As you may know, drones of all kinds have made their way into the spotlight as of recent years. There are drones delivering packages, drones entered in races, and drones used just for fun.
Many folks who fly drones have also recently taken to wearing goggles that allow them to see a live camera feed from the perspective of their drone, but can you fly just as effectively without them? Today, we’ll look into the pros, cons, and other options available when it comes to crafting your drone flight experience.
FPV Goggles Advantages
All of this is not to say that the goggles aren’t a great option as well, however.
If you are racing your drone, it’s likely that most of the other racers will be wearing these goggles, so here we will take a look at some of the advantages to consider when joining the majority.
The goggles are good for orienting yourself in the direction your craft is actually going, rather than being confused and turned around from your position on the ground.
You will feel transported into the air, as a virtual reality experience promises, giving you a completely immersive experience, unlike anything you could get when you aren’t wearing goggles.
On the DJI goggles website, they boast a 720/60 high frame rate, 360-degree coverage, and much more.
There is no doubt that the goggles are a wonderful choice, especially if you’re used to using virtual reality equipment. DJI promotional videos highlight features where more than one set of goggles can be connected to your drone at once (up to four devices!).
With the DJI goggles, you will have access to a close-range 1080p HD video, and a long-range 720p video.
Antennas are built into the headsets so that they don’t look bulky, but they still provide unmatched connectivity for a consistent video feed.
The goggles even provide a feature that can sync the face of the camera with your head movements so that you have more control over where you’re looking.
The impressive specs that come along with these goggles seem to be just one step short of actually being able to fly. Whether or not you need this technology all, however, depends on what you use your drone for.
Related Article: What Drones Are Compatible With DJI Goggles?
Other Options To Watch Your Drone Live Feed
As far as modes of receiving video feed from your drone, a popular option with leisure fliers is to use your smartphone as a way to view the images coming from the camera in the air.
This works if you are flying for fun because you won’t be able to see where you’re going quite as well as if you were to use the FPV goggles.
This is due to the error that the app can sometimes make in lagging or freezing altogether, leaving you without a reliable sense of where your drone is if it’s far away.
People have even crashed their drones because of the fickleness of a phone, which may never be completely solved.
Other options include AR glasses, which provide the same high-quality type of live feed from the perspective of your drone.
The great thing about these glasses is that, even if your feed stops, you will still have a chance to see where your drone is from your perspective on the ground.
With the FPV goggles, your vision will go completely dark if the video happens to stop; you will have to flip your goggles into the upright position, losing valuable time if you are participating in a race.
The glasses may also help with a bit of the sea-sick feeling associated with virtual reality-type goggles.
Those with a weak stomach may want to consider the glasses as an alternative because most people are unable to wear the goggles for more than a few minutes.
Choose Your Experience
If you use your drone for leisure and you want to have a video of the flight it takes, it is easy to record what the drone sees for later viewing if you don’t want to splurge on the goggles.
Even though you won’t get the immersive feeling of being in the air while your drone is, you will still be transported to the sky after the fact via video on your phone or tablet.
If you are aiming to record bird’s-eye views because, say, a university has commissioned you for a promotional video of their campus, you do not need to spend the extra cash on something like DJI goggles.
If you do have that extra cash, however, and you want you and your friends to be able to experience what it feels like to fly in real-time, the goggles are the way to go.
If you use your drone for racing, there is a chance you may want to invest in a pair of FPV goggles because, even though there are faults (such as sea-sickness), it’s the best way to get yourself on the same level as your competitors.
The pros of this gear include extremely high video quality at advanced speeds, the ability to see the environment which actually surrounds your drone (making for better navigation), and the chance to see things from a brand new perspective that’s almost otherwise impossible to achieve.
FFA Regulations For FPV Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does require that you keep your drone in your line of sight if you are flying outdoors.
However, you are allowed to have a spotter so that you’re able to wear the FPV goggles and fly without technically having the drone in your line of sight.
This makes it so that you won’t risk hitting something or someone you can’t see from the camera feed provided by your device.
Conclusion
So, should you purchase the FPV goggles along with the drone? In short, your experience flying the drone will still be a great one without goggles, but it would definitely be improved if you were to choose to take the dive and get yourself a headset. Consider this technology, or the AR glasses if you are looking for that surreal experience you can’t get elsewhere, and see what views the sky has to offer.