Model confusions

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I admit to being new, but a search failed to bring an overview of the dji models. At first I thought the choice would be between Phantom 2 with gimbal and Phantom 2 vision +. Now I see there are Phantom 2 vision+ v1 and v3. It's starting to get confusing. Is there a rundown of the models with their characteristics?

I think a copter can help me in my business, but I have to import the unit and its components to another country and the cost of that is huge (2x) so I can't afford mistakes; I need the right unit first take. Additionally I am convinced I cannot rely on dji support so need a fair and responsive distributor with ready access to parts.

1) Is there now procedure to guarantee against flyaway?

2) I will need the longest battery duration.

3) Since the vision 2+ has gimbal integrated with camera, the fix is another unit at 600$+, so I prefer the idea of separate gimbal and camera. Is the Zenmuse reliable? Is there another good camera to mount that doesn't cost like a gopro?

4) Finally, are there other drones I should be aware of besides the dji?
 
Here's the phantom models in a nutshell

first of all you want the longest flight times so we can just forget about the P1 and FC40 as they get under 20 minutes of flight time.

So that leaves you with the P2, P2v, P2v+

The P2 or Phantom 2, is the base model. It doesn't come fpv ready, so you have to buy your own gimbal/gopro setup as well as fpv screen, and so on. (good choice for people who want to do their own fpv setup.) Also the cheapest option.

The P2V or Phantom 2 Vision, is the step up I guess you could say, as it comes with it's own camera with 2 way tilt (up/down), and you can use your phone for an fpv screen, after downloading the app for it. (good choice for people who want a P2 with fpv already setup, and dont mind not having a gimbal)

The P2V+ or Phantom 2 Vision Plus, is the step up from the P2V, and it also has it's own camera, as well as gimbal, only the quality of the camera is as you've guessed, much higher quality than the P2V. You also have 2 way tilt (up/down), and the gimbal will keep your videos looking nice and smooth, and it's also controlled by an app, however it still won't be as good as some gopro/gimbal setups.

now, to answer your other questions

1) Is there now procedure to guarantee against flyaway? Most flyaways are actually just user error, so read the manual and always follow the proper startup procedure. As for real flyaways, it's usually due to 2 different frequencies interfering with each other or something along those lines. It's not as common as you might think so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

2) I will need the longest battery duration. All P2 models use the same battery, however, what you put on that phantom is what's going to make a difference in flight times. The P2V would probably have the best flight times with fpv but you'll have to sacrifice on video quality, as it doesn't have a gimbal.

3) Since the vision 2+ has gimbal integrated with camera, the fix is another unit at 600$+, so I prefer the idea of separate gimbal and camera. Is the Zenmuse reliable? Is there another good camera to mount that doesn't cost like a gopro? I heard the Zenmuse is pretty good, but I can't say anything about it from my personal experience, I'm sure someone here does though.

4) Finally, are there other drones I should be aware of besides the dji? Yes, there's plenty of other drones around I could talk about, but the ones that compare to the Phantom series are usually quite a bit more expensive, not as great on quality, or has some other issue. However, if you wait a bit, there's a few comming out soon that should give it a run for it's money like the Hubsan X4 Pro. Dji also has the Inspire 1 out that's supposed to be pretty good, but they're still working out the bugs for now and they cost quite a bit more than the P2V+.

Oh! and I think the only difference between the Vision V1 and V2 or 3 (whatever it is) is the Tx has a few new features such as the scroll wheel on the newer versions and maybe a few other things.

I think that covers everything I can think of.
 
kitari said:
Here's the phantom models in a nutshell

first of all you want the longest flight times so we can just forget about the P1 and FC40 as they get under 20 minutes of flight time.

So that leaves you with the P2, P2v, P2v+

The P2 or Phantom 2, is the base model. It doesn't come fpv ready, so you have to buy your own gimbal/gopro setup as well as fpv screen, and so on. (good choice for people who want to do their own fpv setup.) Also the cheapest option.

The P2V or Phantom 2 Vision, is the step up I guess you could say, as it comes with it's own camera with 2 way tilt (up/down), and you can use your phone for an fpv screen, after downloading the app for it. (good choice for people who want a P2 with fpv already setup, and dont mind not having a gimbal)

The P2V+ or Phantom 2 Vision Plus, is the step up from the P2V, and it also has it's own camera, as well as gimbal, only the quality of the camera is as you've guessed, much higher quality than the P2V. You also have 2 way tilt (up/down), and the gimbal will keep your videos looking nice and smooth, and it's also controlled by an app, however it still won't be as good as some gopro/gimbal setups.

now, to answer your other questions

1) Is there now procedure to guarantee against flyaway? Most flyaways are actually just user error, so read the manual and always follow the proper startup procedure. As for real flyaways, it's usually due to 2 different frequencies interfering with each other or something along those lines. It's not as common as you might think so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

2) I will need the longest battery duration. All P2 models use the same battery, however, what you put on that phantom is what's going to make a difference in flight times. The P2V would probably have the best flight times with fpv but you'll have to sacrifice on video quality, as it doesn't have a gimbal.

3) Since the vision 2+ has gimbal integrated with camera, the fix is another unit at 600$+, so I prefer the idea of separate gimbal and camera. Is the Zenmuse reliable? Is there another good camera to mount that doesn't cost like a gopro? I heard the Zenmuse is pretty good, but I can't say anything about it from my personal experience, I'm sure someone here does though.

4) Finally, are there other drones I should be aware of besides the dji? Yes, there's plenty of other drones around I could talk about, but the ones that compare to the Phantom series are usually quite a bit more expensive, not as great on quality, or has some other issue. However, if you wait a bit, there's a few comming out soon that should give it a run for it's money like the Hubsan X4 Pro. Dji also has the Inspire 1 out that's supposed to be pretty good, but they're still working out the bugs for now and they cost quite a bit more than the P2V+.

Oh! and I think the only difference between the Vision V1 and V2 or 3 (whatever it is) is the Tx has a few new features such as the scroll wheel on the newer versions and maybe a few other things.

The P2 is at V2. This version introduced a upgraded props, motors and ESCs and a new transmitter.
The P2V+ is at V3. This version introduced a upgraded props, motors and ESCs and a new transmitter.

One other advantage of the P2 over the P2 Visions is that it allows for video equipment to be fitted which is superior to the Vision stock equipment - which is fixed unless you do some serious modding.
 
kitari said:
Here's the phantom models in a nutshell

first of all you want the longest flight times so we can just forget about the P1 and FC40 as they get under 20 minutes of flight time.

So that leaves you with the P2, P2v, P2v+

The P2 or Phantom 2, is the base model. It doesn't come fpv ready, so you have to buy your own gimbal/gopro setup as well as fpv screen, and so on. (good choice for people who want to do their own fpv setup.) Also the cheapest option.

The P2V or Phantom 2 Vision, is the step up I guess you could say, as it comes with it's own camera with 2 way tilt (up/down), and you can use your phone for an fpv screen, after downloading the app for it. (good choice for people who want a P2 with fpv already setup, and dont mind not having a gimbal)

The P2V+ or Phantom 2 Vision Plus, is the step up from the P2V, and it also has it's own camera, as well as gimbal, only the quality of the camera is as you've guessed, much higher quality than the P2V. You also have 2 way tilt (up/down), and the gimbal will keep your videos looking nice and smooth, and it's also controlled by an app, however it still won't be as good as some gopro/gimbal setups.

now, to answer your other questions

1) Is there now procedure to guarantee against flyaway? Most flyaways are actually just user error, so read the manual and always follow the proper startup procedure. As for real flyaways, it's usually due to 2 different frequencies interfering with each other or something along those lines. It's not as common as you might think so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

2) I will need the longest battery duration. All P2 models use the same battery, however, what you put on that phantom is what's going to make a difference in flight times. The P2V would probably have the best flight times with fpv but you'll have to sacrifice on video quality, as it doesn't have a gimbal.

3) Since the vision 2+ has gimbal integrated with camera, the fix is another unit at 600$+, so I prefer the idea of separate gimbal and camera. Is the Zenmuse reliable? Is there another good camera to mount that doesn't cost like a gopro? I heard the Zenmuse is pretty good, but I can't say anything about it from my personal experience, I'm sure someone here does though.

4) Finally, are there other drones I should be aware of besides the dji? Yes, there's plenty of other drones around I could talk about, but the ones that compare to the Phantom series are usually quite a bit more expensive, not as great on quality, or has some other issue. However, if you wait a bit, there's a few comming out soon that should give it a run for it's money like the Hubsan X4 Pro. Dji also has the Inspire 1 out that's supposed to be pretty good, but they're still working out the bugs for now and they cost quite a bit more than the P2V+.

Oh! and I think the only difference between the Vision V1 and V2 or 3 (whatever it is) is the Tx has a few new features such as the scroll wheel on the newer versions and maybe a few other things.

I think that covers everything I can think of.

Kitari gave you a pretty good run down. You did not specify what you were looking at doing with it. If video, you might look at the P2 so you can modify how you want. It will cost a bit more for the set up but the video you will get from a go pro is some of the best out there. If you are looking at still photography, the P2V+ has a 14MP camera & for having such a small sensor, it takes pretty good quality images as long as it is not at night. (400 iso is the highest the sensor can be set to) It shoots in jpeg & raw format. The video is ok but not anywhere close to the go pro. You are going to have a trade off between video & stills between the two models.
Now the Inspire, is the newest flagship from DJI's line. The video is supposed to be pretty good & the camera produces a 12MP raw or jpeg image. I have not seen any images from it except on the web, but the iso is supposed to be able to be taken up to 3200 iso so evening or night images might be a possibility without nearly as much noise as the P2V+ has.
Good luck with your choices.
 
Your Friendly Canard said:
kitari said:
The P2V+ or Phantom 2 Vision Plus, is the step up from the P2V, and it also has it's own camera, as well as gimbal, only the quality of the camera is as you've guessed, much higher quality than the P2V. You also have 2 way tilt (up/down), and the gimbal will keep your videos looking nice and smooth, and it's also controlled by an app, however it still won't be as good as some gopro/gimbal setups.

Bad guess.

The camera/sensor is the same on the P2V and P2V+. The only difference is the form factor.
Yep
 
And also the Bandwidths are flipped.
The P2 Non vision has 2.4Ghz controls and bolts on 5.8Ghz Analogue FPV (better range)
The P2 Vision Series has 5.8Ghz controls and comes with 2.4Ghz Digital FPV (less range)

The P2 Non vision is usually 1 way downlink (FPV and telemetry). You can bolt on 2.4Ghz Bluetooth to enable 2 way for groundstation. For now, I think groundstation is gimmicky as camera tilt can only be controlled.
The P2 Vision Series is 2 way up/down link. Which means you communicate on the fly and change settings/groundstation/wheres my phantom etc.
 
Larry L said:
Your Friendly Canard said:
kitari said:
The P2V+ or Phantom 2 Vision Plus, is the step up from the P2V, and it also has it's own camera, as well as gimbal, only the quality of the camera is as you've guessed, much higher quality than the P2V. You also have 2 way tilt (up/down), and the gimbal will keep your videos looking nice and smooth, and it's also controlled by an app, however it still won't be as good as some gopro/gimbal setups.

Bad guess.

The camera/sensor is the same on the P2V and P2V+. The only difference is the form factor.
Yep

Really? I always thought the P2V+ video looked better than the P2V. Didn't know they had the same type of camera. That's pretty cool. I'll keep that in mind if I ever get around to upgrading.
 
Let's make this simple. Unless you're going to spend twice as much money and twice as much work,,the only solution you should be looking at is Phanton 2 Vision + version3......end of discussion. Make this easy on yourself and only do this once.
 
RedRyderMedia said:
Let's make this simple. Unless you're going to spend twice as much money and twice as much work,,the only solution you should be looking at is Phanton 2 Vision + version3......end of discussion. Make this easy on yourself and only do this once.
A good choice. Just don't ever crash. Delicate gimbal and costs a ton+ of money to replace.
 
The camera/sensor is the same on the P2V and P2V+. The only difference is the form factor.[/quote]
Yep[/quote]

Really? I always thought the P2V+ video looked better than the P2V. Didn't know they had the same type of camera. That's pretty cool. I'll keep that in mind if I ever get around to upgrading.[/quote]
Yep, I was told the only difference was the camera shape & gimble. Has same sensor.
 

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