Parrot Anafi FPV drone: pilot and film with the eyes in the camera

Presentation

Since its launch on July 1, 2018, Anafi has become Parrot's all-purpose drone, available in professional versions (Anafi Word, Anafi Thermal) as a general public. The French manufacturer has decided to further extend the life of its quadrotor by offering it in an FPV pack ("first person view" or "first person view") including various accessories, notably the Cockpitglasses 3, a sort of reality mask. virtual used to display the image captured by the drone in real time before the eyes of the user.

What give the impression of flying in the device itself. If the Anafi of this FPV pack changes little, it nevertheless benefits from the small improvements that Parrot has brought to it over time.

The Anafi FPV is launched at € 799 (public price including tax), or € 100 more expensive than the Anafi alone with its radio control. Compared to the latter, we gain a transport backpack, the Cockpitglasses 3 mask and some improvements to the drone itself.

The Anafi FPV is practically identical to the classic Anafi that we already tested a year ago, so we focused on what it brings, namely immersion flight. Flight behavior and image quality have not changed, which is why we invite you to consult the complete Anafi test if you want to know more about these two points.

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Getting started

We announced in the preamble, the Anafi FPV is almost identical to the classic Anafi. Almost, because if its electronics and camera have not changed, its four arms and the motors therein are those of the most recent Anafi Thermal - latest version which is distinguished by its thermal camera. It saves space, the Anafi FPV still measuring 2 cm less than the Anafi in length.

The engines and their propellers are also higher perched, which is appreciable during takeoff on terrain that is not necessarily very flat (lawn, etc.). Slight weight gain also in passing, the Anafi FPV weighing only 315 g (-5 g). We also note some improvements on the side of the finish of its camera (4 screws and a small plate less on the back).

Apart from these differences, the Anafi FPV does not evolve; our criticisms formulated during the Anafi test are therefore still valid. If its power arms make a better impression, it keeps this fragile appearance compared to a Mavic Air, for example. In particular at the level of its camera, very exposed and articulated on a mechanism with small moving parts which does not inspire great confidence. This does not mean that it will break at the slightest shock, but the Anafi being devoid of obstacle sensors, it is advisable to remain careful when piloting it.

However, what is also still true is that the Anafi FPV remains a particularly compact drone given its equipment. It is still just as practical to take with you and even more so with its specific backpack, supplied only with the FPV pack.

A small bag that offers storage to the dimensions of the drone, its radio control, its FPV mask and its few accessories. We would not have spit on a second battery on the other hand, even if it meant paying an additional € 50, for example.

With the release of the Anafi FPV came an update to the Freeflight 6 application introducing new flight modes that can only be activated in the FPV configuration. The good news is that the classic Anafi can also benefit from it (all you need is an FPV mask for a smartphone that is compatible). A relief for the owners of the first version, even if it is not without some constraints. The Cockpitglasses 3 mask supplied with the Anafi FPV incorporates 2 buttons that activate specific areas on the touch screen of the smartphone inserted there.

The more important of the two, on the upper edge, is used to access the application menu, when the other is there to activate the vision function through the camera of the smartphone (SeeThrough mode), if one wishes to throw an eye on our environment without removing the face mask, for example. A function that can be useful to avoid disrupting the display by touching the smartphone, since the slightest misalignment of the screen in front of the lenses causes a splitting of the image. However, the adjustments can be quite delicate and the smartphone moves a little too easily in its housing. This is the price to pay for compatibility with most mobiles on the market, but guides to better hold the smartphone in place and lock its position would not have been refused.

Fortunately, we can still count on an adjustment of the spacing between the lenses to make it corresponds to the interpupillary distance of the wearer. The adjustment is not obvious and is done when the display becomes clearest, in particular that of the texts displayed in the menu. Eyeglass wearers (and especially presbyopics who see poorly up close) will also appreciate being able to keep their frames without too much difficulty.

In terms of comfort, the Cockpitglasses 3 mask is quite rudimentary, far from what recent virtual reality headsets can offer, for example. It inevitably suffers from its foldable design which certainly allows it to be stored easily, but does not particularly make you want to wear it for hours.

This is good, since an Anafi battery does not allow you to fly for more than 25 minutes. The flexible rubber that is placed on the face is not unpleasant, however, and insulates fairly well from outside light, while the elastic straps provide sufficient support on the skull despite the 387 g of the set (with an Honor Play smartphone 174 g); this insofar as, unlike a VR headset, there is no need to move the head excessively during the flight, the camera being directed only with the radio control and not following the movements of the mask. It therefore remains bearable and we quickly focus on driving, forgetting the few pressure points that can appear on the face.

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Flight

In flight, there are no technical differences from the Anafi. The characteristics are the same and the Skycontroller 3 radio control does not change either. The new features are in fact to be found in terms of immersion flight functions, introduced with the 6.6.0 update to Freeflight.

To fly in immersion with the Anafi, simply activate the FPV mode, slide your mobile into the mask and then put it on. Press the take-off button on the radio control and we are in stabilized flight, ready to enjoy the landscapes with fluid movements and the moderate speed of the "Film" mode (activated by default). The FPV shows here its interest in terms of the simplicity of framing. The larger display gives better visibility of what is being filmed and the camera movements are a little more instinctive. Above all, we are not disturbed by the reflections that often occur when driving in good weather. However, it must be done with the modest display resolution which prevents you from seeing as clearly as if you were looking directly at the smartphone screen outside the mask.

On the interface side, Parrot took care to report the main information on the screen, so that you never have to remove the mask: flight time and charge levels, height, horizontal distance, recording time and even information on the exposure, zoom level, etc. FPV mode is not just a simple option for having fun, you can really use the drone by changing its settings in a special menu that is manipulated with the sticks of the radio control.

At the very top of the display in FPV, a bar indicates in which direction the drone is, which is very useful to face it well and thus maintain an optimal radio signal strength. It should however be specified that to comply with French law, flying with a drone in FPV must be done with an observer who must keep the aircraft in his field of vision, while the flight height and maximum distance are respectively limited to 50 m and 200 m. On this subject, unless perhaps moving in perfectly flat terrain without any obstacle, the maximum range is far from the 4 km announced. Reaching the 2 km is already a satisfaction and we had to interrupt flights less than a kilometer away. Fortunately, we can count on an RTH function to automatically return to the starting GPS point. Be careful all the same, for lack of obstacle sensors, the drone returns more or less blind; you can simply tell them the minimum flight height (30 m by default).

In terms of piloting, we especially note the appearance of a flight mode called Arcade. With it, the drone moves in the direction aimed by the camera, giving the impression of controlling a ship in a video game. Combined with the new "Racing" and "Cinematic" settings that allow the Anafi to take an angle when it turns (roll), there is plenty to have fun and even give a different style to our videos.

The Anafi remains however stabilized whatever the setting chosen, its behavior is simply more or less dynamic - you can also choose to increase its overall reactivity or adjust the parameters individually. In addition, the latency of the video transmission is far too high (around 300 ms) to claim truly nervous flights. It is therefore not a question of transforming the Anafi into a racer, the latency for a racing drone being rather of the order of 30 ms. We also advise not to try the devil by wanting to fly at high speed in congested spaces, since in the absence of obstacle detection system, the slightest piloting error would result in a crash.

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Image quality

The camera of the Anafi FPV being the same as that of the classic Anafi, we let you discover our evaluation of the image quality in our complete test of the latter, to deepen here rather the quality of display in FPV. This logically depends on that of your smartphone.

For our part, for lack of being able to take advantage of the beautiful Oled QHD screen of our Galaxy S6 (refusal of connection with the radio control), we used an Honor Play, mid-range smartphone incorporating an LCD screen with a Full HD + definition (2,340 x 1,080 px). Not ridiculous therefore, but we should not expect the fine display of a dedicated FPV headset like the DJI Goggles, especially as the display is far from using the whole screen, which further reduces the resolution.

If the display in the mask is inevitably less fine than that observable on the screen of the smartphone in direct vision, lower resolution requires, it nevertheless offers sufficient precision to drive in good conditions and especially with a better perception of speed and, to a lesser extent, distances (no 3D vision, single camera required).

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Autonomy

Equipped with the same battery as the classic Anafi, the Anafi FPV logically offers the same autonomy. If you only reach the promised 25 minutes of flight by being really flexible with the controls, exceeding the 20 minutes is no problem (with a new battery).

We always appreciate the possibility of recharging its battery directly from its USB-C connector, as we would with any recent smartphone. Allow about 2 hours anyway with a charge of 2.4 A, which also does not allow to chain flights quickly if you do not have several batteries. As such, getting a second battery is highly recommended.

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Conclusion

If its FPV functions do not make the Anafi a racing drone at all, they make piloting pleasant and more accessible to beginners with the new flight modes offered. The flights are smooth and allow you to enjoy the landscapes while filming with a good image quality. Basically, this does not change the overall experience and the Anafi keeps the faults that we had noted in its initial test, but Parrot still offers here an attractive and affordable solution for the general public.

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