iFlight is one of the most popular brands for prebuilt Bind-N-Fly (BNF) FPV drones, and they’ve got several 5-inch offerings now featuring the new DJI O4 Pro Air Unit. However, most of those models are essentially older designs with updated camera mounts to accommodate the O4 Pro. The CineFlow 5 is a genuinely new design built specifically around the DJI O4 Pro Air Unit. As its name implies, this drone is geared towards cinematic flying—capturing footage that flows smoothly. But can it also handle long-range cruising or even freestyle maneuvers? Let’s find out.
I previously compared all the available 5inch BNF FPV drones with DJI O4 Pro in this buyer’s guide, let’s see how it actually preform in this review 🙂
Where to Buy?
You can pick up the iFlight CineFlow 5 from these retailers:
What’s Included in the Box:
- 1 x SH CineFlow 5 6S O4 HD BNF
- 2 x Antennas
- 1 x Battery pad
- 4 x Propellers
- 1 x Battery strap
Specifications
- Frame wheelbase: 222mm
- FC: BLITZ Mini F7 Flight Controller
- ESC: BLITZ Mini E55R 4-IN-1 ESC
- Video Transmission: DJI O4 Pro Air Unit
- Motors: XING2 2207 2050KV
- Propeller: Nazgul F5Dimensions (L×W×H): 182*133*42mm
- Claimed Weight: 488±5g (actual weight: 493g)
- Takeoff Weight: ~733g (with 6S 1400mAh battery)
- Maximum Speed: 190 km/h (Claimed)
- Maximum Takeoff Altitude: 7000m (Claimed)
- Maximum Hover Time: Approx. 12 mins (Claimed)
- Maximum Flight Distance: 5 km (Claimed)
Design & Build Quality
The CineFlow features a “deadcat” frame layout, ensuring the props stay completely out of your FPV camera’s view, making it ideal for cinematic flying.
The drone features 3D-printed side panels. Although they aren’t as sleek looking as injection-molded ones, they’re perfectly functional, offering decent protection and can be removed to save weight if needed.
Frame Durability and Thickness:
- Top/Bottom Plate: 2mm
- Center Plate: 3mm
- Arms: 5mm
DJI O4 Pro and GPS
The O4 Pro Air Unit is located in the front, directly behind the camera. This is a clever design choice because it means no long MIPI cable runs underneath the flight controller and the air unit doesn’t get in the way of the XT60 pigtail. It also gets decent airflow that keeps that O4 cool. The SD card slot and USB port are easily accessible.
One design issue, though, is the extreme exposed O4 camera lens, vulnerable in crashes or even rough landings. Oddly enough, this isn’t just an isolated problem with the CineFlow; every iFlight BNF drone featuring the O4 Pro camera has this exact flaw—from the Nazgul ECO, Nazgul Evoque, and Afterburner to this one. It’s puzzling and somewhat disappointing that iFlight hasn’t addressed this yet. Protecting that lens should have been a priority.
It comes with 2 long antennas (13cm long) for the DJI O4 Pro, so signal is less likely to get blocked by the frame or battery during flight. Note that these antennas have RP-SMA connectors, not SMA!
The GPS module is hidden under the antenna TPU mount just above the connectors, you can’t really see it from the outside. Just wish they made a cutout to expose the antenna which is better for signal.
Receiver Antenna
The receiver antenna is mounted horizontally right beneath the O4 antennas—this is a common practice in prebuilt drones because it’s easy, but not ideal for long-range flying. If you’re looking to push distances beyond a couple of kilometers, you should probably reposition the receiver antenna vertically and away from any obstructions. Here’s a helpful guide on optimal antenna mounting: https://oscarliang.com/antenna-positioning/
Motors and LED Lighting
The motors, although unlabeled, are XING2 2207 at a notably high 2050KV rating. This KV is incredibly high for 6S setups, which means you’ll have plenty of power but potentially sacrifice efficiency.
There’s also an LED strip inside the frame, adding a subtle aesthetic touch in the dark, but you can’t really see it during day time so kind of pointless to be honest unless you fly at night.
Weight Considerations
While iFlight claims a weight around 488g without a battery, my measurements showed it coming in slightly heavier at 493g. With a GNB 6S 1100mAh LiPo battery, the drone weighs around 685g; add a GoPro 11, and the total weight hits approximately 845g.
Maintenance
Accessing internal electronics is straightforward, you’ll need to remove the eight top-plate screws, as well as the XT60 connector mounted beneath the top plate. Once removed the top plate, you will find the components and wiring are tightly packed, but the build quality is excellent, tidy, and well-organized.
Flight Performance
My first impression flying the iFlight CineFlow is that it feels extremely fast and responsive, thanks to those high-KV motors. I initially expected poor efficiency due to the extremely high motor KV, but I still managed around 5 minutes of flight time on a 6S 1100mAh LiPo, which is about average for a 5-inch FPV drone.
What genuinely impressed me was how well-tuned the PID and filters are right out of the box—I’d easily rate it a solid 9 out of 10. That speaks volumes about iFlight’s design and the care they put into their factory tune. The drone felt exceptionally smooth, with very minimal propwash. However, I did notice some slight wobble in windy conditions, probably due to the CineFlow’s tail-heavy balance. Why is tail-heaviness problematic? Well, motors on the heavier side must constantly work harder, which limits their ability of changing RPM and leads to less stability.
Another nice touch is the accurate current sensor calibration, giving reliable battery consumption data straight from the factory.
Cinematic
Unquestionably, the CineFlow excels here. Given its purpose-built cinematic design, the CineFlow handles exceptionally smoothly in flight. Responsive tracking, stable cruising, and minimal vibrations or “jello” in the footage make this drone fantastic for cinematic shots.
Long-Range
The drone includes GPS and has relatively good range capabilities, especially with its long O4 antennas. But remember, the receiver antenna position is not optimal for extreme range. Adjustments may be necessary if you regularly fly beyond a couple of kilometers. Although the motor KV is extremely high, as long as you keep your throttle at minimal you should get some good distance using a large Li-ion battery like the ones from our sponsor: https://bit.ly/41qcvcT
Freestyle
Despite its cinematic roots, the CineFlow has surprisingly strong freestyle potential thanks to its high-KV motors. It has plenty of punch for flips, rolls, and acrobatic maneuvers, but be mindful: aggressive freestyle flying will drain your battery faster than you might expect.
Downsides
While I love the flight performance, the CineFlow isn’t without its flaws:
- Doesn’t come with O4 Pro ND filter – which is essential for cinematic footage: https://oscarliang.com/nd-filter-fpv/
- Exposed Camera Lens: The DJI O4 camera lens protrudes too far, leaving it vulnerable in crashes and hard landings.
- No Built-in Buzzer: I was disappointed that an expensive drone like this didn’t include a buzzer out of the box.
- Tail-Heavy Balance: Without an action camera mounted in the front, the drone is noticeably tail heavy, affecting stability slightly.
- Suboptimal Receiver Antenna Mounting: iFlight mounted the receiver antenna the “lazy way”, horizontally beneath the video antennas. It’s acceptable for close-range flying but not ideal for longer-range applications.
- High Price, Average Value: Honestly, for the price, the CineFlow’s hardware and overall design don’t fully justify the $655 price tag. I’m not paid to say this, and I even purchased the GEPRC Vapor D5 with my own money, but in comparison, the Vapor feels like a significantly better value—you simply get more for less money.
- Very minimal accessory package, and only include one set of propellers!
- Using Dead ESC Firmware: The ESCs come loaded with BLHeli_32 firmware v32.9. While this isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker (most people probably won’t notice the difference), BLHeli_32 development has effectively stopped. A more future-proof firmware, like AM32 or Bluejay, would’ve been preferable.
How to Setup
Before the first flight, I did the following:
- Removed all labels on the drone.
- Removed the motor direction cards—these indicate the motor spin direction (which is using Betaflight default – props in).
- Removed the protective film from the camera lens.
- Put on the two O4 antennas
- Placed the battery pad on the top plate.
- Installed the two battery straps
- Plug in a battery using a smoke stopper for testing, make sure it powers up fine.
Firmware
- The flight controller (FC) board target is IFLIGHT_BLITZ_F722, and it comes preloaded with Betaflight firmware version 4.5.1. For stock CLI Diff, see here.
- ESC Firmware: ESC BLHeli_32 firmware v32.9.
- ELRS Receiver Firmware Target: iFlight 2.4GHz RX, ELRS 3.5.3 firmware (ISM2G4)
Betaflight Setup
Before first flight, put on the propellers, it’s using “props out” configuration.
Conclusion
While the iFlight CineFlow 5-inch FPV drone has some outstanding qualities—particularly its great freestyle capability and impressive PID tune for smooth, cinematic footage—it’s not without shortcomings. Suboptimal receiver antenna placement limits its long-range potential, and the high-KV motors reduce efficiency and flight times.
Most importantly, the $655 price tag feels steep considering the drone’s fairly standard hardware and the competition available. For example, the GEPRC Vapor D5 I recently reviewed provides comparable performance for over $200 less. And with the exposed O4 camera, it’s just asking for trouble down the road.
Despite these downsides, the CineFlow is a high-quality drone that flies great out of the box, thanks to its excellent build quality and well-tuned PID. If you decide to get the Cineflow, just try not to crash! 🙂
Buy it here:
