Hubsan X4 with FPV H107D -A Quick FPV Drone

The Hubsan X4 is a rugged beginner drone that can be flown with lag-free FPV (first person view) on a screen that is built right into the controller. It is hard to find a model with FPV that works as well as this Hubsan for without doubling its price.  The Hubsan X4 can be flown indoors or outside and is an excellent starter drone.  This drone is fun for beginners and advanced pilots because it is so quick and responsive, yet stable.

We’d recommend some propeller guards with extra propellers and batteries because you won’t want to stop flying this guy. Once you’ve mastered flying with the monitor you can add some FPV goggles for a new emmersive experience. For a complete list of accessories for the Hubsan X4 models that we recommend, please see our page dedicated to those products or visit our easy-to-use Amazon interface to add just the items you want to your  Amazon cart.

There are a handful of different X4 models and we will cover them briefly at the end of this article. This review will focus on the Hubsan X4 with FPV, which is also called the H107D.  All of the Hubsan X4 models are a lot of fun. We put this bad boy through the ringer – it was flown and crashed, then flown and crashed some more.  We had a lot of fun in the process, the Hubsan just couldn’t be stopped.

Flying the Hubsan X4 FPV

For beginner pilots, we recommend you start by flying by watching the drone, not the screen. Once you are comfortable with the controls, you can move onto trying to fly by FPV. It can be a little tricky for the beginner, so we would recommend starting in low or “beginner” mode. The FPV on the original H107D is a relatively narrow 47° in the horizontal direction. Flying FPV with such a narrow field of view can be pretty difficult, especially in tight spaces or at high speeds, but it is possible. If you are looking to really learn how to fly First Person View style, we’d recommend upgrading to something like the Inductrix FPV.  It has a much wider 115° horizontal field of view.  Check out our full review of the Inductrix HERE, or on Amazon HERE.

To expand the FOV of the Hubsan from the paltry 47° you could try an add-on lens. This lens is shown below is reported to expand the FOV and is actually marketed as being designed for this Hubsan Drone. It is very inexpensive, in the $4-$8 range. It not available from this seller, try searching around for the “Jelly Fish Eye Lens” once you get to Amazon. Check the latest price here. You need to tape it onto the front of the drone, which isn’t the most elegant solution, but this powerful drone should have plenty of juice to handle the extra weight.

Recording Video

The Hubsan H107D records video but it does not take pictures. We don’t consider this a limitation since the image quality on drones this small is not really useful for photography anyway. The recording capability on small FPV drones is really just for documenting your exploits, not for capturing beautiful images.  Like most small FPV drones, recording on the H107D is done remotely, not with a card on the drone. The strangely formatted videos must be converted to view in a normal aspect ratio. The instructions from Hubsan provide some software recommendations. We were successful in editing the videos using software that we already had. We used VLC Media player to convert the files to MP4, effectively fixing them from their original format which won’t work in many players. VLC is a free player that you should install on your PC anyway, it is light and can play things Media Player can’t. Even after fixing the file you will still need to correct the horribly stretched aspect ratio. We used our video editing software, Cyberlink PowerDirector, to change the aspect ratio, but there are likely free options available for changing the aspect ratio. PowerDirector is flexible and inexpensive, we recommend it as the affordable option for video editing after trying several free options. Check the latest prices on PowerDirector here, there are different packages available.

 

The Hubsan X4 Flight Tests

We have thoroughly tested the H107D and we recorded it for you.  Check out our footage of the drops, crashes and stability test.  Overall the X4 performed quite well.  There was no major damage to the drone, other than a lost prop or two.  The H107D performed very well in our stability test and is one of the more stable small drones.

The original Hubsan X4 and is a decent drone to start flying FPV without breaking the bank, and some of the other versions are good options as well. There are a few different versions of the X4. The guys at Half Chrome have broken down the different X4 models for you.

Summary of all X4 (H107) Models

H107L– Has no camera and you can buy the 107L for under $40.  We have seen it for as little as $25. It tends to be the quickest of all the different H107 or X4 models because of the lack of camera and slightly lighter weight. It is a great option, especially if it is on sale.   Click HERE to check the current price on Amazon.

H107C– Has a camera but no FPV . You can purchase the H107C in a variety of different colors. We have seen it range from $30-50 depending on the color combination and if you get the HD camera or 480 SD camera. The 107C can be a steal on Amazon if you don’t care what color you want. Click HERE below to check the current price on Amazon. Half Chrome has done a full review of this model.  It is inexpensive, fun to fly and packs a camera.  Check out our full review HERE.

H107D– Has a camera and a remote with FPV. It usually costs around $90. This was the model that we reviewed and tested the most.  It is a decent drone with FPV for starters. Click HERE to check the price on Amazon.

Updated H107 Models

There are also two newer versions of these models. Here is a rundown of the newest Hubsan X4 drones. The guys at Half Chrome are waiting to get their hands on one of these newer plus models for a full review. These tend to get some lower ratings on Amazon from devoted Hubsan users but they do have some compelling features.

H107C+ – This drone is an upgrade to the H107C and adds a better camera (720p HD) as well as some better flying features including headless mode. It generally costs $50-65. Click HERE to check the current price on Amazon.

H107D+ or V2– The second version of the H107D often called V2 or H107D+ has made video transfer easier as well as increasing the field of view for FPV.  Those were the two biggest drawbacks on the original drone.  It also is a lot of fun to fly but is a little more expensive than the original Hubsan X4 with FPV. Click HERE to check the current price on Amazon.

Not sure if this is the drone for you???

No worries, Half Chrome Drones has you covered. Maybe you want an aerial photography drone, or maybe you want a fun toy. Want FPV? We’ve developed an advanced system to match you to the right drone. We call it our Half Chrome Drone Cipher™, go check it out. We also are constantly updating our Best Drones Now page to help you stay current.

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