I have been pretty happy with my
Nano+. I have never lost GPS lock, signal lock on to the controller, no corrupted videos, no battery failures or fly-aways. I am slowly gaining confidence in using it as I should be able to since there is no reason why it should suddenly fail (although obviously others have had it happen) so I am still more hesitant than I should be. I love that I don't have to deal with unlocking areas I need to fly in. The photo and video quality of the
Nano+ is amazing and its low-light capabilities are surprisingly good. It handles wind quite well in spite of its size.
NOT Bad for a straight out of the camera JPEG with very low ambient light (all the streetlights have already turned on).
My only real negative issue was once when the gimbal started hanging crooked and off-horizontal all of a sudden mid-flight. I recalibrated the IMU, Compass and Gimble and everything returned to normal.
Of course I am upset that Autel took forever to implement some promised features and then phoned-them-in (i.e. - tracking).
I despise how Autel ALWAYS insultingly over-promises and under-delivers on battery life (but so do ALL Chinese drone Manufacturers to their shame).
I don't like that I have to take off before adjusting some settings, wasting valuable flight time in the menus.
Autel has yet to open up it's skd system so we can use third party mapping software on their little drones as has DJI, making real-estate mapping much easier in Europe.
As a photographer and videographer, the video images are great but the lack of input dampening capability makes it more challenging to coordinate smooth video movement on some axis. I'm not sure why a simple hand-held gimbal can affect smooth movement on all axis and yet a drone mounted gimble on the
Nano+ can be so uneven in it's movements that you have to train your brain and fingers to compensate for what the computer should already compensate for. The DJI is a more well-rounded flight and video experience.
I purchased (more expensive than the competition) the
Nano+ from Autel because I believe in giving the underdog a chance to step up and create truly amazing products. Multiple manufacturers in the same field drives innovation and spurs experimentation. Unfortunately, I do believe Autel has chosen to move slower than I expected, making minor upgrades rather than technology pushing changes. Had they beat DJI by releasing the sdk to their sub-250gr drone to third parties, they could have swept the market share. Their
Nano+ camera was better than the competition, but they hesitated and didn't round out the overall flight experience before releasing it. If they had been the first to offer mapping capabilities in the sub-250gr market, again they could have cleaned up! But no, they release the most basic firmware changes, with poorer than the competition upgrades and continue to hobble the sub-250gr line while DJI is empowering it. Had they opened up their pro controller to be used with the sub-250gr drones for more professional work (even though it cost more than the drone!) I would have purchased it! But no, they rested on their laurels until DJI came offered it first and then even came out with a mini-pro-controller before they even moved so I still have to futz with a second cellphone to fly the
Nano+.
I get it, DJI is a much big company with a larger cash-flow and a larger staff. But it appears to me, Autel could have grabbed a much larger market-share if they had opened up the capabilities of their sub-250gr line earlier (with all it's faults) they could have swept the board. By risking a few Autel EVO Pro sales, they could have taken the entire small drone mapping/inspection/SAR component from DJI by enabling everything on their sub-250gr drones. Ok, before anyone flames out at me, I know the processing power is reduced because of the weight restrictions, but I don't care if using the slower sub-250gr chip to do my mapping results in longer time on site, I still want the ability to complete the tasks albeit slower than the big guys.
Certain companies have done this successfully, introducing innovative and highly competitive and capable products that could cannibalize their higher end products and have changed the face of their industries. In July 2008 Nikon released the D700 digital SLR that is still seen as one of the best and most iconic modern cameras Nikon has introduced in the last two decades. They packed most of the capabilities of their professional D3 camera into a smaller, but rugged D700 body. Did they lose some D3 sales, yes, but although I never would have purchased a D3, I have bought three D700s along with their grips and flash system totaling more than the cost of two D3 cameras. So many of my photographer friends did the same! They changed the industry for over 10 years and created a new niche in the market. If ony Autel would do the same!
So yes, I am pleased with the
Nano+, I even like its orange color!