I think the Avata is a nice package for someone whom wants to get into the more cinematic stuff, or at least it will be when DJI start including a proper TX/Controller. Certainly when compared to the FPV Drone that only has one good crash in it.
One should never say never, but I can’t see myself getting an Avata as I already have a very capable Cinewhoop in the guise of the Diatone Taycan (6s version).
The positives of the Taycan over the Avata are cheaper batteries and longer flight times. I also have a selection of video camera’s I can choose to mount. I am running a Vista Polar on it, and the radio system I’m using is Ghost so I don’t have any range or penetration issues. But I wouldn’t consider it a platform for a beginner that wants a near trouble free introduction to FPV.
The positives of the Avata are it’s seems to be quite tough. It has training wheels that can be removed as the user gets more competent. The all important “OH CRAP” button for those inevitable very sticky situations. Even though the batteries are astronomically overpriced they do provide complete hassle free charging, though I wouldn’t say convenient if you want to charge them out in the field.
For someone like you, Jez, I’d go with a traditional Cinewhoop. You already have the infrastructure, chargers and radio, etc, and you’re already comfortable with FPV. Also I think you might find the Avata a little on the “meh” side of things. I did when I tried one a few weeks ago, it just didn’t feel as locked in as my Taycan.
As for which digital system to invest in? For a Cinewhoop the choices are DJI or Caddx. HDzero has some great benefits over the other two when flying in a race situation, but I think you’d want the immersive experience with a Cinewhoop over the lower latency the HDzero stuff provides. If I was buying into a digital system at this moment in time I’d go with DJI over Caddx/Walksnail simply because it’s a mature system, the Avatar system, though better now than when it was first released, still has a long way to go to catch up with the current DJI system. Also the DJI stuff now supports the full Betaflight OSD feature set the same as Avatar. However DJI are supposed to be releasing their FPV O3 system shortly which will incorporate the same camera and VTX as the Avata, including image stabilisation, which would negate the need for a second camera for recording UHD video.
As they used to say each week at the beginning of Soap “Confused now? You soon will be”.