6 Months after Release.. What's the consensus around P4 VS P3?

P4 signal range has been excellent for me.

The P3's seem pretty crude in comparison to the P4. For Litchi missions I could never ever trust the P3, the P4 is the only Phantom that I will send on an extended autonomous mission.

If you have no interest in autonomous missions or refined design, they are pretty close. If you do want to use Litchi, etc (90 % of my use), there is now choice but the P4.
 
I must respectfully disagree. It makes no sense to use a P4 on a high-risk mission when a P3 Standard performs just as well at just over 1/3rd the investment.

P4 signal range has been excellent for me.

The P3's seem pretty crude in comparison to the P4. For Litchi missions I could never ever trust the P3, the P4 is the only Phantom that I will send on an extended autonomous mission.

If you have no interest in autonomous missions or refined design, they are pretty close. If you do want to use Litchi, etc (90 % of my use), there is now choice but the P4.
 
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Bang for your buck versus which is the best quad are two different things. I have no regrets at all with my purchase. Since full 4K is a must for me (do a lot of post processing) that leaves the phantom 3 professional (~$839) and the phantom 4 (~$1199) or $360 difference. I have both quads.


P4 - Better build

P4 - More stable in windier conditions and in general

P4 - Dual IMUs and Compasses (probably the most important feature as I have on several occasions gotten IMU errors on my P3P and yes I calibrate)

P4 – More fun to fly (subjective and I have other quads I prefer more)

P4 – Obstacle avoidance (use it more for getting close up shots and for active track)

P3P – Longer Litchi missions (better signal strength) but use my P4 for closer in Autopilot missions and free flying close up shots

Camera/Gimbal - toss up both are great consumer grade cameras and gimbals (no issues for me on the P4 gimbal)

P3P – more bang for your buck


So bottom line both are great AP quads. I use both depending on what I am doing.
 
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Own a P2 Vision+, P3 Pro, P3 Advanced, a pair of P3 Standards, & a P4. The P4 is faster than a P3 & slightly better at hovering in place & positional accuracy. Camera performance between the P3/P4 is indistinguishable at identical resolution. The gimbal on my P4 has always been quirky & prone to inexplicable wobbles/jerkiness when yawing in wind or making extreme maneuvers. The P4 gimbal is well known for inconsistency in maintaining a level horizon. The P4 is inferior to the P3 Pro/Advanced in RC range, & it's battery life is in the 18-22 minute range, well short of the 28 minutes advertised.

All this being said, I'm not sorry I bought a P4, but I can't recommend a P4 over a P3. I never use OA because the 22 mph speed limit is too great a sacrifice for the benefit. IMHO the Best Buy in Phantoms continues to be the P3 Advanced. Go with the P3 Pro if you insist on 4K recording capability. If you are a Litchi junkie grab a P3 Standard as an auxiliary bird for Litchi missions.

Video from P4:

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Great job on the video, nice Litchi mission. I see you finally got the Orbit/Corkscrew shot on that one tall building with the two red lights on top. I believe I recall you were working on the corkscrew effect in getting around that building without getting to close. Good job and nicely done.

I have studied your two video's; the 4K and the 1080P 30fps. There is a difference although very subtle. To me it appears there is a shimmer of life or a glow in the 4k that is not present in the 1080P video. The 1080P has a sort of stationary effect on the eye where it does not give the effect of life or of a shimmer/movement. Since the advent of 4K, it is still not as prevalent as 1080P which is what we are more accustomed to. It is however, very subtle and you have to be able to describe the difference of it in order to notice it. I don't know if I have done that very well, but that is the difference I have noticed. To summarize that subtlety I would say that 1080P is a more stationary view whereas the 4K is a more moving/shimmering view appearing to be more alive or life like. Just my HO.

However, although the video was a bit lengthy, you have captured the Majesty of the night in the cityscape of Baltimore. Nice job, nicely done with good music to boot. I loved it.
 
Own a P2 Vision+, P3 Pro, P3 Advanced, a pair of P3 Standards, & a P4. The P4 is faster than a P3 & slightly better at hovering in place & positional accuracy. Camera performance between the P3/P4 is indistinguishable at identical resolution. The gimbal on my P4 has always been quirky & prone to inexplicable wobbles/jerkiness when yawing in wind or making extreme maneuvers. The P4 gimbal is well known for inconsistency in maintaining a level horizon. The P4 is inferior to the P3 Pro/Advanced in RC range, & it's battery life is in the 18-22 minute range, well short of the 28 minutes advertised.

All this being said, I'm not sorry I bought a P4, but I can't recommend a P4 over a P3. I never use OA because the 22 mph speed limit is too great a sacrifice for the benefit. IMHO the Best Buy in Phantoms continues to be the P3 Advanced. Go with the P3 Pro if you insist on 4K recording capability. If you are a Litchi junkie grab a P3 Standard as an auxiliary bird for Litchi missions.

Video from P4:

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Video from P3 Advanced:

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Very enjoyable videos. You are a very good pilot.
 
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I must respectfully disagree. It makes no sense to use a P4 on a high-risk mission when a P3 Standard performs just as well at just over 1/3rd the investment.

Of all the Litchi-meisters on the board, you are most certainly the Grand-Pooba of long range missions. I am happy your P3(s) are rock solid, but mine had Compass errors on just about every flight and after that, I just can't trust that model. Maybe I had a dud, maybe there are a batch of duds... But my P4 has been rock solid reliable in the same flying environment so that is what I recommend for autonomous missions,

I try to minimize the risk with planning. No matter how crazy it looks, if the mission is within the realms of the drone's performance, it should be flyable with minimal risk (from the risk factors in our control!)
 
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I had a P3A and sold it cause I had purchased an Inspire. After less than a month, I wish I never sold my P3A as there are things I prefer to use the P3A to do. I wound up finding a used P4 at a really good price. Comparing the two, if I was going to upgrade, I don't think I'd have sold the P3A to buy the P4. The P4 is nice. The Collision avoidance is nice and the ActiveTrak is cool, but I don't find I use those features a whole lot. Now if I was buying new and not had either, I'd go P4...
 
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Sorry, but the P4 is not worth a penny more than the P3. Have both and much prefer the P3P.
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Own a P2 Vision+, P3 Pro, P3 Advanced, a pair of P3 Standards, & a P4. The P4 is faster than a P3 & slightly better at hovering in place & positional accuracy. Camera performance between the P3/P4 is indistinguishable at identical resolution. The gimbal on my P4 has always been quirky & prone to inexplicable wobbles/jerkiness when yawing in wind or making extreme maneuvers. The P4 gimbal is well known for inconsistency in maintaining a level horizon. The P4 is inferior to the P3 Pro/Advanced in RC range, & it's battery life is in the 18-22 minute range, well short of the 28 minutes advertised.

All this being said, I'm not sorry I bought a P4, but I can't recommend a P4 over a P3. I never use OA because the 22 mph speed limit is too great a sacrifice for the benefit. IMHO the Best Buy in Phantoms continues to be the P3 Advanced. Go with the P3 Pro if you insist on 4K recording capability. If you are a Litchi junkie grab a P3 Standard as an auxiliary bird for Litchi missions.

Video from P4:

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Video from P3 Advanced:

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Video from P3 Standard:

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NICE!
 
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Thank you & I am glad you enjoyed the videos. After some adjustment I did manage to get the building spiral backed off to where I wanted it to be from that initial "OMG!" test flight. On the initial test flight video I got a chuckle from a comment that said, "I read a few emails as you flew past the third floor!" or words to that effect. :)

Given your eloquent description I almost feel guilty for what I am about to say. Both videos were recorded in 1080px30 fps. Even had they not been, YouTube downgrades video to 1080p if you do any editing or add music on YouTube. The flights were flown back to back & both birds use the same Sony Exmor sensor. If there is a difference it may be due to the improved lens design of the P4 which increased the number of lens elements. Honestly, from the P3 Standard with the Panasonic sensor through the P3 P/A & P4 with the Sony sensor, I notice very little difference in video quality.

I envision Phantom flight videos like mini-movies....little featurettes of sorts. My goal is to make a video interesting enough that the viewer wants to stick around to see what happens next. I feel "The Baltimore Run," "Harbor Shot," & especially "Follow the Leader" characterize what I am looking to achieve. I am grateful for all of the comments these videos have received.

Great job on the video, nice Litchi mission. I see you finally got the Orbit/Corkscrew shot on that one tall building with the two red lights on top. I believe I recall you were working on the corkscrew effect in getting around that building without getting to close. Good job and nicely done.

I have studied your two video's; the 4K and the 1080P 30fps. There is a difference although very subtle. To me it appears there is a shimmer of life or a glow in the 4k that is not present in the 1080P video. The 1080P has a sort of stationary effect on the eye where it does not give the effect of life or of a shimmer/movement. Since the advent of 4K, it is still not as prevalent as 1080P which is what we are more accustomed to. It is however, very subtle and you have to be able to describe the difference of it in order to notice it. I don't know if I have done that very well, but that is the difference I have noticed. To summarize that subtlety I would say that 1080P is a more stationary view whereas the 4K is a more moving/shimmering view appearing to be more alive or life like. Just my HO.

However, although the video was a bit lengthy, you have captured the Majesty of the night in the cityscape of Baltimore. Nice job, nicely done with good music to boot. I loved it.
 
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I just upgraded from p2 to a p3p. I looked at the p4 but could not justify the extra cost. Watching all the YouTube videos on both I went for the p3p. Plus there were so many deals on the p3.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
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I bought the P3A as an impulse buy one day when I was bored. I immediately fell in love and so did my wife so I went ahead and bought the P4 and gave her the P3A. So far I find the P4 slightly more stable in higher winds. 1080p video quality looks the same to me. Of course 4k is better on the p4 since the p3a doesn't have that. We haven't tested range yet but both are excellent flying machines. I paid 800 for the p3a with a bunch of accessories and 1200 for the p4 with an extra battery during a bestbuy deal.
 
Thank you & I am glad you enjoyed the videos. After some adjustment I did manage to get the building spiral backed off to where I wanted it to be from that initial "OMG!" test flight. On the initial test flight video I got a chuckle from a comment that said, "I read a few emails as you flew past the third floor!" or words to that effect. :)

Given your eloquent description I almost feel guilty for what I am about to say. Both videos were recorded in 1080px30 fps. Even had they not been, YouTube downgrades video to 1080p if you do any editing or add music on YouTube. The flights were flown back to back & both birds use the same Sony Exmor sensor. If there is a difference it may be due to the improved lens design of the P4 which increased the number of lens elements. Honestly, from the P3 Standard with the Panasonic sensor through the P3 P/A & P4 with the Sony sensor, I notice very little difference in video quality.

I envision Phantom flight videos like mini-movies....little featurettes of sorts. My goal is to make a video interesting enough that the viewer wants to stick around to see what happens next. I feel "The Baltimore Run," "Harbor Shot," & especially "Follow the Leader" characterize what I am looking to achieve. I am grateful for all of the comments these videos have received.

Interesting they were both filmed at 1080Px30 but on different birds, the P3A and P4. I did notice a difference as I explained, but it was entirely hard to discern. Your statement about the lens elements in the P4 camera is interesting and I think that is precisely what was causing a difference as I mentioned was almost a shimmer. Here is a definition of what lens elements are and what they are responsible for.

Lens element; Element Link: Lens element - Definition - Photokonnexion

In a modern photographic lens, there is usually more than one individual glass optical lens. Each glass lens is referred to as an “Element” or “Lens element” of the photographic lens.

In some photographic lenses there will be many individual glass elements arranged in groups. Each lens element does a part of the overall shaping of the light which contributes to the final image projected onto the digital image sensor.

So, it is possible that the lens elements now in the P4 have contributed to a however subtle yet a kind of shimmer or glow of the overall light produced. At least that is what I saw through my eyes. Either way, I enjoyed learning of the lens elements. Keep up the great filming.
 
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Miss my P3P, but not that much as the P4 is a good step in the right direction. As far as range, my P3P must have been a dog as my P4 has better range in the same field settings. I do find myself flying without OS like the P3P though, but the overall feel of the P4 is better and OS does work.
 
Own a P2 Vision+, P3 Pro, P3 Advanced, a pair of P3 Standards, & a P4. The P4 is faster than a P3 & slightly better at hovering in place & positional accuracy. Camera performance between the P3/P4 is indistinguishable at identical resolution. The gimbal on my P4 has always been quirky & prone to inexplicable wobbles/jerkiness when yawing in wind or making extreme maneuvers. The P4 gimbal is well known for inconsistency in maintaining a level horizon. The P4 is inferior to the P3 Pro/Advanced in RC range, & it's battery life is in the 18-22 minute range, well short of the 28 minutes advertised.

All this being said, I'm not sorry I bought a P4, but I can't recommend a P4 over a P3. I never use OA because the 22 mph speed limit is too great a sacrifice for the benefit. IMHO the Best Buy in Phantoms continues to be the P3 Advanced. Go with the P3 Pro if you insist on 4K recording capability. If you are a Litchi junkie grab a P3 Standard as an auxiliary bird for Litchi missions.

Video from P4:

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Video from P3 Advanced:

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Video from P3 Standard:

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Fantastic vids DB!
 
Thank you & I am glad you enjoyed the videos. After some adjustment I did manage to get the building spiral backed off to where I wanted it to be from that initial "OMG!" test flight. On the initial test flight video I got a chuckle from a comment that said, "I read a few emails as you flew past the third floor!" or words to that effect. :)

Given your eloquent description I almost feel guilty for what I am about to say. Both videos were recorded in 1080px30 fps. Even had they not been, YouTube downgrades video to 1080p if you do any editing or add music on YouTube. The flights were flown back to back & both birds use the same Sony Exmor sensor. If there is a difference it may be due to the improved lens design of the P4 which increased the number of lens elements. Honestly, from the P3 Standard with the Panasonic sensor through the P3 P/A & P4 with the Sony sensor, I notice very little difference in video quality.

I envision Phantom flight videos like mini-movies....little featurettes of sorts. My goal is to make a video interesting enough that the viewer wants to stick around to see what happens next. I feel "The Baltimore Run," "Harbor Shot," & especially "Follow the Leader" characterize what I am looking to achieve. I am grateful for all of the comments these videos have received.


Great Video! :)
 
The newer version of P4P v2.0 blows out any phantom model. OcuSync and quieter flight makes the drone incredible. I think nowadays it's the best drone, if one isn't looking for portability, of course.
 
Come on now: Both The Phantom 3 and 4 are superb drones , however the 4 series is backed by the Phantom Rain Wet Suits which acts as a suit of Armor , so the 4 series has the edge:
Take a Series 4 Phantom and Put on the Wet Suit and its like a Brand New Drone ready for all kinds of crazy adventures.

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