DECEMBER 2019 T3 61Budget drones
HOLYSTONE HS100
After the initial trickiness of installing the small prop screws, the HS100
proves to be an excellent drone ideal for aerial photography
rones come in all shapes and sizes, and
Holystone is known for the quality of its
entry-level models; from drones that are
pocket-sized to the larger HS100. If you want
to capture stunning video and aerial shots, the HS100 is
ideal. It’s equipped with advanced flight features that
ensure stability when capturing aerial imagery.
GPS used to be a feature that would only appear on
premium models, but now it’s filtering down to the less
expensive. Its inclusion here enables features such as
‘return to home’, so it can auto-pilot back to you,
alongside other flight features like maintaining a steady
altitude and headless mode (which makes the drone move
to your left when you press left on the controller, not the
drone’s left – great for beginners). The 1080p gimbal-
mounted camera hangs from the undercarriage and live
streams footage back to the app, all while capturing
stunning aerial shots.
Out of the box, the Holy Stone HS100 is almost ready
to fly. The only assembly needed is to attach the four
propellers and pop in the charged battery. Attaching the
props is a little tricky – you must get the right axis then
insert a small screw to hold it all in place. It’s fiddly.
Once those bits are installed, you can power-up the
controller and drone, then launch the app for iOS orD
As long as you’re taking a
leisurely stroll, the drone
keeps up with ease
Android. A quick pairing process is then required before
you’re ready to fly.
The one-touch take-off and landing makes things easy.
The take-off point is also set as the ‘return to home’
reference, so if you get into trouble, hit the button on the
controller and the drone will return to base. Initial flight
is simple enough, with the app starting you off in a sedate
beginner mode. As you become more experienced, you
can switch off the beginner mode to enable full speed. The
GPS and altitude hold do an excellent job, and although
there is some wobble, the HS100 is easy to control.
Switch flight from the controller to the ‘follow me’
mode and the drone does an impressive job. Your
movement can’t be too quick, but as long as you’re taking
a leisurely stroll the drone keeps up with ease.
Overall the HS100 is an impressive budget drone.
In-flight, the GPS and gyros do an excellent job and the
inclusion of the gimbal-mounted camera make the HS100
a great choice for anyone thinking of getting into drones
and starting out with aerial photography.HOLYSTONE
HS100
PRODUCT 01:
A neat all-round performer that
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