app. That said, downloading recorded footage from the drone’s 32GB of storage can only be done with the app.

In practice, this all translates into a tiny learning curve that even a complete novice (such as yours truly) can pick up almost instantly. Once charged, simply unfold and place the drone in the palm of your hand. A short press of its power button will power it up, allowing you to choose its flight mode, then it’s a long press and it will count down its lift-off and tell you what mode you’ve selected via its built-in speaker.

There are a bunch of different flight modes, These include Orbit (it will fly around you, recording as it does), Follow (for a cool steady-cam-like effect of you walking, running or riding), Overhead (where it lifts off above you, recording a panoramic zoom out shot), Hover (it’ll stay in place), Custom and Manual so you can get it to do things like fly backwards in front of you as you walk – something which has traditionally required a costly camera/dolly track setup. All told, the results are impressive and the video looked surprisingly good. The drone is noisy, but its audio capture mode cancels out most of the drone’s noise in captured recordings.

I found its flight times ranged from nine to 10 minutes per battery, but this depended on how much work the drone was doing. While it will handle a light breeze, stronger winds can see it struggling to remain steady, which will impact battery life.

Thanks to some clever AI, the Follow mode is impressive. After starting it with its camera facing me in Follow mode, its camera detected I was the subject as it launched, and it followed me as I wandered about. That said, you need to be careful about potential collision hazards such as bushes and trees, but it managed to navigate some pretty complicated environments extremely well. Using the app I was also able to tweak following distance and height, allowing me to dial in the exact sort of footage I could capture.

While I am no ace drone pilot, I found the manual control option via the app usable. The app is a doddle to set up, and comes with a pile of tips and tutorials, making the entire process almost bombproof. That said, onscreen controls are never ideal, which made driving the drone a tad awkward. Here’s hoping Zero Robotics brings out a dedicated controller, as I’d wager there’ll be plenty of demand for it.

The maximum operating range is 30m (this varies depending on issues such as line of sight and RF interference) and the drone is able to operate at up to 15m of altitude. This time of the year is notoriously gusty and windy in Wellington, but thanks to the drone’s wind resistance (which according to Zero Robotics bumf is 17.7mph) and Electronic Image Stabilisation it managed to capture smooth video and keep the drone on course. That said, I avoided using the drone on a super windy day as it’s almost too easy to lose in a strong Wellington wind gust which could (in theory) send my poor drone to Picton.

Surprisingly, the app offers little adjustability in video and photo settings. Photos are captured as 12-megapixel JPEG files. While the photos were okay in decent lighting conditions, some pixel noise and colour loss were noticeable when shooting under low light conditions. Video was surprisingly good. There are three video presets – 2.7K/30fps, 1080p/60fps and 1080p (HDR)/30fps.

The HoverAir X1 Flying Camera Drone feels like magic. With next to no learning curve needed, it’s possible to record super slick video footage with next to no effort required. A super compact size and lightweight design also make it an ideal travel companion. If the thought of navigating all the arcane complexities of a drone gives you hives, the HoverAir X1 is just what the Witchdoctor ordered.

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/p/hoverair-x1-flying-camera-drone-combo—white/N231756.html