For those who’re searching for a micro FPV drone that may shoot beautiful 4K video whereas remaining small, light-weight, and agile, the Flywoo Firefly18 1S could be simply what you want. I’ve been flying this quad for a couple of days now, and right here’s my full evaluate primarily based on real-world flight expertise. Let’s break down what makes this sub-250g FPV drone so compelling—and the place it’d fall quick.
Study extra in regards to the DJI O4 Air Unit and the perfect settings in our tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/how-to-setup-dji-o4-lite/
The place to Purchase
Get the Flywoo Firefly18 from these distributors:
Within the field it comes with the next equipment:
- HQ bi-blade 45mm propellers (2 units, complete of 8)
- A right-angle USB-C adapter (for simpler entry to the DJI O4 USB port)
- Screwdriver, numerous spare screws, zip ties, and stickers
- TPU battery mounts for various battery sizes (1S 450mah, 750mah and 1000mah)
- An ND4 filter
Batteries will not be included, get them right here (I like to recommend 1S 750mAh): https://oscarliang.com/product-8w9c
Get some spare propellers right here (HQ 45mm x2 w/1.5mm gap): https://oscarliang.com/product-8esr
Overview
The Firefly18 V3 is the most recent technology of Flywoo’s 1S “Nano Child” sequence, and it comes geared up with the DJI O4 Lite Air Unit for crisp, stabilized 4K video.
Flywoo presents two variants:
- Firefly16: 40mm (1.6-inch) props, 23,500KV motors
- Firefly18: 45mm (1.8-inch) props, 19,800KV motors
Each variations share nearly the identical parts, however the Firefly18 has barely bigger props with decrease KV motors, which provides you higher effectivity and longer flight occasions—particularly necessary if you’re carrying the additional weight of the DJI O4 air unit. The dimensions distinction is minor however the efficiency acquire is noticeable, which is why I like to recommend the Firefly18.
Large-Angle Lens: A Worthwhile Improve
On this evaluate, I’m utilizing Flywoo’s wide-angle lens for the DJI O4 Lite digicam, which is offered individually. This lens solves one of the crucial frequent complaints with the O4 Lite—the slim discipline of view. By growing the FOV to nearly match the O4 Professional (~155°), the flying expertise turns into considerably extra immersive and pure.
Take a look at my evaluate of the wide-angle lens right here: https://oscarliang.com/flywoos-wide-angle-lens-dji-o4/
For those who determine to not get the broad angle lens, that’s completely high-quality too—Flywoo features a round ND4 filter within the field, which not solely helps with publicity in vibrant circumstances but in addition acts as a protecting cowl for the digicam lens.
Nearer Look
The Firefly18 is nearly as small as a tiny whoop, however due to its open-prop design, bigger motors, and 45mm propellers, it delivers considerably extra energy and pace. This makes it a way more succesful platform for carrying the DJI O4 system in out of doors environments.
One of many recognized challenges with working the DJI O4 on 1S builds is voltage—video feed can grow to be unstable when battery voltage drops beneath 3.7V. Flywoo addresses this by together with a 5V voltage regulator (exterior BEC), which delivers constant energy to the air unit. In my testing, it held up properly even when battery voltage dipped beneath 3V, sustaining a secure video feed all through.
That mentioned, the extra parts—the wide-angle lens and exterior BEC—all add weight. By 1S requirements, this quad isn’t light-weight, tipping the scales at round 56g with a 1S 750mAh battery.
The motors are related to the flight controller by way of connectors moderately than direct soldering. This does add a little bit of weight, and I do marvel if direct soldering would supply a small efficiency acquire (much less resistance and weight). However from a upkeep perspective, connectors make motor replacements a lot simpler.
The construct may be very clear and of first rate high quality. USB ports for each the flight controller and DJI O4 are simple to entry—no awkward angles or disassembly required.
The digicam gentle mounting appears to be optimum—no seen jello within the footage. Stabilization by way of Rocksteady or Gyroflow works nice too, making the video clean and cinematic.
Battery holders are 3D-printed in versatile TPU and they’re swappable utilizing a twist-lock mechanism. Flywoo contains holders for 1S 450mAh, 750mAh, and 1000mAh batteries, so you may simply swap between completely different battery sizes.
Detachable propeller guards are additionally included, which is a pleasant contact for inexperienced persons or when flying in tighter environments.
Video Efficiency with DJI O4 & Large-Angle Lens
This construct actually shines for one key motive: 4K stabilized video with the DJI O4 Air Unit. With Flywoo’s wide-angle lens put in, the sector of view jumps from the inventory 117° to round 155°, nearly matching the DJI O4 Professional. That wider view makes an enormous distinction, particularly for cinematic flying or proximity cruising.
There’s a draw back—the sides of the wide-angle lens are seen within the goggles and HD recording, particularly when utilizing 4:3 Large mode. Nonetheless, should you allow Rocksteady stabilization, or course of the uncooked footage via Gyroflow, the picture will get cropped simply sufficient to eradicate these black corners (you might need to cut back FOV to one thing like 0.9). Take a look at my tutorial on find out how to use Gyroflow: https://oscarliang.com/gyroflow/
Picture high quality takes a small hit. There’s a little bit of softness added to the picture and barely extra lens flare when flying towards the solar. That’s anticipated, because the picture has to undergo two further lenses. Nonetheless, the general video high quality stays glorious—particularly contemplating the sub-250g class.
The wide-angle lens provides about 3.5g, which is manageable on the Firefly18 and doesn’t considerably influence flight efficiency.
The DJI O4 digicam is mounted utilizing Flywoo’s 18mm “cam shell” adapter, which is compact and useful. Nevertheless it makes use of a friction-fit design, which means the lens adapter can get free throughout crashes. Whereas it’s not a dealbreaker, it’s one thing to pay attention to—particularly should you’re flying aggressively or crashing usually.
Flight Efficiency
With its 45mm bi-blade props and upgraded 1002 19,800KV motors, the Flywoo Firefly18 presents strong energy for a 1S micro drone. In comparison with the older Firefly16, the Firefly18 delivers noticeably higher flight time and a bit extra punch within the air.
It’s impressively quiet—about as silent as a tiny whoop—which makes it ultimate for flying in small parks or neighborhoods with out drawing an excessive amount of consideration.
For a 1S micro drone, it’s surprisingly quick. Whereas it’d battle to recuperate shortly from dives or inverted maneuvers, it will possibly nonetheless pull off many freestyle tips. It’s not a freestyle beast, however it’s extra succesful than you’d suppose for its measurement.
The tune out of the field is superb. It feels very locked in and responsive. I even examined it in 18mph winds, and it held up impressively properly. There was a little bit of shakiness right here and there as a result of wind, however general, it exceeded my expectations.
I’ve had a number of crashes throughout testing, and the Firefly18 survived all of them. The sunshine weight of the quad positively helps in sturdiness. Nonetheless, discovering it after a crash in tall grass is a ache. It doesn’t include a beeper, and the motors are extraordinarily quiet.
I examined three battery sizes, and right here’s how they carried out:
- 450mAh 1S: Lightest and most agile. Nice for brief freestyle/racing classes. Anticipate 2.5 to three minutes of flight time. Hovers round 34% throttle.
- 750mAh 1S: My favourite. Balanced efficiency with 5 minutes of flight time and sufficient energy for a lot of freestyle tips. Hovers round 36%.
- 1000mAh 1S: Longest flight time (~7 minutes), however it feels sluggish and heavy. Finest for clean cruising and exploring. Hovers round 38%.
Specs
- Body: Firefly18 1S Nano Child V3 (O4 model)
- Flight Controller: GOKU F405 HD 1S AIO (5A),
- With ICM42688 Gyro and 8MB reminiscence for Blackbox
- Receiver: Constructed-in ExpressLRS 2.4GHz
- VTX/FPV Digital camera: DJI O4 Air Unit
- Propellers: HQ 45mmx2 bi-blade
- Motors: ROBO 1002 19800KV
- Battery Connector: A30 (additionally suitable with BT2.0 batteries)
- Weight (with out battery): ~39g (with wide-angle lens)
Setup
The FC goal is FLYWOOF405S_AIO, and it got here loaded with Betaflight 4.5.1. The unique CLI diff might be discovered right here.
ESC firmware is Bluejay, 0.19, 48kHz (O-H-5).
Onboard ExpressLRS receiver: Flywoo EL24E 2.4GHz RX (Firmware Rev. merge CE_LBT). It binds with ELRS V3 firmware on the TX.
Propellers mounting: motors are reversed course.
To setup for first flight, I did the next:
- Bind ELRS Receiver: Plug within the USB cable to the flight controller, the onboard ELRS receiver will go into WiFi mode after ready a minute. Be part of the WiFi community “ExpressLRS_RX”, go to 10.0.0.10 in your browser, and enter bind phrase. And binding was finished. For extra element: https://oscarliang.com/bind-expresslrs-receivers/#Methodology-3-Getting into-Bind-Phrase-in-Net-UI
- Pair O4 to Goggles 3:
- Modes tab in Betaflight Configurator: Configure the switches for arming, angle mode, and turtle mode.
- OSD tab: choose HD Video Format, and cargo my CLI settings: https://oscarliang.com/betaflight-osd/#HD-without-GPS. Disable core temperature, altitude,
- Energy tab in Betaflight Configurator: Set the minimal cell voltage to three.2V and the warning to three.4V (land round 3.3V). Set max voltage to 4.4V.
- PID Tuning tab: set your individual charges, right here’s my charges: https://oscarliang.com/charges/#My-Charges
Conclusion
The Flywoo Firefly18 Nano Child V3 with DJI O4 with wide-angle lens is a thoughtfully designed micro drone for cinematic FPV. It’s not the lightest or most aggressive performer in its class, but when your precedence is stabilized 4K video from a 1S quad that may nonetheless fly properly, it’s exhausting to beat this setup.
The wide-angle lens actually transforms the DJI O4 expertise, making this drone a fair higher worth for content material creators and cinematic flyers. Simply remember to choose your battery measurement primarily based on the way you need to fly.
Purchase the Flywoo Firefly18 from these distributors:
Purchase 1S 750mAh: https://oscarliang.com/product-8w9c
Purchase Spare Propellers: https://oscarliang.com/product-8esr
Purchase the Large-Angle Lens: https://oscarliang.com/product-rfff
Who can buy this quad?
- For those who’re a cinematic pilot searching for high-quality stabilized video in a tiny kind issue—it is a nice alternative (fundamental draw back is you may see the props within the footage). If you would like the best possible picture high quality from a tiny quad, take a look at the Eagle 2: https://oscarliang.com/ymzfpv-eagle2-o4-pro/
- For those who’re a newbie who needs to start out flying digital with out constructing your individual quad, it is a strong plug-and-play choice.
- If you would like a small and quiet quad to fly in your native park and keep away from consideration, it is a nice alternative.
