First drone - Best setup? Is FPV a must?

[DeKeuning]

Hi guys,

Over the last 2 years I’ve picked up an interest in photography and filming. I got have a gopro hero 3 black in my possession.

As of late I’ve been getting a fixation on aerial photography and I can't wait to buy my first drone.
I saw the DJI Phantom 2 Vision online and it looked great. But it's a big price to pay for a beginner. For my first drone I like to get something that produces good result but is easy to use. Especially since it would set me back +/- $1000.
After doing some research I found that the DJI Phantom 2 (non-vision) with the Zenmuse H3-2D is the best way to go. Or do you guys suggest differently?

The only thing that holds me back is that you won't have FPV. Of course you can fly the camera without it, but how can you be sure that you have a good shot?
Do you think FPV is a must-have? Or is it easy to get some good shots without it?
Also a problem I see with FPV is that it's usually through a second camera. And sometimes it's not even mounted on the gimbal?
This doesn't seem like an optimal setup. Are there kits that you can connect directly to the gopro and use the video feed from that?

Thanks in advance.

 

[iResq]

Without FPV, video framing would just be a guess. I don't use that much to actually fly, but I do for framing.

 

[LeoS]

It also depends on how far away you expect to use the Phantom. Once you get past 100-150m, it's hard to discern your Phantom's orientation and it can be dangerous to fly without one.

But it cannot be used to fly behind objects (trees, buildings, etc)...

 

[DeKeuning]

Thanks for the response guys.

Without FPV, video framing would just be a guess. I don't use that much to actually fly, but I do for framing.

This is exactly what I mean. To get a good feed without to much trail and error, I would assume that FPV is de way to go. This is also why I thinks a kit that uses the gopro feed is better that a separate fixed camera. It would get you FPV but not a live feed from your actual recording.

It also depends on how far away you expect to use the Phantom. Once you get past 100-150m, it's hard to discern your Phantom's orientation and it can be dangerous to fly without one.

But it cannot be used to fly behind objects (trees, buildings, etc)...

Thanks for the advice. I like to experiment a lot so I'll probably use the drone to it's maximum range.

The conclusion is that FPV can be a very valuable addition the the set.. I've found a FPV set called Storm FPV Comco (Deluxe).
However there are others like fatshark that use the gopro feed. Any suggestions on a good FPV set?

 

[Pilot_FML]

Hi guys,

Over the last 2 years I’ve picked up an interest in photography and filming. I got have a gopro hero 3 black in my possession.

As of late I’ve been getting a fixation on aerial photography and I can't wait to buy my first drone.

Also a problem I see with FPV is that it's usually through a second camera. And sometimes it's not even mounted on the gimbal?
This doesn't seem like an optimal setup. Are there kits that you can connect directly to the gopro and use the video feed from that?

Thanks in advance.

A couple of thoughts...
Review posts on this forum (and others) about other first time pilots that "immediately" went the gimbal/camera route on their first quad and very much regretted it after a crash.The Phantom itself is rugged but gimbals & camera's break much more easily when things go wrong and they're not easily repairable or cheap. A better idea is to spend a lot of time learning to be a good pilot with a "naked" Phantom. There's an awful lot to learn about flying one properly... bottom line .... add gimbals, cameras and FPV only after you can fly well enough to react almost automatically when you get into trouble.

Also review other posts about why its a good idea "not" to have your FPV camera on a gimbal. When flying FPV many pilots want to see a "real time" view of where their quad is relative to obstacles rather than a view from a camera that may not see nearby obstacles because the viewing camera has been kept level to obtain good video.

 

[nwillitts]

i installed a second cam for fpv because my gopro3 kept hanging up when it was the fpv.
dedicated fpv cam was a good decision for me.

 

[hotstink626]

I got a phantom 2 with gimbal also got a video downlink from dji but its not installed yet as my dealer did not have time to do it
Is this a ok fpv platform I know I need to get a monitor or glasses but its mainly for framing plus I was reading if casa ease up the laws you will not be allowed to fly with goggles as you must maintain line of sight .