Spark creativity with QuickShots,now at the press of a button.
Including these popular intelligent shooting modes:
• Boomerang
• Circle
• Dronie
• Helix
• Rocket
Easily control your Neo with any of five options:
• Drone Buttons
• Mobile App
• Voice (via Mobile App)
• Controller
• Motion Controller
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
• Intelligent Flight Battery
• Propeller Guards
• Spare Propellers
• Spare Propeller Screws
• Screwdriver
• Gimbal Protector
• USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable
The Neo can take 12MP stills photos (4:3 or 16:9) and records 4K video, again, at the default aspect ratio of 16:9 or 4:3 for later cropping. However, if you do record 4:3 video, then electronic image stabilisation (EIS) is not available.
The lens sits on a 1-axis gimbal, with 120/120° movement, which you can select 90° down, and 60° up. It’s also got an f/2.8 aperture, uses a 1/2inch sensor, and has an ISO range of 100 to 6400. With an f/2.8 aperture, and relatively small sensor size (compared to the DJI Mini 3), you’re going to want good light for the best results.
DJI Neo with guards. Photo JW
The drone comes with top propeller guards pre-installed, however, it’s worth noting that these can be removed, for slightly extended flight times, and that the design of the drone means that the propellers are protected underneath and at the sides as standard, even with the top guards removed.
There are no manual photo controls, with photo options being very minimal (43, 16:9 as mentioned), and the only option being JPEG shooting.
Video controls and options include the choice between H.264 and H.265 encoding, and frame rates, with 30, 50, and 60fps available at 1080p, and 30fps available at 4K. Electronic image stabilisation can correct up to +/- 45°, meaning video footage will look stable, even in strong winds.
DJI Neo with guards.
Beyond this, there are very few controls, with the ‘Auto’ flight modes being the most interesting options for video. If you’ve seen the range of controls on more expensive drones like the DJI Mini 3, then you might be a little disappointed.
However, the target market for this drone is more for people who want to try their first drone, and have it be as easy to use as possible, without necessarily working too much about outright image quality, and more advanced controls.
To adjust settings you’ll need the DJI Fly app on your phone, and it’s recommended you set this up at home with a good Wi-Fi or internet connection. You may also find there’s a firmware update available for the drone, which needs to be installed before your flight.
DJI Neo Fly More Combo set includes a new controller and a new charger.
The Fly More Combo includes:
3 batteries total, battery: 1435mAh
New DJI Neo 2-way charging hub (USB-C charging)
DJI RC-N3 Remote controller (holds phone, charges etc) 2600mAh, USB-C, 3.6V 9.36Wh
The DJI RC-N3 (RC151) offers easy control, as well as quick buttons to get the drone “Home” when needed. You can select between C (Cine), N (Normal), and S (Sport) flight modes. It looks a lot like the RC231 controller with a top front-left dial to adjust the angle of the gimbal, and a shutter/record button front-right. The joystick controls can be unscrewed and stowed neatly in the bottom.
DJI RC-N3 (RC151) remote controller with large phone attached.
Shooting and video modes
The “Manual” mode is a manual flying mode, rather than a manual photo/video mode, where you manually control the drone, where it flies and how fast it flies.
There are a range of automated modes, all of them record a video… these are:
Follow (Tracking)
Dronie (flies backward and ascends)
Circle (circles around the subject)
Rocket (drone ascends with the camera pointing downwards)
Spotlight (drone rotates with subject within the frame)
Direction track (tracks the subject in the frame)
You can find more details on these modes, and the DJI Quickshots in this Introduction to QuickShots via DJI Fly.
Controlling and flying the drone, you can simply switch the drone on, and use it without connecting it to a phone or remote controller. Switch it on, then select the mode you want to use (using the buttons on top), and press/hold the button till it activates.
DJI Neo shooting modes can be selected on the camera.
You can connect the drone to your phone and control it directly from the DJI Fly app, these gives a range of roughly 50m.
If you have the RC-N3 controller, you can fly the drone ‘headless’ i.e., without connecting to your phone, or you can use the RC-N3 controller with your phone in combination. This gives a video transmission distance of 10km (although restrictions may limit your flight distance).
Another way you can fly the drone is with RC and DJI Goggles 3 for FPV use. With the RC Motion 3 additional aerobatics are available.
Video audio has often been an issue when recording footage from a drone, but DJI let you use an external microphone or the mic on your phone. The app will automatically cancel out the noise of the drone if it is nearby. The results are impressive.
Performance
Photo taken on a sunny day with the DJI Neo flying. Photo JW
FC8671 · f/2.8 · 1/800s · 2.598mm · ISO150
The 12MP camera does a reasonable job and gives the best results in bright sunny conditions. It struggles in low-light conditions with noise becoming an issue, and it also struggles with dynamic range, for example if the sun is in the frame.
FC8671 · f/2.8 · 1/400s · 2.598mm · ISO120
If you just use the images on social media or on the web, and don’t look at the pixels in detail, then you should be relatively pleased with the results, as in, they’re good enough, but not amazing. It’s also worth taking a few shots, as some come out sharper than others, most likely due to movement when flying. FC8671 · f/2.8 · 1/800s · 2.598mm · ISO100
