On the subject of 5-inch BNF drones with the DJI O4 system, I in contrast all of the obtainable choices and concluded that the GEPRC Vapor D5 was the very best choose for me. So, I made a decision to purchased one and see the way it truly performs. On this assessment, I’ll stroll you thru my expertise—protecting its design, construct high quality, flight efficiency, and setup course of. If you happen to’re contemplating this drone, this deep dive ought to aid you resolve if it’s value it.
If you wish to see my thought course of on selecting this drone and in contrast it with different choices, see this publish: https://oscarliang.com/5inch-bnf-dji-o4-pro-comparison-feb-2025/
The place to Purchase
You should buy the GEPRC Vapor D5 from these distributors:
The GEPRC Vapor D5 comes these equipment:
- GEPRC Vapor D5 drone
- Two units of Gemfan Vanny Model 5136 props
- 2x battery straps
- 2x sticky battery pads
- 2x spare aspect panels (black)
- GoPro mount
- Hex keys (2x)
- Prop wrench
- Additional screws
- Pointed software for urgent the bind button on the O4
- Manuals
- Stickers & keyring
Specs
- Wheelbase: 238mm
- Carbon Plate Thickness: 2.0mm (high/center), 2.5mm (backside), 5.0mm (arms)
- Flight Controller: GEP-F722-HD v2
- MCU: STM32F722
- Gyro: ICM42688-P (SPI)
- Barometer: Sure
- OSD: Betaflight OSD with AT7456E
- ESC: TAKER H60_BLS 60A 4IN1 ESC
- VTX and Digicam: DJI O4 Air Unit Professional
- Battery Connector: XT60
- Motors: GEPRC SPEEDX2 2207E 1960KV
- Props: GEMFAN 5136
- Non-compulsory GPS: GEP-M10 GPS
- Receiver Choices PNP / GEPRC ELRS24 / TBS Nano RX
- Really useful Battery 6S LiPo 1300mAh – 1800mAh
- Flight Time 14–19 minutes
- Weight:
- With out Battery: 488.4g
- With 6S 1100mAh LiPo: 698g
- With GoPro Hero 13 and 6S 1100mAh: 865g
Design and Construct High quality
Body
The Vapor D5 includes a lifeless cat body, which means the entrance props keep out of the digicam’s view, making it excellent for cinematic flying. The chunky high plate and vibrant orange aspect panels give it an aggressive, futuristic look.
- Carbon fiber arms: 5mm thick, sturdy, and inflexible.
- Prime & backside plates: 2mm and a pair of.5mm thick for stable influence resistance.
- Entrance CNC aluminum digicam mount with comfortable mounts: Safe and protects the delicate DJI O4 Professional digicam.
- TPU antenna mounts: Versatile and designed to accommodate varied antenna varieties.
Design Particulars
The SD card slot and USB-C port of the O4 Professional Air Unit are conveniently positioned, making system entry fast and hassle-free.
The battery strap placement forces the LiPo to sit down barely towards the rear when utilizing a typical 6S 1100mAh battery. At first look, this would possibly make the quad seem back-heavy, however surprisingly, the burden distribution remains to be completely balanced as a result of forward-mounted digicam.
That stated, there’s loads of area on the highest plate, and when you’re not utilizing a GoPro, you may simply match a bigger battery for prolonged flight time. A 6S 3000-4000mAh Li-ion pack can be excellent for long-range flights.
One Design Flaw: Receiver Antenna Placement
If there’s one factor I don’t like about this quad, it’s the receiver antenna placement—it looks like a lazy design alternative.
Certain, it can in all probability work wonderful for shut vary flying like 1 to 2 kilometers, however this drone has a lot long-range potential (particularly with a big Li-ion battery), and an optimized antenna placement might considerably enhance vary and sign reliability.
Suggestion: Mounting the receiver antenna vertically to at least one aspect would assist stop sign blockage from different elements and maximize vary.
Internals and Electronics
Accessing the electronics is simple—merely take away the highest plate, which is secured by 10 bolts.
Lastly a BNF quad with out pointless RGB LEDs—a refreshing change within the FPV world. And the aspect plates are detachable – doubtlessly saving you over 15 grams!
All elements are linked through connectors, apart from the GPS, which is soldered to the board beneath. Logical and sensible wire/capacitor placement—nice consideration to element within the design.
Soldering and construct high quality are top-notch—GEPRC clearly put thought into the design. FC boot button is well accessible—it faces outward to the aspect, so there’s no have to take away the highest plate to press it. And it features a buzzer—an often-overlooked however extremely helpful characteristic.
Points & Annoyances
FC USB Port Cutout is Too Small
The aspect plate cutout for the FC USB port is just 11x6mm, making it too tight for many cables. I needed to attempt like 4 or 5 totally different cables earlier than discovering one that hardly match. If you happen to don’t have a USB cable with slim connector, you’ll have to take away the aspect plate simply to hook up with Betaflight Configurator—not a deal breaker however annoying nonetheless.
USB Energy Doesn’t Provide Receiver or GPS
The USB connection doesn’t energy the receiver or GPS—you have to plug in a LiPo for these to operate. Not a significant challenge, nevertheless it makes bench testing and setup barely extra inconvenient.
Flight Efficiency
First Flight Impression
My first flight expertise with the GEPRC Vapor D5 was nothing in need of exhilarating. Powered by a 6S 1100mAh battery, the quad felt extremely responsive and highly effective. No jello or noticeable vibrations, even when pushed to the restrict. Surprisingly quiet in comparison with different 6S 5-inch FPV drones—presumably because of body design and aerodynamics.
- Hover throttle: ~19%
- Prime pace: ~165 km/h
It’s quick, however not absolutely the quickest 5-inch quad I’ve examined. Given the excessive KV motors, I anticipated a bit extra pace, however the bigger/heavier body in all probability steadiness issues out.
Tuning
Out of the field, the GEPRC Vapor D5 is well-tuned, flying easily and responsively. I’d say it’s an incredible choice for each cinematic flying and freestyle. Motors keep cool—even after 3 minutes of aggressive freestyle, they barely get heat. Inventory tune is stable—most pilots in all probability gained’t have to tweak a lot until they need most efficiency.
That stated, there’s nonetheless room for enchancment. There’s minor instability when recovering from lengthy dives and sharp turns—not a deal-breaker, however noticeable. Tuning changes might assist, however with correct piloting, you may masks these imperfections. For cinematic flying, this gained’t matter a lot—these strikes aren’t usually utilized in clean, cinematic flight kinds.
Effectivity and Flight Time
If there’s one main draw back, it’s flight time—the Vapor D5 will not be probably the most environment friendly quad. GEPRC claims as much as 14 minutes of flight time, however that’s possible in low-throttle cruising circumstances with a giant battery. With a typical 6S 1100mAh battery, I received solely about 3 minutes of flight time when flying aggressively, and about 4 minutes if I ease off throttle. With a 6S 4000mAh Li-ion battery, flight time improves to 12-13 minutes—it’s okay for some mid to long-range flights.
Why is it inefficient? Three most important causes:
- Giant body—extra air resistance.
- Comparatively heavy weight—motors have to work more durable to keep up pace.
- Excessive KV motors—extra energy, however much less effectivity particularly at mid to excessive throttle.
Additionally, the present sensor appeared to overestimate amp draw—I needed to improve the present sensor scale to 195 to deal with this challenge.
GPS
Though the FC USB port doesn’t energy the GPS, I used to be pleasantly shocked by its wonderful efficiency at how fast it will get a repair:
- 3D repair (8 satellites) inside a minute of plugging within the LiPo—even with the VTX powered on on the identical time.
- After 5 minutes, it locked onto 23 satellites—distinctive efficiency for a BNF drone.
This means that GEPRC is utilizing a high-quality M10 GPS module, which is good for Betaflight Rescue Mode. For long-range pilots, this sturdy GPS efficiency is a significant benefit, guaranteeing a dependable return-to-home failsafe.
The GPS mount additionally has adjustable tilt angle which ensures it stay degree throughout flight.
How you can Setup
Out of the Field Setup
Earlier than the primary flight, I did the next:
- Eliminated all labels on the drone.
- Eliminated the motor route playing cards—these point out the motor spin route (which is utilizing Betaflight default – props in).
- Eliminated the protecting movie from the digicam lens.
- Put in the 2 O4 antennas within the 3D-printed TPU mount (keep away from sharp bends within the wires).
- Positioned the battery pad on the highest plate.
- Put in the 2 battery straps—when you’re having hassle becoming them by means of the holes, simply take away the highest plate first.
Firmware
- The flight controller (FC) board goal is GEPRCF722, and it comes preloaded with Betaflight firmware model 4.5.1. For inventory CLI Diff, see right here.
- ESC Firmware: ESC 1: B-X-30 – Bluejay, 0.21.0, 48kHz
- ELRS Receiver Firmware Goal: GEPRC Nano 2.4GHz PA100 RX, firmware 3.4.2
Betaflight Setup
Enhancements & Modifications
Out of the field, the GEPRC Vapor D5 is already a wonderful FPV drone—for many pilots, you may set it up, fly it, and have enjoyable instantly.
Nevertheless, like each BNF drone, there’s at all times room for enhancements. I’ve a number of concepts the way to make it higher, particularly for effectivity and lengthy vary functionality. As an example to make it lighter, then re-tune PID and filters to maximise efficiency. Cut back motor output since this drone comes with actually excessive KV motors. And so forth…
Would you be concerned about a separate publish on these modifications? Let me know!
Last Ideas
Earlier than buying the GEPRC Vapor D5, I totally analyzed its specs, design, and total worth—and after flying it, my expectations had been confirmed. That stated, some minor design flaws solely grow to be obvious after hands-on testing, as talked about within the assessment.
Amongst all of the 5-inch DJI O4 BNF drones I in contrast, the Vapor D5 presents the very best steadiness of worth and efficiency. It’s obtainable for $450, whereas related choices from iFlight can go for over $600. It’s only a no brainer.
You should buy the GEPRC Vapor D5 from these distributors:
Is It Price It? Completely. The mix of a strong construct, revolutionary design, and excellent flight efficiency makes it a wonderful alternative for each freestyle pilots and people seeking to seize cinematic footage with the DJI O4 Professional digicam. The principle draw back for me can be flight time and effectivity. However when you put a large enough battery on this factor it could possibly nonetheless fly for 12 minutes or extra, with its dependable GPS module, it may be a reasonably good mid to lengthy vary FPV drone.
