If you are looking for a lightweight, yet smart camera drone then meet the F3 Pigeon Pro. This is a smart camera drone under $100 that features GPS integration and optical flow system for a smoother flight experience.
Ever since the drones first hit the consumer market, they have become more affordable and beginner-friendly. Some of the most popular and latest drones like Holy Stone HS510, Matavish 3, and Ruko F11 have shown how far technology advancement has evolved the drones.
Consumer-grade drones are beginner-friendly and often comes with plenty of flight time along with some must-have features. But if you are looking for a good drone to learn how to fly and to capture aerial shots.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend that much money. In fact, the F3 Pigeon Pro is one of the popular camera drones for just a little bit under $100. However, is it the smart camera drone that you have been looking for?
In our in-depth F3 Pigeon Pro review, we will cover all the base points that you need to know about. This includes the drone’s design and build quality, features, performance, and camera quality. That being said, let’s get the ball rolling.
F3 Pigeon Pro Drone: Design & Build Quality
At a quick glance, the F3 Pigeon Pro is a camera drone that features innovative and sleek design. The body framework is made with durable ABS plastic which offers superior protection against rough impact and crashes. Yet, it is sleek and curved with no rough edges or corners.
The motor arms are completely foldable and can be folded inwards to make the drone compact. Furthermore, the propellers feature aerofoil technology which means it is also foldable. You can easily store it inside your backpack for easy travel.
Each motor arm is equipped with brushed motors, though the F3 Pigeon Pro drone is engineered to enhance its durability. Thus, you won’t see the motors breaking that often compared to toy drones.
At the front is a 4K camera mounted on a shock absorption. It is also where the searchlights are positioned at. When you activate the drone, the searchlights will turn on and it is great because it provides visual assistance even during nights.
On the back of the drone is where the battery is located. A single battery pack will provide up to around 25 minutes of flight time — a dealbreaker for an entry-level camera drone.
Overall, the design and build quality of the F3 Pigeon Pro drone is certainly exceptional. It looks modern, stylish and compact that will definitely meet what beginners, travelers, and avid recreational remote pilots are looking for.
F3 Pigeon Pro Drone: Camera Quality
In the next section of our in-depth F3 Pigeon Pro review, we will talk about its camera quality. As appealing as it does sound with the title saying it is a 4K camera drone. You should be aware that this camera drone is only capable of capturing stills at 4K resolution.
But if you want to record videos, then the F3 Pigeon Pro drone will record at 1080P resolution. This is the same as the Matavish 3 drone and actually a fine thing to do. Since most of the camera drones typically don’t have built-in 4K camera capabilities in this price range.
Does that mean the F3 Pigeon Pro drone uses true 4K still resolution? After a closer look, we found out that this camera drone uses interpolating technique. Which means it captures at 2.7K still resolution and then it uses an algorithm to fill in the gap to create a 4K aerial shot.
This is common in cheap action cameras such as REMALI CapturePro. Which means the aerial shots captured by F3 Pigeon pro doesn’t actually use true 4K resolution. As a result, the image quality will come across as slightly lower compared to high-end camera drones like Holy Stone HS720 for instance.
F3 Pigeon Pro Drone: Flight Time and Range
A good camera drone will be able to stay airborne for quite a long time without the need to land and recharge. That being said, the F3 Pigeon Pro drone has a maximum flight time of 25 minutes with a single battery charge.
But the real-time flight minutes would average close to 23 minutes. This is to account the time it takes to power on the F3 Pigeon Pro drone and to perform landing without fully depleting the quadcopter.
When it comes to piloting the camera drone, the F3 Pigeon Pro has a maximum remote control distance of 500 meters. At the price tag that this drone is going for, it is definitely a major upgrade because most drones tend to have a maximum range between 100 to 200 meters.
Altogether, the 25 minutes flight time (23 real-time minutes) and 500 meters gives you the ability to soar F3 Pigeon Pro with freedom and ease. Since it doesn’t say anything how far the drone can transmit via Wi-Fi signal, we assume it has the same maximum remote control distance as the remote controller.
F3 Pigeon Pro Drone: Flight Performance
One of the most important parts in our in-depth F3 Pigeon Pro review is flight performance. If you are shopping around for a brand new camera drone, you will definitely want to know how well it can fly and whether it is easy for a beginner with no prior flight experience to learn and master the basics of flight controls.
Luckily, the F3 Pigeon Pro is a GPS-based camera drone. Which means it features a GPS module that communicates via satellites. It completely eliminates the need for manual controls and performs the majority of flight movement autonomously.
This lets you focus more on flying the F3 Pigeon Pro drone more often and get the most out of it. While it is definitely a small and compact drone due to its size. The F3 Pigeon Pro drone actually comes with quite an impressive flight speed up to 18 miles per hour.
This put the camera drone on par with Wind Speed Level 4 resistance. Thus, if you want to have a good flying experience, we recommend taking this drone out when the wind is calm and gentle.
Performance-wise, the F3 Pigeon Pro is easy to control thanks to a simplified remote controller. Like I said before, most of the flight controls are done automatically so you do not have to worry that much about maintaining a steady position. This allows the F3 drone to soar with grace and precision.
F3 Pigeon Pro Drone: Smart Features
Believe it or not, the F3 Pigeon Pro drone is literally packed with ton of features. No matter how small this camera drone, the GPS integration brought a lot of features that both beginners and recreational remote pilots will find entertaining.
First of all, it has built-in intelligent flight mode capabilities. For instance, you can set the drone to follow anywhere you go. If you find something interesting like a landmark, then navigate to Surrounding Shot which will command the drone to produce a 360-degree aerial video.
Not only can you tell the F3 Pigeon Pro drone to do that, you can command the drone via your hand motion. If you want to get creative, you can fly the drone and drop waypoint markers. Once you are happy with the customized flight path, tap start to record video.
Secondly, this camera drone has another feature that depends on the GPS module. It is called Smart Return to Home function and it is useful. If you lose sight or can’t see the drone, simply activate Smart RTH. It will tell the drone to return to the homepoint.
Lastly, you can enrich the quality of images via Beauty Filter. To do this, you will need to connect the drone to an app on your phone. When you capture an aerial shot, you will have the option to add Beauty Filter which will make it look nicer and appealing when you share shots at social media platforms.
Why Buy F3 Pigeon Pro Drone
Some of you might be asking yourself this question: should I buy the F3 Pigeon Pro drone? As I mentioned before, there are some downsides to this drone such as it lacks the 4K video resolution capabilities and can’t handle moderate wind with ease due to low flight speed. It is still one of the best camera drones under $100 for beginners.
The F3 Pigeon Pro encompasses smart flight functions thanks to GPS integration. With 25 minutes of flight time and a maximum remote control distance of 500 meters, it is the perfect entry-level camera drone for avid beginners and recreational remote pilots. It comes with a number of intelligent flight modes that lets you fly at ease.
The flight controls are simple, easy to use and beginner-friendly. All thanks to the built-in GPS module, the F3 Pigeon Pro is easily one of the best camera drones for beginners who wants to get started.
F3 Pigeon Pro Review: Final Verdict
To conclude our in-depth F3 Pigeon Pro review, we highly recommend this GPS-based camera drone for beginners. It is affordable, easy to fly and the perfect entry-level camera drone to learn how to fly and to capture aerial shots as well.
There’s plenty of drones in the same price range as F3 Pigeon Pro is, but none of them can match the superior flight performance that this camera drone truly delivers. Anyone who is looking to enter the world of drones should consider buying the F3 Pigeon Pro drone.
We hope you find our in-depth F3 Pigeon Pro review helpful and informative. If you have any questions about this camera drone, feel free to ask in the comments section below. Happy flying and stay tuned for more deals at Gears Deals.
The Review
F3 Pigeon Pro Drone
The F3 Pigeon Pro encompasses smart flight functions thanks to GPS integration. With 25 minutes of flight time and a maximum remote control distance of 500 meters, it is the perfect entry-level camera drone for avid beginners and recreational remote pilots. It comes with a number of intelligent flight modes that lets you fly at ease.
PROS
- Superior flight time.
- Good flight performance.
- Easy for beginners.
- Packed with ton of features.
- 4K still resolution shots.
- Great remote control distance.
CONS
- 1080P HD video resolution.
- Can't handle moderate wind with ease.