Hello all! Complete noob from West Virginia here!

[allentc2]

So hopefully I don't get off on the wrong foot here with this first post, but I don't see another suitable section to put this in.

I've recently discovered these quad-copters with cameras (thank you, B&H catalog! LOL) and I think I might like to give this aerial photography thing a try. I've been reading over some of the threads here, and I'm currently reading over that guide by Fantomas. One tip I'm taking immediately to heart is buying one of those little Nano 3D quads to get an idea of what flying these gizmos is like. My cats will loathe me. But my end goal is to eventually get one of the Phantoms which leads me to my first question...

In layman terms, what is the big difference....or pros and cons, if you will...between the Phantom 2 and the Phantom 2 Vision +? If I am understanding what I've read thus far, the P2V+ is more of an "out of the box" solution, whereas the P2 is more ready for personal customization when it comes to your FPV display, what camera/gimbal to use? Is that accurate? If so, does going with the P2V+ really handicap someone? It looks like I give up a little range, and perhaps the use of a better camera/gimbal for the convenience of having it all "pre-assembled".

Anyway....I'll keep reading and try to make sense of it all. Thanks for any input you care to share!

 

[Happyflyer]

Welcome to the forum.
I hope you have a better time with your small quad than I did with mine. it was a bummer to fly. I would save the money for maybe batteries or upgrade antennas for what ever "P" you decide on.

 

[TomasBKK]

I just went recently what you're going through. I did fly those small cheap quads and they're tons of fun and great for learning how to fly. I was set on buying P2V+ but after so much research I've decided to go for the H3-3D setup even though it does does cost a bit more.
My reasons for going with H3-3D setup:
-i wanted to have a gopro to use for other things than just flying, gopro is a better camera than V+ even tho V+ is not shabby at all
-from what i've read the V+ camera/gimbal setup is super fragile, seen many people complain about the camera coming apart from the gimbal when they crash, replacing this piece is $700ish
-gopro is much stronger than V+ setup and if the crash does destroy the h3-3d gimbal it's half price of V+ to replace
-way more customization options, FPV setup for example

One thing I thought I'd really need is the ability to take photos mid air. V+ setup lets you do this while you have no way to control the gopro once flying. After 7 flights I don't find this feature as important as i thought it would be.

As for setup here's the one i bought http://www.rc711.com/shop/dji-new-phant ... th=341_403
it's ready to fly FPV setup out of the box just like P2V+, so far I'm very happy with it.

 

[allentc2]

I do like the idea of a more rugged set-up. FUnctionality wise...the rc711 kit you linked too is exactly like the P2V+ EXCEPT no ability to take stills in flight, correct? But everything else would be done/used the same? Decisions, decisions. LOL My mini should be in Friday....I'll play with it for awhile and perhaps Christmas treat myself to something bigger. I suppose I should also see about Photoshop. The "show me your stills" thread in the P2V+ section has me drooling.

 

[SteveMann]

I buy all my photo and video gear from B&H - it is their core competency. Phantoms are not. I bought a "Production Kit" from Dronefly for about the same price as the B&H kit. The main difference being the number of batteries and that the B&H kit was not returnable.

I decided to buy the Phantom 2 with the H3-3D gimbal and the Hero 4 Black camera. As an earlier post said, you break the camera or gimbal on the Vision, and you are out $700 plus weeks of down time. On the other hand, the GoPro is practically indestructible and you can find the H3-3D gimbal all over eBay.

If this is your first multirotor aircraft, you will crash. Prepare for it and buy spare props.

 

[TomasBKK]

I do like the idea of a more rugged set-up. FUnctionality wise...the rc711 kit you linked too is exactly like the P2V+ EXCEPT no ability to take stills in flight, correct? But everything else would be done/used the same? Decisions, decisions. LOL My mini should be in Friday....I'll play with it for awhile and perhaps Christmas treat myself to something bigger. I suppose I should also see about Photoshop. The "show me your stills" thread in the P2V+ section has me drooling.

Yes it's quite similar but a bit different. You get lots of cool information such as distance, height, angles of the drone, battery life, etc.. from miniIOSD module very similar to V+ but you cannot set waypoints and you cannot start/stop record and take photos remotely. On the other hand tilting the camera using a dedicated knob is way more natural than clicking the touchscreen while you're flying

The rc711 FPV setup works no 5.8GHz and the communication between radio and the phantom on 2.8ghz, but the P2V+ communicates with radio on 5.8ghz because it uses WIFI (2.8ghz) signal to communicate with your phone/tablet. So upgrading from V+ to H3-3D setup is a hassle because of this.

My advice is to do tons of research, there are many forums and youtube videos covering all the topics. Make sure you understand what you're buying before you buy good luck

 

[syotr]

Hello and welcome aboard from another West Virginian (Culloden.)
I agree with those who have recommended getting the P2 rather than the P2V+. You will have crashes and the P2V+ is very expensive to repair.
I am still flying a customized P 1.1.1 and a scratch-built waterproof quad in a Dex shell. I like the option of using different batteries and not being locked into the proprietary, expensive P2 ones.

 

[allentc2]

Hah!! I'm in Cross Lanes! If you wouldn't mind, I might want to pick your brain on this stuff. LOL

Tomas....so with the P2, you lose the GPS features? Or is that just particular to that specific set up from rc711? From reading Steve Mann's Dronefly link, I got the impression that set-up DID do the GPS stuff. Clearly I need to do more reading.

 

[TomasBKK]

No, you can still fly in GPS mode, and have the failsafe return to home function. I think that distance is also calculated using GPS. But you cannot do way point flying (not sure the correct term, where you map out your route on a map and drones flies automatically) out of the box like you can do with P2V+ app, you can add this stuff to the P2 if you want.

 

[TomasBKK]

THis is the on screen display you get with the setup i showed you.
http://youtu.be/MztIht-yh1M?t=5m53s

 

[allentc2]

Tomas.....so what I'd need for the waypoint flying would be an iPad, the Ground Station data link gizmo, correct? And that's in addition to the other stuff included in the rc711 kit.

 

[TomasBKK]

Tomas.....so what I'd need for the waypoint flying would be an iPad, the Ground Station data link gizmo, correct? And that's in addition to the other stuff included in the rc711 kit.

yup

 

[allentc2]

Hmmmm....so theoretically, I could gradually "build up" a P2 to do everything the P2V+ does. Does the iPad replace the Black Pearl/Boscam/whatever monitor for FPV purposes, or does it become a seperate piece?

And do I understand this correctly......the limiting factor for FPV is the distance the signal from the camera (which is transmitted by a gizmo on the chopper, such as one of those ImmersionRC Txs) has to go. And I can extend that by a 'bigger' transmitter (going from 400mW to 600mW) AND getting better antennas.

Finally, with waypoint flying, I can go BVR (though that may not be the smartest thing in the world) once outside the range of the ImmersionRC transmitter.

 

[erikgraham]

If you got vision plus, it would be ready and working with all the bells and whistles right out of the box.
You can learn on it. Next you'll probably want to get some FPV goggles like the Zies Cinemizer or the Epson.

Then, when you have that all sorted and you have some flight hours, then you could add the Quickrelease to your vision plus and switch out the gimbal and camera setup to use a GoPro 3/4 or a SonyRX100, and whatever other cameras/gimbals get Quickrelease support in the future.

Also, you might want to wait to see what the DJI Inspire is going to be when they announce it in a few days.

 

[allentc2]

Hmmmm....that's a nice alternative as well, Erik. Thanks! And yeah, I have plenty of time before I do this. Like I said, perhaps a nice Christmas gift to myself.

Oh BTW....my son is a huge Chelsea fan.

 

[erikgraham]

Oh BTW....my son is a huge Chelsea fan.

Well I won't hold that against you... too much. Now if he was a Spurs fan, then we'd have a real problem.

 

[Meta4]

The "show me your stills" thread in the P2V+ section has me drooling.

If taking stills is your interest, the P2+ is the way to go. It's currently the only option that lets you take a still when you choose to.

 

[allentc2]

From what I gather, that's not really a sticking point as I can simply grab stills from video as well.

That said, I am leaning towards the P2V+, mainly due to it being "good enough". Yeah, the P2 with the fancy gimbal would be better....but I could blow a LOT of money getting it to do what I'd like.