Gimbal protectors

I have owned a gimbal protector and had a hard landing one day. Can't remember why the landing was hard. Was a couple months ago, but my gimbal guard broke right in the center. So much for gimbal guards. I think they are a gimmick anyway. What are the odds you will land in an area that has a hard object in between the landing gear and hit the gimbal?... No more gimbal guards for me.
 
I got mine delivered a few days ago. There's lots of info here on the forum about these. The advantage is that your camera will get some protection from hitting an on ground object while landing. The disadvantage is it may cause your phantom to tip if it lands centred on a larger rock/stick etc. Another disadvantage is it may hinder the phantom from using its normal storage, mine does, my Nanuk case has a cutout area for the landing gear, but won't work with the gimbal protector on. I think it's just another gadget to add to my growing pile of useless P3P items- gimbal guard, iPad sunshade, motor covers, lens sunshade, prop guards............save your dollar, don't fall for any of these useless items. If your phantom falls from the sky this gimbal guard will do nothing to protect your camera, the centrifugal force of hitting the ground will destroy your camera anyways!
Totally agree. I went through a period where more or or less every day I was getting funny little packages from China through the post. I've jettisoned most of them, kept a couple of sunshades, a gimbal lock, and my precious windsurfers - that's it. Adding stuff to the body of the Phantom no matter how small is a hide into nothing, particularly those ridiculous prop guards. You're just adding weight and making the craft more unstable. By the way, if you hand catch , it's highly unlikely you'll ever need a gimbal guard.
 
I got mine delivered a few days ago. There's lots of info here on the forum about these. The advantage is that your camera will get some protection from hitting an on ground object while landing. The disadvantage is it may cause your phantom to tip if it lands centred on a larger rock/stick etc. Another disadvantage is it may hinder the phantom from using its normal storage, mine does, my Nanuk case has a cutout area for the landing gear, but won't work with the gimbal protector on. I think it's just another gadget to add to my growing pile of useless P3P items- gimbal guard, iPad sunshade, motor covers, lens sunshade, prop guards............save your dollar, don't fall for any of these useless items. If your phantom falls from the sky this gimbal guard will do nothing to protect your camera, the centrifugal force of hitting the ground will destroy your camera anyways!
Worst purchase i made was the prop guards from DJI! I gave no thought to my case and the fact that these were not removable without screwing on and off. Anyone wants a set let me know
 
Ive seen videos on youtube that have actually saved the camera. For the sake of $15 id rather have it

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
 
Ive seen videos on youtube that have actually saved the camera. For the sake of $15 id rather have it

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
I agree. But little bit concerned about extra weight and aerodynamics of the drone. I understand it's just a little impact but still. That's why it would be nice to hear from the people who used the protectors for a while if they have noticed any difference in flight or battery lifetime, or anything else.
 
The only two accessories that someone actually need and will use are:
1) A good quality case to protect the drone in travel and storage.
2) As many batteries as you can find/afford

Buying anything else is throwing money into the wind (literally). It's easy to get caught up in the moment at the beginning of ownership and order all the little gadgets and gizmos from eBay.......that's what happened to me :) . I watched all the YouTube videos till my eyes were red while waiting for my drone to arrive, in the videos the prop guards are a "must" along with the gimbal guard and the "never fly without it" so I quickly jumped onto eBay and ordered. After I've flown for a bit I now realize I don't need any of the junk I now have collected. :).
 
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Ok you list all the items and say they are useless I was about to order a sunshade for my tablet cause of the glare is it a waist of money???
Someone here mentioned you can cut out a shoe box as cheap sunshade for your tablet. I already bought one for my Samsung S2 tablet, but at the moment I am using a custom self-made shade from the Phantom 3 battery box for my iPhone 6 :D

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Someone here mentioned you can cut out a shoe box as cheap sunshade for your tablet. I already bought one for my Samsung S2 tablet, but at the moment I am using a custom self-made shade from the Phantom 3 battery box for my iPhone 6 :D

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That looks pretty classy. How do you fly with such a small screen :D
 
The only two accessories that someone actually need and will use are:
1) A good quality case to protect the drone in travel and storage.
2) As many batteries as you can find/afford

I had my RTH set at 90' and still clipped the top of a tree & my P2v+ tumbled to the ground. My gimbal protector did it's job, the gimbal moved freely, camera never separated, and my cable never snapped. The impact did force the camera up into the bottom of the bird and bend another part of the camera. I also had the "carbon fiber" protector between the legs. It failed and snapped in half but I still put one on my P3P and will put another on my P2v+ when finished with the rebuild. It helps when hand catching and helps keep the camera area clear on launch.

One thing you left out that I take with me is my tracking device. In my case it a Marco Polo.
 
On the original question asked in this thread - I had a CF gimbal saver across they bottom. I did something stupid recently and flew out over the ocean off the top of the building I live in, 8 stories up, without checking how much battery I had. Oops. I installed one with only about 32% left but didn't get the alarm I tell it was well out to sea. When I did get the alarm I flew it back immediately but with all the adrenaline going, nerd adrenaline that is, I was in a panic to get it down onto the roof and basically crash landed t for no real reason other than I was stupid. The only smart thing I did was put that gimbal saver on the bottom. Although it came down basically straight it hit the very sold roof with enough force to break the very small zip ties holding the saver on and snapped the saver in two. But because of he added structure adding rigidity to the legs it saved the legs from getting bent sideways and the studs being ripped out of the body, had that happen before, and the gimbal had no damage. So it cost me sub $20 to replace the saver. A good investment considering I'll probably do something a bit stupid again. Btw, I've been flying and building drones from DJI for 3 years now and have over 500 miles on my P3P alone. That's since June so likely thousands of miles overall. **** happens. Buy insurance. There was some... I'll call him silly... Yeah, silly person that said if you land on uneven ground that it might tip over so you should t have the added structure there. Well guess what, if you land on uneven ground, say there's a rock there or who knows what, whatever it is is going to HIT the gimbal and trust me, anything hitting the gimbal is BAD, I know. It's much better to have it tip over, break the propellers and put a few scratches on your toy than bend anything on that gimbal. Especially if you're not mechanical. I've replaced arms and ribbon cables for 50$ or $100. No big deal to me but some people are coughing up $500 for a new gimbal and camera.

The cross bar protectors are defiantly a good investment. If for nothing else to protect against brain fart's just like the one I had that day.

Heck! Leaving the gimbal unprotected was likely part of DJI's business plan. ;-)
 

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