Buy the P4 or P4 Pro - Differences

[The Phantom]

Thanks for all your answers, about the P4 vs P4 Pro/ Pro+, i understand its up to me in the end, just want some opinions, i have never even flown the P4 or the P4 Pro so i don't know much about them. I own an Inspire 1 and an old P2, have owned the P3 Professional briefly as well.

I have a chance to buy the P4 where the box is opened from a store for 999 USD
(DJI drones are much more expensive here in Europe, i guess the US doesn't have the import tax or what its called?)
So that would make the price almost half of the P4 Pro (costs 1900 USD / Pro+ is 2100 USD).

Doesn't the P4 even have some kind of "Follow me mode" where the drone follows an object?

I guess the hardware part of the drones are pretty similar, except the added obstacle avoidance and of course the camera?
Since I'm in Europe i guess i can't use the full functionality of the new OcuSync on the P4 Pro anyway?

Lets say I've recorded video with both the P4 and the P4 Pro in the same resolution and with the same exact settings and then played the videos side by side, how noticeable would the difference in video quality be between these two recordings for a hobbyist or even for a professional videographer?

P.S: About the Mavic, I've reached a point where i don't even want to hear the name Mavic. The only reason i wanted the Mavic was because of its small size. But it seems the small size has some disadvantages as well.

 

[msinger]

Doesn't the P4 even have some kind of "Follow me mode" where the drone follows an object?

Yes. It's called ActiveTrack. Check out the Phantom manual for more details.

I guess the hardware part of the drones are pretty similar, except the added obstacle avoidance and of course the camera?

Per the P4P FAQ, here are the main differences:

"The Phantom 4 Pro redefines the iconic Phantom series, bringing imaging and intelligence to new heights. Its uprated camera shoots 4K/60fps at a bitrate of 100Mbps and stills up to 20-megapixels, creating dramatically better images. The FlightAutonomy system adds dual rear vision sensors and two Time of Flight range imaging cameras for a total of 5 directions of obstacle sensing with a range of up to 30m in all directions. The upgraded Lightbridge HD video transmission system offers an extended maximum transmission range of 4.3mi (7km) and also enables you to switch between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz. It can also be used with an optional integrated monitor for even more reliable transmission. Operators are also further empowered with a new suite of ActiveTrack and TapFly functions. The aircraft’s Intelligent Flight Battery also have increased capacity by 520mAh to enable an extended flight time of 30 minutes."

Check out this video for some other differences:

 

[AerialGfx]

This is what Autel was showing at CES this week. Retracts and 360 camera. They said their 1" sensor camera will be out this summer.

Autel is a terrific company and their quality standards are far superior. I owned an Xstar premium before upgrading to P4P. At the smaller sensor size, xstar premium's camera was the best (even better than P4). If you are on a budget go with them, if you want a more mature app, third party apps like litchi and autopilot, obstacle avoidance and precision hovering then go with P4. I found P4 hovers a little better (more stable than Xstar) probably because of 2 vision sensors facing down.

If you are a Pro photographer who doesn't need an Inspire (like me) P4P is a no brainer choice. Low light videos(or images), aperture control and h265 support are amazing to have in this price range and small package [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[F3honda4me]

P4 and p4pro don't use ocusync. That's a mavic only thing used mostly for fpv mode as ocusync will drop frames or details to keep a higher refresh.

 

[gppms]

I doubt that. They'll let the P4P mature at least 6 more months, maybe 9, before P5 will be announced IMO. It makes more business sense, since nobody else is even close to competing with the P4P, yet.

I predict P5 will have retractable landing gear and a 360 rotating camera like Inspire, with swappable cameras, using the same phantom sized craft. If they don't Autel will beat them to market with these features.

I don't think so.They release the new model (P4P) after 7 months of the P4's release.Typical DJI.

 

[gppms]

and then the P6 right after that...

Sure,but after a year.

 

[gppms]

I doubt that. They'll let the P4P mature at least 6 more months, maybe 9, before P5 will be announced IMO. It makes more business sense, since nobody else is even close to competing with the P4P, yet.

I predict P5 will have retractable landing gear and a 360 rotating camera like Inspire, with swappable cameras, using the same phantom sized craft. If they don't Autel will beat them to market with these features.

Dji Phantom 5: Behind the Scenes of what’s Planned

 

[John Locke]

Dji Phantom 5: Behind the Scenes of what’s Planned

That article is so bad, you can tell they are purely guessing with all the obvious features mentioned (OSS?) auto take off and return? That's not new. 8.5lbs? I don't think so. It's obviously written before the P4P was released because of the camera spec they discussed, and they didn't even know about it's release, so what makes anyone think they know anything about the P5 features or release timing? We're all guessing of course, but I'll stick to my guess of Fall 2017, and it will have retracts and a 360 camera like Inspire, and two operator support. That's my prediction. We'll find out soon, when April fools rolls by and no announcements.

What's this mean in that article? This seems to prove my point.
"Instead of having a single central motor above the Gimbal, there are rumored to be motors on either side of the camera."