This is a great quadcopter. It is very easy to fly, but be aware that this ease is provided by software that requires a good GPS signal. Therefore, for safe, easy flying, use it in areas without trees, overhead wires, large metal objects, etc., that can interfere with the GPS signal. Can be flown w/o GPS, but flying in manual requires practice. The photos and video I have shot with this quad (GoPro 4 Black - 4K) are FANTASTIC - very smooth when using the optional gimbal. The smart shots work well and look very professional. But, read some 3DR Solo forums before purchasing, so you know what to expect. This is a great tool - for sure not a toy!

This craft is awesome in comparison to the DJI Phantom 3 Pro that I had and returned. Even though the Phantom 3 is ready to go out of the box with camera & gimbal, I prefer to stick with the Solo. The Solo is more solidly built and you can program it to fly by itself. It is really easy to fly and it is very steady even in windy conditions. Provide your own GoPro 3/4 camera and you are all set and that's a plus because if GoPro decides to update to a 5, you can still use it on the solo. This might not be true if have the gimbal though which by the way does NOT come with it. It is sold separately and it won't be released until sometime in July. With the Phantom, you are stuck with the camera and gimbal that comes with it. It has fail safe features that will recall Solo back to its launch location should something go wrong. This is a keeper!

My experience this far with the SOLO Drone by 3DR has been one of highs and lows. Luckily none of the lows have included flyaways or crashes, but unfortunately the highs were dampened by poor GPS connections, a delayed gimbal delivery date, and shorter than promised radio range in all but a perfect environment. Leaving the delayed gimbal aside (I'll take it as a sign that I need to work on my patience), there are still two main issues which I and many others have experienced when flying the Solo. The first is that almost every time I go to fly my Solo it has trouble connecting to the satellites to get a GPS lock. Sometimes this means that I just have to wait 5-10 minutes (the Phantom 3 will GPS lock in less than a minute even in urban environments) but other times I have had to skip flying altogether out of fear of flying without a return to home point created and set. Now even though I am hoping that this can be fixed with a simple firmware update, many people online believe that it is a hardware issue, attributable to the lack of a GLONAS receiver or a raised GPS mast. The second issue is the decreased radio range. 3DR promises streaming video and radio control of up to half a mile, and even though I assumed that just like a car’s mile per gallon rating it was a best case scenario, I didn’t expect to only ever get half of what was promised. I live and fly in pretty rural areas without any obstructions to speak of and yet I have only ever been able to get 1500’ feet away before I lose radio connection (luckily it returns to home). I had to look up how much a half a mile was (2640’ FYI) because I was so sure I had my numbers wrong. Maybe you can get the range they promise flying from the top of a sand dune in the desert but in real world situations you won't achieve anything close to the range they promise unless you upgrade the controllers antennas. Now other than those two major problems, I have had a great experience with the Solo. Landing and taking off is a breeze, the app is smooth, it flies predictably and fast, and return to home is incredibly precise (if you can get a GPS lock that is). I will hopefully update this review, if I can, once the gimbal has been released and 3DR releases another firmware update. I'm really hoping for the best, but this might just be the risk of buying a first gen product.

This is probably the best quadcopter you can buy for the price point because it is truly an amazing aerial recording unit. I am getting shots that I only see in big blockbuster movies which is pretty amazing in my book and the fact that it is future proof at least for a while is another great aspect. On top of all this, it is American made and comes with the only fly-away warranty so I mean what more can you ask for. I can't wait for an optical flow sensor, the ballistic parachute or other gadgets for the expansion bay to release in the Made for Solo program. It is also good to note that in my experience, which is almost 100 hours of flight time now, I have not had the 3DR Solo fly-away or do anything it wasn't supposed to. As long as you fly it properly and safely, it will do anything and everything you want it too without a hitch.

Have had my drone for about 3 months now, made 30-40 flights and can say I'm glad I got this drone. The 3DR solo is stable in flight, easy to learn on, and more than capable to capture advanced video. I purchased it with the gimbal, extra battery and extra props. Have since added 4 batteries and the backpack - I use it with an iPad Air 2 using the extended clip holder, and built my own sunshade from black foam board. For camera I have a GoPro Hero Black and a 5 lens sun filter pack (UV-ND16). Typical GPS lock takes 2-3 min - range is about 1/3-1/2 mile @ 100-200' elevation over a large neighborhood with LOTS of wi-fi interference. Battery life is about 15-16 min w/ gimbal and 20+ % of battery reserve. Beginner mode is easy enough our 8yo next door neighbor flew it without a problem - turn up the performance and I've clocked it at 57mph (but best video film quality is at medium flight speed, camera 2.7K @ 60fps - sor HQ still photos, you can switch settings from video to camera and back even changing settings while in flight. Has follow me, selfie, orbit, zip-line, waypoint modes - geofencing, altitude celiling limit, pause, and return to home -- camera gimbal is excellent with tilt adjustable and displayed by degree on controller screen (pan speed also adjustable) I have only used the iPad for display (would not link to my iPhone 6S Plus) - haven't tried Android products - video is good quality and rarely skips, and is recorded directly to iPad, but is also captured on GoProCamera memory w/ perfect quality - Negatives: 3DR is stopping drone hardware production (good for price drop, bad for hardware parts in distant future), software is really good and feature rich for cinematography, but app shuts down a lot (mostly when changing settings or modes vs flight or executing a flight pattern), nice thing is drone continues to fly stable and pauses and app restarts and reconnects quickly - more annoying than anything. I've had 2 crashes, both my fault - flew under my back patio and got too close to obstacles on day 2 - overconfident, and landing fast while flying forward, flipped over upside down -- both times no injury to Solo, this thing is built like a tank very solid ! I would easily recommend and would buy it again, especially at this price point.