Encourage me or dissuade me but I'm in need of advice!

[mickey78]

Hey guys! Just got my basic P2 3 days ago. I need some advice.
The reason I got the basic P2 is that at first I didn't wanted to pay too much for this as I wasn't sure I like it. Now that I'm hook I'm questioning if I should have got the Vision+. I am calculating everything I need to do some basic FPV and it is somewhat exceeding what I originally thought it was. I'm not looking for extreme air trip with FPV, just maybe a little beyond sight.

I bought the unit from B&H photo in the US. I don't think these thing are returnable/exchangeable. Maybe some of you can give me some arguments why I should be happy with the P2 instead of the Vision+ and put my own FPV kit but as of now I don't see it. There are good thing about the Vision+ that I am starting to regret a bit like the fact that everything is built in and that you can chose when to start video/photo. Also the vision app is getting more appealing now with the latest patchs.

I'm kinda torn in between.

 

[EMCSQUAR]

It's six if one, half dozen of the other. I'm a P2 person, I like the Zenmuse gimbal, GoPro quality and options available for FPV. I won't bad mouth the vision or vision + because it fits the needs of others. We both enjoy the benefit of longer flight times and many of the same software options.

If you're having doubts about your P2 there's a very large market out there & selling it won't be an issue.

 

[HarryT]

It's probably reasonable to say that the P2 with Zenmuse and GoPro is a better video platform, but the Vision+ is a better stills platform. The P2 is more flexible, but you'll pay more than you would with a Vision+.

The Vision+ gimbal/camera unit is fragile, and can only be replaced as a single unit. A GoPro is very tough indeed, and will survive most crashes: at worse you'll need a new Zenmuse, which costs less than half the price of the Vision+'s gimbal and camera.

 

[Wedeliver]

I am not sure if the OP is going to like my response, but it is an honest response, from my heart and my response speaks to how I think about owning these tools.

I think at this time your options are:

1. return the Phantom 2 and get a Vision Plus.
2. Keep the Phantom 2 and go the whole fpv, gimbal, gopro maybe goggles (take passengers) fly 1 mile away from home, etc.

What are your goals. If your are serious about photography from the air? Are you having a blast and do you get a rush while flying and looking at the photos and videos you have made?

If you are like me those first two options were not enough. I needed another option and that was to keep the Phantom, do the whole fpv and have a blast doing it. Also outfit it with gimbal and gopro so you can get professional work done. and.. and. and. what I did... was buy the Vision Plus ALS0!

So, if one quad is in need of service I can still fly. I can use the inexpensive P2 to scout the photo shoots and send up the vision plus for the real shoot. Once I made this option a doable option it became obvious that this was the correct way to go.

So, what do you think? There is financing available everywhere, ebay has it, amazon has it, paypal.. and then you could maybe save some money by buying a refurb or a used vision plus. Just make sure that the camera and gimbal work perfectly, the quad is easy to fix. (which I like to do to tell ya the truth, like one of my fingers is really a soldering gun)

 

[mickey78]

Interesting point of view. Still a hard call.
Any of you know how easy or difficult it is to return these things? I would believe that their nature can make it hard to get a refund or an exchange.
Anyone with experience with B&H in particular?

Please keep it coming... Hopefully it will help me keep...

 

[JDN]

Encourage me or dissuade me but I'm in need of advice!
postby mickey78 » Sat Aug 30, 2014 3:37 pm

That's a tough one, Mickey78! I now have a P2 (non-vision) with H3-3D gimbal, GoPro 3+ (Silver), Mini-iOSD, Flytrex Core 2, FPV gear, etc., but I didn't start out with all of that! Piece by piece I have added to my P2 w/H3-3D and now have just a little over $2,000 in it. Yep, $2K. Am I happy? I think so, but I didn't go the P2 Vision+ route because it seemed to be more expensive ($1,300 vs. $959) in the beginning. Now, I realize it would have been cheaper, but geez, I wouldn't have learned all of this knowledge I now have about my P2, the gimbal, GoPro camera, iOSD info, flying quads, etc.! Plus, I like to tinker with 'stuff' and soldering wires and taking things apart doesn't scare or intimidate me.

I think you have to ask yourself the question of whether you'd be happy with a P2V+ and the thrill of just flying it, or whether you want to 'tinker and experiment' with everything related to flying the Phantoms. I understand you can still "modify" a P2V+ in several ways, so maybe that would motivate me to look into switching aircrafts. But for me, I look at it as I was one of the early adopters (not the first by any means) with my P2 and I justify it as the price to pay for the knowledge and fun in learning how to fly a quadcopter. What's the saying...being on the bleeding edge of technology is costly??? Yup, it is...but that's the price I paid to learn along the way. Can't wait for the next generation of "consumer quads' to come along....I'll probably jump into that fray, too! Good luck on your decision!

 

[mickey78]

Well guys, I ended up calling B&H and ask for a refund. They customer service is top notch by the way. I couldn't wait until the P2 was refunded I ordered the V+ already. It was fun while it last now I will have a new friend in a few days. Thanks for your input.

 

[Clipper707]

If you are like me those first two options were not enough. I needed another option and that was to keep the Phantom, do the whole fpv and have a blast doing it. Also outfit it with gimbal and gopro so you can get professional work done. and.. and. and. what I did... was buy the Vision Plus ALS0!

So, if one quad is in need of service I can still fly. I can use the inexpensive P2 to scout the photo shoots and send up the vision plus for the real shoot. Once I made this option a doable option it became obvious that this was the correct way to go.

So, what do you think? There is financing available everywhere, ebay has it, amazon has it, paypal.. and then you could maybe save some money by buying a refurb or a used vision plus. Just make sure that the camera and gimbal work perfectly, the quad is easy to fix. (which I like to do to tell ya the truth, like one of my fingers is really a soldering gun)

+1 on the concept of a scout and separate mission aircraft.

I don't agree with financing it, but that's a personal choice.