Holy Stone GPS Drone with 4K Camera for Adults, HS175D RC Quadcopter with Auto Return, Follow Me, Brushless Motor, Circle Fly, Waypoint Fly, Altitude Hold, Headless Mode, 46 Mins Long Flight

We needed to get a better look at some problems on an inaccessible roof, and inspection companies quoted high numbers just to look. Buying a quality, entry-level drone which could do the job was an easy decision. After reading reviews of a number of under-$200 drones, we chose the HS175D, and are very satisfied with our decision. Amazon delivered in less than a day, and the drone was flying, well controlled by a novice operator, within an hour. After a bit of practice, the drone took high-definition photos of the roof in question, and the phots were of exceptional quality and fully met our needs.In the following days, we flew the drone just for the fun of it, and found it more than met our expectations gained from reading the specifications. This drone does exactly what the manufacturer says it does, nothing more, and nothing less. It is very easy to learn to fly it. Best to steer clear of trees and other high structures of course. One important learning--if you think you are losing control, let go of the control sticks. The drone will simply stop moving and hover where it is, while the operator regains his composure.While we are totally satisfied, there are a few comments which we will pass along to other new operators. This assumes you have downloaded the software for the drone according to the instructions provided, and have initiated that software on your phone.1) For best photographic results, a separately purchased SD card is recommended. After taking photos or videos, it is best to remove the SD card and insert it directly into a computer (using an adapter that comes with the SD cards). Download the files into the computer, but do not delete them from the SD card. Then reinsert the SD card into the drone, and use the drone software to delete the files.2) And there is a bug. SD cards formatted by the drone itself have some problem that prevents a Mac computer from reading them (although a PC will read them). The fix is simple: Format the SD card with the computer, not with the drone. If using a Mac, choose the MS-DOS (FAT) option.3) While taking video with the drone, if you attempt to take a still picture, the video will stop. You'll need to restart it. Not surprisingly, you cannot take video and still pics at the same time. Further, we found while using an iPhone along with the manual controller, as recommended, that the "Take Video" button on the controller will start video, but it will stop on its own about a second later. So, you should use the "Take Video" button on the phone screen instead, which works as you would expect: Press once to start video, press again to stop.4). If the top-right Botton on the phone screen (marked with a circular star) is pressed , a small screen with Chinese characters appears on the phone screen. I have no idea what these characters mean. But pressing this icon on the screen does bring up the controls for the maximum height and distance you wish to allow, and includes a "novice" mode switch, which keeps the drone quite close to the operator.While this fairly inexpensive drone does not have the 2- or 3-axis gimbals or automatic obstacle avoidance of pricier drones, it certainly is a solid performer. Battery life has been about 20 minutes, and the automatic return home on a low battery is a very good included feature.We must also comment on Holy Stone's service personnel. We've had several questions for them, and found them to be available, exceptionally accommodating, and willing to take the time to answer a newby's questions (probably for the N-th time). Well done, Holy Stone!So, if you are seeking a solid-performing drone for a reasonable cost, the HS175D is worth considering.

The media could not be loaded. In my opinion, this is and excellent drone for beginners (as I am a beginner myself).This is actually the first drone I ever bought and I thought a lot about which one to get to get started. After reading a lot of reviews and descriptions, I decided to get this HS175D drone and I am really amazed.The easy of flying, the picture quality and the stability of the drone are really impressive.When I first opened the box I was impressed how well organized everything was. The drone and the remote fit nicely into the high quality case and seem well secured. The package also includes 2 batteries, spare blades with screw driver, as well as 3 charging cables (2 for the batteries, so you can charge them at the same time, and one for the remote.) Some reviewers noted that the USB plugs are a little thick as they contain the charging electronics and LED, so you may not fit both of them next to each other on a single power brick, and that it true, but I did not really find that a big problem as I have so many USB outlets and I think its better to separate them on different outlets, just for safety reasons.Once everything was charged, I was ready to try my first flight and set up outside. Following the instructions it was super easy to start the first flight. Calibrating the drone is a bit tricky without the phone attached, as you need to constantly look at the flashing lights, but it worked. For the next flight I used the attached phone app and that made the calibration steps super easy.The WIFI connection was very stable, my only problem at the beginning was that my phone tried to switch back to my home WIFI, but after a few tries it stayed connected.Ready to fly, I unlocked the rotors and pushed the launch button and it immediately lifted up and hovered very stable a few feet away from me. I was amazed how stable the hover was. Even though there were winds up to 6mph that day it stayed within 2 feet of the start position. Amazing.It took some getting used to the controls, as they are sensitive, but I figured it out quickly and was able to fly all over the lot with ease. Again, I never flew a drone before and on my first try I flew around for 10 minutes without any incident. I have also tried out the "follow me" and "waypoint" features and the worked great.Now about the Picture and Video quality, I think they are great for fun and recreation. I took several photos and one video (see attached) and I think the quality is great. I am not sure what resolution it really is (some people have commented about 4k vs lower resolutions) but I feel it looks great, even on our big TV. When you do video, the electronic image stabilization creates some interesting artifacts, like moving ground (especially if you fly fast), but once you hover in a stable position the video quality is high and stable.Overall I can say this is a great drone for beginners and as this is my very first drone, I am really impressed and look forward to more fun flights with my HS175D drone.

I purchased this as an adult, I’ve had several inexpensive drones with my children that have always been disappointing. This one was easy to set up, the app worked well, and first flight was extremely successful. Got a nice picture of my neighbors house. Has a great feature where you can only fly it so far away, good for my novice. skill set. Camera display on iPhone 15 was amazingly clear and I was very surprised and pleased that it flew so well in the wind. Charged batteries overnight and now on the second day something went far awry. The drone took off like normal with the automated button but quickly veered and climbed to disappear across the lake. HolyStone very proactive and generous with their support. I highly recommend a large open field like park for learning and avoiding lakes!