360 Camera Basics FPV

Flywoo Cinerace20 combines freestyle with cinewhoop FPV for Insta360 Go 2 or SMO

Flywoo Cinerace20
Flywoo Cinerace20

How would you like a compact cinewhoop that is also capable of freestyle?  The Flywoo Cinerace20 is a 2-inch racewhoop, a ducted cinewhoop that is also designed for freestyle flying, and also includes mounts for the Insta360 Go 2 and a pre-installed power cable for Insta360 SMO or other naked camera.  How well does it fly?

Freestyle vs. Cinewhoops

There are several types of FPV drones, each designed for different purposes.  The most popular type of FPV quads are freestyle, which are designed for acrobatic flying.  However, they are usually too powerful to fly indoors in small spaces.  Cinewhoops are quads that are designed for cinematic flying.  Instead of being high-performance, they are designed to fly slowly in tight spaces and have ducts or prop guards to be able to fly safely more near people and animals.  Is it possible to create a cinewhoop that is also capable of high performance flying?  That’s what racewhoops are supposed to be able to do, and the latest one is the Flywoo Cinerace20.

Introducing Cinerace20

Flywoo Cinerace20 combines freestyle and cinewhoop
Flywoo Cinerace20 combines freestyle and cinewhoop

Cinerace20 is a ducted cinewhoop with 2-inch props that is also designed for freestyle.  Besides being one of the few new racewhoops, it is also one of the new BNF quads to offer ExpressLRS 2.4 as an option (I believe it is an external receiver, not built-in to the flight controller).  There are three variations of the Cinerace20: Analog, Analog Pro, and digital HD.   Here are their specs and prices (note: there’s currently a 10% discount offered at Flywoo.net):

Specifications:

Cinerace20 AnalogCinerace20 Analog ProCinerace20 HD
Frame typeDucted cinewhoopDucted cinewhoopDucted cinewhoop
Number of propellers444
Prop size2 inches2 inches2 inches
Prop shaft1.5mm1.5mm1.5mm
PropellerGemfan D51 (5 blade)Gemfan D51 (5 blade)Gemfan D51 (5 blade)
Recommended battery4S4S4S
Battery connectorXT30XT30XT30
MotorNin V2 1203PRO 3400kvNin V2 1203PRO 3400kvNin V2 1203PRO 3400kv
Motor orientation and directionPusher, props-inPusher, props-inPusher, props-in
Flight ControllerGoku 413SAIO 13AGoku 405S 20A AIOGoku 405S 20A AIO
ESCGoku 413SAIO 13AGoku 405S 20A AIOGoku 405S 20A AIO
ChipF411F405F405
BLHeliBLHeli_SBLHeli_SBLHeli_S
UARTs266
BEC5V 2A, 3.3V 0.5A5V 2A, 3.3V 0.5A5V 2A, 3.3V 0.5A
BarometerYesYesYes
BlackboxYes 8MBYes 8MBYes 8MB
VTXVTX625 450mwHM850 850mwCaddx Vista
CameraCaddx AntCaddx Baby Ratel v2Caddx Polar Nano
Receiver optionsTBS Crossfire
ELRS 2.4
R9
Frsky XM+
PNP
TBS Crossfire
ELRS 2.4
R9
Frsky XM+
PNP
TBS Crossfire
ELRS 2.4
R9
Frsky XM+
PNP
Cable for naked camera?Yes, insta360 SMO with optional adapter for naked GoProYes, insta360 SMO with optional adapter for naked GoProYes, insta360 SMO with optional adapter for naked GoPro
Flight controller connectorMicro USBMicro USBMicro USB
Dry Weight93.2g94.7g116.7g
Under 250g?Yes with battery and naked cameraYes with battery and naked camera246g with 4S 900mah battery and naked camera
WheelbaseTBDTBDTBD
Price$159 + receiver$199 + receiver$299 + receiver

Sample video:

Here’s a sample flight by QuadMovr showing ample power and excellent handling, with no noticeable prop wash even with aggressive acro flying.  But please note he had no Insta360 Go or other camera and was using a 300mah battery (instead of 900mah) for maximum agility.  In the latter half of the video, starting around 5:04 he shows sample footage shot with Insta360 Go 2.

Here is a review by Nick Burns:

My Impressions

From watching the review videos by Nick Burns, Drone Camps, Albert Kim, Gal Kremer and others, I think this quad looks intriguing because it seems to be the best of both worlds, combining both freestyle and cinewhoop.  Usually, when a product tries to do two very different things, it tends to do neither task well, but in this case, it seems to be quite good at freestyle.  Justin Davis of DroneCamps does say that the tuning is good but could be better.  Although the tuning might not be perfect, QuadMovr’s sample video shows impressive flying characteristics.  Obviously not as good as a real freestyle quad but much better at freestyle than almost any cinewhoop I’ve seen (with rare exceptions).

Will I buy one?  I’m very tempted but to me, the size and weight are similar to that of the GepRC Cinelog25, which has larger props, larger 1404 motors, and has excellent tuning.   On paper, the Cinelog25 seems like it would be more capable.  On the other hand, when I try freestyle maneuvers with the Cinelog25, I get prop wash on power loops and power dives.  What’s perplexing to me is that the Cinerace20 didn’t seem to show any prop wash in QuadMovr’s sample video.  There was also no prop wash when Nick Burns showed a power dive.

On the other hand, I fly mostly cinematic FPV, not freestyle.  In that regard, the Cinerace20 seems to be capable of excellent flight times, as much as 9 minutes even with an Insta360 Go 2.  However, Nick Burns’ video with the Insta360 Go 2 seems to show some jello (see the trees in the middle in his video at around 6:57, and the ones in front of his house at 7:12), which is quite concerning.  For the record, I don’t get any jello with the Go2 on the Cinelog 25.

I would be interested in a smaller cinewhoop that can fly well, and this one has 2-inch props but it seems to be just the same size and weight as the Cinelog 25.  I’m also concerned because it has ducts, which I’m guessing will blow things with more force during a flythrough, and would be more likely to get it sucked toward walls.

On the whole, this looks very interesting but so far, I don’t feel compelled to buy one just to see if it will be better than my Cinelog 25 or Cinelog 30 (or I might get a lower cost analog one just for curiosity).  However, I do wish to see more cinewhoops with high performance flying capabilities like the Cinerace20.

Price and availability

Cinerace20 is available direct from Flywoo, starting at $159 for the Analog PNP version, and will begin shipping on October 8.

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Mic Ty

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