UpAir One quadcopter – 4K copter for a small price
The UpAir One quadcopter is an excellent copter with camera and an excellent alternative to the somewhat higher priced multicopters from DJI.
The UpAir One is available in two different versions – either with a 2K or a 4K camera. Both versions always come with an accompanying gimbal. This not only gives you stabilized, shake-free footage, but also allows you to remotely adjust the camera as desired during flight. The live transmission of the camera image to the included 7-inch screen allows you to experience unadulterated FPV fun.
Equipment and functions
The UpAir One quadcopter has a lot of features for a drone with a camera in its price range and is an affordable alternative to more expensive copters like the DJI Phantom 4. Thanks to the dual compass system (GPS and BEIDOU), the UpAir One can be calibrated during flight and subsequently holds its position to within 3 feet (1 m). The hover function makes it easier to handle the drone, especially for beginners.
Other practical features of the multicopter are the Return-to-Home (RTH) function and the headless mode that can be switched on if desired. With the help of the RTH function, the UpAir One quadcopter returns to the starting position at the push of a button. A helpful function, should you ever lose control or simply want to land quickly again.
In headless Mode, it doesn’t matter which direction the copter is currently facing. Your control commands are always based on your line of sight and you don’t need to know if the drone is currently pointing towards you or away from you. This type of control is especially recommended for beginners and facilitates the initial handling of the UpAir One immensely.
Technical details
Equipped with a 5400 mAh battery (3S LiPo), up to 25 minutes of flight time are possible according to the manufacturer. However, it depends on whether you operate the multicopter with or without camera and gimbal. If you use the camera and frequently adjust the gimbal, you should rather expect about 18 minutes of flight time.
In total, the UpAir One quadcopter has a weight of 1350 grams. This makes it significantly heavier than 250 grams, the limit above which additional regulations must be observed in many countries.
The range of the included remote control is up to 0.62 miles (1000 meters). The distance for the live transmission of the camera image to the 7-inch screen, which is also included in the scope of delivery, is specified at 656 yards (600 meters). However, both values are only achieved under ideal conditions. But even at somewhat shorter distances, the actual range achieved should be more than sufficient for extended reconnaissance flights.
With its dimensions of 49 x 36 x 25 cm, the UpAir One quadcopter is not exactly compact. However, together with the positioning via GPS and the installed 9-axis gyro, this also leads to a lower vulnerability to wind and isolated gusts.
The drone can reach high speeds of about 31 mph (50 km/h), even though it does not have a sport mode like the DJI Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 or Spark.
Camera and gimbal
The 4K camera of the UpAir One has a 2.3-inch CMOS sensor and shoots pictures with 16 MP. This guarantees usable shots even in low-light conditions. The copter records videos in the 4K version with 25 fps. In Full HD, 30 fps are available, and even 120 fps in 720p. When recording at such high frame rates, playing back the videos at slowed down speed is a lot of fun, and you get to enjoy your own slow-motion recordings.
Photos, by the way, are saved as JPEGs; unfortunately, output in RAW format for subsequent editing of your snapshots on the PC is not possible. Your videos are recorded optionally as MP4 or MOV.
You can use a 16 GB or 32 GB SD memory card to store your recordings. 64 or more GB are unfortunately not supported.
The 2-axis gimbal provides sufficient stabilization of the camera images during normal flight movements and light wind. Via the remote control, you can adjust the gimbal vertically with the help of a small wheel.
FPV-Livestream und Follow Me
The included 7 inch screen can be mounted on the remote control and allows viewing the live image of the camera during the flight. Since the luminosity is not the very best, it is recommended to purchase a sunshade for sunny days.
The recordings of the UpAir One are transmitted in 720p. A great feature of the drone is the so-called Follow-Me mode. With the help of this function, the UpAir One quadcopter follows you at every turn and takes video or photo recordings of you. Furthermore, you also have the option to set individual waypoints that the drone should fly off.
App
As an alternative to transferring images to the 7-inch display, you can also use your own smartphone. Simply download the free app for iOS and Android. By the way, the WiFi password is supposed to be 12341234 and not noted in the user manual. In the app, you can conveniently control the triggering of photos and videos, turn the beginner mode on and off, and make other settings.
Conclusion
The UpAir One quadcopter is highly recommended from a price/performance perspective, considering the multitude of functions, the included display, and the quite respectable flight time of just under 20 minutes. Equipped with a 4K or 2K camera (depending on the model), a 2-axis gimbal and a dual compass system, even beginners will be able to take aerial shots worth seeing.
Return-to-Home function, hover function and headless mode make control even easier. All in all, the UpAir One quadcopter is, in our opinion, an excellent alternative to much more expensive multicopters like the DJI Phantom 3 or Phantom 4, and it doesn’t have to hide behind its bigger models.