Compact drones set a date with destiny as revolutionary V-Copter Falcon Mini launches today

V-Copter Falcon Mini flying past cliffs over sea
(Image credit: Zero Zero Robotics)

The dynamics of the drone market are set to be changed again by Zero Zero Robotics with their V-Copter mini design, launching for pre-orders on Indiegogo.com today (with a massive discount for early birds).

Not long ago, the company was relatively unknown, but now it appears in many guides to the best camera drone – and certainly the best alternative to the leader DJI – thanks to its brilliant selfie drone the HoverAir X1 and impressive 8K follow-up the HoverAir X1 ProMax, both drones which I found very impressive in my reviews.

Now the company is looking at once again promises to be a revolutionary design (though, in reality, it is one it has experimented with in the past). It is also going back to a tried-and-tested platform for innovation (from it's perspective) in indiegogo.com.

Exploded image of the components of the V-Copter Falcon Mini drone's turning motor system

The servo mechanism allows the drone to angle the motors forward and back is made of high-strength alloy steel that can endure up to 1 million engagements and has 0.01° rotor angle precision adjustment. (Image credit: Zero Zero Robotics)

The drone can ascend at 4 m/s at its maximum speed, or 1.5 m/s in the indoor mode, and travel at 12 m/s, which is 26 miles per hour. That makes it capable of existing in Level 4 wind – only one less on the Beufort scale than the Level 5 of most quadcopters of a similar weight. On the other hand Zero Zero are claiming a longer battery life of 34 minutes from a 82g 2330mAh battery.

The camera is on a 3-axis gimbal and is a 12-megapixel system with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 30fps, or '4K'. The ISO range is 50-1600 which is selected automatically and the shutter speeds on offer are 1/25-1/8000s. As announced thus far, the camera is JPEG, not Raw, and video is H.265.

The drone is capable of some impressive acrobatics. It also has two automatic flight modes listed – orbit and zoom out.

The first 100 backers will be offered a special perk.

Adam Juniper
Managing Editor

With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones. 

Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 

He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones, The Smart Smart Home Handbook, 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook

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