At least, it's cheap compared to its competitors. And it packs in features like 4K video recording, image stabilization, gesture control and target tracking.
Zerotech's Dobby is available now for $399 in the US and AU$599 in Australia. There's no UK distributor, but the price coverts to around £325. Compared to rival drones with built-in cameras that can retail for over a grand, the Dobby's an attractive option for hobbyists.
Key Specs:
Digital image stabilization
Removable battery with 9-minute flight time
13-megapixel camera, 1,920x1,080p video recording
Target tracking and facial recognition
Automatic takeoff and landing
Foldable design
199g
Companion app
16GB storage
Can hover indoors/outdoors in winds up to 28km/h (17mph)
Using the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight platform (the one unveiled at CES), the Dobby's tracking mode uses facial recognition and target lock to get the drone to follow you around. Little features like that and the one-button takeoff and orbit mode make it feel very clever.
That said, the Dobby isn't exactly hands-free -- while you can leave it hovering or set it to automatically grab some footage, it's going to need steering from the app at some point.
The four rotors are on arms that fold into the body, leaving you with a slim profile that'll slip comfortably into your pocket when you're done flying your drone around.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBIpUheR2G0[/youtube]
Sidd
Probably if I could spend more time here I'd be smarter. Right now retirement is harder than working..but I'm loving it.
..gotta' draw me picutres. Nice piece of equipment, impressive results. Coulda' been a "High Noon" shot, and would have cost a lot less to shoot. But then that's water under the bridge from a long time ago, huh?