DJI Neo has avoided European regulation with a weight of only 135 grams. Anyone can use it. With a popular price of 199 euros, it can also appeal to the masses.
In 2020, a directive regulating the use of drones came into effect in the European Union. At the time, the European Aviation Safety Agency divided drones into three main categories based on weight and risk. The lowest category was A1, which included devices weighing up to 250 grams. Such quadcopters can fly over people, but not over groups of people. At the moment when the regulation came into force, many enthusiasts of panoramic aerial photography had a problem. Most commonly available drones weighed more than the lower limit determined by regulation. In practice, this meant that owners had to be registered and also undergo training and obtain a certificate. However, there were manufacturers who reacted flexibly to the changes and offered users drones with a weight that just fell short of the 250-gram limit. The example above all was the DJI Mavic Mini with a weight of 249 grams. This time, the Chinese company comes with a new, even lighter and extremely cheap Neo model.
Do you remember videos from vacations where a drone hovers over the family, recording their smiles and waving hands from above? Or videos with flights over the ocean and forests? The novelty, which DJI refers to as a “selfie” drone, is intended to serve just such purposes. Neo is intended for shooting videos from a low flight height. It has a record low weight of 135 grams and with dimensions of 130 × 157 × 48 millimeters it has the potential to become a drone for the masses. Despite its small size and light weight, it is not a toy. It can shoot videos in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. With a lower resolution, it can also handle a higher sampling rate.
Neo has a 1435 mAh battery that will keep it in the air for 18 minutes. The advantage is that the battery does not need to be removed and charged separately, but the drone can be connected to a 15-watt charger. Of course, the batteries can also be replaced. The flight speed is also good news. The drone can move flexibly at a speed of up to 16 meters per second and, thanks to the autopilot, follow its target, which can be either a moving car or a person. There are no limits to imagination when filming. It is possible to capture, for example, a skier going downhill, a cyclist or a surfer. Neo communicates with the pilot at a maximum distance of 3 kilometers. In cities, however, at a maximum distance of 500 meters.
And best at the end. DJI offers Neo in a basic package for 199 euros. You can pay extra for the controller, charging dock, batteries or headset, which can be used to control the drone as if in virtual reality.
Source: vat.pravda.sk
