Recently Ruko, an Amazon seller, was nice enough to send us the Ruko F11 GIM to try out. The F11 is a 4K GPS camera drone with 2-axis gimbal stabilization and 3-axis electronic image stabilization. We couldn’t help but notice that this is a rebrand of the SJRC F11 4K Pro available on Banggood.com. Let’s see how this entry-level GPS drone did in our testing.
The SJRC Fll 4K Camera
This isn’t the first F11 we have tested. In late 2018 Jack tested the original F11 Pro. It had a 1080 camera and no image stabilization. The distortion in the camera was extreme, and SJRC has made it a point to fix that with the new F11 4K Pro. I found the camera and gimbal to be good compared to other drones in this price range. The stabilization was solid, colors good, dynamic range good, and sharpness wasn’t bad.
All that being said, the camera falls well short of even the 1080 cameras from higher-end drones, like those from Autel and DJI. Sure it records in 4K, but the quality isn’t great. If you want sharp Full HD, 2.7K or 4K footage at a low price, I strongly suggest you check out the Mavic Mini (now under $400) or DJI Mini 2 (about $450).
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Build Quality of the SJRC F11 4K Pro
Like the original F11, this is a well-built drone. Everything works fine and the construction of the drone and remote controller is solid. The gimbal has smooth brushless motors and the camera is isolated on soft rubber mounds to reduce jello.
What comes with the Ruko F11 Gim
What you get depends a little bit on where you buy it. Both the Ruko version on Amazon and SJRC on Banggood come with an excellent case. I LOVE cases like this and the SJRC is one of the best. I suggest you get a package with more than one battery, ours came with two. Banggood packages include up to 3 batteries. The drone comes with upgraded instructions that are complete and easy to follow.
Operating the Drone
Flying the SJRC F11 4K Pro is where things start to not look so rosy. The drone isn’t very easy to control. Left to its own devices it will often start to “toilet bowl”, circling with an increasing radius. The range isn’t very good, it hasn’t improved since the original from 2018. It is easy to lose connection in a neighborhood with a lot of competing Wifi. My smaller DJI Mini 2 can fly a good 1-2 miles in a similar environment.
Some of the flight modes are flaky. ATTI mode (GPS off) didn’t make operation any smoother. In the new app the GPS-follow mode didn’t work. The drone would frequently give me a compass error warning while in flight.
The Verdict – Is the SJRC F11 4K Pro for you?
We are never 100% satisfied with GPS drones under $200. That said, if that is your price point then the SJRC F11 4K Pro from Banggood is a good option. Compared to its competitors, like the Beast Pro, the footage from the F11 is generally smooth and of decent quality. I can’t recommend you go for the Ruko F11 GIM from Amazon, the price is currently too high. Check for the latest pricing to see if it is now a good deal.
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If you want professional-quality footage at consumer prices then go for the DJI Mini 2 – a fantastic little drone. If you want all of the flight modes of the DJI Mini and the Ruko, then look for a more fully-featured drone like the Mavic Air 2.
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