I saw a cheap quadcopter like this in an " as seen on T.V. " type store and was pretty amazed at what was offered for so little.
http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-WLtoys-V959-2_4G-4-Axis-4C...

Has anybody got one of these yet ? Is the video quality any good at all ? How do they handle wind?

When I last thought about these the were around $1000 . Boy times change fast !

I have played with my friends a bit... it's still a field of tech where you have to spend hundreds to get a good one, or build a good one yourself for a bit less. Cheapo ones are fun for a bit, but their limits become pretty glaring in any wind.

The best "plug and play" I have seen is the DJI Phantom RC Quadcopter Drone for GoPro Camera -Aerial Quad UAV GPS an amazing package.... but it's $700USD. It can handle more than a stiff breeze using GPS for stationkeeping, broadcast to First Person Video goggles is disorienting but amazing... Obviously takes great video since it can mount a gopro...

Remember, don't fly any remote control aircraft unless you're OK with never seeing it again, as I've seen two drones go into trees well above any sane person's reach. When we returned with an arborist and his gear to get my friends out, someone had already climbed nearly 80 feet up and plucked it. Quad Drone + GoPro Hero 3 + FPV video broadcast cam....$1300USD gone....

long story short WOO fun toys!

This is the most fun I've had with clothes on in a long time.

The SYMA X1 ROCKS and is a BLAST to fly, even in a slight breeze, and the radio has dual rates, beginner mode, and advanced where you can put it up on it's side during hard corners. :o

SYMA is a top notch brand, not a cheap knock-off.

$40 bucks gents, and it's a full 4 axis quad copter.


http://www.xheli.com/56h-x1-spaceship.html


I have about 20 flights on my first unit, and it's such a blast I just bought 2 more for the wife and friends.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zge5NJ2i-_Q


Full Detailed review:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1797545

I've had a blast with the small remote control regular helicopters. I've had at least 4 of them. Co-axial is nice, but fixed pitch is way more fun. I have yet to setup up to the collective pitch. For ~120-150 you can get a kick ass one that will do ~20+mph. I like to fly them around my house.

Quadrotors are super fun, much easier to fly than regular helis. It's a perfect other hobby from kiting because it works best in low / no wind. I got the heli max 1sq. Small, stable, easy and fun, plus all the parts are easier to find and replace. The new video model looks cool...
Good luck!

Quote: Originally posted by Turtlejon

Quadrotors are super fun, much easier to fly than regular helis. It's a perfect other hobby from kiting because it works best in low / no wind. I got the heli max 1sq. Small, stable, easy and fun, plus all the parts are easier to find and replace. The new video model looks cool... Good luck!

I just got the 1SQ also with the VCAM , micro video and still camera. Lots of fun. Only quad I've ever flown but it works very well and is really stable, hands off flying it will stay put (mostly) . $129 ready to fly includes micro SD card, card reader and charger. Batteries are about 5 bucks so I bought a few extra. Walmart and most on line stuff in this price range is "toy class" but this one is considered "hobby class" because parts are sold at the hobby shops that carry the copter. The big plus is that it's HeliMax which is a very reputable RC Heli company so they have street cred. This isn't the big stuff, high end for serious playing but it's fun to see if you can land it on a ceiling fan blade without pranging a $1000 rig.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDLNJ&...

+1 on the HeliMax 1SQ. And +1 on the non-coaxials....the coaxials are great for developing the orientation skills but you'll have even more fun with the speed and response of a single rotor, fixed or collective pitch machine. I bought the ones I have laying around here because I could use my current RC radio with them which thereby keeps the batteries cycling for me instead of going dead and losing capacity.

No on-board video for me yet but LOVE the POV setups. I'm close to bringing a Parrot Drone into the house.

If you REALLY want to get into it, pick up a copy of RealFlight - the RC flight simulator. It's ridiculously realistic (physics and all) and will save you thousands of dollars once you start flying for real. I can bang a 4 channel stunt plane around like you wouldn't believe - all thanks to not having the "please don't crash" pucker going in real life.

+1 on helimax 1SQ.
the lesser units only last about 40-50hours... the battery/gears just fry out, but damn fun!

Jeremiah and I use the DJI F550 for our buggy videos on the beach. They are heavy so will handle a good amount of wind. I've used it in 15mph wind and it starts to drift. The copter will lean towards the wind to keep a steady GPS position. If you plan to use for filming, make sure you have GPS stabilization. They will drift in the winds and the image will not be watchable since you are constantly correcting.

The cheap copters are meant for indoor usage only. You need a quality copter with some weight to handle the wind. The DJI F550 will run you about $1000 for a typical setup.

Here's the videos we made.

XBAN 2013
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=25633

JIBE 2013
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=25778