Holy StoneHS600 2-Axis Gimbal Drones with Camera for Adults 4K EIS, Integrated Remote ID, 20000 FT Range Transmission, GPS Drone with Brushless Motors, 4K/30FPS, Follow Me, Level 6 Wind Resistance

A great deal on the upgrade and better features than my 2019 drone. I had thought the pictures from the old drone looked good and this is nearly four times the image resolution with multiple stabilizations, the pictures look great so far. It's got a narrower field of view than the old drone but it probably doesn't matter, for one thing it will automatically take a 360 degree view without the obvious barrel distorton I got from the old drone anyway, plus it has a zoom that reduces the field of view anyway. First flight was a little difficult but probably because it starts in "beginner" mode and has restricted range, including height plus it seemed to be experiencing a little drift from wind force. Even so, on first flight a friend and I were considering his rooftop ham radio antennas when we are both not practically able to stand on the roof, friends had helped get the antennas there. So, he and I had this drone fly up to a rooftop standing position while we stayed on the ground, viewed live and took pictures, confirming the antenna with the most wind force applied is solidly mounted from his personal "viewpoint". We got good results as well as recognized I had a lot to learn flying a new aircraft and have a new set of controls in what's a new app to me. Second flight was much better, about an hour before a nice sunset. I disabled "beginner" mode making it possible to get higher than nearby obstacles and feel better about flying in any direction less evidence of wind drift so spent more time flying and felt in more control. Photos are from second flight. Camera images have better detail in medium field objects (ike the rooftop solar panel pictures, some were taken while using the orbit a location feature, i.e. 16 foot orbit near my home taking a shot whenever I liked the view and at varying height and zoom levels). Short field (selfie) has more blur, probably because shake has a broader effect on the close object and perhaps from zoom level. Far field shots seemed a bit blurry (blurry when looking into sun isn't a fair criticism and looking away from sunset is better detailed but both views are still nice pictures from a great alternative persective from ground shots). In fairness about which field has best shots, it is documented that the lens is fixed focus and I'm not surprised it favors medium field shots since a drone is kind of handy to go look at objects more than to look at scenes. The GPS follow-me mode could be a bit of fun. I have enjoyed photography for decades and when I first flew a drone of my own I was really thrilled by the alternative viewpoint from taking pictures only where I can reach on foot. Looking at the image from the drone camera (even stills after use) it feels like being in-position on the drone to me. Back n 2020 using my 2019 drone doing my own home roof review after installing solar was a good feeling and I didn't need to use a ladder. Well this drone has about four times the picture resolution of that 2019 drone fun, image stabiization and many more options. One of the most basic but best personal reasons for the new purchase was that my giant screen cellphone now fits in the grip on the remote flight controlller but was too wide for the grip on the controller of my 2019 drone. I'm already dreaming compositions including more of the local mountains from the air rather than the ground, the forest view in fall from the air will be nice. I didn't get bad shots from a handheld camera on the ground but a drone adds an extra perspective for photography composition that I've really found worth having. It's more than just flying for me.

Just received my HS600 and have completed my first flight! This is my first quadcopter drone, and it is very easy to fly. I read through the instruction booklet (well written and very easy to understand) and watched the intro videos provided by Holy Stone and others on YouTube. I had no problem flying it around the park and taking pictures and videos on my very first flight!What do you need to get started? No charger is included so you’ll need a USB charger capable of 5V 3.0A (15W). All the charging ports on the batteries and transmitter are USB-C. The kit comes with two short USB-A to USB-C cables. I used a two-port charger (45 W) that provided two USB-C ports and two high quality (5A capable) USB-C to USB-C cables to charge the two batteries (about 4 hours) and then the transmitter (about 2 hours). You’ll also want to get a 128 GB MicroSD card. (The documentation refers to a “TF Card” but that’s just another name for MicroSD. Be sure to get one that is rated at least U1. I’m using a U3 card which is fine. Do not get a card larger than 128 GB as the drone cannot utilize anything larger than that.I used my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with its Torras case. This is one of the larger phones and it fits into the transmitter’s phone holder without a problem.This drone is heavy, 557 grams according to my scale, so you’ll need to register it with the FAA before flying. This is done online at faadronezone-access.faa.gov and is very easy to do. You will need the drone’s Remote ID serial number which you’ll find on a sticker on the side of the drone’s body. There’s a $5 charge. Once you have the registration number create a label and affix it to the HS600 body.The drone is very stable in the air not only because of its excellent GPS and software, but also because it is heavier than other drone “toys”. It is capable of handling wind speeds up to about 25 to 31MPH. Hopefully you’ll never need to test that! But being able to handle such winds will come in handy at the beach or in the mountains. You’ll find that the drone is very stable in the winds and gusts that you’ll typically fly in. An option within the App permits images to be captured at 4000 by 3000 pixels, an advantage as it permits you to crop the captured images afterwards to get exactly the shot you want. Video may be set to 2.7K at 30 fps or 4K at 20fps. The 5x zoom is very useful. The two-axis gimbal helps deliver very smooth and steady cinematic video.As a beginner I really liked the return-to-home and auto-land features. There are several other automatic features making this a very intelligent camera platform. All around it is a very solid performing drone, very well built, and an excellent beginner’s drone. The only drawback is that this drone does not provide any obstacle avoidance, although it does provide an altitude ceiling and a radius distance fence. Its many advanced features will enable this drone to continue to be a favorite as you advance from novice to advanced piloting.