Zerotech DOBBY first drone which appeared in serial sales. Selfie quadrocopter is a new type of drones, which is notable for its compactness and good camera. They are not equipped with a remote control; instead, a smartphone is enough.
Features
- Foldable design
- Compact size
- Lightweight total 199 gram (with battery)
- Electronic image stabilization (EIS) in 1080p mode
- Voice control
- Outdoor positioning GPS GLONASS
- Indoor positioning using ultrasonic and optical sensors
- 4K camera
- Variable vertical angle of the camera
- Brushless motors
- Altitude hold
- Tracks the movements of selected people and objects
- Scans and recognizes faces to track targets
Appearance
The drone is packed in a small box, this raises the suspicion that everything was put there. The design and quality in the style of Apple immediately rushes.
The Zerotech DOBBY case is made of matte, high quality plastic. In the transport state, the drone is very compact, the size of a modern smartphone. In flight, the frame size is 155 millimeters.
The motor beams are made of thick plastic and can withstand severe crashes.
At the bottom there is a microUSB connector for downloading videos and photos from the built-in memory of the drone. The total amount of built-in memory is 16GB, of which only 9GB is allocated for photo and video material. Also located below are positioning sensors - ultrasonic and optical. They are used for keeping the altitude indoors and for landing, as well as when there is no GPS / GLONASS signal.
The weight of the Zerotech DOBBY with the battery is only 199 grams, without 150 grams. This is good news, the drone does not need registration.
Camera
The 13MP camera shoots video in two 4K / 1080p modes at 30fps. In 4K shooting mode, electronic image stabilization does not work, you should take this into account. Photo resolution - 4208 × 3120 pixels.
Even with stabilization, the video shows jelly. Probably because of the folding beams, plus the light weight of the drone affects. The camera angle of view (FOV) is rather narrow in our opinion, only 75 °.
The tilt angle of the camera is changed manually, along the vertical axis. The camera can be lowered up to 90 degrees, or raised 22 degrees above the horizon.
Management
At the time of writing this review, the version of the do.fun application is 1.1.1. After the last update, the stabilization has improved significantly and the Orbit function has become active.
First launch
- The first time you power on, you need to update the firmware of the aircraft and the flight controller. The update interface is clear and user-friendly, shouldn't raise any questions.
- The first thing to do after the update is to enable or disable electronic stabilization.
- In automatic takeoff and landing, you need to choose where the drone will take off and where to land, on the palm or on the ground.
- A minimum of 8 satellites are required to fly on Zerotech DOBBY Street.
- After takeoff, you will notice that the drone is very noisy for its size. You can't spy on it.
- If you have calibrated correctly, the GPS hover will be clear.
- The video streamed to the smartphone is of good quality. The transmission quality is selected through the application (720p / VGA / 320 × 240). The delay is proportional to the distance to the drone. The lower the resolution you set in the application, the lower the picture delay will be.
- Target tracking does not work perfectly, the drone may lose the target if the target to track has little contrast against the general background.
Flight modes
- Smart Video - mode for receiving short video Selfie (10c / 30c / 60c) in one touch. In this mode, while you hold your finger on the "Record video" icon, the drone will automatically move away from you at the previously selected angle (0 ° / 22.5 ° / 45 ° / 67.5 ° / 90 °), as soon as you remove your finger from the icon, recording will stop and the drone will return to its original take-off location.
- Pano Video - panoramic video mode, in this case the drone slowly rotates around its axis.
- Orbit is the classic offline shooting mode. Allows you to focus the drone's attention on any object and fly it around in a circle in accordance with the previously set settings.
- Target tracking - aka Follow me mode. Allows you to realize the following of the drone for any object selected for shooting.
- Face Track - unlike the previous mode, the pilot focuses the drone's attention solely on the face of the subject chosen for shooting, taking a close-up shot of it and following it.
- Return to home - returns the drone to the takeoff location with one touch.
- Somersault - this mode activates drone flips in the air (flips).
Motors
Zerotech DOBBY motors are brushless 1104, with folding rotor blades.
Battery
Two-cell LiPo battery with a capacity of 970 mAh, with a built-in indicator light. It takes about 40 minutes to charge. It has a unique connection and shape, so you only have to buy the original. The original battery is expensive - $ 40. The flight time according to the manufacturer's specification is 9 minutes, in practice no more than 6 minutes.
Package Contents
- Zerotech DOBBY Drone
- 970mAh Battery
- Charging Module
- Power supply
- CableUSB Type-C
- MicroUSB adapter
- Chinese manual
The remote control is not included, as this is a selfie drone. A smartphone is enough for control in semi-automatic modes, plus, it is easier to carry one gadget with you.
Using theUSB Type-C cable, the power supply is paired with the charging module in which the battery is installed. Connection to a PC / Laptop is carried out through a separate MicroUSB port located on the drone itself using the same USB Type-C cable, but using a MicroUSB adapter.
Conclusion
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Quality build
- GPS GLONASS
- 1080p 30fps video with stabilization [
Cons
- Price
- Slight jelly on video despite digital stabilization
- There are no spare screws and protection for them
- Expensive batteries
- The application requires a modern smartphone
- In fact, the built-in memory is not 16GB, but only 9GB
Compact and stable drone sharpened for shooting in the selfie format. Thanks to the programmed functions and modes, it does not require any piloting skills. Video quality is surprisingly good when shooting in 1080p stabilized mode. The photo mode is even better, comparable to an expensive mobile phone.
The flight time in fact is only 6 minutes, why the manufacturer did not complete the additional battery, as other brands did, is not entirely clear. You will have to buy it for $ 40. You will also have to buy spare rotors and protection for them. If DOBBY will be used by a girl, then she should be careful when taking off the drone from the palm of her hand. Because of the powerful brushless motors, fingers can be damaged by the screws. Many girls complain about this!
