Gimbals?

[Mick Emmett]

I haven't got a Phantom yet, trying to make my mind up as to which model to go for. I already own a Gopro 4 Black edition so I was thinking of going for the Phantom2 ver3 with the Zenmuse H3-3D GoPro Gimbal, whats the down side of not going for the vision plus? Will all the gimbal controls on the transmitter work with with either gimbal or are some dedicated to DJI's own stuff. Will the Zenmuse H3-3D GoPro Gimbal work with the DJI phone app and is there any control over the Gopro from the app; changing from video to single shots etc? Any ups or downs to going for either system over the other? I know one will be a cheaper option as I have the camera already and it would be nice to shoot in 4K but that is only part of the equation.
EDIT: And there's also the added cost of buying a WiFi extender and the two holding brackets but the gopro option would still work out a little cheaper than the vision plus option.

 

[Mick Emmett]

I forgot to ask in my original post but if I go for the Vision Plus; can the DJI gimbal be modified to take a gopro if I fancy shooting in 4k sometimes, it looks a little flimsier than the Zenmuse H3-3D GoPro Gimbal?

 

[spudraleigh]

At least please take a closer look at the products and what they do/don't support.. You will then have all the answers you need. All on the DJI site or answered here many, many times already.

 

[SteveMann]

Welcome to the forum, Mick.
I had the same decision, but decided on the Phantom 2 non-vision with the GoPro Hero 4 black. If you crash and damage the Vision camera or gimbal, then you replace both for about $700. On the other hand a replacement Hero4 can be bought at Wal Mart and the Zenmuse H3-3D gimbal can be had from many places online, and I just discovered today, in stock at MicroCenter stores. Also, 2.4GHz control has a slightly longer range than 5.8GHz.

(I bought a production kit already assembled for FPV flight). I don't think there's any way to adapt the Vision gimbal to the Hero 4. I am not sure you would want to either because the gimbal is pretty carefully balanced for the camera. (And you can't buy the Vision without a camera, so there's no savings there anyway). You cannot use the DJI Phone App with any non-Vision Phantom. The Phantom (non-vision) uses a 2.4GHz controller and a 5.8 GHz video downlnk. I am pretty sure that the vision does everything on 5.8GHz. You do not want to use the WiFi on the Hero because it's also at 2.4GHz and could cause limited range control at best, and crashes at worst.

Put your location in your profile and you might find other Phantom owners in your area.

No offense, David, but it took me a week to find enough information to decide which version of Phantom to start with. There's too many versions of the Phantom and too many variations in each version to tell someone who has little or no Phantom experience to find the answers on the forums.

 

[fastsmiles]

I went with the vision plus because it is ready to go right out of the box. It is a great option for anyone unfamiliar RC.

 

[Mick Emmett]

I think I'll go with the vision plus even though I have a Gopro already, I've shot quite a few 4K vids but the files are just too large to upload anywhere so 1080 is OK for now ( I know the gopro will shoot 1080p as well), if I master it I may purchase a gimbal for the gopro later. Thanks for the useful replies, David, thanks for nothing!

 

[Mick Emmett]

Steve, sorry to single you out mate. You say you don't recommend using the WIFI on the gopro but surely that would mean that I would have no FPV or does the gopro hook up to the phantom system and use it's WIFI link to give FPV? Thought I'd made up my mind last night but now I'm not so sure, it's an extra £300 for the vision plus. I was thinking along fastsmiles lines last night, the Vision Plus is designed to work together, if I start mixing and matching I might run in to problems. This is all new to me, I like my photography and I used to fly fixed wing RC but putting then both together is a whole new ball game.

 

[locoworks]

Steve, sorry to single you out mate. You say you don't recommend using the WIFI on the gopro but surely that would mean that I would have no FPV or does the gopro hook up to the phantom system and use it's WIFI link to give FPV? Thought I'd made up my mind last night but now I'm not so sure, it's an extra £300 for the vision plus. I was thinking along fastsmiles lines last night, the Vision Plus is designed to work together, if I start mixing and matching I might run in to problems. This is all new to me, I like my photography and I used to fly fixed wing RC but putting then both together is a whole new ball game.

a non vision phantom uses 2.4ghz for control so switching on 2.4ghz wifi next to it is asking for trouble. there are work rounds using 5.8ghz FPV stuff and IOSD from DJI to give FPV similar usage to a vision + but you have to add even more to get tilt control on the camera and I still don't think you end up with stop start on the video or shutter control.??

 

[Mick Emmett]

Why do all the videos rave about using Gopros on the Phantom, seems like a load of hassle to me, or was the Gopro era pre vision when there wasn't really any other choice? So! are we basically saying that if I go the none Vision route I'm looking at more outlay to get FPV and if I don't want to go to the extra expense it's a case of just flying around blind and seeing what I get at the end of the flight?

 

[Fyod]

The main reason I chose the Gopro is because I can take it off and do other stuff with it.
Also, upgrading (from 3+ to 4 and maybe a 5 in the future) while still being able to sell the older Gopro easily.
Its just more versatile. But I do agree that if you don't want to do much digging inside the electronics and modding, go ahead and buy the Vision+.

 

[ianwood]

The primary difference between the GoPro and Vision cameras is the quality of the output. If you are satisfied with the Vision's camera quality, it is a more out-of-box ready-to-fly solution.

 

[Mick Emmett]

Well! I am now the proud owner of a Vision Plus although it's blowing a gale here in Yorkshire at the moment so can't really do a lot with it. I already have the Gopro so at some stage; if the Phantom survives long enough; I may buy the H3-3D gimbal as well so I can get some 4K footage, best not to run before I can walk. Thanks for the replies, except Dave; and to you Sir I blow a rather large Raspberry

 

[locoworks]

there are plenty of gopro clones out there so it isn't a case of V+ or gopro. walkera do their own clone with built in transmitter for fpv and I think it uses 5.8ghz so it could be a goer on a non vision P2??

 

[Mick Emmett]

Too late locoworks I've already taken the plunge and bought a vision plus, I'm just trying to plan ahead here but! apparently the none vision Phantoms run on 2.4 ghz and the vision Phantoms run on 5.8 ghz, now in an earlier post by you it wasn't recommended that the WIFI on a Gopro was used on none vision versions as it is also 2.4 ghz and they could interfere with each other. So as I have bought a Vision Plus that runs at 5.8 ghz would it be OK to fit a Zenmuse H3-3D GoPro Gimbal and use the Gopro WIFI as they would be on different frequencies to each other. It's just a thought as I'm thinking if I ever trash the vision plus camera/gimbal; or are there other differences between the none plus and plus versions that make this impractical? WOW! so many questions already and the dam thing is still in the box lol!

 

[Fyod]

There is no use to the GoPro wifi because its range is only 30m or so.
The reason it comes up a lot is that the wifi could interfere the Non-Vision's rx/tx, thus the only benefit having a GoPro on the 5.8Ghz Vision Phantom is not a useful one.
Although I am skeptical about the wifi interference since I have flown close to high-range wifi antennas without issues.

 

[spudraleigh]

None taken. It took me a while too but in the process I learned a ton of valuable information as well as where to look for answers in the future. Maybe this didn't come across but I was not suggesting he find answers here. The DJI site is what I intended as well as here after understanding the products, what they are capable of, the possible configurations and costs. Invaluable knowledge to have before plunging into what is for some a very expensive purchase. I believe I am doing a service when telling someone to read more about it before even asking a question like this. It is clear that the OP didn't understand the basics and needed a solid foundation of knowledge before embarking on this purchase. Safer and more fun for everyone as well as providing someone with the tools to make informed decisions on their own. My credo is study first, ask later. :geek:

No offense, David, but it took me a week to find enough information to decide which version of Phantom to start with. There's too many versions of the Phantom and too many variations in each version to tell someone who has little or no Phantom experience to find the answers on the forums.

 

[spudraleigh]

I think I'll go with the vision plus even though I have a Gopro already, I've shot quite a few 4K vids but the files are just too large to upload anywhere so 1080 is OK for now ( I know the gopro will shoot 1080p as well), if I master it I may purchase a gimbal for the gopro later. Thanks for the useful replies, David, thanks for nothing!

Sorry you took my inference that you learn a little before posting a question. Just trying to help

 

[spudraleigh]

Why do all the videos rave about using Gopros on the Phantom, seems like a load of hassle to me, or was the Gopro era pre vision when there wasn't really any other choice? So! are we basically saying that if I go the none Vision route I'm looking at more outlay to get FPV and if I don't want to go to the extra expense it's a case of just flying around blind and seeing what I get at the end of the flight?

Another reason to go with a P2 + H3-3D + GP is flexibility. You open up several different options for FPV from an AVL + miniIOSD all the way to Lightbridge. Plus, many people say (I don't know since I don't own a Vision) that the GoPro provides better quality. I love the GoPro but the Vision+, especially the newer ones, are pretty cool and a heck of a lot less work to assemble, etc than all of the P2 add-ons.

There are still a lot of people going the GP route, again, because of flexibility and quality even though a package solution (P2V+) exists. Guess it boils down to how much of a hobbyist or tinkerer you want to be.

 

[spudraleigh]

Well! I am now the proud owner of a Vision Plus although it's blowing a gale here in Yorkshire at the moment so can't really do a lot with it. I already have the Gopro so at some stage; if the Phantom survives long enough; I may buy the H3-3D gimbal as well so I can get some 4K footage, best not to run before I can walk. Thanks for the replies, except Dave; and to you Sir I blow a rather large Raspberry

Congratulations, I hope you have many wonderful flights. Again, I apologize for my comments before since after re-reading them it does seem like I was giving you the brush off. I did not intend to do that, it is always better to understand the products available and their capabilities to make an informed decision. That was my entire point in pointing you to the DJI site.

 

[Mick Emmett]

It's OK Dave; I was just winding you up I would still like to know if there are any differences between the none vision and the vision versions apart from the frequency difference that would make it difficult for me to simply fit a Zenmuse H3-3D GoPro Gimbal and gopro camera in place of the std DJI gimbal camera combo should the original become damaged, i.e. are all the connections and mounting points there to do this on the vision version, I can't see them using a different casing but I can perhaps see them having different electrical connections maybe? On a completely different note, I installed the vision app on my Samsung phone with no problems, I then thought it might be nice to have it working on a 7" screen but when I went to install it on my Samsung Tablet it came back and said the app wasn't compatible with my device it's for phones, my tablet has WIFI and links up with my home WIFI all right so does anyone know what the problem is and why it will only work with phones? the app doesn't seem on the face of it to require any of the additional functionality that a phone would provide.