Better than Phantom?

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Hi all!
I'm new to quadcopters and i'm thinking on buying a Phantom. My long term goal is areal filming and to make some money with it but i know it's not that easy so its a really long term plan. I want to go step by step so i bought a cheap quadcopter (v949) to learn how to fly and after i feel comfortable with it i planing to buy a bigger better quadcopter which is good for filming. Is there anything better -in the same price range- than Phantom for areal filming? For camera option i think nothing beats the Gopro 3 black.
 
I think learning to really fly first is the key. Don't worry about cameras, etc. Fly as much as you can and in different conditions, around trees, water, etc. Don't even worry about strapping a camera on at this point.

Once you feel proficient in flying, then get a camera running.

I would argue there is nothing in this price range that comes close to the Phantom in terms of ease of use, stability, options, and the fact that it is ready to fly out of the box. If you were to try to piece together a system (say, a NAZA GPS + DJI F550 + Receiver + Transmitter + Landing Gear + Camera Mount) you'll easily be over $1000 before you even buy a camera.

Having said all that, in the next few weeks and months we are going to see a huge group of Direct Drive Brushless Motor Camera Gimbals, which will make achieving stable video much easier. DJI should be announcing more about theirs next week. Other makers are already putting things out, though many are a little too big for the Phantom. You'll want one of these if you want to do Pro-type video. It appears from some photos from a trade show in China that DJI's unit will fit the Phantom and a GoPro.
 
Adam said:
I think learning to really fly first is the key. Don't worry about cameras, etc. Fly as much as you can and in different conditions, around trees, water, etc. Don't even worry about strapping a camera on at this point.

Once you feel proficient in flying, then get a camera running.

I would argue there is nothing in this price range that comes close to the Phantom in terms of ease of use, stability, options, and the fact that it is ready to fly out of the box. If you were to try to piece together a system (say, a NAZA GPS + DJI F550 + Receiver + Transmitter + Landing Gear + Camera Mount) you'll easily be over $1000 before you even buy a camera.

Having said all that, in the next few weeks and months we are going to see a huge group of Direct Drive Brushless Motor Camera Gimbals, which will make achieving stable video much easier. DJI should be announcing more about theirs next week. Other makers are already putting things out, though many are a little too big for the Phantom. You'll want one of these if you want to do Pro-type video. It appears from some photos from a trade show in China that DJI's unit will fit the Phantom and a GoPro.

Thank you for your help!
Actually i think the same, although F550 is a great hexacopter (and can be the next step after Phantom) but it will cost much more than the Phantom and if my buisness plans will go wrong than iam won't loosing as much money with the Phantom :) .
 
Hi Adam
If you have some information on what DJI may have in the pipeline, that would make a great thread.

How about a thread on DJI rumours and a few links and such.
 
Everything Adam said except I would go ahead and strap on the camera if this is your main intention ( as was mine)

I've been doing Aerial photo/video since way before it was cool and GoPros were still a distant dream, I used planes instead of helis because I just found helis too twitchy and to carry any kind of weight they had to be fairly large. When shooting video or photos the last thing you want to have to worry about is keeping a large glass table top level on a large ball bearing ( this is what flying helis is comparable to)

Not with the Phantom.........this thing is smooth as silk, so much so I get in trouble all the time with trees because I'm always going for that cool shot and nothing is better than barely missing a tree or object. Just takes things slow on your first flight, hover, rotate, left, right , you get the picture. My biggest flaw is trying to maneuver tight places from 400' away, this is not smart. Go slower and speed up in post production if need be. I'm finally starting to tell myself this but wildlife seems to want to run and instinctively I want to chase them which is absurd when it's a deer or elk. My other issue is forgetting to let my herding dogs in the house while flying, they try and herd the Phantom all the time and my one has bit the landing gear about 4 times now.

This might be the toughest RC device I have ever owned, it has fell as far as 70' and popped right up for more, I have hit trees at 30' and recovered before it hit the ground, slammed off the concrete trying a touch and go, you name it, I've probably done it. Heres a couple of my crashes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCdzdbJ- ... e=youtu.be
 
Eik said:
Nice clip Mark.. How many props have you chewed through?
Not one yet lol, and they sent me 4 extras in the box and I ordered an extra 4.

2 of them have some obvious damage ( small nicks) but it still flies picture perfect even with my dog biting the compass over and over and.......
 
Mark P said:
Everything Adam said except I would go ahead and strap on the camera if this is your main intention ( as was mine)

I've been doing Aerial photo/video since way before it was cool and GoPros were still a distant dream, I used planes instead of helis because I just found helis too twitchy and to carry any kind of weight they had to be fairly large. When shooting video or photos the last thing you want to have to worry about is keeping a large glass table top level on a large ball bearing ( this is what flying helis is comparable to)

Not with the Phantom.........this thing is smooth as silk, so much so I get in trouble all the time with trees because I'm always going for that cool shot and nothing is better than barely missing a tree or object. Just takes things slow on your first flight, hover, rotate, left, right , you get the picture. My biggest flaw is trying to maneuver tight places from 400' away, this is not smart. Go slower and speed up in post production if need be. I'm finally starting to tell myself this but wildlife seems to want to run and instinctively I want to chase them which is absurd when it's a deer or elk. My other issue is forgetting to let my herding dogs in the house while flying, they try and herd the Phantom all the time and my one has bit the landing gear about 4 times now.

This might be the toughest RC device I have ever owned, it has fell as far as 70' and popped right up for more, I have hit trees at 30' and recovered before it hit the ground, slammed off the concrete trying a touch and go, you name it, I've probably done it. Heres a couple of my crashes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCdzdbJ- ... e=youtu.be


Great video... looks like you are all having fun. Well, except for the deer maybe.
 
Sac D said:
Mark P said:
Everything Adam said except I would go ahead and strap on the camera if this is your main intention ( as was mine)

I've been doing Aerial photo/video since way before it was cool and GoPros were still a distant dream, I used planes instead of helis because I just found helis too twitchy and to carry any kind of weight they had to be fairly large. When shooting video or photos the last thing you want to have to worry about is keeping a large glass table top level on a large ball bearing ( this is what flying helis is comparable to)

Not with the Phantom.........this thing is smooth as silk, so much so I get in trouble all the time with trees because I'm always going for that cool shot and nothing is better than barely missing a tree or object. Just takes things slow on your first flight, hover, rotate, left, right , you get the picture. My biggest flaw is trying to maneuver tight places from 400' away, this is not smart. Go slower and speed up in post production if need be. I'm finally starting to tell myself this but wildlife seems to want to run and instinctively I want to chase them which is absurd when it's a deer or elk. My other issue is forgetting to let my herding dogs in the house while flying, they try and herd the Phantom all the time and my one has bit the landing gear about 4 times now.

This might be the toughest RC device I have ever owned, it has fell as far as 70' and popped right up for more, I have hit trees at 30' and recovered before it hit the ground, slammed off the concrete trying a touch and go, you name it, I've probably done it. Heres a couple of my crashes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCdzdbJ- ... e=youtu.be


Great video... looks like you are all having fun. Well, except for the deer maybe.
The deer shot could have been epic, what you don't see are the other 20 that ran into the fir trees and I was going to rotate it to show them but being so far away I didn't see the little dead branches down low. Plus I am so far away you can see me standing up by that white fence 400' away. One day they will put sensors in these that back them away from objects.........hopefully
 
jdawson said:
Hi Adam
If you have some information on what DJI may have in the pipeline, that would make a great thread.

How about a thread on DJI rumours and a few links and such.

Dawson - I really don't have any inside info, just from what I've pieced together reading around the interwebs.

DJI has shown off the ZenMuse for GoPro on YouTube and at several trade shows. They never showed it mounted to a Phantom, and most people assumed it would be too big/heavy for a Phantom and restricted to platforms like the F450/F550.

Last week DJI China brought a Phantom with the GoPro Zenmuse attached to a tradeshow in Shenzen with no info about pricing or availability. That thing is tiny! I'm pretty excited to see if they show more of it off tomorrow at NAB 2013 in Las Vegas.

Maybe we should start a rumor thread...
 

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