I'm with you...I've been flying the Skydio now for about 18month and it never ceases to amaze me. I flew it once and it dived BETWEEN two power lines and kept me framed at the same time while I was riding along.
Im getting this asap. Still on a Mavic air 2... along with my swelpro for fun days. This will complete the set. Best demo ive seen fir this yet. 👌presentation. Thank you bro... im going to put my $100 reserve up now. 😁......🏃♂️💨
@@J0siahgh0st Yes, if you can carry both drones, then you have the best of both worlds. Glad you enjoyed it. I start publishing my GoPro optimisation series from tomorrow (I'm locked up in forced quarantine, so I might as well make myself useful).
Thanks Brent, a very useful test! I haven't considered a drone until they got to at least this level, now I know they can finally do the things I want!
Wowzers! There were some scary shots in that. I think your video actually increased my confidence in my Skydio 2 drone, also. Great video and great production quality. You’re a pro, mate!!
Thanks Michael.... Yeah, I figured I was going to either show what it could really do... or crash it... one of the two. But so far it's still going well. I've flown it a lot on my adventures and it has not let me down yet.
This is a great drone!!!! You did get lucky with the small bare branches. Once leaves are on those branches it will not be a problem. Great review! Thanks for posting.
I wish Skydio would still sell to consumers. This would’ve been the drone I bought. DJI has come a long ways with their active track and obstacle avoidance since this video was made. I have both a DJI Air 3 and Mavic 3 Pro. The Air 3 is my choice for following me on my dirt bike since it’s lighter and more nimble then the Mavic. I do wish they had the beacon like the Skydio has. If you go too fast through a wash or 90° turn it can loose you, but otherwise does a pretty good job keeping up and dodging trees and cactuses! Love your videos Brent.
Yeah, I figure I was either going to break it... or prove that it will work for me. Since then I've used the drone quite a bit and I'm loving it. If you want to see a couple of great scenes of it in action, check out the last 90sec of this video.... it's pretty cool th-cam.com/video/OfxAOrbUv_Q/w-d-xo.html
Great review. Very thorough. I was in touch with Skydio last year about one of these. Unfortunately they still aren't available for the UK due to licencing/red tape. I've always wanted a drone to take with me on days away on my bike, but none have ever been suitable for solo rides and the topography. The S2 is everything I've been (and still am) waiting for.
Yes, it is amazing.... If you want to see it used in anger, check out this short 1.5 min video th-cam.com/video/JEHVV2BLcPc/w-d-xo.html Lots of Skydio shots while riding the Idaho BDR.
Check out my later videos if you want to see how I've been using it... This 90 second video will give you some insights.... th-cam.com/video/JEHVV2BLcPc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks W G. I agree... the Beacon makes it really easy to make adjustments safely while riding. A couple of little taps on the buttons and it moves to the new position.
OK.......so I just finished the highlight reel. I have to say that this drone has been on my radar for my trip From Tuk to Ushiaia. Now I am convinced that it is the right drone to take.! Thanx!
Wow sounds like an epic trip you have planned. I have an 8 day trip planned to the Victorian High Country in just over 2 weeks... all on dirt. So I'm looking forward to really giving it a good workout. Good luck on your trip.
Thank you very much for this excellent demonstration video. The scenery you chose is fantastic and very challanging for the drone. This video clearly shows the drones overwhelming capabilities to avoid a crash in the trees and is a mind blowing piece of engineering. Stay healty and have a nice day ! Greetings from Germany, Ken
Brent, I rate this as the second best Skydio 2 footage that I have seen. That is saying a lot since I don't think you sit around editing video all day! I hope Skydio watches this video carefully. You exemplify the strengths of Skydio not its weaknesses. Good editing and you are also well spoken. Skydio should entice you to do a promo for them... it would be genuine. Keep riding, keep flying, and whatever allows you to travel from down under to the lone star state, keep doing it (envy).
Thanks Paul You are right. Asking videos is a labour of love (not my job). But I really enjoy sharing experiences with others. I’ve got a big trip coming up in 4 weeks that I think the Skydio is going to excel in. 8 days to the Victorian High Country.
Brent, excellent review and beautifully shot footage. I'm still getting up the nerve to push my Skydio 2 to the limits as you've done, but watching your video (especially the scary bits!) helps to reinforce confidence. Thanks!
Hey Tadpole Trekker (interesting name)..... Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm going to do part 2 this weekend which is going to check out all the other aspects of Skydio beyond the motion tracking. So stay tuned :-)
Great video...I went over some other You Tube videos were people having issues with the tracking functionality of Skydio 2 and they weren't pleased. That being said, I 've already made up my mind and placed an order to get on the waiting list. Can't wait till I get my hands on it and try it out!
Hey Damiano, my advice is to hand-launch the skydio every time. Then you can be sure that it will lock onto you automatically after launch. I'm loving the Skydio... Not sure if you saw the latest video I posted, but if you really want to see the Skydio in action, check out this video. th-cam.com/video/9fRfNM2bVtw/w-d-xo.html
great stuff- I went up to the mountains to shoot some bike footage a couple weeks ago and had to film numerous takes and warmups to get the shots we wanted- and now this AI pilot just makes it look easy.. brilliant tech!
Great review. This drone is definitely a contender. I will say the video quality is not as good as the Mavics, but the autonomous flying...WOW...Just WOW... I just replaced my Mavic Pro which was stolen on a recent trip to California, with a Mavic air 2 but have not had a chance to really test it on the road due to the pandemic. But now I might be regretting my purchase. If they could improve the video quality, this would be a clear winner. Cheers, Mike
Great video, thank you. Best demo of the drone i've seen thusfar. I think the obstacle avoidance is really amazing but it's not there yet to a point where I could completely trust it to not crash. It came very close to crashing into ghost branches several times, I think you were pretty lucky. I prefer manual flying anyway but seeing how far autonomous flying has come already is mindblowing!
Especially the way that it tries to dive right between trees to get behind you, that impressed me the most. I've never seen any drone do that autonomously
Hey Roy If you like manually flying, then DJI is definitely the way to go. Far superior. Unfortunately that is not really an option for the type of riding I do. If I stop too long to shoot with the drone, then all my mates will just ride on and leave me there :-). I'm eager to see how it performs on my 8 day adv ride into the mountains.
@@brentbat yes in your case this is really valuable. Its only for a niche market though. I have a DJI Air 2 and I barely use tracking or autonomous flying. I prefer hands on sticks but I am first and foremost an FPV guy. I only use the Mavic for work purposes. I thought I would use the tracking more but in reality I've barely used it. It is a nice feature to have though. I wouldn't even think of using A Mavic in this way. It would crash/lose tracking constantly.
@@RoyClaessen Hey Roy, you are totally right. This autonomous tracking is definitely a niche case. I have the AIR2 as well. It's a fantastic drone in every way (size, range, image quality, control etc.)... EXCEPT tracking.... I crashed my air2 trying to get it to be a Skydio. FPV pilot eh? My hat goes off to you. I'm blown away by FPV drone shots. I also admire the pilots. Controlling 4 axis at high speed is way beyond my skill level. I battle with the AIR2 in Tripod mode getting smooth shots. I do love the cable function of the Skydio2 and used to use Litchi on my earlier Mavics to do the programmable shooting. Take care BP
@@brentbat Ouch, hopefully, it was just a minor crash. I can imagine how it crashed though. My MA2 has difficulty following me in fairly open fields around simple trees, not drone killing trees that you have there down under haha. The tracking & evasion system works most of the time but for hard maneuvers, it just can't do it. 1 time I was letting the drone follow me through trees by foot and it couldn't find a way out, therefore it wanted to fly backwards and almost flew right into my friends face. I had to stop the drone manually, couldn't trust it. Not sure if it would have stopped, but it wasn't very safe. Also careful of flying sideways because there are no sensors there and mine almost crashed into a tree that way. You probably know this already. Yes I can highly recommend trying FPV if you are interested. It is definitely the most fun I've had in a hobby, ever. The learning curve also makes it highly rewarding and once you get going, it's like riding a bike. Lots of practice though to get the mind-muscle connection. Being able to fly in full control of the drone, while sitting in the virtual cockpit is quite an experience. Have a great day!
wow! this is the drone I have been looking for. I am a cyclist and shoot action drone shot with my DJI mavic air, but I was never able to shoot my action film my self, never it was possible. On top of that DJI mavic air intelligence battery drains battery life slowly over time, I had to throw out several batteries. On top of that its return home function didn't function properly, I ended up losing it yesterday in Saw grass swamp. I did some good video shots with it but I was never satisfied and it wasn't for action shooting at all. It was impossible to do it alone. I am not going to buy DJI mavic air again, so I have been looking for alternatives. This Skydio 2 seems to be the one that I need. Thanks so much for review! It's amazing Skydio 2 followed you on high speed and changed direction of filming while avoiding obstacles by itself. DJI mavic air was never able to do that.
Absolutely... I was shooting DJI Mavic before I got the Skydio. There is no comparison.... If you want to see some of the stuff I've shot with it, check this out... this is just the drone shots from one of my recent trips. These were all shot "on the fly" while riding my motorbike, could easily replicate on the push bike. The drone can fit into a backpack easily enough. th-cam.com/video/jyo6Ir8yYHI/w-d-xo.html
I was looking at getting one of these back in 2019, still not shipping to OZ just yet & even though i could get a mate to grey import one i think ill wait for the official release (warranty reasons) but great demo of its capabilities, these will sell like hotcakes to the Aussie ADV guys.
I also think if you had given it 6ft minimum if would probably have less to no problems with the tunnel, but I get the point you want it to be flying over a tall persons head all the time, which in this case would definitely give me more than a new haircut. I thought the Skydio 2 was much more expensive than DJIs drones with avoidance ... they are priced very close to another. What surprises me is that it is possible to lose it, because the controller sends its position to the drone and in case the distance gets to high the drone should just go to a higher altitude and catch up. That behavior looks more like a software bug, because the radio signal should hold on much further easily. It also seems the DJI Mavic Air 2 and this one still struggle with the same issues, but I am very happy to see head to head competition on the market, that always pushes developers and keeps the price at a healthy low for the consumer. Because these drones are perfect tracking you on a bicycle, but on a motorbike you have to go extra slow ... then I'd probably rather have no footage for my media collection at home but drive normally and safe, without this distraction and the fear of losing it. I would definitely also take a stack of underwear in that regard :-). I was also laughing when you mentioned to see if it followed you across the water ... unless your head keeps sticking out and the transmitter is sending your position, the drone doesn't care for these details, it will simply do its job. A fixed wing might be a better solution for a motorbike, they can go 100 mph or more, but they can't hover, so they must be very smart and insert loiter until you move again and can only film you from behind unless you preprogrammed the route waypoint by waypoint ahead of time ... that is a tricky one. I think in the future we will have even smarter VTOL capable wings with auto zoom that get almost "similar" images from a safer altitude and combine both worlds. You will not be able to escape them unless you drive into a very narrow tunnel, then they will already wait for you on the other side because they know road maps and will learn from Google Maps databases in which area GPS from other vehicles is suddenly off and where they reappear with valid GPS data again. That will be just as brilliant as it is scary in some ways. Technology will soon outsmart us, or maybe outdumb us is more suitable in regard of driving from A to B on roads. Thanks very much for testing, this autonomous stuff, I find it super interesting to see how far the sensors, hardware and software development is and how it is being packaged and priced for various needs.
I was doing more than ducking when I was on the bike trying to see where the drone was going. After a while I just told myself "Don't look"... if it crashes it crashes.
Beautiful & amazing shots sir! I've had mine a week now. Hope you won't be taken aback by my saying it's confidence building but also over the top though coz thin items at fast speed will inevitably someday crash it, not that I would wish it on you for sure sir, but there were LOTS of that risky stuff on this course, best to plan your routes accordingly ........ note their limited warranty! Best riding & flying sir!
Yes, I hear you. There were definitely some fine branches on this trip. but it did build my confidence big time. I've done lots and lots of flights since then and taken the drone out on many of my rides. I still love it.
Nice work. This is by far the best review I’ve seen of the Skydio 2 for my particular use case (motorbikes). I recently got the invite to purchase and was on the fence, but you’ve helped me make the decision. Thanks. Planning to take it on a trip to Baja next month. ✊
Hey Arrick, glad my review helped. Yes, for me it's perfect. You will LOVE it on our Baja trip, but order it ASAP, they were still back-ordered last time I looked.
@@brentbat Yeah, I ordered one back in October and finally got the invite to finalize the order a few weeks ago. Was on the fence based on what I've seen so far in various reviews, but I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger now. Again, appreciate the video. Cheers.
Great SHOTS!!!... I've also tracked on my Golf cart with my grandkids riding and was hitting tree limbs (WITHOUT LEAVES ON THEM) I called and talked to Skydio and was told there's certain items that do not track well one is the Golf cart. The hand launch is KEY!! also this is not a winter drone without the leaves helping grouping items to avoid!!!!! Suggestion, I wonder if hand launching every time it would lock into subject better to track? really like these shots its a wonderful video , thanks again!
Yeah, I've just started getting into the routine of hand-launching everytime. I can't think of any downside to doing this, and it makes the locking automatic.
Very impressive. Right at the end (15.30) it actually looks like its amongst the branches and moving them around. I'm guessing it would be able to cope with overhead utility / power lines.
Hey Job... Yeah... Impressive as heck. Skydio state that the only things you need to stay clear of are "thin branches and wires"..... so I don't know about it's capabilities of dodging power lines. If I came to power lines, I just tapped the height button a couple of times and it climbed quickly to a safe height.
Wow. Definitely want one now. This is EXACTLY what I wanted from my Mavic Air and it's just not capable. It will occasionally get a nice shot, if I ride slowly, out in the open, and give it five or six opportunities to shoot something nice. This seems to do it well, in trees, first time.
Yeah, there is no comparison. Did you see the video I just posted today of the Blue Mtns ride? The Skydio does stuff that is leaps and bounds ahead of the DJI when it comes to autonomous shooting and obstacle avoidance. The DJI is better for manual flying though.. better range, better signal, better controller, smaller footprint etc.
@@brentbat yeah but our whole thing is going off-road and challenging ourselves. The Mavic is just scary and unpleasant to fly between trees. I'm now desperately looking who I can have to order one and send it to me from the US. I'm so keen to give it a go!
Wow that was cool, never thought getting a drone for motorcycle stuff but I've always wanted one just to play with but that was really cool watching that.......
So good to hear an Australian voice in a good vlog! I've never heard of these drones either. I have a Mavic Air and we tried this with a scooter in the rice fields here in Thailand but not a success. What bike are you riding here Brent?
@@larryboldt4762 they are only assembled in the usa. Likely it is all foreign components and unfortunately that just means not yet copied by chinese. To keep the manufacturing out of china (for the most part) is one of the only.ways to protection intellectual property investments. I'd pay another 10% on it if it was manufactured in USA, easily.
I literally found your channel by accident a few days ago, and have to say I've been very impressed with your solo riding drone footage. It wasn't until I saw this video that all became clear AND having just bought my 2nd DJI drone (Mini 3Pro), I'm now wishing I'd put more thought into what I should have bought. I have two regrets 1. not waiting for the DJI Avata which looks like the dream drone for anyone who hasn't learnt the skills for FPV flying but really wants to, and 2. why didn't I listen to my wife who was determined to get me away from DJI after she saw the Skydio promotional video. I have yet to put my Mini 3 Pro to the test, it does have forward, backwards and downwards sensing, but the lack of sideward sensing makes me question if it can come close to the Slidio, also the flight speed of the Mini 3 Pro makes me wonder if it has got what it takes - putting it in sports mode kills active track and obstacle avoidance. Regarding the beacon, I believe with my old Mavik Pro (which didn't like underwater cinematography) you could use the hand controller as a beacon for follow-me shots, but I never tried it, I'm guessing that functionality is not an option with the Mini 3 Pro. It'll be some time before I can get another drone so maybe there will be more choices out there by then...!!! BTW, I love your productions, very engaging, and after watching some behind-the-scenes and instructional videos on your trip prep and your very structured approach to every aspect of trip planning, videography, and post edit you have inspired me to take more care and attention in doing the same. I made a mash-up of videos a year or so back, all of which are very rough around the edges, but I want to do more and you have helped me get back in my groove to focus on my channel and other social platforms. Looking forwards to many more videos from you Brent, and thank you again.
Thanks AtS, DJI make great drones for manual control, but for autonomous flying, they can't come close to skydio. Having the beacon which transmits GPS coordinates to the drone means it can track even if it loses visual lock. The Mavic just stops and hovers. I haven't looked at the Avata, but I'll go and take a look. Glad you found some of my vids useful. Enjoy polishing up your channel. And have fun! BP
Thanks for this, I'm out on trails, some single track, and I just haven't had time to take my SkyDio2 out, and I lacked the balls to think I could get it in to the gnarly stuff, but, thanks to your video, I will.
As long as there aren't any long single whispy branches, you should be fine. I have total confidence in the Skydio now... it sometimes gets caught up behind trees, but I'd trust the smarts of the drone in some of the tighter stuff. It's scary when you first start out as it feels weird.
I been trying to find a vid just like this for when i go bush on my africa twin and dirt bike! Ill be buying one for sure now thanks for the good vid and test
Jade, I just got back from an 8 day ride through Idaho.... Wait until you see the footage the Skydio shot there. Did you see the video I shot in Vic High country (there is a Skydio edition).
Hey Mike, the drone will fly at about 38mph (60kph). I tend to do mainly dirt riding on 4wd tracks etc. and my speed usually sits around 40-50kph, so yes, it can keep up with me when I'm on dirt, but not on tarmac.
Hey Brent, great video! So glad to find a video about the Skydio 2 and ADV moto. Can you share your thoughts about the beacon, using the beacon with gloves, and how you managed to monitor the drone while riding? I just put a deposit down on one and looking forward to capturing my rides this summer!
Hey Justin, Glad you enjoyed the video. If you want to see it in action here's some highlights from my recent adventure just showing the Skydio footage. th-cam.com/video/jyo6Ir8yYHI/w-d-xo.html If you want to see the whole adventure then go here. th-cam.com/video/9fRfNM2bVtw/w-d-xo.html Regarding the beacon, if you watch the first video above and freeze frame it at exactly 3:09 you'll see my setup. My beacon is mounted on my tank bag if I'm touring with one, otherwise my handlebars. When I'm using the drone I stuff my gloves into my pocket for greater dexterity on the beacon buttons. I have my phone showing me a live feed from the drone on the bars, and this also lets me play with my height function (which you can't do from the beacon... only range). By far the best shots are when you are changing the drones position... either relative to you or via range. Both very easy to do with a few taps. If you want to see something cool, check out my latest video which is mainly drone footage, and watch the last 60sec where I show you some behind-the-scenes drone shenanigans. th-cam.com/video/OfxAOrbUv_Q/w-d-xo.html Enjoy and let me know if you have any other questions about the Skydio and adv riding. I'm clearly a fan. Brent
Superb I just subscribed. I currently am flying a Yuneec Typhoon H 480 Which I still love to this day. But you have certainly showing us the best of the sky deal and what it can do. I can't wait for your next adventure. Keith Kuhn
You are probably right. I love riding in Texas Hill Country when I'm in Austin. The countryside is just so cool out there. You are lucky.... very lovely place to grow up.
Great review! 👍 I'm looking to pick one of these up to record my trips with my KRX 1000 side by side. As good as the Skydio is now, you know they'll only continue to improve on the functionality and features and it will get better and better! 😊
very cool. I wonder if there is a way to set it to hover, but keep its camera on you, and as you approach it and pass it just stays where it is and rotates to follow.
Yes, there are two ways of accomplishing this with Skydio. Use the Hover skill, or just hit the pause button while it is flying in front of you... the drone will freeze it's location but still track you.
Yeah! I hear you... Hindsight is great, but remember this was my first day of flying with the Skydio! It was only when I got back and thought about it that I remembered that setting. When you are out flying the Skydio for the first time it is pretty stressful.
Hey Andrew, drop me an email at brentbat@gmail.com and I'll send you some detailed photos of the mount that I made. It is a quick-release system that is rock solid but comes off in 10 seconds.
Amazing drone. I love riding the hill country. Live in San antonio, let me know when you are out riding some day. I ride a GSA and would love to explore some new places
Hey Ramon, I'm going to be riding Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and then probably every weekend day during Feb. Email me at brentbat@gmail.com if you want to ride.
wow. this is just amazing. technology came so far these days. I just wish it was a bit smaller in carrying mode. The luggage space on adventure trips is limited and this box is just huge. nevertheless its awesome what this drone is capable of.
Hey BigMan, the drone does come with a smaller carrying case for carrying the drone plus two batteries. This will fit into a backpack, but I use the big box because I'm adding in the rest of my photography gear (gopros, mirrorless camera etc.). The carrying case will fit in a backpack, but it definitely is a lot bigger than a Mavic, that is for sure.
Good job Brent, I have done about 10 trips out with the skydio2 since March last year..I do more off road and we don't have so many trees where I stay..if you want to see some more footage drop me a PM and I can send you a link to some interesting footage...I am a photographer and have worked out some ideas to make this little beauty really sing...you can do some amazing moves and if you like i would be happy to share my thoughts with you. Ride safe and enjoy.
You got very very lucky avoiding those branches without leaves. I also thought the skydio2 would avoid all obstacles. Mine hit an oak tree in an open field at 30 mph. With no parts available for customers to replace other than props you’ll have to send your drone back to the factory
Yes, you are probably right, I may have been lucky. In 3 weeks I'm doing an 8-day trip into the Victorian High country on my motorcycle and will be doing lots of autonomous shooting in the Autralian bush. So we'll see how well it works in this type of scenario.
Brent, I’ve always wanted to film my motorcycle riding trips as well and didn’t want to do the GoPro filming that’s been done a million times and your footage was incredible. I’m not sure you mentioned it in your video, but how long were the batteries lasting?
For tunnels like that at 11:16, i wonder if it would work better if you turn off floor height, that way the Skydio will just fly under the trees and follow you. You just have to make sure the area is clear of other vehicles coming in the opposite direction.
Hi there RRBarcarse, I think you are right, if I had the drone lower (below the 8' floor height), then I think it would have done just fine following me through that tunnel.
very nicely done, Brent, thanks for sharing. Cant seem to get this drone in Australia. And the US website doesnt ship to us either...! Where are you based, Texas?
Hey Martin, I split my time between Sydney and Austin, TX. Yes, I bought and had it shipped to me in Austin. I'm sure they will ship to Australia at some point in time.
@@brentbat Cheers Brent, loving your adventures ;). Yeah i noticed there was talk about it becoming available earlier on in the year but nothin' yet. No point in getting any other drone if the primary use is having it follow you autonomously :) Mavic 3 Pro is coming now but didnt see any side sensors on that one which is hard to believe if this is the case...
@@116gt Yeah, I've been following the leaks on the Mavic 3 Pro, and it looks great from an imaging perspective with the two cameras, but from what I've seen, the obstacle avoidance sensors are still along the lines of the earlier gen Mavics. Skydio is still way in the lead for autonomy which is what I'm loving about it.
Around @15mins odd, great that it didn’t confuse other cars passing by. I assume you didn’t have any issues with you being the subject matter? You didn’t comment on that aspect so assumed no false following of other cars/ movement? Love ❤️ the scenery around that time plus great idea to u turn!
I haven't had it accidentally pick up other cars, but when Im riding with another rider or two, sometimes if it loses visual lock on me... it will still follow me even if it can't see me because the beacon is sending my GPS coordinates to the drone, but then when it can see the riders again, sometimes it will lock onto a different rider other than me (which is no big deal).
Hi Brent. I got onto your channel after the YT algo recommended your Victorian Highlands ride. Amazing content. Are you able to share the details of your workflow with using the Skydio 2 while riding, specifically prior and during a ride. Do you research the areas/routes that you'd like to film? Do you have drone filming presets or do you do it on the bike? How do you ration your (presumably finite) batteries? How does it affect group riding dynamics, with the drone target limited by the max tracking speed? Thanks in advance and appreciate any tips you may have!
Hey JB, Glad you like the content in my channel, and as you have probably seen, I'm happy to share everything I know with others. OK, regarding Skydio, if you look at my Idaho BDR ride (part 2), you'll see I actually talk about my Skydio process. I don't really do any research or setup, I'm typically riding with a group of other riders and so I have to shoot on the fly when I see something I like. I usually try to ride up ahead of the group so that if I see a great shot I can stop, start pulling the drone out and then ask them to hold up if I want them in it. With Skydio, the correct sequence is 1) Boot up Skdyio, then 2) Turn on Beacon and let it connect to Skydio, then 3) Open App on phone and connect to Beacon. The I just hand launch drone which locks on me. What I find works well is constantly moving the drone relative to me. So I use both the orientation arrows and the distance arrows to change the drones position in a few taps. While the drone is repositioning, it is still tracking me, so it makes nice dynamic shots. I put an ND16 filter on the drone, but other than that I'm shooting in 4K @ 60fps. Regarding Batteries, I have 3 batteries, but I can also recharge them while I ride (you need a special USB C high wattage adapter to do this. Regarding group riding dynamics, it doesn't really bother the group. As I said, I try to ride up near the front... I can pull over and launch the drone pretty quickly.... Then I usually leave the drone up for 15-20min and just get tons of shots... then I can pack the drone up pretty quickly.... I then scoot ahead and can catch back up to the group, so minimal intrusion on them. Max tracking speed of the drone is 37mph, but it looks good if you have the drone in front of you flying backwards at 37mph and then you crack the accelerator and blast past the drone. Hopefully that answers a bunch of questions, but if you haven't seen my Idaho ride, watch both parts. TONS of drone footage in that, and part 2 does have me talking about flying the Skydio.
@@brentbat Thank you very very much for the insight and generosity with your experience. I'm actively resisted watching your Idaho BDR for personal reasons; I'm now based in Sydney and don't want to see the US riding I know I've missed! However, I'll put it on now for edu purposes. Thanks again!
@@jbjose Hey JB, yes, I understand you avoiding Idaho if you are in Sydney, but if you are interested in really good drone video of adv riding, then it's the best work I have done so far.
Nice information! I am a DJI Mavic2 Pro user and have been looking hard to find a better FollowMe drone on a motorcycle. Your tests were pretty illuminating, indeed. Could u share a little bit on the following about your Skydio2, please: - what mount and holder are using for the Beacon? - do you find the 23 min flight time for the battery a little limiting? - how did the Sydio2 behaved when there were other bikers or vehicles in the vicinity? Were there any object interference ?
Hey Arthur, I also came from DJI drones to the Skydio. I really like DJI for manual flying, but it sucks for autonomous flying. If you haveven't checked out my Idaho BDR you should take a look at that. I did that tour in July and I used the Skydio a lot in trees and woods. Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/2n_sMDu2vBw/w-d-xo.html To answer your other questions. I use this mount for the beacon www.dirtyjdesigns.com/collections/dji-mavic/products/handlebar-mount-for-skydio-2-beacon but I also attach it to my tank bag if I'm riding with that on (it has Molle webbing on top). Regarding flight time - no, I don't really find that a limitation, because I have 3 batteries and I can recharge them while I ride from my bike. I usually launch the drone and will then ride for about 20min with the drone following me, then land it. Sometimes if there are two of us riding side-by-side the drone might visually lock onto the other rider if we duck in behind trees, but then because the beacon is transmitting MY GPS data, it usually re-acquires me at some point. It doesn't really bother me if I'm riding with a group and it tracks somebody else for a while. I've never seen the drone do anything other than that. I hope that helps.
Hey Jim, I'm a member of Texas Adventure Riders (free group that ride). They have created 12 amazing rides in Hill country. I did the Wimberly Ride and the Luckenbach ride. You can find them on Rever. If you can't find them, just holler and I'll post the URLs.
Amazing footage. So impressive. As close to being there as you can get. I live in Austin and have been in much of the hill country but didn’t recognize a lot of where you were. Can you post location? Much appreciate it and thanks again for a lovely ride
Hey Alan, most of the locations were shot on a ride called "Wimberley" that was designed by the Texas Adventure Riders. Not sure if you are on Rever, try to open this. Otherwise I can send you a GPX file a.rever.co/rides/1664066
Brent...please tell me what roads you were taking in this video. I have ridden lots of stuff in the Kerrville leaky (3sisters area) but what roads were you on??
Hey Porkchoprun I do a lot of riding on the 12 trails from the Texas Adventure Riders... If you haven't ridden their rides, they are fantastic, you can view them and download them here. a.rever.co/communities/1124 I think in the video I was riding bits of the Luckenback ride and a bit of the Wimberley ride
Fantastic video. I recently competed my Part 107 certificate and have been thinking about adding another drone. I was really impressed with the performance of the drone. Even more, I really liked that you gave it a realistic test for those of us that travel. I wonder if it could track the beacon in the front of a van? FYI - I also subscribed.
A great ‘review’ of the #SkyDio2. Wondering how it would do the ‘head on’ tracking at 8ft or lower. As in the Drone in front of you, camera pointed to you as you ride - the drone flying backwards. That would be a good POV for shooting water crossing as well as riding through a tunnel (of trees too!).
Hey Raskesh... Good question.... I might give that a try if I'm in the right terrain, I'd have to be offroad, otherwise it's too dangerous as you could hit an oncoming car. But I've got a big offroad ride in March and I'll try it.
As an engineer, computer programmer and pilot, this is PFM - pure f'n magic.
I'm with you...I've been flying the Skydio now for about 18month and it never ceases to amaze me. I flew it once and it dived BETWEEN two power lines and kept me framed at the same time while I was riding along.
I'm sold! This is mind-blowing. I'm a long time Mavic Pro pilot & flying mountain roads & big bikes in Taiwan is a nightmare.
Yes, I'm coming from Mavic drones as well.
Im getting this asap. Still on a Mavic air 2... along with my swelpro for fun days. This will complete the set. Best demo ive seen fir this yet. 👌presentation. Thank you bro... im going to put my $100 reserve up now. 😁......🏃♂️💨
@@J0siahgh0st Yes, if you can carry both drones, then you have the best of both worlds. Glad you enjoyed it. I start publishing my GoPro optimisation series from tomorrow (I'm locked up in forced quarantine, so I might as well make myself useful).
@@brentbat well u got the remedy... occupy the mind. Time'll pass a bit quicker hopefully. Lol i can't find time, I'm trying to get my channel going.
Sadly you can't get it in Thailand, really would love a Skydio II
Thanks Brent, a very useful test! I haven't considered a drone until they got to at least this level, now I know they can finally do the things I want!
Great Video ! The Skydio II is an amazing drone for motorcycles. Its like having your own helicopter and film crew !
th-cam.com/video/arHZ9_0QZTA/w-d-xo.html
If you guys do some rides in British Columbia, l would be happy to meet up and do some Skydio video with you.
Wowzers! There were some scary shots in that. I think your video actually increased my confidence in my Skydio 2 drone, also. Great video and great production quality. You’re a pro, mate!!
This was the best review of the Skydio2 that I've seen. Thanks for having the guts to make a real life scenario review.
Thanks Michael.... Yeah, I figured I was going to either show what it could really do... or crash it... one of the two. But so far it's still going well. I've flown it a lot on my adventures and it has not let me down yet.
This is a great drone!!!! You did get lucky with the small bare branches. Once leaves are on those branches it will not be a problem. Great review! Thanks for posting.
I wish Skydio would still sell to consumers. This would’ve been the drone I bought. DJI has come a long ways with their active track and obstacle avoidance since this video was made. I have both a DJI Air 3 and Mavic 3 Pro. The Air 3 is my choice for following me on my dirt bike since it’s lighter and more nimble then the Mavic. I do wish they had the beacon like the Skydio has. If you go too fast through a wash or 90° turn it can loose you, but otherwise does a pretty good job keeping up and dodging trees and cactuses! Love your videos Brent.
Excellent footage. One of the best tracking tests I've seen so far! :--)
Yeah, I figure I was either going to break it... or prove that it will work for me. Since then I've used the drone quite a bit and I'm loving it. If you want to see a couple of great scenes of it in action, check out the last 90sec of this video.... it's pretty cool th-cam.com/video/OfxAOrbUv_Q/w-d-xo.html
Great review. Very thorough. I was in touch with Skydio last year about one of these. Unfortunately they still aren't available for the UK due to licencing/red tape. I've always wanted a drone to take with me on days away on my bike, but none have ever been suitable for solo rides and the topography. The S2 is everything I've been (and still am) waiting for.
This is exactly what I was looking for. I love it how it goes up to avoid the trees and dives back to catch up on you. Love it, man! Awesome 🤘
Yes, it is amazing.... If you want to see it used in anger, check out this short 1.5 min video th-cam.com/video/JEHVV2BLcPc/w-d-xo.html
Lots of Skydio shots while riding the Idaho BDR.
Awesome! Best footage of S2 in action I've seen so far! Share your video with Skydio page I'm sure they'll gonna like it 😊
Mind blowing is the phrase. OMG! Loved your video! 👏👏👏
Thats it I am buying one. Brilliant!
Check out my later videos if you want to see how I've been using it... This 90 second video will give you some insights.... th-cam.com/video/JEHVV2BLcPc/w-d-xo.html
Very impressed with this drones performance, handling and punishment. The GPS beacon is definitely the key to the drones success. Great video.
Thanks W G. I agree... the Beacon makes it really easy to make adjustments safely while riding. A couple of little taps on the buttons and it moves to the new position.
OK.......so I just finished the highlight reel. I have to say that this drone has been on my radar for my trip From Tuk to Ushiaia. Now I am convinced that it is the right drone to take.! Thanx!
Wow sounds like an epic trip you have planned. I have an 8 day trip planned to the Victorian High Country in just over 2 weeks... all on dirt. So I'm looking forward to really giving it a good workout. Good luck on your trip.
Thank you very much for this excellent demonstration video. The scenery you chose is fantastic and very challanging for the drone. This video clearly shows the drones overwhelming capabilities to avoid a crash in the trees and is a mind blowing piece of engineering. Stay healty and have a nice day ! Greetings from Germany, Ken
Brent, I rate this as the second best Skydio 2 footage that I have seen. That is saying a lot since I don't think you sit around editing video all day! I hope Skydio watches this video carefully. You exemplify the strengths of Skydio not its weaknesses. Good editing and you are also well spoken. Skydio should entice you to do a promo for them... it would be genuine. Keep riding, keep flying, and whatever allows you to travel from down under to the lone star state, keep doing it (envy).
Thanks Paul
You are right. Asking videos is a labour of love (not my job). But I really enjoy sharing experiences with others.
I’ve got a big trip coming up in 4 weeks that I think the Skydio is going to excel in. 8 days to the Victorian High Country.
Agree 100%
@@brentbat I assume you intend to compile that trip into a video when you have time. Looking forward to it.
@@venturasurfing Absolutely. We'll be back at end of March, so hopefully it will be up early June.
Brent, excellent review and beautifully shot footage. I'm still getting up the nerve to push my Skydio 2 to the limits as you've done, but watching your video (especially the scary bits!) helps to reinforce confidence. Thanks!
Hey Tadpole Trekker (interesting name)..... Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm going to do part 2 this weekend which is going to check out all the other aspects of Skydio beyond the motion tracking. So stay tuned :-)
Great video...I went over some other You Tube videos were people having issues with the tracking functionality of Skydio 2 and they weren't pleased. That being said, I 've already made up my mind and placed an order to get on the waiting list. Can't wait till I get my hands on it and try it out!
Hey Damiano, my advice is to hand-launch the skydio every time. Then you can be sure that it will lock onto you automatically after launch. I'm loving the Skydio... Not sure if you saw the latest video I posted, but if you really want to see the Skydio in action, check out this video. th-cam.com/video/9fRfNM2bVtw/w-d-xo.html
as a fpv-pilot, im blown away from some of the footage here. For an autonomous drone, this is crazy.
Same lmao, its nuts, im fearing i will be replaced by robots lol
great stuff- I went up to the mountains to shoot some bike footage a couple weeks ago and had to film numerous takes and warmups to get the shots we wanted- and now this AI pilot just makes it look easy.. brilliant tech!
Thank you for this video! I ordered it right after watching your video!!
Excellent.... It will be scary at first until you learn to trust the drone, but as your trust builds, it just becomes a heck of a lot of fun.
Great review. This drone is definitely a contender. I will say the video quality is not as good as the Mavics, but the autonomous flying...WOW...Just WOW...
I just replaced my Mavic Pro which was stolen on a recent trip to California, with a Mavic air 2 but have not had a chance to really test it on the road due to the pandemic. But now I might be regretting my purchase.
If they could improve the video quality, this would be a clear winner.
Cheers,
Mike
The Skydio is pretty amazing. I picked one up recently and love the footage it can grab. Good video!
Great video, thank you. Best demo of the drone i've seen thusfar. I think the obstacle avoidance is really amazing but it's not there yet to a point where I could completely trust it to not crash. It came very close to crashing into ghost branches several times, I think you were pretty lucky. I prefer manual flying anyway but seeing how far autonomous flying has come already is mindblowing!
Especially the way that it tries to dive right between trees to get behind you, that impressed me the most. I've never seen any drone do that autonomously
Hey Roy
If you like manually flying, then DJI is definitely the way to go. Far superior. Unfortunately that is not really an option for the type of riding I do. If I stop too long to shoot with the drone, then all my mates will just ride on and leave me there :-). I'm eager to see how it performs on my 8 day adv ride into the mountains.
@@brentbat yes in your case this is really valuable. Its only for a niche market though. I have a DJI Air 2 and I barely use tracking or autonomous flying. I prefer hands on sticks but I am first and foremost an FPV guy. I only use the Mavic for work purposes. I thought I would use the tracking more but in reality I've barely used it. It is a nice feature to have though. I wouldn't even think of using A Mavic in this way. It would crash/lose tracking constantly.
@@RoyClaessen Hey Roy, you are totally right. This autonomous tracking is definitely a niche case. I have the AIR2 as well. It's a fantastic drone in every way (size, range, image quality, control etc.)... EXCEPT tracking.... I crashed my air2 trying to get it to be a Skydio.
FPV pilot eh? My hat goes off to you. I'm blown away by FPV drone shots. I also admire the pilots. Controlling 4 axis at high speed is way beyond my skill level. I battle with the AIR2 in Tripod mode getting smooth shots. I do love the cable function of the Skydio2 and used to use Litchi on my earlier Mavics to do the programmable shooting.
Take care
BP
@@brentbat Ouch, hopefully, it was just a minor crash. I can imagine how it crashed though. My MA2 has difficulty following me in fairly open fields around simple trees, not drone killing trees that you have there down under haha. The tracking & evasion system works most of the time but for hard maneuvers, it just can't do it.
1 time I was letting the drone follow me through trees by foot and it couldn't find a way out, therefore it wanted to fly backwards and almost flew right into my friends face. I had to stop the drone manually, couldn't trust it. Not sure if it would have stopped, but it wasn't very safe.
Also careful of flying sideways because there are no sensors there and mine almost crashed into a tree that way. You probably know this already.
Yes I can highly recommend trying FPV if you are interested. It is definitely the most fun I've had in a hobby, ever. The learning curve also makes it highly rewarding and once you get going, it's like riding a bike. Lots of practice though to get the mind-muscle connection. Being able to fly in full control of the drone, while sitting in the virtual cockpit is quite an experience.
Have a great day!
wow! this is the drone I have been looking for. I am a cyclist and shoot action drone shot with my DJI mavic air, but I was never able to shoot my action film my self, never it was possible. On top of that DJI mavic air intelligence battery drains battery life slowly over time, I had to throw out several batteries. On top of that its return home function didn't function properly, I ended up losing it yesterday in Saw grass swamp. I did some good video shots with it but I was never satisfied and it wasn't for action shooting at all. It was impossible to do it alone. I am not going to buy DJI mavic air again, so I have been looking for alternatives. This Skydio 2 seems to be the one that I need. Thanks so much for review! It's amazing Skydio 2 followed you on high speed and changed direction of filming while avoiding obstacles by itself. DJI mavic air was never able to do that.
Absolutely... I was shooting DJI Mavic before I got the Skydio. There is no comparison.... If you want to see some of the stuff I've shot with it, check this out... this is just the drone shots from one of my recent trips. These were all shot "on the fly" while riding my motorbike, could easily replicate on the push bike. The drone can fit into a backpack easily enough. th-cam.com/video/jyo6Ir8yYHI/w-d-xo.html
nice flights and very nice to hear your feedback about them
I was looking at getting one of these back in 2019, still not shipping to OZ just yet & even though i could get a mate to grey import one i think ill wait for the official release (warranty reasons) but great demo of its capabilities, these will sell like hotcakes to the Aussie ADV guys.
This is a must have! Great shots!
Really stunning result
I also think if you had given it 6ft minimum if would probably have less to no problems with the tunnel, but I get the point you want it to be flying over a tall persons head all the time, which in this case would definitely give me more than a new haircut. I thought the Skydio 2 was much more expensive than DJIs drones with avoidance ... they are priced very close to another.
What surprises me is that it is possible to lose it, because the controller sends its position to the drone and in case the distance gets to high the drone should just go to a higher altitude and catch up.
That behavior looks more like a software bug, because the radio signal should hold on much further easily.
It also seems the DJI Mavic Air 2 and this one still struggle with the same issues, but I am very happy to see head to head competition on the market, that always pushes developers and keeps the price at a healthy low for the consumer.
Because these drones are perfect tracking you on a bicycle, but on a motorbike you have to go extra slow ... then I'd probably rather have no footage for my media collection at home but drive normally and safe, without this distraction and the fear of losing it. I would definitely also take a stack of underwear in that regard :-). I was also laughing when you mentioned to see if it followed you across the water ... unless your head keeps sticking out and the transmitter is sending your position, the drone doesn't care for these details, it will simply do its job.
A fixed wing might be a better solution for a motorbike, they can go 100 mph or more, but they can't hover, so they must be very smart and insert loiter until you move again and can only film you from behind unless you preprogrammed the route waypoint by waypoint ahead of time ... that is a tricky one.
I think in the future we will have even smarter VTOL capable wings with auto zoom that get almost "similar" images from a safer altitude and combine both worlds. You will not be able to escape them unless you drive into a very narrow tunnel, then they will already wait for you on the other side because they know road maps and will learn from Google Maps databases in which area GPS from other vehicles is suddenly off and where they reappear with valid GPS data again. That will be just as brilliant as it is scary in some ways. Technology will soon outsmart us, or maybe outdumb us is more suitable in regard of driving from A to B on roads.
Thanks very much for testing, this autonomous stuff, I find it super interesting to see how far the sensors, hardware and software development is and how it is being packaged and priced for various needs.
I found myself ducking as I was watching the last 2 minutes through the trees.
I was doing more than ducking when I was on the bike trying to see where the drone was going. After a while I just told myself "Don't look"... if it crashes it crashes.
Me too 😆
Amazing drone. Was wondering if you were flying the DJI for your Iceland trip. Now it seems clear to me that this is the one!❤
Just got my Skydio, can't wait to use it on the bike. Thanks for the video Brent.
Enjoy... keep away from wires. And just be prepared for a nerve-wracking first few flights until you learn to trust the Sydio.
@@brentbat Thanks for all the great vids on camera settings too. I will be putting that to good use as well.
@@TheNextAdventureShow Great, glad you are finding them useful. The last one on post production should be going up in a few hours.
Beautiful & amazing shots sir! I've had mine a week now. Hope you won't be taken aback by my saying it's confidence building but also over the top though coz thin items at fast speed will inevitably someday crash it, not that I would wish it on you for sure sir, but there were LOTS of that risky stuff on this course, best to plan your routes accordingly ........ note their limited warranty! Best riding & flying sir!
Yes, I hear you. There were definitely some fine branches on this trip. but it did build my confidence big time. I've done lots and lots of flights since then and taken the drone out on many of my rides. I still love it.
Love your channel! Amazing scenery. My dji mini is going to retire when i get my skydio 2 in a week
Great. My one tip for a great first flight with the Skydio…. Hand launch it. It will automatically launch, turn, and lock onto you. Enjoy.
Nice work. This is by far the best review I’ve seen of the Skydio 2 for my particular use case (motorbikes). I recently got the invite to purchase and was on the fence, but you’ve helped me make the decision. Thanks. Planning to take it on a trip to Baja next month. ✊
Hey Arrick, glad my review helped. Yes, for me it's perfect. You will LOVE it on our Baja trip, but order it ASAP, they were still back-ordered last time I looked.
@@brentbat Yeah, I ordered one back in October and finally got the invite to finalize the order a few weeks ago. Was on the fence based on what I've seen so far in various reviews, but I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger now. Again, appreciate the video. Cheers.
Great SHOTS!!!... I've also tracked on my Golf cart with my grandkids riding and was hitting tree limbs (WITHOUT LEAVES ON THEM) I called and talked to Skydio and was told there's certain items that do not track well one is the Golf cart. The hand launch is KEY!! also this is not a winter drone without the leaves helping grouping items to avoid!!!!!
Suggestion, I wonder if hand launching every time it would lock into subject better to track? really like these shots its a wonderful video , thanks again!
Yeah, I've just started getting into the routine of hand-launching everytime. I can't think of any downside to doing this, and it makes the locking automatic.
What a nice review. Great, just great !!!
Fantastic my next drone i am a bike rider well done
Awesome 👏🏾!!! Great 👍🏽 stuff!!! Loved @11.56min giving 2nd shot.
Pretty amazing obstacle avoidance
Very impressive. Right at the end (15.30) it actually looks like its amongst the branches and moving them around. I'm guessing it would be able to cope with overhead utility / power lines.
Hey Job... Yeah... Impressive as heck. Skydio state that the only things you need to stay clear of are "thin branches and wires"..... so I don't know about it's capabilities of dodging power lines. If I came to power lines, I just tapped the height button a couple of times and it climbed quickly to a safe height.
great work
Wow. Definitely want one now. This is EXACTLY what I wanted from my Mavic Air and it's just not capable. It will occasionally get a nice shot, if I ride slowly, out in the open, and give it five or six opportunities to shoot something nice.
This seems to do it well, in trees, first time.
Yeah, there is no comparison. Did you see the video I just posted today of the Blue Mtns ride? The Skydio does stuff that is leaps and bounds ahead of the DJI when it comes to autonomous shooting and obstacle avoidance. The DJI is better for manual flying though.. better range, better signal, better controller, smaller footprint etc.
@@brentbat yeah but our whole thing is going off-road and challenging ourselves. The Mavic is just scary and unpleasant to fly between trees. I'm now desperately looking who I can have to order one and send it to me from the US. I'm so keen to give it a go!
@@brentbat yeah and that's how we found you, from SAR
Wow that was cool, never thought getting a drone for motorcycle stuff but I've always wanted one just to play with but that was really cool watching that.......
Thanks Ed. Yes, I think the motorcycle riding really pushes the drones due to speed and trees etc. But it's great to see the Skydio handling it.
Awesome video! I have been using a Mavic Mini 2. Super compact and long life on batteries. Cheers from Oregon.
Honestly this drone is amazing it works soo well
So good to hear an Australian voice in a good vlog! I've never heard of these drones either. I have a Mavic Air and we tried this with a scooter in the rice fields here in Thailand but not a success.
What bike are you riding here Brent?
How did these guys get so far ahead of DJI? This is mind blowing!
American Made..... That's how
@@larryboldt4762 they are only assembled in the usa. Likely it is all foreign components and unfortunately that just means not yet copied by chinese. To keep the manufacturing out of china (for the most part) is one of the only.ways to protection intellectual property investments. I'd pay another 10% on it if it was manufactured in USA, easily.
@@R2X2Z wrong
They not DJI is still the #1 drone manufacturer.
@@larryboldt4762 lol, sure..
fantastic, i hope it arrives soon in europe
Can’t wait to get mine! What’s an amazing amazing drone
Wow! just amazing. To think where this tech was a year ago and where it's going. Thanks Brent!
I literally found your channel by accident a few days ago, and have to say I've been very impressed with your solo riding drone footage. It wasn't until I saw this video that all became clear AND having just bought my 2nd DJI drone (Mini 3Pro), I'm now wishing I'd put more thought into what I should have bought. I have two regrets 1. not waiting for the DJI Avata which looks like the dream drone for anyone who hasn't learnt the skills for FPV flying but really wants to, and 2. why didn't I listen to my wife who was determined to get me away from DJI after she saw the Skydio promotional video.
I have yet to put my Mini 3 Pro to the test, it does have forward, backwards and downwards sensing, but the lack of sideward sensing makes me question if it can come close to the Slidio, also the flight speed of the Mini 3 Pro makes me wonder if it has got what it takes - putting it in sports mode kills active track and obstacle avoidance. Regarding the beacon, I believe with my old Mavik Pro (which didn't like underwater cinematography) you could use the hand controller as a beacon for follow-me shots, but I never tried it, I'm guessing that functionality is not an option with the Mini 3 Pro.
It'll be some time before I can get another drone so maybe there will be more choices out there by then...!!!
BTW, I love your productions, very engaging, and after watching some behind-the-scenes and instructional videos on your trip prep and your very structured approach to every aspect of trip planning, videography, and post edit you have inspired me to take more care and attention in doing the same. I made a mash-up of videos a year or so back, all of which are very rough around the edges, but I want to do more and you have helped me get back in my groove to focus on my channel and other social platforms.
Looking forwards to many more videos from you Brent, and thank you again.
Thanks AtS, DJI make great drones for manual control, but for autonomous flying, they can't come close to skydio. Having the beacon which transmits GPS coordinates to the drone means it can track even if it loses visual lock. The Mavic just stops and hovers. I haven't looked at the Avata, but I'll go and take a look.
Glad you found some of my vids useful. Enjoy polishing up your channel. And have fun!
BP
Thanks for this, I'm out on trails, some single track, and I just haven't had time to take my SkyDio2 out, and I lacked the balls to think I could get it in to the gnarly stuff, but, thanks to your video, I will.
As long as there aren't any long single whispy branches, you should be fine. I have total confidence in the Skydio now... it sometimes gets caught up behind trees, but I'd trust the smarts of the drone in some of the tighter stuff. It's scary when you first start out as it feels weird.
I been trying to find a vid just like this for when i go bush on my africa twin and dirt bike! Ill be buying one for sure now thanks for the good vid and test
Jade, I just got back from an 8 day ride through Idaho.... Wait until you see the footage the Skydio shot there. Did you see the video I shot in Vic High country (there is a Skydio edition).
Radar sensors is good for now but camera is not 4K or more yet and battery not longer time flight it. 😊
Super cool drone!!
Beside this is the one produced by American company! I am so glad to see it.
Very good review. What maximum speed can you go and it will keep up with you?
Hey Mike, the drone will fly at about 38mph (60kph). I tend to do mainly dirt riding on 4wd tracks etc. and my speed usually sits around 40-50kph, so yes, it can keep up with me when I'm on dirt, but not on tarmac.
Hey Brent, great video! So glad to find a video about the Skydio 2 and ADV moto. Can you share your thoughts about the beacon, using the beacon with gloves, and how you managed to monitor the drone while riding? I just put a deposit down on one and looking forward to capturing my rides this summer!
Hey Justin, Glad you enjoyed the video. If you want to see it in action here's some highlights from my recent adventure just showing the Skydio footage.
th-cam.com/video/jyo6Ir8yYHI/w-d-xo.html
If you want to see the whole adventure then go here. th-cam.com/video/9fRfNM2bVtw/w-d-xo.html
Regarding the beacon, if you watch the first video above and freeze frame it at exactly 3:09 you'll see my setup. My beacon is mounted on my tank bag if I'm touring with one, otherwise my handlebars. When I'm using the drone I stuff my gloves into my pocket for greater dexterity on the beacon buttons. I have my phone showing me a live feed from the drone on the bars, and this also lets me play with my height function (which you can't do from the beacon... only range). By far the best shots are when you are changing the drones position... either relative to you or via range. Both very easy to do with a few taps. If you want to see something cool, check out my latest video which is mainly drone footage, and watch the last 60sec where I show you some behind-the-scenes drone shenanigans. th-cam.com/video/OfxAOrbUv_Q/w-d-xo.html
Enjoy and let me know if you have any other questions about the Skydio and adv riding. I'm clearly a fan.
Brent
Superb I just subscribed.
I currently am flying a
Yuneec Typhoon H 480
Which I still love to this day.
But you have certainly showing us the best of the sky deal and what it can do. I can't wait for your next adventure.
Keith Kuhn
Looks like old center point road, and crabapple road in Blanco Texas. That's where I grew up
You are probably right. I love riding in Texas Hill Country when I'm in Austin. The countryside is just so cool out there. You are lucky.... very lovely place to grow up.
Awsome video mate. Skydio2 Drone gets the thumbs up.
its videos like this made me stop watching TV ! great work!
Excellent... Well that is a good result in my book. Glad you enjoyed it David.
Great review! 👍 I'm looking to pick one of these up to record my trips with my KRX 1000 side by side. As good as the Skydio is now, you know they'll only continue to improve on the functionality and features and it will get better and better! 😊
Yes, perfect for a side-by-side. and I agree, they will just keep making it better and better.
very cool. I wonder if there is a way to set it to hover, but keep its camera on you, and as you approach it and pass it just stays where it is and rotates to follow.
Yes, there are two ways of accomplishing this with Skydio. Use the Hover skill, or just hit the pause button while it is flying in front of you... the drone will freeze it's location but still track you.
So you're testing the thing through low tunnels and you set it to not follow low. Genius! ;)
Yeah! I hear you... Hindsight is great, but remember this was my first day of flying with the Skydio! It was only when I got back and thought about it that I remembered that setting. When you are out flying the Skydio for the first time it is pretty stressful.
Great video. Really interested how you mounted the case?
Hey Andrew, drop me an email at brentbat@gmail.com and I'll send you some detailed photos of the mount that I made. It is a quick-release system that is rock solid but comes off in 10 seconds.
Amazing drone. I love riding the hill country. Live in San antonio, let me know when you are out riding some day. I ride a GSA and would love to explore some new places
Hey Ramon, I'm going to be riding Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend, and then probably every weekend day during Feb. Email me at brentbat@gmail.com if you want to ride.
Very good bit of kit ,looks damn good
This is an outstanding video and review!!!! Thank you!!!
The Bob Ross of video drones. All your shots are “happy accidents” 😂
Great footage. Thanks for sharing.
That footage is insane !!!
Thanks for your time and great review 🇮🇪👍
wow. this is just amazing. technology came so far these days. I just wish it was a bit smaller in carrying mode. The luggage space on adventure trips is limited and this box is just huge. nevertheless its awesome what this drone is capable of.
Hey BigMan, the drone does come with a smaller carrying case for carrying the drone plus two batteries. This will fit into a backpack, but I use the big box because I'm adding in the rest of my photography gear (gopros, mirrorless camera etc.). The carrying case will fit in a backpack, but it definitely is a lot bigger than a Mavic, that is for sure.
Thanks for sharing, looks amazing. Hope it comes to Australia
Good job Brent, I have done about 10 trips out with the skydio2 since March last year..I do more off road and we don't have so many trees where I stay..if you want to see some more footage drop me a PM and I can send you a link to some interesting footage...I am a photographer and have worked out some ideas to make this little beauty really sing...you can do some amazing moves and if you like i would be happy to share my thoughts with you. Ride safe and enjoy.
Hey Paul, would love to tap your brain, my email is brentbat@gmailcom (I couldn't see where to find yours).
I am sold on Skydoi 2. Thanks!
You got very very lucky avoiding those branches without leaves. I also thought the skydio2 would avoid all obstacles. Mine hit an oak tree in an open field at 30 mph. With no parts available for customers to replace other than props you’ll have to send your drone back to the factory
Yes, you are probably right, I may have been lucky. In 3 weeks I'm doing an 8-day trip into the Victorian High country on my motorcycle and will be doing lots of autonomous shooting in the Autralian bush. So we'll see how well it works in this type of scenario.
Subscribed. Welcome from ATX
Brent, I’ve always wanted to film my motorcycle riding trips as well and didn’t want to do the GoPro filming that’s been done a million times and your footage was incredible. I’m not sure you mentioned it in your video, but how long were the batteries lasting?
23 min
For tunnels like that at 11:16, i wonder if it would work better if you turn off floor height, that way the Skydio will just fly under the trees and follow you. You just have to make sure the area is clear of other vehicles coming in the opposite direction.
Hi there RRBarcarse, I think you are right, if I had the drone lower (below the 8' floor height), then I think it would have done just fine following me through that tunnel.
That was some awesome footage! Some close calls at high speed.
Mate that's a great drone way better than dji drones hahaha fantastic I'll be looking at one of these drones. Great video mate
Sold I am getting one! Thanks for sharing
very nicely done, Brent, thanks for sharing. Cant seem to get this drone in Australia. And the US website doesnt ship to us either...! Where are you based, Texas?
Hey Martin, I split my time between Sydney and Austin, TX. Yes, I bought and had it shipped to me in Austin. I'm sure they will ship to Australia at some point in time.
@@brentbat Cheers Brent, loving your adventures ;). Yeah i noticed there was talk about it becoming available earlier on in the year but nothin' yet. No point in getting any other drone if the primary use is having it follow you autonomously :) Mavic 3 Pro is coming now but didnt see any side sensors on that one which is hard to believe if this is the case...
@@116gt Yeah, I've been following the leaks on the Mavic 3 Pro, and it looks great from an imaging perspective with the two cameras, but from what I've seen, the obstacle avoidance sensors are still along the lines of the earlier gen Mavics. Skydio is still way in the lead for autonomy which is what I'm loving about it.
Thanks Brent! this video is amazing. Where to buy the Skydio2 in Australia?
Hey there
You can’t buy them in Australua, but I do know someone in Aus that is selling one. Email me at brentbat@gmail.com and I’ll connect you.
Around @15mins odd, great that it didn’t confuse other cars passing by. I assume you didn’t have any issues with you being the subject matter? You didn’t comment on that aspect so assumed no false following of other cars/ movement? Love ❤️ the scenery around that time plus great idea to u turn!
I haven't had it accidentally pick up other cars, but when Im riding with another rider or two, sometimes if it loses visual lock on me... it will still follow me even if it can't see me because the beacon is sending my GPS coordinates to the drone, but then when it can see the riders again, sometimes it will lock onto a different rider other than me (which is no big deal).
Hi Brent. I got onto your channel after the YT algo recommended your Victorian Highlands ride. Amazing content. Are you able to share the details of your workflow with using the Skydio 2 while riding, specifically prior and during a ride. Do you research the areas/routes that you'd like to film? Do you have drone filming presets or do you do it on the bike? How do you ration your (presumably finite) batteries? How does it affect group riding dynamics, with the drone target limited by the max tracking speed? Thanks in advance and appreciate any tips you may have!
Hey JB, Glad you like the content in my channel, and as you have probably seen, I'm happy to share everything I know with others. OK, regarding Skydio, if you look at my Idaho BDR ride (part 2), you'll see I actually talk about my Skydio process. I don't really do any research or setup, I'm typically riding with a group of other riders and so I have to shoot on the fly when I see something I like. I usually try to ride up ahead of the group so that if I see a great shot I can stop, start pulling the drone out and then ask them to hold up if I want them in it. With Skydio, the correct sequence is 1) Boot up Skdyio, then 2) Turn on Beacon and let it connect to Skydio, then 3) Open App on phone and connect to Beacon.
The I just hand launch drone which locks on me. What I find works well is constantly moving the drone relative to me. So I use both the orientation arrows and the distance arrows to change the drones position in a few taps. While the drone is repositioning, it is still tracking me, so it makes nice dynamic shots. I put an ND16 filter on the drone, but other than that I'm shooting in 4K @ 60fps. Regarding Batteries, I have 3 batteries, but I can also recharge them while I ride (you need a special USB C high wattage adapter to do this. Regarding group riding dynamics, it doesn't really bother the group. As I said, I try to ride up near the front... I can pull over and launch the drone pretty quickly.... Then I usually leave the drone up for 15-20min and just get tons of shots... then I can pack the drone up pretty quickly.... I then scoot ahead and can catch back up to the group, so minimal intrusion on them. Max tracking speed of the drone is 37mph, but it looks good if you have the drone in front of you flying backwards at 37mph and then you crack the accelerator and blast past the drone.
Hopefully that answers a bunch of questions, but if you haven't seen my Idaho ride, watch both parts. TONS of drone footage in that, and part 2 does have me talking about flying the Skydio.
@@brentbat Thank you very very much for the insight and generosity with your experience. I'm actively resisted watching your Idaho BDR for personal reasons; I'm now based in Sydney and don't want to see the US riding I know I've missed! However, I'll put it on now for edu purposes. Thanks again!
@@jbjose Hey JB, yes, I understand you avoiding Idaho if you are in Sydney, but if you are interested in really good drone video of adv riding, then it's the best work I have done so far.
Nice information! I am a DJI Mavic2 Pro user and have been looking hard to find a better FollowMe drone on a motorcycle.
Your tests were pretty illuminating, indeed.
Could u share a little bit on the following about your Skydio2, please:
- what mount and holder are using for the Beacon?
- do you find the 23 min flight time for the battery a little limiting?
- how did the Sydio2 behaved when there were other bikers or vehicles in the vicinity? Were there any object interference ?
Hey Arthur, I also came from DJI drones to the Skydio. I really like DJI for manual flying, but it sucks for autonomous flying. If you haveven't checked out my Idaho BDR you should take a look at that. I did that tour in July and I used the Skydio a lot in trees and woods. Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/2n_sMDu2vBw/w-d-xo.html
To answer your other questions. I use this mount for the beacon www.dirtyjdesigns.com/collections/dji-mavic/products/handlebar-mount-for-skydio-2-beacon
but I also attach it to my tank bag if I'm riding with that on (it has Molle webbing on top).
Regarding flight time - no, I don't really find that a limitation, because I have 3 batteries and I can recharge them while I ride from my bike. I usually launch the drone and will then ride for about 20min with the drone following me, then land it.
Sometimes if there are two of us riding side-by-side the drone might visually lock onto the other rider if we duck in behind trees, but then because the beacon is transmitting MY GPS data, it usually re-acquires me at some point. It doesn't really bother me if I'm riding with a group and it tracks somebody else for a while. I've never seen the drone do anything other than that.
I hope that helps.
Het Brent, awesome work. I am a native of Austin and Central Texas area. Where are you riding here. Thanks for all you do!
Hey Jim, I'm a member of Texas Adventure Riders (free group that ride). They have created 12 amazing rides in Hill country. I did the Wimberly Ride and the Luckenbach ride. You can find them on Rever. If you can't find them, just holler and I'll post the URLs.
Amazing footage. So impressive. As close to being there as you can get. I live in Austin and have been in much of the hill country but didn’t recognize a lot of where you were. Can you post location? Much appreciate it and thanks again for a lovely ride
Hey Alan, most of the locations were shot on a ride called "Wimberley" that was designed by the Texas Adventure Riders. Not sure if you are on Rever, try to open this. Otherwise I can send you a GPX file a.rever.co/rides/1664066
Do you plan on doing any Skydio vids back in the Down Under? Would love to see some of those vids with this awesome drone
Hey Larry
Absolutely. I’m back in Aus in March and doing an 8-day ride to Vic High country which will be epic!!!
Brent...please tell me what roads you were taking in this video. I have ridden lots of stuff in the Kerrville leaky (3sisters area) but what roads were you on??
Hey Porkchoprun
I do a lot of riding on the 12 trails from the Texas Adventure Riders... If you haven't ridden their rides, they are fantastic, you can view them and download them here.
a.rever.co/communities/1124
I think in the video I was riding bits of the Luckenback ride and a bit of the Wimberley ride
Fantastic video. I recently competed my Part 107 certificate and have been thinking about adding another drone. I was really impressed with the performance of the drone. Even more, I really liked that you gave it a realistic test for those of us that travel. I wonder if it could track the beacon in the front of a van? FYI - I also subscribed.
Wow. This thing is awesome. Great demonstration. What do I do with my Mavic now? 🤔
I sold my Mavic and have no regrets. :-)
@@brentbat No doubt mate.
A great ‘review’ of the #SkyDio2. Wondering how it would do the ‘head on’ tracking at 8ft or lower. As in the Drone in front of you, camera pointed to you as you ride - the drone flying backwards. That would be a good POV for shooting water crossing as well as riding through a tunnel (of trees too!).
Hey Raskesh... Good question.... I might give that a try if I'm in the right terrain, I'd have to be offroad, otherwise it's too dangerous as you could hit an oncoming car. But I've got a big offroad ride in March and I'll try it.
Blew me away! Unfortunately not available Down Under!