Review: GEPRC Mark5 with the DJI O3 Air Unit

As I delve deeper and deeper into the world of FPV (starting with my DJI FPV back in 2021) I am learning more and more about what to look for in these manually-controlled quadcopters. While I still consider myself somewhat “green” when it comes to the more nuanced themes of FPV piloting and maintenance, I have enough time flying manual drones to be able to form a rudimentary opinion on whether or not one of these machines are a worthwhile investment.

That is why I am taking a crack at reviewing the GEPRC Mark5 Freestyle drone with the DJI O3 Air Unit. At an initial glance, this drone is rock-solid and looks the part of a truly freestyle experience. It comes with one set of propellers, spare parts for the body and its components, and a variety of camera attachment rigs (I went with the GoPro attachment since I am using the Hero 10).

Build Quality

The build quality on the Mark5 is impressive overall. The frame is made of a carbon fiber with many of the other parts made of 3D printed TPU materials. I have only crashed this drone once in the time I’ve owned it, but the Mark5 took it like an absolute champ. No damage to the body and the only repairs required were a simple propeller swap. This thing has a reasonable weight that balances aerodynamics with heartiness in a way for which any freestyle drone should aspire.

What I didn’t like about the build of this drone was how far into frame the propellers appear through the lens of the DJI O3 Air Unit and even the GoPro Hero 10 I use to collect professional footage. All of my footage from the O3 Air Unit was unusable because of the propellers appearing in-frame and on many occasions the footage from the GoPro would also be ruined when the propellers would sneak their way into frame.

GEPRC does have a Dead Cat frame available for the Mark5 to move the propellers out of frame, but the fact that they did not consider that (or maybe did and ignored it) with the stock build was disappointing.

Build Quality Score: 7/10

Controller

This is not necessarily a knock against the drone itself, but rather the onboard camera system. And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the O3 Air Unit. As a visualization system for the pilot, there’s nothing better on the market. As a backup camera (and potentially a primary camera) for footage to use for your projects, it is definitely workable and rock-solid.

What I don’t like about it is that I’m pigeon-holed into using the DJI FPV Controller V2. Luckily, I had picked one of these up when I purchased the DJI FPV a couple of years ago. I did not have to scrap or claw for one after they went on back-order at the drop of the DJI Avata. But I would have loved to have been able to use the DJI FPV Controller V1 with it instead. I like the feel of the larger controller and the way my sticks and buttons are configured from flying my GEPRC Cinelog 35, which makes it a super familiar setup for me.

Controller Score: 6/10

User Interface

The user interface is pretty straight forward. The directions that come with the drone are brief, but to the point and clear. Pairing was super easy and set-up within the DJI Goggles V2 was also easy.

I can speak from experience that if you are new to the FPV scene like I was when I got started (I am still “green”), tuning this drone in Betaflight can come with a steep learning curve. Luckily it is tuned really well right out of the box, which we will get to next.

User Interface Score: 7/10

Flight Characteristics

This. Thing. Rocks.

I had such an incredibly fun time flying the Mark5. It is well-tuned. It is responsive. It handles well. And it offers a ton of power. For a pre-built freestyle drone, this thing cooks and I had a freaking blast with it in the handful of flights I have conducted.

The handling is loose enough to give it incredible response, but forgiving enough that newer pilots will have a much easier time getting the feel for the rates on this drone. The power and pick-up is really punchy in the best way possible, providing a power output that provides speed in nearly any scenario as well as a reliable recovery from even the highest dive maneuvers.

Where the Mark5 lost points for me was in a pretty obvious battery sag in some tricks. While I am aware that the sag is probably more related to the battery and less related to the drone, I believe the power management of the flight controller accounts for this problem more than most would assume. It was not uncommon for me to drop from 24-volts down to as low as 21-volts when conducting a power-loop. I know that it is common to see sag when flying freestyle and doing stunts, but this just seemed a little excessive to me.

Flight Characteristics Score: 9/10

Flight Time

When going into this with properly leveled expectations, I was actually impressed by the flight time this drone offered. On average, even when flying as punchy as I could and conducting a number of stunts, I would see between 6-to-8 minutes of flight time. When I cruise, it is not uncommon to get closer to 10-to-12 minutes. I am flying with Tattu R-Line 1550mAh 130C batteries when achieving these times, which is the exact spec-line recommended by GEPRC for the Mark5 drone.

Of course, with products like the DJI FPV and DJI Avata out there pushing 15-20 minutes depending upon how aggressively they are flown, there is always room for improvement and I think between Li-Po battery manufacturers as well as hardware manufacturers for freestyle quads, in time longer flight times can be accomplished efficiently.

Flight Time Score: 8/10

Camera Performance

The camera performance on the Mark5 with the DJI O3 Air Unit was the most impressive thing about this drone to me. It was no mystery that DJI’s latest FPV air unit was going to be top-notch, but they have shattered expectations by delivering an onboard camera that is capable of capturing footage that is ready-to-use professionally if the pilot is skilled enough in post production.

The O3 Air Unit is essentially the same camera as the one featured on the DJI Avata and while I have made some strong statements about where that system falls short, I need to squash my short-sightedness and readjust my stance now.

This camera, while not a “one-size-fits-all” solution, is absolutely capable of delivering high-quality footage for professional use. The 1/1.7″ sensor on the camera is significantly larger than FPV vision system cameras of the past, creating an atmosphere that delivers more detail and crisper image quality both out of the camera and inside the goggles. It shoots in a maximum resolution of 4K at 120fps, which means buttery smooth footage right off the drone — no action camera necessary.

Pair the image quality with DJI’s RockSteady image stabilization and you have got one hell of an aerial imaging tool in the Mark5. This drone did not just break through the glass ceiling that FPV drones had struggled with for so long, it absolutely demolished it. The next step from here is to add a mechanical stabilizer to the camera system onboard the drone — something similar to what we see on the DJI FPV drone.

Camera Performance Score: 9/10

Intangibles

This category speaks to all of GEPRC’s drones, but the Mark5 is no exception so I will frame it with regard to that. I love the customizability of the Mark5. While the drone is prebuilt, repairs and adjustments both in the hardware and in the firmware are easy to make and the drone itself is extremely modular in many areas.

One area of which is in the swapability of the frames. In an article and video coming soon we will be swapping the stock “X-Frame” out for the Dead Cat frame instead to eliminate our problem with the propellers entering the frame of our camera. That video will demonstrate just how easy it is to repair and adjust this drone.

On top of that, the drone is also able to be tuned to your exact liking via Betaflight on your computer as well as the SpeedyBee app on your mobile device – which makes in-the-field adjustments a breeze.

Intangibles Score: 8/10

Closing Thoughts & Final Score

The GEPRC Mark5 is one of the most fun drones I have ever flown and it is not really even close. While it is not a tool I would use in every drone application, it is perfect for cinematic shots that require speed that a GPS drone just cannot deliver. On top of that, the flight time is incredible for its power output and capabilities; the handling and power during flight is out of this world; and the DJI O3 Air Unit takes everything about the flight experience on this drone and enhances it 10-fold.

The only place I wish I saw a bit more from the drone is in the controller compatibility. I understand this is not GEPRC’s fault, so I will not make too much of a fuss, but for as good as the O3 Air Unit is, it really does make it clear that DJI has no interest in making their technology compatible with other 3^rd party solutions moving forward. This should have been a priority when creating products for the FPV community, but DJI seems to have looked the other way on this.

Overall though, this is a great little drone and I’d recommend it for FPV pilots that are beginning to enter the intermediate to even low-end advanced stage. It’s forgiving, but capable and it packs one hell of a punch when you need it to.

Total Score: 54/70
Final Score: 7.7/10