Early last year I started looking for a drone to capture video of me riding my motorcycle on trails in the Colorado mountains. I was really surprised to find there wasn’t one, at least not one with the features I felt were essential. There were a couple that could follow visually, but none that were truly autonomous and could follow and film without intervention. I found one company called Skydio that had a drone called the R1 that was close, but it didn’t have other features I thought were essential. Then on October 1st I got an email that Skydio was releasing a new drone, the Skydio2. That drone had every feature I wanted and more. I put down $100 to hold my place in line and anxiously waited. I finally received it the end of December and took it for a test flight. Let’s just say I was not disappointed. Take a look at the video and leave a comment below if you have questions.
| Cinematic Skills | |
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Motion Track |
Skydio 2 will track a subject from a specified angle relative to the subject’s direction of motion, such as from the front, side or behind. Great for ensuring Skydio 2 always captures the subject from a specific angle, such as the front, as they move. |
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Fixed Track |
Skydio 2 will track a subject from a fixed angle regardless of which direction the subject is facing or moving. Perfect for keeping the sun at a specific angle or ensuring a great background stays in the frame. |
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Orbit |
Skydio 2 will rotate around the selected subject in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, keeping the subject in the center of the frame. |
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Cable |
This powerful skill allows you to mark two points in the sky and have Skydio 2 fly along a fixed path between them, like a virtual “cable cam”. |
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Hover |
Skydio 2 will hover in a fixed position, as if affixed to a virtual tripod, rotating and tilting the camera to look at the subject as they move. |
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One-Shots One-Shots are special skills that perform a specific maneuver (such as a dronie) and then end, returning to the previously selected skill once the shot is complete. |
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Dronie |
Skydio 2 will fly up and outward, increasing in range, while continuing to track the subject. |
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Rocket |
Skydio 2 will fly straight up to capture a bird’s eye overhead view of the subject. |
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Boomerang |
Skydio 2 rotates once around the subject, beginning close, flying outward, and finally returning close to the subject. |
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Vortex |
Skydio 2 will fly up and outward while rotating around the subject. |
| Specialty Skills | |
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Learn to Fly |
Learn the basics of how to track subjects and control your Skydio 2. This tutorial appears automatically on your first flight, and you can repeat it at any time. |
Great overview of the capabilities! Looking forward to seeing footage from the trails.
Mike: Love it! Awesome job on the vid too! Looks like Moki is not quite sure about the giant “insect” you’ve just befriended though. Ha!
Awesome Video ! Hopefully I will get mine soon. Thanks for sharing.
Keep watching until the end. Awesome.
Still not comfortable with Moki being off-leash…
She is pretty ferocious. I’ll be sure and have her on-leash when you’re around Tom.