I’m planning to purchase a brand new 5-inch BNF FPV drone with the DJI O4 Professional Air Unit for freestyle, cinematic and probably some lengthy vary flying, so I believed this is able to be an amazing 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 stable choices that help it. Nonetheless, with so many elements to contemplate—efficiency, sturdiness, ease of restore, and worth for cash—selecting the correct one isn’t at all times simple.
On this submit, I’ll evaluate the prime BNF drones that come able to fly with the DJI O4 Air Unit, analyzing their specs, design, usability, and long-term reliability based mostly on my expertise.
Let’s break it down.
The Contenders: 5-Inch BNF Drones with DJI O4 Professional Air Unit
Listed below are a number of the most notable Bind-and-Fly (BNF) 5-inch FPV drones presently in the marketplace that help the DJI O4 Air Unit:
Every of those drones comes pre-built with DJI O4, making them nice decisions for pilots who don’t need to construct their FPV drone from scratch. However how do they evaluate in weight, sturdiness, repairability, and general efficiency?
Let’s dive into the small print.
O4 Professional or O4 Lite?
Personally, I want the O4 Professional on a 5-inch drone. As talked about in my DJI O4 Professional evaluate, the Professional model is higher in virtually each method apart from weight and worth. So until you’re flying a micro drone, the O4 Professional is the higher alternative for a 5-inch construct, in my view.
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 submit—I don’t assume 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 a substitute. 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 instances 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 Useless 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 lifeless 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 remainder. By not utilizing facet plates, you possibly can probably save as much as 30g, as I additionally demonstrated in my submit “How one can make your FPV drone lighter“.
Fortunately, a few of these quads—just like the Seeker5, Vapor D5, and CineFlow—will let you take away the facet plates in the event you want a lighter, extra accessible construct. Nonetheless, the iFlight Nazgul would possibly show tougher since the facet plates seem 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 usually), the iFlight Afterburner Sport stands out because the least sensible body with regards to upkeep. Simply wanting on the sheer variety of screws and components, I can already inform it’s going to be a ache to restore or exchange 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 plenty of different BNF drones.
- But, it’s 30g to 50g heavier than comparable fashions.
- If weight is immediately tied to agility and velocity, how does a heavier drone “push boundaries”?
- You’ll, for certain, get props in digital camera’s view. To get any helpful cinematic footage you’ll have to use a GoPro on prime which makes it even heavier.
If you’d like one thing that seems to be distinctive, possibly the Afterburner Sport will enchantment to you. However for me, it simply doesn’t make sense, and I’ll probably 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 broad area of view (FOV). A deadcat-style body is a lot better at preserving props out of the digital camera’s view in comparison with a True-X body.
For those who’re new to body configurations, try this information: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-drone-frames/#Configuration
Digicam Safety
DJI O4 setup wants correct digital camera safety and mushy mounting to get clear footage.
- Delicate-mounted digital camera? – Helps scale back jello and vibrations.
- Digicam safety? – Does the digital camera stick out an excessive amount of? Is the body designed to guard the digital camera in crashes?
| Mannequin | Delicate-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 |
The entire iFlight BNF quads appear to have the O4 digital camera protruding lots, making it extra weak in crashes.
That is the Nazgul ECO:
That is the Nazgul Evoque:
The GEPRC Vapor D5 offers first rate digital camera safety, which is a plus. As for the DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC, I couldn’t discover pictures of it with an O4 digital camera, however taking a look at its O3 model, it appears to supply first rate safety as properly.
Ease of Restore
Drones crash and break—that’s simply the truth of FPV. A well-designed body must be straightforward to take aside for repairs and upgrades.
The DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC has a distinctive cut up top-deck design the place the digital camera cage has its personal prime plate. Which means that to entry the FC stack and VTX, you solely must take away six screws of the secondary prime plate—an excellent design alternative for straightforward upkeep.
For the remainder of the quads, you’ll usually must take away the whole prime plate to entry the electronics:
- GEPRC Vapor D5 – 10 screws
- iFlight lineup – 8 screws
To be trustworthy, this isn’t a dealbreaker because you received’t must take the quad aside that incessantly. But when straightforward upkeep is a prime 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) lots, which has 5mm arms. In my expertise, they provide loads of stiffness and minimal vibrations. Would 6mm arms be extra sturdy? In all probability. However the tradeoff is additional weight. For most individuals, 5mm arms must be superb until you’re continually 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 extraordinary—all these choices ought to work simply superb. New to FCs? Be taught in regards to the completely different processors and gyros right here: https://oscarliang.com/flight-controller/
In relation to ESCs, all of the choices within the desk ought to work properly, however there’s one necessary 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 the event you care about futureproofing.
The BEC is principally 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 beneficial 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 secure 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 immediately 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 crucial 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 remainder 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 greater KV motors, when you don’t must fly full throttle on a regular basis, having additional energy whenever you want it’s an enormous benefit. For cruising at average speeds, small KV variations received’t considerably affect flight time—the motor design and general drone weight have a much bigger impact on effectivity. Personally, I want barely greater 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 subsequent consideration is whether or not the drone comes with GPS. I extremely advocate getting a BNF with GPS, as it could save your drone sooner or later in the event 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 might undergo on account of interference.
Personally, I like how the Seeker5 DC mounts its GPS—it’s positioned far-off from all antennas (so long as you don’t put a GoPro on it). The CineFlow additionally has first rate placement, because the GPS is above the VTX antennas, avoiding sign blockage. Nonetheless, on most different quads, the GPS is positioned below the VTX antennas, which ought to nonetheless work however not optimum.
| Mannequin | GPS Out there? | GPS Location |
|---|---|---|
| Axisflying Manta 5 SE | Sure, M10 | Beneath VTX antennas |
| DeepSpace SEEKER5 DC | Sure, M10 | On prime of digital camera |
| 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 & Total Worth
Lastly, let’s evaluate pricing and see what you’re getting in 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 the event 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 finest worth on paper. The iFlight Nazgul DC5 ECO can also be priced fairly, nonetheless for $34 extra, it affords much less: ESC and BEC are weaker, the motors have decrease KV, and the digital camera has no safety.
I additionally actually just like the design of the DeepSpace Seeker5, and its specs look implausible—however at $574, it’s a bit dear.
As for the Nazgul Evoque and CineFlow, these are the solely quads over $600, and actually, I feel they’re a bit overpriced based mostly on their specs and design. For that cash, you may get the Vapor D5 AND purchase an additional set of O4 Professional as backup!
Ultimate 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 evaluate, together with:
- Tuning its PID and filter settings
- Seeing how a lot efficiency enchancment I can get
For those who 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 submit if I get the prospect 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!
