SJRC F11 PRO 4K – Foldable 4K Drone with 2-Axis Gimbal & EIS
The SJRC F11 PRO 4K is an affordable 4K camera drone with mechanical 2-axis gimbal and electronic image stabilization. The foldable drone is in many ways a real alternative to the much more expensive DJI Mini 2 and is available in three different versions with one, two or even three batteries.
Compared to the very similar Holy Stone HS720E, the F11 PRO 4K offers a better camera mount, a longer range and a slightly longer flight time. On the contrary, the HS720E handles 60 fps in full HD, which again is not possible with the F11 PRO 4K.
Design and weight
The dark gray quadcopter has foldable arms and propellers and measures about 45 x 40.5 x 8 cm when unfolded. When folded, the SJRC F11 PRO 4K measures approx. 17.6 x 10.5 x 8 cm and can thus be transported in the included transport case to save space.
The four motors are powerful and durable brushless motors (1806), which allow speeds of up to 34 mph (54 km/h, respectively 15 m/s). Below the motors are colored LEDs that help you tell the front and rear of the drone apart in the air.
Together with the battery, the SJRC F11 PRO 4K comes to a total takeoff weight of 585 grams.
The controller
The controller of the SJRC F11 PRO 4K has two retractable antennas and a large display to show the current flight mode, the selected speed and many other info.
It has a holder for your smartphone on the top and two fold-out handles on the bottom, which allow you to hold the remote control comfortably.
Since the controller has its own battery (3.7 V, 300 mAh LiPo), no extra batteries are needed. One battery charge lasts up to 11 hours. The remote controller, just like the drone, is charged with the included USB charging cable. The charging process only takes about 25 minutes.
Features and flight characteristics
Since the SJRC F11 PRO 4K is a GPS drone, it holds its position in the sky with pinpoint accuracy and is hardly impressed by even moderate wind.
The drone is suitable for both outdoors and indoors, as the GPS module can be turned on and off. Additional flight stabilization, especially when used indoors, is provided by the drone’s Optical Flow Sensor, which consists of a small camera that permanently films the ground and thus contributes to flight attitude control.
There’s also a trim mode available when GPS is off, which allows you to fine-tune the hovering behavior.
With GPS on, you can access the handy Return-to-Home (RTH) mode for returning the quadcopter. This lets the F11 PRO 4K return to the launch position or drone landing pad and land safely at the touch of a button.
By the way, if the battery is too low or the signal to the remote control is lost, the RTH mode will automatically turn on and make sure you don’t lose the drone.
Another safety feature is the emergency stop function, which brings the motors to a stop and turns them off at the push of a button.
The SJF PRO App
To take photos and videos and view the live FPV image, you must first download and install the “SJF PRO” app. This is available for iPhones and Android devices for free download in the respective App Store.
In the app you get a lot of information about the current flight displayed (altitude, distance, speed, etc.) and can make various settings. For example, you can also switch between the normal and the beginner GPS mode. The default setting is the beginner mode, in which the flight distance and altitude are limited to 100 feet (30 meters). This allows you to practice at a safe distance and get used to handling the drone.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the SJRC F11 PRO 4K is about 26 minutes. This is made possible by the powerful 11.1 V, 2500 mAh Li-Ion battery. From experience, we recommend that you choose the version with two or three batteries right away when buying, in order to significantly extend the flight time. In addition, you get the additional batteries at a much lower price than if you buy them separately.
One battery is charged within about four to five hours with the included USB charging cable. You simply connect this to a standard smartphone power supply or connect it directly to a laptop, PC or power bank. During the charging process, four LEDs provide information about the charging status.
The control range of the SJRC F11 PRO 4K is a proud 0.95 miles (1.5 km), which is a decidedly good value for a drone around 200 dollars. The distance at which you can view the live image from the camera on your smartphone (FPV transmission) is about 0.75 miles (1.2 km). This is made possible by using the 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency, which all modern smartphones support. On the other hand, the designation has nothing to do with the new mobile phone standard 5G.
The camera of the SJRC F11 PRO
The 4K camera of the SJRC F11 PRO 4K records videos in 3840 x 2160 pixels at 30 fps. Photos are also recorded in 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels). Recordings are stored on a microSD card (CLASS 10/U1 or faster) of up to 128 GB or directly on the smartphone.
We always recommend using a memory card, as the video quality is only 1280 x 720 pixels when recording on the smartphone. In addition, any image jerks caused by signal interruptions would also show up in the video.
The recordings are stabilized by a mechanical 2-axis gimbal. Additionally, an electronic image stabilization (EIS) is installed, which also works in the third axis. The stabilization works extremely well and delivers almost as good results as you are used to from drones like the DJI Mini 2.
The camera’s field of view is 100°, making it wide-angle. The iris has a fixed aperture of f/2.15, and the camera can be tilted vertically up to 90° during flight, from horizontal forward to vertical down. This allows you to capture different perspectives during the flight.
Videos are saved in MP4 format, photos as JPEGs.
Flight modes and other features
The SJRC F11 PRO 4K features three intelligent flight modes: follow me, point of interest and waypoint navigation.
The Follow Me mode is divided into Image Follow and GPS Follow modes. In Image Follow mode, the drone stays in place while rotating around its axis to keep you in view at all times. In GPS Follow mode, the F11 PRO 4K follows you wherever you go and flies after you.
In Point of Interest mode, you can position the drone over an object or person. Then, the copter will fly a circle around that point while simultaneously recording video.
Waypoint navigation offers the ability to set multiple waypoints on a map in the app, which the drone will then fly independently.
Another nice extra is the gesture control, which allows you to take photos and record videos using hand gestures. If you hold out your hand to the F11 PRO 4K, it starts a video. Photos are triggered by the “Victory sign”.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x SJRC F11 PRO 4K drone
- 1 x LiPo battery (11.1 V, 2500 mAh)
- 1 x remote control
- 4 x spare blade
- 1 x 64GB C10 TF card
- 1 x USB charging cable
- 1 x instruction manual
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 12 x screws
- 1 x carrying bag
You can choose between three different versions of the SJRC F11 PRO 4K when you purchase it. The drone can be ordered with one, two or even three batteries. We recommend the versions with two or three batteries, as additional batteries are significantly more expensive individually.
Conclusion
The SJRC F11 PRO 4K is an extremely well made camera drone at a very fair price. With a 2-axis stabilized 4K camera and additional electronic image stabilization (EIS), it allows you to take high-quality photos and movies, as you are otherwise only used to from much more expensive drones with cameras.
Together with a maximum speed of 34 mph (54 km/h), a long flight time of up to 26 minutes and a range of about 0.95 miles (1.5 km), the SJRC F11 PRO 4K is therefore a real alternative to DJI Mini 2 and Co and even offers a Follow Me mode for tracking people and objects.
In the version with three batteries, you even have up to 78 minutes of flight time before the batteries need to be recharged.
All in all, we can highly recommend the SJRC F11 PRO 4K and wish you a lot of fun flying and filming!