Took my FPV drone out for a spin in Iceland and tried my very first waterfall dives. Was wild and super fun to film. Thought I’d share!
Looks great, nice flying!
Did you use the Avata 2 in manual mode for that?
Hollis said:
Did you use the Avata 2 in manual mode for that?
Not the Avata—this was a custom FPV with the DJI O4 Pro air unit. It’s a GEPRC Vapor D5 setup.
Hollis said:
Did you use the Avata 2 in manual mode for that?
Not the Avata—this was a custom FPV with the DJI O4 Pro air unit. It’s a GEPRC Vapor D5 setup.
Ah okay, that’s really helpful. I was just asking around about midrange setups. Everyone kept telling me to get a 7-inch for long range, but I wanted something agile enough to film waterfalls and stuff like you did. Would you still pick the D5 over a 7-inch?
@Hollis
Yeah, I’d definitely stick with the 5-inch. It’s super nimble and the image quality from the O4 Pro is top-notch, so I don’t need to strap a GoPro on. I’ve flown up to 2.5 km without any signal issues. I use DJI Goggles 2, which max out at 50 Mbps, and even that’s been totally fine. You might get a bit more out of Goggles 3 since they can do 60 Mbps.
@Luca
That’s awesome to hear. 2.5 km is definitely far enough for me.
I’ve got Goggles 3 and just started learning manual with the Avata. I uploaded a video from an underwater trip I did recently—it’s on my profile if you’re curious. I’m also glad I won’t need a GoPro. I’m all about keeping things simple.
@Hollis
Oh that was your video? I actually watched that a few days ago! Yeah, I feel the same about GoPros. I like the O4 Pro unit exactly for that—it’s basically the same tech the Avata 2 uses.
Hollis said:
Did you use the Avata 2 in manual mode for that?
Not the Avata—this was a custom FPV with the DJI O4 Pro air unit. It’s a GEPRC Vapor D5 setup.
Quick question—are you flying with ELRS or the DJI FPV Controller?
@Hollis
I’m using an ELRS Radiomaster Pocket radio. Great range and feels better in my hands. Also, I prefer having separate systems—if the DJI controller loses video, you lose control too. With ELRS, I’ve lost video a couple of times but still kept flying safely.
@Luca
Makes sense. Do you have GPS with return-to-home? Just wondering how you manage flying manual if the video cuts out. Or is it just for short blackouts?
Hollis said:
@Luca
Makes sense. Do you have GPS with return-to-home? Just wondering how you manage flying manual if the video cuts out. Or is it just for short blackouts?
Yeah, it’s got GPS. I bought a BNF setup with the O4 Pro and GPS already on it. Never needed the RTH in real situations, but I tested it—it works. I mapped a button to trigger RTH and it goes to the highest point reached during the flight before coming back. If the controller signal drops, it returns automatically. I feel better having control and video on separate systems.
@Luca
That’s probably the best advice I’ve gotten in this forum, honestly.
Way better than folks just saying “get a Chimera 7” because it’s trendy. One last thing—if I buy a BNF drone with ELRS, could I still fly it with my DJI controller later if I wanted?
@Hollis
Possibly, but not guaranteed. If you go with an ELRS setup, the connections from the DJI Air Unit to the flight controller might not be there, so you’d have to add those yourself. If you’re comfortable with some soldering and Betaflight tweaking, it could work. But yeah, switching back and forth wouldn’t be super practical.
I’d check out Joshua Bardwell’s channel—he’s got a ton of info on this, and his Discord is helpful too. Here’s a video where he compares DJI vs ELRS controllers. He does make a good point—if you lose video, it kind of doesn’t matter if the controller still works.
@Luca
Really appreciate all your advice. FPV stuff is a lot to take in, and I don’t want to be one of those people who buys a drone and sells it barely used a month later, lol.
Hollis said:
@Luca
Really appreciate all your advice. FPV stuff is a lot to take in, and I don’t want to be one of those people who buys a drone and sells it barely used a month later, lol.
Totally get that. I was in the same boat for years. Looked into FPV ages ago but backed off because it felt too complex. I finally dove back in a few months ago and I’m so glad I did. Got some insane footage in Iceland I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Here’s my full gear list in case it helps:
- GEPRC Vapor D5 with DJI O4 Pro, ELRS, GPS
- Radiomaster Pocket ELRS radio
- DJI Goggles 2
- HOTA D6 Pro battery charger
- Batteries: SMC 1600mAh and Tattu R-Line 1550mAh
- Props: Gemfan Hurricane 51466-3 MCK V2
@Luca
Wow, that’s a solid list. Appreciate the breakdown—super helpful.