https://crosstrainingenduro.com Our Skydio 2 long-term review! There has been a lot of media hype about the Skydio 2 drone. Some reviews by social media influencers say it’s the best drone in the world. Others regret their purchase and didn’t like autonmous drones. Plenty of owners have good and bad experiences with Skydio 2 problems… like me in this Skydio 2 review. After nine months of flying, we cover the problems we experienced, the positive aspects, and whether this drone might suit your purposes. We obviously have a focus on using the drone to film motorbikes. I have two friends who use this drone too, they concur with my experiences. They fly with the Skydio beacon too. Is the best drone from motorbikes? Skydio Autonomous flight and collision avoidance. Skydio claims to be the best drone in this respect. This is true. But the system is far from perfect with Skydio issues. Earlier promotions showed the drone effortlessly flying between trees. And that it was almost impossible to crash. Many users have crashed their Skydio, and found it does not navigate through trees well… at least above a walking speed. Thankfully Skydio has downgraded their claims now. And they have introduced Skydio Care. This reduces the cost of repairs or replacement for drones that have crashed, landed in water, or flown away. See other Skydio 2 reviews. Skydio tracking. The Skydio tracks the subject through a mix of visual tracking and a GPS signal via the beacon. Range is extended by connecting with our cell phone too. Skydio says the maximum range of the Skydio 2 is 1.5km but we always find it loses tracking much sooner. At times it has stopped tracking at very short distances. It happens… a lot. Where possible, we try to fly with the drone in front where we can watch it. Otherwise, we have to regularly look behind to make sure it is still there. Often it isn’t. This seems to be rare for slower moving subjects. Possibly motorbikes are stretching the capabilities of the Skydio too much. Skydio range? Always make sure the drone is tracking you! Sometimes the drone is facing you. You think it has connected. But then it just wanders off… possibly looking for other drones to mate with? Who knows. Sometimes the drone will start tracking another motorbike, even though I have the cell phone and beacon on my motorbike. At least it is still filming a motorbike. But this could end badly if it’s a rider not in your group who takes a different turn. Video quality. Experienced drone operators often complain about the quality of Skydio’s video. We have left it unadjusted so you can see how the automatic light balance can vary dramatically. Also, aperture adjustments can be very rapid. Some owners set the aperture manually and have to make corrections in post-production. Skydio does not provide a ‘flat’ colour profile that would allow for higher quality footage to be manipulated easily in post-production. We find there is regularly a red ‘hue’ in some footage that can’t be fixed with colour correction. Other footage can be too saturated. Contrast is too high in some conditions. It can only be fixed to some extent in post-production. We mainly use the beacon to direct the movements of the Skydio. It usually works quite well. However, there are times the artificial intelligence takes over and the drone becomes quite erratic. We want a lower altitude. It will suddenly fly up. And vice versa. You direct it to the left, but it goes to the right. This can be unnerving. I always try to avoid certain obstacles but occasionally the drone will decide to do the opposite. Make sure your phone is compatible with the drone before you buy! My phone supposedly met the requirements. But it wouldn’t work and Skydio said “Oh that Nokia model doesn’t work. Buy a new phone”. I asked “Why don’t you publish a list of non-compliant phones?” No answer. Another $400 added to the cost of my drone. Doh. This all sounds very negative, doesn’t it? Yes I’m disappointed. Skydio’s earlier promotions promised so much. But unfortunately I think it’s only a matter of time before this drone is destroyed in a crash, or disappears into the distance. Put your name and phone number on the drone. With luck, someone might return it. Let’s look at the positive side of the Skydio 2 drone. It’s not made in China! I am sure many components are made in China. But it’s great to see a USA company in charge. It is simply the best autonomous drone currently available. Nobody else comes close. Yes there are plenty of problems. But you can get great shots without being an experienced drone operator. Ditto for the obstacle avoidance. No other drone comes close… yet. Motorbikes do sometimes push the capabilities of the Skydio too far. But for most other sports the Skydio is a clear winner in this respect. Who shouldn’t buy this drone?
Music: Clockworks by Dolby
#crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #skydio2review
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SKYDIO NO LONGER SELLS CONSUMER DRONES They will continue selling professional drones. It seems that is where the big money is. We assume they'll continue continue support for the consumer drones for years though. "Unfortunately, we have shifted away from our consumer drone operations. Ryan Dougherty | Skydio July 2023.
POTENTIONALLY POOR GPS COVERAGE OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA? I tried filming in Vietnam recently and the Skydio would regularly go berserk and kept disappearing. It was simply too risky to continue. 😒 I suspect the problem could be Skydio only uses GPS and GLONASS systems which cover the American continent very well? But Skydio DOESN"T include the Beidou satellite coverage provided by Chinese satellites which most other drone brands do use. This can mean poor GPS links in Asian countries and elsewhere. For example, this link shows 139 countries where Beidou has more satellite coverage. https://rntfnd.org/2019/08/22/more-beidou-than-gps-in-130-of-195-countries/ Flying a Skydio outside of north America? Use this app on your phone to see the various satellite constellations in your area: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cache.wind.gps&gl=US
MORE COMMENTS ABOUT CAMERA QUALITY I mentioned the video quality does not seem to be on par with DJI and other drones. I have found the best way to get reliable image quality is to only film on overcast days. In bright sunlight the Skydio often does a weird colour correction. Unfortunately there is no 'raw' setting where the Skydio makes no adjustments and you can do your own post-production adjustments. I am aware that white balance can be set manually, but on our motorbike rides I simply don't have time to experiment with this. A 'raw' setting would be much simpler. Many will think I am being too critical but it would be good if they could match the competition in this respect.
SKYIO CRASH COMPILATION Learn the limitations of your Skydio drone. Below are examples of some crashes. Some don't really have any apparent cause. Others are the obstacles that Skydio now provide warnings about E.g. Avoid power lines, thin branches, low light conditions. Me? I've only had two crashes, both with soft landings thankfully. But I've been very careful with steering clear of trees etc.
Skydio crashed in first 90 seconds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yft4v2p7PuA
Skydio crashed in first 8 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px_fXp4GJKI
Skydio crashed in first 15 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRbL8ElbFQk
Skydio crashes into pond on first flight https://youtu.be/qSwdgZtWLGY
Skydio crashes into tree 2nd flight https://youtu.be/gVLpSLwBmzU
Skydio crashed on second day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxMnyjOkUAw
Skydio crash analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T1mHla0GzQ
Skydio crashed into tree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvxxOVW2eCU
Skydio crashed into thin branch https://youtu.be/VodFsiR7XCw
Skydio crashed into power line https://youtu.be/YAEqvtCvj9M?t=193
Skydio dives into water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EspuKPWvfk4
Skydio almost crashes into water https://youtu.be/Y2y0IYCxksQ
Skydio drops out of sky https://youtu.be/nhDsQeLaWOA
Skydio crashed into thin branches https://youtu.be/_T1mHla0GzQ?t=224
Skydio crashed into lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO8OBlw8Z4A
Skydio crashed into tree during winter: https://youtu.be/8qaeAHELHxw
Skydio crashed in low light https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsUQTrRS02k
Skydio flies into fence https://youtu.be/tbUwk3YkD3k?t=119
Skydio crashed into tree https://youtu.be/7WYhWdhc59o?t=431
Skydio hits power line and crashes https://youtu.be/GU-QhYlK8Yo
Skydio flies into tree without leaves https://youtu.be/dmT50xR2W2A
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/Vs1pWk_IFEA?t=172
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/fEznVMcapBI?t=81
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/r84rka5MjKU
Skydio files into thin branches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ6BfdkwFcQ
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/0qIbUUOizPA?t=142
Skydio crash compilation https://youtu.be/yd-TUY7FDU0
thanks for confirming my suspicions
My comment was deleted?
Thanks for the review
Well I purchased a Skydio 2+. I flew many type of quadcopters over the last ten years and this one is the best by far.
My skydio 2+ crached at the first day use, following my motorcycle 🙁
I didn't realize this channel was active, for some reason
I'd thought you'd abandoned it. shrugs…
Does it not have an audible beep beep beep when
crashed?
When I flew rc planes (lots) I eventually made very
loud beep alarms that would trigger when I turned
my transmitter off, so whether it was out of range
and crashed,
or I turned off tx , the beep would activate. I found
planes that would have been permanently lost this way.
Most of this footage is almost unwatchable, looks like
it was shot with a toaster, on my laptop,
but of course the vid content is great as usual.
The coloration isn't the issue that I see on my end
it is the resolution, super low.
3 issues that stand in the way of my buying the S2;
1. Seems that it is only practical to use if you also pair it
with phone, not just the beacon (not for me)
2. So far I'm not impressed with vid quality, I don't want 4k
just decent like my phone's resolution.
3. I don't know how I'm supposed to find 'it' on single track
when it has wondered off.
Bonus issue; 4, $1000 us / 1400 aus dollars lol, if it had avoidance
and a way to find it easily, plus good resolution, I'd be ok with
the price. (actually cheap compared with other brands)
Motor bikes stretching the drone too much yet they show cars and motorbikes in their promotional videos… I'll stick with my DJI for now ☺️
Just saw this review, I thought I'd add my 2c worth. For background, I've been flying Skydio for over 18 months now, and I have no association with Skydio at all.
Skydio is not perfect, that is for sure. But my results have been quite different to yours. A love the Skydio, I've had a total of two crashes, both times the skydio hit very fine twigs (which they do warn about) and both times my Skydio was undamaged (luckily). But I think I fly the drone differently to you. I only ever fly the drone in front of me when it's clear terrain or sparsely populated terrain. I use the phone mounted on the bars to ensure it's following.
In wooded terrain, I pull the Skydio in behind at my 6'oclock position and it does a pretty good job dodging trees and following me. (not perfect but pretty good). The skydio does glitch out occasionally, but it is only occasionally for me. I find the image quality to be fantastic. Yes, I do get occasional WB shifts and exposure shifts, but generally the image quality off the camera is amazing. I would like a flat colour profile though… So I agree with you on that.
The way I fly the skydio is quite dependent on the terrain I"m riding through, so I will set angle, height and range accordingly, and the terrain will also dictate the dynamic moves that I do while riding (repositions of the drone). I've never had a Skydio hit a tree or obstacle like you have… that was really weird. perhaps it's a software glitch, but I fly my skydio through thick trees a lot and I'm generally pretty happy with the way it performs.
One great thing about the DJI mini 3 is the go home mode, where it automatically goes back to the launch area when the battery is near flat or when you command it to do so.
Down side, registering it, and having to use a remote.
Edit; incidentally, you and ‘skids and stuff’ are my favourite DR650 content makers. I’m heading up to NSW/QLD when weather permits, I’d love to meet and greet. Excuse me if I get a bit star struck.
It seems that it sadly doesn't work in EU. Many drones in EU have different controllers and limited range, but based on the info I've found, skydio in EU is just an expensive coaster. I hope you bring your skydio with you on your next EU trip and verify this. I was very interested in it, not because of its impressive autonomous function, but because it's not Chinese. CCP is getting extremely evil. Sadly, I haven't found any non Chinese long-ish range consumer drone available here.
e: Seems that 2 could be made to work, even though it's not imported, but 2+ wont.
WTF do social media influencers know about what is the best drone in the world? More fool anyone taking notice of these facile entitled half-wits, incapable of getting a proper job.
Barry, great review. I've had my skydio2 for almost a year and crashed and burned 2 drones having them follow me on my bikes. I've gotten some epic photos/video, but I'm scared to use it any more given so many crashes. I do NOT believe these are made for following motorcycles in the wild. I've tried dirt bikes, adventure bikes and snow bikes. All 3 types of moto the skydio2 software SUCKS! One crash was following my tenere 700 and it hit a cable and I was super lucky to find the drone! Another one hit a tree branch and needed full replacement. I HATE how the battery separates so its really hard to find the drone. Another was on the snow bike and my buddy saw it go under the snow after it hit a branch. Search youtube for foxymcrider skydio and you can see my crashes. I wish we could buy the crash protection like DJI on the skydio2. I could care less about longer distance, I really need good software for following motorcycles.
Woah !! My understanding was Skydios are not compatible with DR650s….particularly when they spend 95% of the time on the back wheel.
I wonder if you keep your firmware updated? I watch your review and the drone sounds terrible, but I think that it might be just the way you present it.
I have had it follow the wrong bike, but once you separate enough, it switches to the gps location. So your fears of someone stealing the drone are unfounded.
Mine has never crashed, but it has stopped in trees, and the phone messages me to say it is stuck. You didnt mention that.
You can always find it easy if it is stuck…. it has a map on the phone app.
The aperture thing might be an issue for some. I have seen it do it. Ive never owned a camera expensive enough that doesnt do it though. Your footage looks like you have an nd filter on it. Would that make it worse?
When directing it left and it goes right… thats because it does not yet know your direction of travel until you move. You didnt mention that, and i think it is misleading to say it simply goes right when moved left. Similarly, it raises its height when you start out running it so that it can see you. Mine never randomly goes up and down. Maybe your lenses are dirty?
Also, how do I get a free drone? Can you please give me a shout out so I can get enough subs to get a free one! Surely mine will explode into a ball of fire soon!
You should also mention how the charger arcs like a mofo in Australia. It is a dodgy piece of electronics. Scares me every time I plug it in!
I'm curious, In your real world testing what was the maximum speed you could go before it would fail to track?
You’re droning on again- – –
Brent Pearson seems to have a lot of success with his Skydio drone, he has some great footage.
INDEX OF TOPICS COVERED
0:33 Problems with collision avoidance & autonomous flight
1:16 Tracking issues and range
2:37 Video quality problems
3:09 Beacon commands versus AI
3:39 Phone compatability issues
3:52 How is the upgraded Skydio 2+ better?
4:24 What we really like about the Skydio
5:45 Who should buy this drone?
Remember this review is from a motorcycling perspective! You will probably get better results with slower moving targets (even though we ride slowly for the drone). Also, keep in mind Skydio has drastically toned down their original claims about navigating between obstacles and avoiding crashes… no doubt because so many of us complained about these issues! Their current cliams are more realistic, thankfully.
Given Skydio has used social media influencers to generate a lot of hype, we think this needs to be balanced with comments from other users.
"1st Flight out after updating Firmware On Skydio 2 and beacon… it started tracking me from side when it was supposed to be in front and it crashed into something. I’m a 10 year drone pilot and never have crashed 1 time." Ryan Hughes
"Looks like Skydio2 becomes dumber and dumber every firmware update.. I swear Skydio was freaking awesome first time I flew it, even dodged thin branches. After an update, flew and not even 10 secs after taking off crashes into a tree!" Rex-Rizza Barcarse
"So my Skydio 2 decided to land in the middle of the river overwriting my controls commands" Jaime Martinez
"I was flying on an open area on a ranch and it decided to crash I am not sure how it happened It just lost track of my phone somehow and next thing I was looking for it all over the place." Malvin Chitsa
"My Skydio 2 crashed. When trying to stay in front of me, it flew towards the sun backwards and probably didn't see the ocotillo it then flew right into." Stefanonwheels
SKYIO CRASH COMPILATION
Learn the limitations of your Skydio drone. Below are examples of some crashes. Some don't really have any apparent cause. Others are the obstacles that Skydio now provide warnings about E.g. Avoid power lines, thin branches, low light conditions.
Skydio crashed in first 90 seconds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yft4v2p7PuA
Skydio crashed in first 8 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px_fXp4GJKI
Skydio crashed in first 15 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRbL8ElbFQk
Skydio crashes into pond on first flight https://youtu.be/qSwdgZtWLGY
Skydio crashes into tree 2nd flight https://youtu.be/gVLpSLwBmzU
Skydio crashed on second day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxMnyjOkUAw
Skydio crash analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T1mHla0GzQ
Skydio crashed into tree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvxxOVW2eCU
Skydio crashed into thin branch https://youtu.be/VodFsiR7XCw
Skydio crashed into power line https://youtu.be/YAEqvtCvj9M?t=193
Skydio dives into water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EspuKPWvfk4
Skydio almost crashes into water https://youtu.be/Y2y0IYCxksQ
Skydio drops out of sky https://youtu.be/nhDsQeLaWOA
Skydio crashed into thin branches https://youtu.be/_T1mHla0GzQ?t=224
Skydio crashed into lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO8OBlw8Z4A
Skydio crashed into tree during winter: https://youtu.be/8qaeAHELHxw
Skydio crashed in low light https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsUQTrRS02k
Skydio flies into fence https://youtu.be/tbUwk3YkD3k?t=119
Skydio crashed into tree https://youtu.be/7WYhWdhc59o?t=431
Skydio hits power line and crashes https://youtu.be/GU-QhYlK8Yo
Skydio flies into tree without leaves https://youtu.be/dmT50xR2W2A
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/Vs1pWk_IFEA?t=172
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/fEznVMcapBI?t=81
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/r84rka5MjKU
Skydio files into thin branches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ6BfdkwFcQ
Skydio files into thin branches https://youtu.be/0qIbUUOizPA?t=142
Skydio crash compilation https://youtu.be/yd-TUY7FDU0