This summer, I finally bought my first drone. EVO Nano+ drone, a consumer drone model that has won the German iF Design Award. I was so excited to discuss it with my drone-playing friends when I saw the awesome drone footage, and finally, it came.
Autel EVO Nano Drone Series
The standard EVO Nano includes a 48MP camera that can shoot 4K/30fps video and has a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor. If you go with the Nano+, you get a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor that can take 50MP photos, and a PDAF+ CDAF autofocus system that's great for moving subjects. Its large aperture (f/1.9) helps with noise reduction.
Both drones feature an HDR mode to help you get rich, detailed images in any condition, as well as Dynamic Track 2:1 for tracking objects. The Nano drone offers a variety of film shooting modes that allow you to automatically add templates and filters. Plus, you can even add a soundtrack using the Sky app.
The Autel EVO Nano+ features a 4K camera that can shoot up to 60fps. The camera can also take still photos and has a wide field of view. During my first few flights, I barely used the camera, choosing to focus on learning the controls.
I did record video for my next flight, but I left all settings on auto. The camera has a lot of settings and you might get lost, but I'd say wait for those settings until you get the hang of flying.
Learning how to fly a drone to take great pictures will only make you better. So for now, I'm just running the camera setup and playing with the drone movement and manipulation in the default auto mode. The camera also has the ability to tilt and pan, again, this takes practice and hopefully I'll get better with time. So right now, I can't really get the full picture of what the camera does because I'm still learning all of that. Although it's fairly simple.
Now, here's an example of a video in Autel EVO camera quality, shot in 4K at default settings, with no color grading in post. These are shots from my fourth and fifth flight, so they are far from perfect and I have a lot of room for improvement.
Overall, the video quality of the Autel EVO is the only drone footage I've edited, and I think it's pretty good. I've seen videos of other drone footage side-by-side, and while more expensive drones may look a little better, I think the EVO holds its own.
Autel EVO Drone Battery Life
Battery life will vary depending on conditions. On the five flights I've taken, I usually have about 18-25 minutes. I think if the condition is good and you use it easily, you can get more out of the battery. Overall, I don't have much to complain about on battery life, as I've read the competition is comparable.
Autel EVO Drone is Worth The Price
Good drones don't come cheap, but good drones don't have to be terribly expensive either. At $999, the Autel EVO is what I consider an entry-level product for professional drones. I think the price tag is reasonable because I think it can compete with drones that are a few hundred dollars or more.
The Autel EVO may not make much sense for someone who has been flying drones for a long time and already owns a more expensive drone. I do think the Autel EVO is the perfect drone, perfect for beginners. It's very easy to set up, has a great build quality, performs well, has decent battery life, and is cheap enough. If you're looking for your first proper drone, you can't go wrong with the Autel EVO. For now, this is really a first-class option for a first drone pilot.
