Need advice on configuration to purchase

[danfried2]

I'm a newbee and hope that I can take advantage of the collective knowledge of this group who are much more experienced. I want to purchase a Phantom for the purpose of photography - both video and stills. The things that are important to me are:
1. Ease of use: I'm not experienced and want to minimize the liklihood of crashes (I do have a cheap quadcopter that I'm practicing with). I also want to be able to fly smoothly so that the video looks professional. I like the Ground Station app and have an iPad, but FPV is also very important for framing shots.
2. Video and still image quality. I know that both the V2+ and Zenmus/GoPro 3+ are capable of both. 4k is of no importance, but I do want quality 1080 HD.
3. I don't want props and landing struts in the photos or video.
4. If I have to land to change the camera from video to still, and vice versa, that's not very important. I also don't consider the fact that I'd have to set the GoPro to shoot a still image every xSeconds as a major drawback - I'll just use the ones I want. However, and this is very important, if I have a GoPro setup that is set for still images, I still must have FPV and see what the camera is seeing.
5. All of the above are more important than price.

Certainly the easiest thing to do is get the P2V+, but if there's a noticeable difference in still and video image quality, then the GoPro may be better for me. Based on the above criteria, do you think I'm better off with a P2V+, or a Zenmust/GoPro3+ configuration?

 

[JDN]

I'll comment, but please understand I have limited experience, to date.
My limited qualifications are:
1 month of flying experience with a P2 equipped with Zenmuse H3-3D & GoPro Hero 3+ (silver edition)
NO P2V+ experience or knowledge
NO FPV experience, yet. (Soon to change!)
2 decades of Prosumer DSLR photography experience (use Canon 6D / Aperture)

OK...with that out of the way and that "capabilities" are more important to you than "price", then I'll recommend you seriously consider the P2/Zenmuse H3-3D/GoPro Hero3+ combo. My reasoning includes: I strive for (and like) quality images whether they are stills or video, I like flexibility with equipment, and I'm detailed oriented.

Good luck on not getting a few props or landing struts in your video. I haven't found that solution, just yet. I still get a few from time to time, but I'm learning if you fly certain ways, you can effectively limit the number of these you get in any one video. (And, you have multiple ways of getting rid of them in post-editing!) I haven't taken any photos with my GoPro Hero 3+, yet, but will do so some day, just to see what kind of quality it has. I'm very pleased with the 1080HD/60FPS videos I'm getting so far, but still notice some jello effect from time to time. (I think it has something to do with the angle of the sun during the recording, but I haven't figured that out just yet. I am going to be trying an ND filter soon, to see what effects (if any) that has on the video quality.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my setup and the ability it has. I had absolutely no experience in RC flying, prior to this. The P2 almost flies itself! It is amazingly easy! If you plan things, you can still get some amazing videos, without the aid of FPV. But, I'm about ready to try some FPV, so maybe I'll change my mind after I have that capability. Hope that helps in your decision process. Good luck!

 

[danfried2]

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. Actually, as a novice user your advice on how easy the P2 is to fly is especially reassuring - I've been quite nervous about having some nice equipment stuck up in a tree, or crashing into a wall. From your comment, it sounds like the P2 won't be hard to learn. I'm a professional photographer and have very high standards, and that's why my issue with image quality. But, I've never shot or edited video so I don't have a feeling for what tools there are to remove distractions - like props.

Other people have commented about the negative effects of shooting close to the sun - which you seem to think is causing a jello effect. I think that it would be fairly easy to fashion a light sunshade for the GoPro out of black plastic that may help with that. You'd have to experiment on its placement so it doesn't get into the image area, but it should be possible without negatively effecting the flying ability of the P2. I'd consider attaching it to the underside of the P2 and not the gimbal. Again, thank you for your suggestions.

 

[Meta4]

Seems the question is being asked every day. P2 gopro vs P2+ ??
Those with the P2 will say that is the way to go and those with the Plus will advocate it.
The truth is they are both good and easy to use.
I'm tempted to say they are idiot proof but there are a lot of people testing that idea to extreme.
My vote would be for the Plus for the flexibility and ease of use it offers.
It's not quite in the same league as my Nikon D800 but it is pretty good for a flying camera.

ps ... no problems taking photos without landing gear with the +

 

[Original poster]

Both the P2V+ and P2 are easy to use, fly and upgrade however I do think the Gopro camera is far superior to the P2V+.

My only downside to using the Gopro coupled with the P2 is when you turn aggressively the left hand leg sometimes comes into shot. It's not always and can certainly be avoided by gentle flying but definitely something to consider.

This can of course be stopped by purchasing the wider (and taller) legs. There are a number of solutions out there from various buyers so you won't struggle, the only downside to this is it may well not fit in your case (if you even plan on buying one).