dji

neo

dji neo REVIEW

November 18, 2024

For several years now, I've been interested in drones, particularly for photography and videography, as they allow you to capture images from a different perspective than a traditional camera or a smartphone. As a fan of green mobility, I wanted to be able to capture my travels in pictures.

The main appeal of aerial photography is the ability to capture landscapes, buildings, the atmosphere around us, and, even better, moments shared with loved ones.

Choosing a follow-me drone

Recently, I considered buying an ultra-light model with a follow-me mode, the HoverAir X1 from Zero Zero Robotics, which could film and take pictures in 2.7K for around 400 euros. Then, my interest shifted to the X1 Smart model released in Japan.

At the end of August, HoverAir unveiled its new X1 PRO and PRO MAX drones, filming in 8K, with prices ranging between 550 and 750 euros, in a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

Since I'm not really into extreme sports, I wasn't particularly interested in investing in HOVERAIR's latest line of drones, which are really designed for capturing that kind of action. But hey, if that's your thing, the X1 Pro and X1 Pro MAX models might be right up your alley.

HoverAir Indiegogo campaign

New HoverAir X1 Models (2024)

Last September, DJI unveiled an ultra-light drone with follow-me mode, manual shooting, and 4K video for a much lower price than the Hoverair X1: the DJI Neo, available for 199 euros.

So I had a choice: settle for a first drone with decent specs, ease of use, with or without the app, backed by the expertise of a renowned manufacturer, or buy a more sophisticated equivalent, with the beginner's anxiety of crashing it and having to spend more on spare parts or losing the drone altogether... Imagine 400 euros flying away... To each their own budget, personally I wasn't going to spend 400 euros with the risk of mistakes I could make as a beginner drone pilot.

It was mainly DJI's reputation in the civilian drone market that convinced me to buy the NEO. I just ordered the drone with an extra battery. After three months of use, I think I should have taken the bundle promotion with the remote control for more features. Also, I'm only reviewing the drone itself because I didn't get a bundle with the controller or the Goggles N3.

Ultra-fast delivery in three days (DHL shipment), after a secure payment. Well packaged, protected, on that side, DJI is impeccable.

credit photo : Smarty Bikes 2024

Dji NEO's features

Even though you can fly the DJI NEO without a smartphone (and without the DJI Fly app), you'll miss out on a ton of features. Like, in a lot of the modes, you can customize stuff like distance, angle, and whether you're shooting photos or videos. Plus, the app has all these tools for managing the drone, like updating the firmware, calibrating it, registering it, and of course, getting to all the photos and videos you shot.

The setup and first flight tests were quite accessible for a 50-year-old beginner like me, and I didn't want to complicate my life with a drone that had a lot of features requiring increased learning of piloting techniques...

The advantage of the DJI NEO lies in its ease of use and piloting for a very good quality result. Imagine, photos and videos in 4K, with enough shooting modes to satisfy my neophyte expectations.

As I said, I wanted a drone that could follow me, whether I was on a self-balance scooter Segway-Ninebot, an electric bike, or walking alone. To get beautiful images, beautiful memories of places, encounters or moments shared with my loved ones. Twenty years ago, if I had had this light and easily transportable drone when I traveled across Japan, USA or the South American continent, wow! This is truly the future of photography, capturing unique moments in photos or videos!

Some of the coolest features are:

The DJI Neo boasts a 12MP camera with a ½-inch sensor, capable of capturing stunning photos and ultra-high-definition videos. It can shoot in 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps, and offers both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.
Ultralight at only 135 grams, and easy to carry with its mini size.
Takeoff from the palm of your hand, landing by placing it under the NEO, impeccable!
Voice recording by the smartphone's microphone via the application with propeller noise suppression.
Generation of shorts with several video processing templates, but beware the provided background sound removes any recorded speech.

But wait, there's more!

DJI FLY app

The DJI FLY app is to be downloaded directly from the official DJI website, it weighs more than 500 MB (app with a totally decked-out video editor), and it is necessary to give all permissions both for its installation on your smartphone and for its use.

photo credit : DJI

User feedback was gathered based on these three control methods:

Fully autonomous: Hand launching and landing, with no remote controller or DJI Fly app needed (also known as palm control).
Voice control: Using voice commands through the DJI Fly app.
Manual control: Operating the drone with virtual joysticks in the DJI Fly app.

Standard control with a traditional remote controller, immersive FPV control, and control with DJI Goggles N3 were not tested.

Videos:

You can watch all these videos in 4K! Just go to the settings on the YouTube player and select 4K.

Different ways to fly and many different modes to shoot

It's an increased freedom of shooting, I wouldn't call this drone a selfie-drone but just a flying camera and that's the main interest, even if our body is the central point of reference for the shot, the whole background is captured, and that's where the memory is guaranteed because the image is good, the frame is extended to the different modes that can be set. with cinematic visual effects (Boomerang, Spiral, Rocket modes are fabulous). The ego quickly fades to give way to a panoramic view. "It's not 'look who I am' but 'where I am'" (This is my inner backpacker talking...).

There are three ways to fly the DJI NEO. First, you can just press the MODE button—no smartphone needed!—and cycle through the automatic flight modes by holding the button down. Keep in mind that this will use the default settings you've customized in the app. Second, you can use the app to fine-tune all the flight mode settings. And finally, you can use voice control, which you can turn on in the app.

Oh, and one more thing! MANUAL CONTROL mode is only available through the app with virtual joysticks within it. It lets you fly the drone like any other drone, giving you full control. As a beginner, I actually really like this mode because it lets me get shots of places that would normally be out of reach—I'm talking about high-up places especially.

Manual control via the app with three ways to organize the joysticks with the ability to control the tilt of the gimbal in full flight, the flight time is extended depending on the battery capacity, about 16 minutes.

Voice control that is done via the smartphone's microphone. Voice control works in all flight modes.

Just say "Hey Fly" followed by the shooting mode you want. Once the NEO confirms, it takes off right from your palm! Pretty cool, right? You can turn on voice control in the app settings.

Keep in mind that the voice commands are only available in English and Chinese right now.

They're split into three categories: "Recording", "Following", and "Safety". Here's a list of all the voice commands the app recognizes

Although it's not mentioned in the user manual, the drone has a small built-in speaker. This speaker announces flight instructions (takeoff, landing, takeoff angle) as well as safety alerts (battery level, environment, etc.)

1. Follow

"DJI Neo will follow the subject from behind while recording automatically. When the subject moves away from DJI Neo, it will follow the subject and fly forward. When the subject moves toward DJI Neo, it will hover in place and does not fly backward. Perform with caution to avoid collision. The max horizontal flight speed in Follow mode is 8 m/s. You can set the follow distance and height in the DJI Fly app."

2. Dronie

"DJI Neo will keep the camera facing the original position of the subject, record a video while flying backward, and then record another video while flying forward. It will hover at the takeoff point after recording. You can set the max distance and height in the DJI Fly app."

photo credit : DJI

3. Circle

"DJI Neo will keep the camera facing the subject, fly backward to the preset distance, and then begin circling the subject once, while recording automatically. It will hover at the takeoff point after recording. You can set the distance in the DJI Fly app."

4. Rocket

"DJI Neo will keep the camera facing the original position of the subject, record a video while ascending, and then record another a video while descending. It will hover at the takeoff point after recording. You can set the max height and enable or disable the rotation of DJI Neo when ascending and descending in the DJI Fly app."

Photo credit: DJI FLY app

5. Spotlight

"DJI Neo will hover after takeoff and record a video with the camera facing the subject. You can set the camera mode to Photo or Video in the DJI Fly app. When set to Photo, the subject can trigger DJI Neo to take a photo automatically by maintaining a fixed pose for 3 seconds."

6. Custom : Direction Track

"DJI Neo will fly backward for a distance after takeoff and then determine the movement direction of the subject to confirm the tracking direction. Once confirmed, DJI Neo will follow the subject from the tracking direction relative to the direction of the subject movements while recording. You can set the follow distance and height in the DJI Fly app."

source : Dji NEO User Manual

6.Custom : Helix

"DJI Neo will keep the camera facing the subject, fly backward to a location 2 m from the takeoff point, and ascend while circling the subject once in a spiral curve while recording automatically. It will hover at the takeoff point after recording. You can set the max distance in the DJI Fly app."

6. Custom : Boomerang

"DJI Neo will keep the camera facing the subject and fly around the subject along an oval path while recording automatically. It will ascend and then descend while flying along the oval path and will reach the max height when flying at the farthest point away from the takeoff point. DJI Neo will hover at the takeoff point after recording. You can set the max distance in the DJI Fly app."

Among the surprises, the image stabilization synchronizing a stabilization axis and software processing is incredible. Having tested it on the beach, seeing the drone tilted in flight despite the wind, and the video rendering with a stabilized image, I was quite happy with my purchase.

This video by the ocean as an example. As you can see, there’s a bit of wind (my clothes are blowing in the wind) , but the video remains well-stabilized, even though from my viewpoint, the drone was flying tilted to one side.

I love using Boomerang mode. It gives your shots a real sense of depth and shows off the whole scene around your subject. It's an easy way to get that cinematic look, even if you're just starting out.

And there's nothing more amazing than writing a message in the sand and seeing it from the sky.....With a little music to set the mood.

Loving that feeling of finally getting to that amazing viewpoint!

I wouldn't recommend using the NEO in super low light, like in the video I shot way after sunset

Rocket mode isn't really made for capturing faces, but it's awesome for getting shots of the ground below.

Follow-me mode, whether you're walking, running, or biking, you gotta make sure you're not going too fast or you'll lose the drone!

In follow-me mode, when I stopped suddenly, I kinda freaked out for a second that the drone was gonna hit me from behind! It was the sound of the propellers getting closer, you know? You gotta start moving slowly and come to a gradual stop with the little NEO.

Speaking of which, the DJI NEO can't actually recognize objects or animals in its identification modes. So, yeah, you're gonna have a person in your shots no matter what.

Album in DJI FLY app

The album in the app shows you the videos and photos you've taken with your DJI NEO. But there's also a tab that lets you see other albums on your phone. So you can get to stuff like photos and videos from other apps (like WhatsApp), screenshots, and all that.

Photo credit: DJI FLY app

Lightning-fast file transfer

Quickshare is amazing! Being able to download photos and videos to your smartphone that fast is a game-changer. Just click on the video or photo you want in the album – make sure Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are connected to the drone, of course. It's a must-have if you're out flying with multiple batteries and you fill up that 22GB of storage quickly. You can free up space right away and keep shooting (You're usually looking at transferring files that range from around a hundred megabytes to two gigabytes...).

Photo and video files data in DJI FLY app

To see the technical details about a photo or video, just click on the little 'i' to the right of the date it was taken.

Photo credit: DJI FLY app

Video Editing in the DJI Fly App

The video editing software built into the DJI Fly app allows you to create edits using videos stored on your smartphone, including those not captured by the DJI NEO. It’s a well-designed, user-friendly tool, perfect for creating videos directly on your smartphone.

Photo credit: DJI FLY app

In this same video, adding background music or visual effects is possible through a video editing tool built into the app, which allows you to create a cool QuickShot to share with friends and family.

This software offers many options to enhance and make your videos look great.

With the DJI NEO's different programmed modes, you don't get a choice – videos are short, except in manual mode.

It's better to have short videos, especially of moments shared with loved ones, with one of the predefined shooting modes, than long videos, whose weight does not allow instant sharing via messaging apps such as WhatsApp...

Manual piloting will allow for longer videos more focused on the natural environment, but nothing prevents the creation of a long video by editing several videos together.

In Dronie and Rocket modes, the video recording is split into two parts: one where the drone flies away from the subject and one where it flies back towards it.

It's easy to combine these two videos into one by selecting both in the DJI Fly app's editing software.

NEO's flight data center

Photo credit: DJI FLY app

The flight data center is located in the "Profile" section of the app. It displays the drone's total flight time since activation, the total number of flights, and the total distance traveled. Each entry shows the date, distance, altitude, duration, and the device used.

By tapping on an entry, you can access an interactive map where you can apply a terrain overlay. This provides an aerial view of the flight recording, with the drone represented as a blue arrow and a neon green location circle.

Photo credit: DJI FLY app

The flight path appears in blue, showing details such as alerts, GPS satellite positioning, signal strength, and battery level.

My first crashes...

The DJI Neo doesn't have obstacle detection, so you have to be aware of its surroundings and maneuver it to avoid collisions.

I've had a few crashes and the device has not suffered at all, several times it lost control, first thinking of a defect in the device, DJI's after-sales service was very fast to the point of offering me a new replacement, but I'm now almost sure it's related to the surface of the ground (it's specified in the manual), then I had a few head-on collisions with a tree or a bollard, again, the device came out unscathed, namely that the gimbal has a protection feature in case of impact. We can also say thank you to the propeller guards.

So, check this out. I had this crash where my Neo just went haywire, totally lost control.

And get this, the second crash happened in the exact same spot!

I'm starting to wonder if it's got something to do with the ground reflecting signals or maybe a 4G antenna nearby?

Whatever it was, it hasn't happened again, especially since they pushed some firmware updates

Understanding the crash of my DJI NEO

If, like me, you are confronted with a crash of your DJI NEO, consult the user manual, indeed many variables are to be taken into account to explain its crash, it is enough just to know the recommendations well and to observe the context of the flight.

DJI's tips to keep you from crashing

DJI Neo is equipped with both an infrared sensing system and a downward vision system.
The effective operating environments for the vision system and infrared sensing system are as follows:
Surfaces under the sensors are diffuse reflective surfaces with discernible patterns, diffuse reflectivity > 20% (such as concrete pavement).
The lighting conditions are adequate (>15 lux but no more than 10,000 lux, normal indoor lighting conditions).
The best positioning altitude range of the vision system is 0.5 to 10 m when using the vision system in an open environment with flat surfaces and clear textures. The vision positioning performance may decrease when flying beyond this range. Fly with caution.
The downward vision system may not work properly when flying near water. Therefore, DJI Neo may not be able to actively avoid water below it when landing.
The downward vision system and infrared sensing system may not function properly when DJI Neo is flying too fast or at an altitude that is too low.
The vision system cannot work properly near surfaces without clear pattern variations or where the light is too bright or too dark.
The vision system cannot work properly in the following situations:
Flying near monochrome surfaces (e.g., pure black, white, red, or green surfaces).
Flying over highly reflective surfaces (e.g., ice, glass, monochrome ceramic tiles).
Flying near water or transparent surfaces.
Flying near moving surfaces or objects.
Flying in an area with frequent and drastic lighting changes.
Flying near extremely dark (< 15 lux) or bright (> 10,000 lux) surfaces.
Flying near surfaces that strongly reflect or absorb infrared waves (e.g., mirrors).
Flying near surfaces without clear patterns or textures.
Flying near surfaces with repeating identical patterns or textures (e.g., tiles with the same design).
Flying near obstacles with small surface areas (e.g., tree branches and power lines).

source : Dji NEO User Manual

Safety and Flight Zones in DJI Fly

The DJI Fly app provides crucial safety and flight zone information through its "Fly Safe" feature. An interactive map displays different types of zones, categorized as follows:

Flight Restrictions: These zones, determined by analyzing Google Maps data, indicate limitations or prohibitions on drone flight. They include:

Restricted Zones (prisons, airports, etc.)
Authorization Zones
Altitude Limited Zones
Enhanced Warning Zones
Warning Zones
Recommended Zones
Densely Populated Zones

Local Laws and Regulations: These zones reflect laws specific to each country and region. They include:

Regulatory Restricted Zones
Altitude Limited Zones

Important Information:

Flight zone information is provided for guidance only and does not replace applicable regulations.
It is essential to check local laws and regulations before each flight.

NEO Specifications

Release year : 2024

1 - Gimbal and Camera ; 2 - Propellers ; 3 - Propeller Guard ; 4 - Motors ; 5 - Mode Button ; 6 - Mode Indicators ; 7 - Battery Level LEDs ; 8 - Status Indicator ; 9 - Power Button ; 10 - USB-C Port ; 11 - Intelligent Flight Battery

12 - Infrared Sensing System ; 13 - Downward Vision System ; 14 - Battery Latch

photo credit : Dji

source : https://www.dji.com/neo/specs

DJI NEO: Final Verdict - Simple, Fun, and Affordable

Now that I'm in my fifties and still have this huge passion for photography, I always thought nothing could replace a good camera. But drones have come a long way! They're small, compact, affordable, and they finally offer awesome image quality and shooting modes that used to be just for pros. Just like with regular photography, I get a real kick out of taking pictures with a drone. And having this little flying camera—it's practically autonomous!—has really changed things up for me over the past few months, even if the battery only lasts like 16 minutes. I've captured so many cool moments and angles I could never have gotten before (except maybe from a helicopter or plane!), all while keeping my feet firmly on the ground. It's so easy to use. When I bought it, I had no idea this little drone had so many options! I'd definitely recommend the DJI NEO to anyone who, like me:

Knows nothing about drones
Doesn't want a drone that's complicated to fly
Doesn't want to spend more than 200 euros
Wants to capture amazing moments from a whole new perspective

And the quality? No complaints here. The NEO has crashed into the ground, a tree, and even a pole a few times, and it's still going strong. It's the perfect drone for beginners and it just looks awesome!

J.V Mini-J

More details by visiting DJI Store website

smartybikes - 4K smart flying camera - DJI - DJI NEO - follow-me drone - drone voice control - quickshare - rocket mode - dronie mode - follow mode - boomerang mode - direction track mode - circle mode - custom mode - editing drone video - gyroflow - rocksteady - horizonBalancing

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