Do you have a drone?

[innrkid]

Nicely done... somewhat surprised that it was overexposed. I haven't had that issue with my Phantom 3.

Are you using aftermarket filters? I was trying a couple different polar pro filters to see the impact. They will definitely have an impact on exposure.

 

[innrkid]

Okay. You guys have me interested. I'd like to buy a drone. I'm leaning toward a DJ1 Phantom 4. Maybe Phantom 3 if you tell me 4 isn't worth the cost. So what do you think? Where should I buy? What drone should I buy? First time drone buyer. Uses will be video and pics of 4 wheeling events. Thanks for your input.

Do a comparison on the DJI site. There are differences beyond resolution and for me the pro III is what I wanted. One nice advantage of the phantom four is obstacle avoidance. This is especially handy if the device or pilot activates 'return home' feature and your preset return home elevation happens to be lower than obstacles between you and the bird. Older models flew right into obstacles. Lots of lost birds!

The way prices have dropped, capability is getting cheaper. In terms of learning, everything you need is on YouTube. Great tutorials. Have fun.

 

[ovrszd]

To be honest Richard, unless you have to have 4K resolution which most can't handle with TV playback, don't waste another $400 or so. I love my Phantom 3 advanced and I should use it more. That said, cost per flight is much cheaper for the same pleasure, III vs. IV. The resolution on my 3 is plenty for my 60in plasma HD 1080 screen. Amazing footage.

Thanks for the feedback. I am dumb concerning resolution and playback issues. I'll bone up on the Phantom 3 advanced and get back to you with questions.

What do you mean in regards to cost per flight III vs IV? Do you have a need for extra batteries?? The 4 I looked at only came with one and looks like batteries cost $170 each!!!

Thanks in advance for any tips!!!

 

[ovrszd]

Do a comparison on the DJI site. There are differences beyond resolution and for me the pro III is what I wanted. One nice advantage of the phantom four is obstacle avoidance. This is especially handy if the device or pilot activates 'return home' feature and your preset return home elevation happens to be lower than obstacles between you and the bird. Older models flew right into obstacles. Lots of lost birds!

The way prices have dropped, capability is getting cheaper. In terms of learning, everything you need is on YouTube. Great tutorials. Have fun.

Obstacle avoidance was what guided me toward the 4. Just not sure how much that's worth. My uses will be low elevation, among obstacles such as trees. Thanks for your tips!!!!

 

[mogwild]

I bought the Mavic Pro due to size. Folded it's really portable. If you just fly around the homestead that's not a big deal, but if you want to hop in the car and go for a drive to the river valley, over to the neighbors, whatever, it's really nice to fold it up, toss it in the back seat and go. Trade off's are it's not as stable in as high of winds as the larger models, but I've found it to be really stable. Here's a pic of a Mavic Pro and remote control shamelessly stolen from a google image search:



It also has obstacle avoidance, tripod mode, and a few others that are really cool.

 

[ovrszd]

What are you doing about the government satellites and drones? Or NSA harvesting of your cell phone metadata? Because unlike hobby drones flying over your property, that is happening.

I agree. We are already being watched and tracked every second. Just open another screen on your computer right now and google something such as drones. Then come back to TBN and you'll notice the ads flashing onscreen will be for a similar product that you just searched for.

My neighbor's boy has a Drone. I have no problem with it cruising around over my property.

Give me your address and I'll be back on here in 5 minutes with a closeup of your house.

 

[woody]

Okay. You guys have me interested. I'd like to buy a drone. I'm leaning toward a DJ1 Phantom 4. Maybe Phantom 3 if you tell me 4 isn't worth the cost. So what do you think? Where should I buy? What drone should I buy? First time drone buyer. Uses will be video and pics of 4 wheeling events. Thanks for your input.

watching for answers because I want one also.

 

[ovrszd]

watching for answers because I want one also.

I'm assuming online ordering. I know BestBuy handles them as well as some other stores. Only reason I'd go to a store for purchase would be to possibly get some education in the process. Don't think I'd get that at BestBuy or WalMart. I don't have any specialty stores in my rural neighborhood that would be able to help with that. That's why I was picking these guy's brains.

In regards to brand, Google search reveals more info concerning DJ1 Phantoms than any other brand.

 

[dragoneggs]

You're definitely going to want a second battery that you can charge while flying with the other one. Too much down time otherwise. Obstacle avoidance could be a handy feature for some I imagine. How well it works I don't know. The return to home feature on the 3 can be set to a given altitude and when deployed, the drone will ascend to that height then return home. So as long as it is set high enough for your area, shouldn't be collision issues unless I'm missing something.

 

[dragoneggs]

Getting optional blade guards has saved me on a couple of occasions when I was getting a little too 'cute'.

 

[ovrszd]

You're definitely going to want a second battery that you can charge while flying with the other one. Too much down time otherwise. Obstacle avoidance could be a handy feature for some I imagine. How well it works I don't know. The return to home feature on the 3 can be set to a given altitude and when deployed, the drone will ascend to that height then return home. So as long as it is set high enough for your area, shouldn't be collision issues unless I'm missing something.

All good points.

With further research the obstacle avoidance is only to the front. So would offer minimal protection in cluttered areas such as timber where my concern would be backward or side motion that would cause a collision.

The second battery thing would be a necessity for me I believe. Did yours come with two?

How about the viewing screen? I don't use an I-phone so can't take advantage of that. Do have a tablet. I want a screen large enough to be of value. What are you using?

 

[ovrszd]

Getting optional blade guards has saved me on a couple of occasions when I was getting a little too 'cute'.

Another good point!!!

 

[innrkid]

All good points.

With further research the obstacle avoidance is only to the front. So would offer minimal protection in cluttered areas such as timber where my concern would be backward or side motion that would cause a collision.

The second battery thing would be a necessity for me I believe. Did yours come with two?

How about the viewing screen? I don't use an I-phone so can't take advantage of that. Do have a tablet. I want a screen large enough to be of value. What are you using?

Android or iOS are both applicable. I tried iPhone 6, iPad and finally settled on iPad mini. For me, perfect size. I also wanted another app called LITCHI which allows autonomous flight planning. Translation is the ability to preprogram a flight path or route and send it out...it does what you programmed it to do and returns. It's easier than it sounds. For me I can fly the perimeter of my property at different heights and look for problems with trees, fences or otherwise. I watch the video feed vs flying the bird.

 

[B7510HSD]

Android or iOS are both applicable. I tried iPhone 6, iPad and finally settled on iPad mini. For me, perfect size. I also wanted another app called LITCHI which allows autonomous flight planning. Translation is the ability to preprogram a flight path or route and send it out...it does what you programmed it to do and returns. It's easier than it sounds. For me I can fly the perimeter of my property at different heights and look for problems with trees, fences or otherwise. I watch the video feed vs flying the bird.

Would this also work on the Phantom III Standard model?

 

[npalen]

I run the Litchi as well as the DJI GO app on an Invidia Shield 8" tablet with the Phantom 3A (advanced) The Litchi app (around $20 US IIRC) is incredible for autonomous flying as mentioned above. It's easily programmed to take snapshots or video at various locations that you select on the map. The flight path can be saved and then rerun exactly as programmed at a later date.
I have a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ that I no longer use and probably should sell but it may be a collectors item 50 years from now.

 

[innrkid]

Would this also work on the Phantom III Standard model?

I believe so. Might be worth checking their website.

 

[ovrszd]

Android or iOS are both applicable. I tried iPhone 6, iPad and finally settled on iPad mini. For me, perfect size. I also wanted another app called LITCHI which allows autonomous flight planning. Translation is the ability to preprogram a flight path or route and send it out...it does what you programmed it to do and returns. It's easier than it sounds. For me I can fly the perimeter of my property at different heights and look for problems with trees, fences or otherwise. I watch the video feed vs flying the bird.

My very large farmer friend has that ability on his Drone. He uses it frequently to "grid" fields during growing season.

Excuse my IT language deficiencies. So, is my Samsung Galaxy 6 phone compatible with the Phantom 3 Advanced? Thanks!!!

 

[mogwild]

Depends on the app (DJI GO or Litchi) but here's a good starting point:

Best Tablets/Phones for DJI GO | Phantom Help

 

[ovrszd]

Depends on the app (DJI GO or Litchi) but here's a good starting point:

Best Tablets/Phones for DJI GO | Phantom Help

Good stuff, thanks!!!

I'll have to look at the Wife's tablet this evening and see what model it is. She's currently not aware that her tablet might get commandeered.