Review: DJI O4 Wide Air Unit — Improved FOV with Built-In Wide-Angle Lens

One of the biggest complaints about the original DJI O4 Air Unit has always been its narrow FOV, and DJI is finally doing something about it. When I reviewed the Flywoo wide-angle lens for the original DJI O4 Air Unit, I was so impressed that I said, “This is what the O4 should have been from the start”. DJI may have been listening, because they are now releasing a new version that is basically exactly that.

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Where to Buy

Buy the DJI O4 Wide Air Unit from:

• AliExpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3DjBuoV
• Flywoo: https://oscarliang.com/product-ggql
• Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fwcFGR

What’s New?

The new version is called the DJI O4 Wide Air Unit.

It is basically the same O4 Air Unit (Lite), but with a built-in wide-angle lens. As far as I know, nothing else has changed. It still uses the same image sensor, gyro, and overall hardware design. However, the wider FOV (field of view) should make the O4 much more usable and appealing, just as we experienced with the Flywoo wide-angle lens modification: https://oscarliang.com/flywoo-o4-wide-angle-lens-new/.

From what I understand, DJI is using essentially the same solution Flywoo created, likely through a collaboration between these two companies. But with DJI’s manufacturing capability, we can probably expect stricter quality control, better overall build quality, and possibly better lenses.

Mounting and Measurements

The O4 Wide camera housing is 14mm wide, identical to the original O4 Lite camera. The distance between the two mounting holes on each side also appears to be the same, at 16mm apart. However, the screw type is different. The O4 Wide uses standard M2 screws, which is a great change in my opinion because they are much more common.

That said, you will likely still need a new canopy design to accommodate the larger lens.

The camera cable is about 5cm long.

The whole O4 Wide Air Unit weighs around 13.6g, including the camera, VTX, and antenna. That is more than 5g heavier than the original O4, and the extra weight could become a challenge for smaller quads.

Image Quality

Let’s compare the new DJI O4 Wide with the original O4 fitted with the Flywoo wide-angle lens side by side. As expected, the images from the two cameras are very similar, but there are a couple of noticeable differences.

First, the color appears slightly different. I set the white balance to 5500K on both cameras on a sunny day, but the O4 Wide looks greener, while the original O4 appears warmer and more magenta. I would say the color from the new O4 Wide is closer to real life, though. In any case, you can adjust white balance during editing, so this is not a major issue.

Second, the difference is very subtle, but the new O4 Wide camera appears to have a slightly wider FOV than the Flywoo wide-angle lens, which also introduces a little more fisheye distortion. I only noticed this when comparing them side by side; it was not obvious while flying.

Here are some zoomed-in comparisons of both the center and edges of the image. Sharpness and detail are very similar. Perhaps the DJI stock lens is a tad sharper if you really zoom in.

Footage from Goggles recording:

Stabilization

I tested image stabilization through Gyroflow (recorded footage from the air unit) and it worked well, no jitter or vibration whatsoever. Note that I only tested it on the BetaFPV Meteor75 Pro II and Flywoo Firefly18, but if you have stabilization related issue, first thing to check would be the camera mount – maybe too much or too little soft mounting.

What Will Happen to the Old O4?

The original O4 has reportedly stopped production. Going forward, you will only be able to buy the O4 Wide Air Unit once existing stock of the old O4 runs out.

ND Filters

Due to the new housing, it requires new ND filters designed specifically for it.

Although the housing was designed by Flywoo and their ND filters seemed to fit, it’s quite loose and they tend to fall out in crashes or hard landings. It’s just not ideal. Perhaps there may be slight tolerance differences in the plastic molding, so we might have to wait for manufacturers to release new ND filters made specifically for this new camera. The older Flywoo filters simply do not fit securely enough.

Why Didn’t DJI Change the Gyro?

Unfortunately, the new O4 Wide still uses the same 1469D gyro (ICM-40609-D), which is known to be more sensitive to vibration and more likely to cause jello or vibration in stabilized footage. You can learn more about this story here: https://oscarliang.com/dji-o4-pro-gyro-stabilization-issue/

My guess is that this is due to supply constraints, and DJI is unable to switch to a different gyro for mass production.

The good news is that Flywoo will be offering a custom O4 Wide with the MP66 gyro (MPU-6050), which is used in the original O4 Pro and is known to be much more reliable and usually free from jello. Basically, they will replace the gyro in house, so it will cost more than the official O4. But if you really care about image stabilization, this is a great option. They will also come with adapters and ND filters as a bundle, which are not typically included if you purchase the DJI official version.

Get it here from Flywoo: https://oscarliang.com/product-ggql

BnF Quads with DJI O4 Wide Air Unit

Multiple manufacturers have informed me they will be releasing new BNF quads with the new O4 Wide, including Flywoo and BetaFPV. I will be testing these new quads in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Conclusion

The new DJI O4 Wide Air Unit is a much-needed improvement over the original O4 for many pilots, though it will not suit everyone. The extra weight could be a problem for 1S tiny whoop builds, but on more powerful quads, the O4 Wide is on another level in terms of image quality and overall flight experience. I can see it replacing the more expensive O4 Pro in many builds, where you don’t need the best image quality.

DJI has not changed the core hardware much, but by finally giving it a built-in wide-angle lens, they have addressed one of the biggest complaints pilots had about the system. If the final image quality is as good as, or better than, what we have already seen with the Flywoo wide-angle lens, this could easily become the more desirable version of the O4 for micro quads and lightweight builds.

That said, it is a little disappointing that DJI did not take this opportunity to change the gyro as well. The narrow FOV was not the only weakness of the original O4, and the continued use of the 1469D gyro means the vibration and jello issue may still remain for some users. Even so, for pilots who wanted a wider, more immersive view without relying on aftermarket lens mods, the O4 Wide is shaping up to be a very welcome upgrade.