Though my girlfriend sat right in front of me on a wide patch of rock in Stone Mountain Park, her vision of the world soared high above. I’d rigged up this fancy new drone on a sunny December day in Georgia, and without any tutorial, handed her the controls and goggles.
As the drone flew hundreds of feet above us, she used the goggles to see the surrounding landscape through its 360-degree cameras. And with the joystick, she could simply point in the direction she wanted to fly.
The goggles even have an external screen to show the flight view. So I could watch the dense green forest flow past as she flew toward Stone Mountain’s massive granite batholith.
The impact of this experience — as I’d seen repeatedly when doing this with friends and family — was immediate.
“Whoa, this is wild,” she said. “This is … wild.”
This is the Antigravity A1: the world’s first flying drone with a 360-degree camera. That would be enough to excite any drone photographer. But Chinese brand Insta360 took this invention one step further. By including Vision goggles and Grip controller that offer real-time immersion, this drone becomes an experience like no other.
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Unique user experience -
High-def video in 360 degrees -
Multiple formats available from single video
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Steep learning curve
Antigravity A1: First Look
So far, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the Antigravity A1 is a triumph of engineering. The world’s first-ever, 360-degree quadcopter drone, it brings to the sky the camera tech that has long made Insta360 so popular among YouTubers and other outdoor media creators.
Instead of offering a complex, byzantine interface only usable by veteran drone photographers, the Antigravity’s three-prong system — drone, goggles, and controller — is approachable even for rookie hobbyists like myself.
Like many drones aimed at U.S. consumers, the A1 weighs exactly 249 g — just below the 250g threshold that triggers mandatory registration with the FAA. The low weight also exempts users from dealing with licensing requirements in many other countries as well.
Its seamless interface means that previously complicated drone photography tasks requiring two or three people can now be accomplished by a single person. Moreover, the experience of using the Antigravity A1 is so fun and so immersive that I often found myself forgetting to hit the record button.
For those of us who will likely never put on a wing suit and soar like a bird, it’s hard to imagine a closer simulacrum than this.
How It Works
It’s a bit difficult to describe how the A1 actually works, but it’s not unlike a video game. (Or perhaps a flight simulator?)
Like most drones, you simply turn on the A1 and set it on a clear patch of ground with open sky above. Then, you power on the Vision goggles and Grip controller. The goggles include dials to adjust the width and depth of field, making it relatively easy to find a comfortable fit.
Once you’re comfy, you’ll be looking at a wide-angle view of the drone’s camera and able to turn your head in any direction. The visual interface shows lots of useful info, like battery life, elevation, distance from the user, etc. It also has a mini-map to show your position in relation to the drone.
Menu options can be accessed with the Grip controller, which works like a laser pointer on the internal goggles screen. It’s also how you fly the actual drone. A finger trigger works like a throttle, and flight direction is as easy as pointing in the direction you’d like to go.
The goggles do require a constant, wired connection to an external battery. This is one of the few annoying things I’ve found about the design. The A1 does include a lanyard that allows you to hang the goggles’ battery around your neck, but I found it easier to just use a chest pocket on a light jacket, or simply hold it in your spare hand.
360-Degree Flexibility
Even before the Antigravity A1, Insta360 has helped redefine action photography. With 360-degree cameras, you can record in every direction at once — and then choose the angle you’d prefer once you’ve uploaded the raw footage.
That’s made extremely easy with Insta360 Studio, the brand’s proprietary software. With the capability to shoot in 8K/30fps, the drone’s video footage looks gorgeous. It also means you’ll still get 4K resolution even after reframing to a wide-angle 16:9.
This flexibility is a potential game-changer for drone photographers. I love using my DJI drone, but getting the right shot requires careful attention to detail, and sometimes redoing a complex maneuver to capture exactly what I want. With the A1, I can “get the shot” more easily, and even enjoy the experience of looking around while I’m doing it.
At the same time that the drone is recording in every direction, you can look in every direction without affecting the footage. It’s an entirely new way to experience drone photography. I’m still adjusting to it, but looking forward to seeing how seamless the process of shooting can become.
‘Don’t Fall Over!’
It took me some time to get the basics of the A1 figured out. But once I finally had it ready to fly, there were just 15 minutes left before sunset — and the A1 doesn’t handle low light very well.
Regardless, even in that short first flight, I felt a profound sense of wonder. I hadn’t felt so enamored of a photographic experience since my earliest uses of a DJI Mini 2 in South America several years ago. In those days, I remember seeing the footage of the Peruvian Andes through the small screen of my iPhone and feeling awe. Now, I can’t imagine what that would be like with the A1.
For my second experiment with it, I decided to take off from the front yard and hand the controls to my parents. They were both rendered speechless, though they did say “whoa!” a lot. In fact, the experience is so realistic that it’s easy to feel a sense of vertigo. When my dad looked down through the goggles to see our tiny house more than 200 feet below, he nearly toppled over.
My girlfriend had a similar experience. After just a few minutes, she had to take off the goggles and reorient herself. After about 10 minutes, I also needed to give my eyes and brain a break.
Pricing & Availability
After plenty of teases this year, the Antigravity A1 officially released this month. And big surprise: this puppy ain’t cheap. The basic package, which includes the drone, goggles, and controller, costs a whopping $1,600.
That’s a lot of moolah, and probably only dedicated drone photographers and hobbyists with plenty of disposable income can justify it. But I’m not sure it’s an unreasonable price tag, either. For example, the DJI Air 3S Drone with RC 2 Fly More Combo (a top seller on B&H Photo & Video) costs the same amount — and that’s after a discount.
Given the incredible flexibility of the A1’s photography options, and its uniquely powerful user experience, this marks a stunning evolution for the consumer drone market. I’m still in the early stages of mastering the A1 and its deep toolset for photography. But mostly — I can’t wait to get back into the skies.
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