The DJI O4 Lite Air Unit has loads going for it—light-weight, compact, and best for sub-250g micro builds. However should you’ve flown it in tight areas or tried to make use of picture stabilization, you’ve in all probability observed the fairly slender FOV (discipline of view). That’s the place Flywoo steps in with a intelligent answer: a easy wide-angle lens that considerably improves the O4 digital camera’s FOV—no want to change the digital camera or glue on dangerous DIY optics. On this assessment, I’ll share my hands-on expertise with the Flywoo wide-angle lens, the way it performs, what to anticipate, and what to be careful for.
Study extra concerning the DJI O4 Lite and the perfect settings in our tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/how-to-setup-dji-o4-lite/
The place to Purchase
You should buy the Flywoo Vast-Angle Lens equipment from these distributors:
Why the Vast-Angle Lens Issues
The DJI O4 is unbelievable for micro FPV drones, however the slender FOV makes proximity flying really feel much less pure and restricted. Issues get even worse whenever you apply picture stabilization like RockSteady or Gyroflow, which crop into the footage additional and make it really feel even much less watchable.
Flywoo’s wide-angle lens goals to repair this, and in some ways, it succeeds. This accent is simple to put in, and bumps the O4 digital camera’s FOV from round 117° to 155°, almost matching the dearer O4 Professional digital camera. All with out modifying or risking harm to your delicate DJI O4 digital camera.
Testing – How It Performs
On the bench, I instantly observed the rise in FOV. The broader view was apparent, however so had been the perimeters of the lens in each the goggles and uncooked video.
The sides had been seen when setting the digital camera to 4:3 side ratio and Vast FOV which provides you the widest FOV. Fortunately, should you’re utilizing Gyroflow or DJI’s built-in RockSteady stabilization, it crops in and removes these edges within the ultimate video.
Not solely does the broader FOV make the footage look extra cinematic and immersive, it additionally improves your flying expertise. With extra of the surroundings in view, it turns into simpler to evaluate distance and timing, making proximity flying and freestyle maneuvers really feel far more pure. I discovered myself flying extra confidently and with higher precision.
There’s a slight drop in picture readability—some softness and a gentle coloration shift—however nothing dramatic. You’ll solely discover it should you zoom into the footage or examine it side-by-side with footage shot with out the lens. The lens flare can be a bit extra pronounced when flying towards shiny daylight, doubtless attributable to inner reflections from the additional glass lenses. Nonetheless, these minor drawbacks don’t outweigh the advantages in my view.
Listed here are some footage from the Firefly18 I lately reviewed: https://oscarliang.com/flywoo-firefly18-o4/
Bonus Characteristic – ND Filter Holder
The Flywoo Vast-Angle Lens comes with a detachable UV filter that doubles as a lens protector.
The UV filter could be swapped for ND filters (out there individually from Flywoo). ND filters are important for controlling publicity and sustaining correct movement blur in shiny lighting circumstances, particularly when capturing cinematic movies. You may study the usage of ND filters on this tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/nd-filter-fpv/
Buy Flywoo’s ND Filters Set right here (contains UV filter, ND8, ND16 and ND32 filters): https://oscarliang.com/product-d00b
3 Totally different Variations
The Flywoo Vast-Angle Lens additionally serves as a mounting adapter, and selecting the proper model lets you match the DJI O4 Lite digital camera into frames that assist completely different cameras. This makes the O4 Lite Air Unit far more versatile and accessible for a greater variety of drone builds.
Plug & Play Model for Flywoo O4 Builds
Also called the “Cam Shell” model.
This model doesn’t have any mounting holes of its personal. As a substitute, it requires the usage of the Flywoo O4 Digicam Shell adapter from Flywoo, which have to be bought individually. The digital camera shell turns the O4 Lite right into a 14x14mm kind issue, like a typical nano FPV digital camera. As soon as the shell is put in, you may merely clip the wide-angle lens onto it.
You should buy the O4 Digicam Shell adapter right here: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_oonV9l8
Specs:
- Measurement: 16.8mm × 21mm × 18mm
- Added Weight: 3.7g (plus 1.3g from the digital camera shell, complete 5g)
O3 Mounting Model
This model turns your DJI O4 Lite digital camera into the identical dimension and mounting sample because the DJI O3 digital camera, making it suitable with a variety of O3-compatible frames out there at the moment.
It’s arguably essentially the most versatile choice, however be mindful: should you’re mounting the O4 Lite like an O3 digital camera inside a full-size quad (reminiscent of a 5-inch construct), you might want an extended digital camera cable—the one designed for the O4 Professional ought to work.
Specs:
- Measurement: 21mm × 23.5mm × 22.3mm
- Weight: 7.5g
O4 Professional Mounting Model
This model turns the O4 Lite digital camera into the identical kind issue and mounting because the DJI O4 Professional, best for brand spanking new frames which can be designed for this new digital camera mounting.
Identical to the O3 model, utilizing it in bigger frames might require an extended digital camera cable, such because the one used for the O4 Professional.
Specs:
- Measurement: 21mm × 23.5mm × 20.5mm
- Weight: 7.5g
Which Model Ought to You Get?
It relies upon principally in your body’s digital camera mount dimension:
- In case your body helps DJI O3 or O4 Professional mounting, go together with a kind of variations for safer fitment.
- In case your body makes use of nano-sized 14x14mm mounts, select the Plug & Play Cam Shell model.
A Nearer Have a look at the Design
The lens housing is 3D-printed in TPU. It’s versatile, suits snugly, and is general nicely made.
Including this wide-angle lens introduces 5 to 7.5 grams of additional weight to your construct. On 2″ quads or smaller, this weight may be noticeable and will barely have an effect on efficiency. Nonetheless, on 3″ or bigger drones, the added weight is negligible and shouldn’t pose any points.
Drawbacks and Quirks
Extra Weight
The lens provides round 5g to 7.5g, which could possibly be an excessive amount of for 1S tiny whoops. Nonetheless, on open-prop micro quads, even 1S-powered ones, the additional weight is normally manageable. On something 2.5″ or bigger, it’s unlikely to be a problem.
Slight Picture Softening & Glare
Because of the extra glasses, the picture might seem barely softer. That is solely actually noticeable when zooming in, so it’s not a dealbreaker for most individuals. You may also expertise elevated lens flare when going through towards the solar, brought on by reflections between the added lens parts. Moreover, with extra glass surfaces, mud is extra more likely to construct up, so you might want to scrub it extra often.
Lens Seen in View
Within the goggles, you may even see the perimeters of the wide-angle lens, particularly when utilizing 4:3 side ratio and Vast FOV settings. Nonetheless, this may be eliminated within the air unit recording utilizing picture stabilization instruments like Gyroflow or the built-in RockSteady on the DJI system. In Gyroflow, you might need to cut back FOV to one thing like 0.9 to utterly eradicate the lens edges. If you’re new to Gyroflow, try my newbie’s tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/gyroflow/
Lens Motion in Crashes
As a result of the plug and play model of the lens is a friction match, a tough crash can shift it ahead barely, giving a fisheye “skate video” look till get the drone again and manually push it again. The O3 and O4 professional variations received’t have this situation.
Closing Ideas: Is It Value It?
Completely.
The Flywoo Vast-Angle Lens is a game-changer for anybody flying with the DJI O4 Lite digital camera. It considerably improves the flying expertise by providing a a lot wider and extra immersive discipline of view. Extra importantly, it makes stabilized footage (through Rocksteady or Gyroflow) truly watchable, addressing one of many key shortcomings of the O4 digital camera.
Whereas it’s not good—as a result of added weight, lens edges in view, and slight picture sharpness and glare compromises—it solves an actual downside that DJI left unaddressed. And for builds the place area and weight permit, it is a extremely beneficial improve. Simply be certain to select the correct model based mostly in your digital camera and body.
You should buy the Flywoo Vast-Angle Lens equipment from these distributors:
For the plug&play model, don’t neglect to get the cam shell adapter: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_oonV9l8
And get the ND filters set as nicely for extra cinematic footage: https://oscarliang.com/product-d00b
