Newbie looking for a drone. Help please!

[SeaNile]

Glad I found this forum. I'm considering getting a drone for fun aerial videos, of the boat, house and generally just playing around with it and taking various videos. I have no RC experience but saw a few videos of boats shot with a DJI Phantom Vision 2 and love the idea of shooting videos from this vantage point.

I don't want to assemble a kit or make a wish list of parts and put together a drone with camera. Guess what I am asking is there a turn key out of the box drone that would work for me? Having a built in camera would be OK but I am not against getting a GoPro as I would use it as a stand alone video camera for other activities, like on my boat.

Any feedback or advice would be great. I use a MacBook Pro and an iPhone 5s if that makes a difference at all.

Lastly, as this could be a hobby that flames out quickly I do not want to spend more than $1,000. I'm even OK going used via classifieds, members looking to upgrade or even a craigslist find.

Thanks for all of the help.

JK

 

[SmittyRN]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

Starting at $499 at your local Amazon website.

http://www.amazon.com/DJI-Phantom-Q...1397949571&sr=8-6&keywords=phantom+quadcopter

 

[Madwak]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

If you hang on a little longer you will be able to pick up 2 phantom visions for a thousand :mrgreen:

 

[OI Photography]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

Check out the options this member has available right now: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12880

I'd suggest you look at "package option B" there (detailed near the bottom), add a go pro to that and you're still well under $1k

Option A is a great deal too, but you'd have to factor in the cost of the gopro on top of that.

 

[Topeeka]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

I was...and am pretty much at the same place you are...wanting a 'turn-key' operation and having had NO previous RC experience. Here is the link to the review I did for Amazon last fall shortly after I got my Phantom 2 Vision.

http://www.amazon.com/review/RZJ7YGVLAT ... -and-games

I can't tell you much more than I wrote in that review, hope it helps a bit...

 

[SeaNile]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

Thanks for the help. That Amazon review is awesome, makes me want to get one tomorrow!

Love the ad and the packages but I am so new I don't even know what that stuff is and the abbreviations really make me scratch my head.

Does it make more sense to get a drone and a gopro that I can use separately compared to the drone with built in camera?

I'm going to look at that classified again and google every word so I understand what would be a wise purchase.

I tend to think newer generations are better. Is a V1 a lesser machine than a Phantom 2 vision where I can mount a go pro?

 

[Topeeka]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

As with so many of these decisions, the answer is...."Depends"...!! (How's that for a cop-out?)

Both approaches have some positives and negatives...and on this forum you will find people with many different views. Getting a Phantom with a separate GoPro makes sense if you would have other uses for a GoPro...or are thinking about using it on other Quads or on a future Phantom...or if you just prefer the look and operation of the GoPro. Buying a Phantom with a built in...or on...camera has the advantage of that "one stop shopping" with everything pretty much set up and ready to fly.

The BIG difference between the earlier Phantoms and the Vision most definitely is FLIGHT TIME... The V1 has an airborne time of anywhere from 6-10 minutes...and the Vision can stay aloft for around 25 minutes...a BIG difference. That comes at a cost however of the price of the battery. One is included, but additional batteries are $160...gulp...! It only takes about an hour or two to recharge a Vision battery, so you can be back in the air fairly soon even with just one battery.

Reading the forums on here can expose you to ALL sorts of info, opinions, examples, lies and suggestions...

Best of luck...have fun..!

 

[SeaNile]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

The fly time would have gotten me. I like the idea of a 20-25 time vs 6min. Found a Phantom Vison 2 locally but the guy is asking $1000.

I would use a GoPro as a stand alone camera mostly on the boat. Get a waterproof case and a suction cup and that camera can be mounted in a lot of different locations.

I'll add to the cop-out. An all in one unit seems pretty easy, simple and nice to use. Especially with me having no experience at all this hobby could last all of 20 minutes.

 

[SeaNile]

Re: Newbie looking for a drone with camera. Help please!

Thank you.

So I would be looking at a DJI Phantom 2? Also have to pick out a go pro as well.

 

[RedRyderMedia]

Glad I found this forum. I'm considering getting a drone for fun aerial videos,
JK

You can't get there for $1000. Wait until you can spend $1400 and get the Phantom 2 Vision Plus. You won't be sorry. If you want to shoot video YOU NEED TWO THINGS......TO SEE ON A MONITOR WHAT YOUR CAMERA SEES, AND A GREAT GIMBAL. P2V+ with a spare battery for $1400 is the only way to go. Don't believe anyone that says you can do it for less.

 

[SeaNile]

Glad I found this forum. I'm considering getting a drone for fun aerial videos,
JK

You can't get there for $1000. Wait until you can spend $1400 and get the Phantom 2 Vision Plus. You won't be sorry. If you want to shoot video YOU NEED TWO THINGS......TO SEE ON A MONITOR WHAT YOUR CAMERA SEES, AND A GREAT GIMBAL. P2V+ with a spare battery for $1400 is the only way to go. Don't believe anyone that says you can do it for less.

A few points that hit home for me...seeing on a monitor would be key and a great gimbal. Otherwise it's a shaky picture and shooting while I have no idea what I am shooting.

I would be a little concerned spending about $1500 for my first machine. And spending that much and only having the camera that is attached. At least with the GoPro I could use the camera for other activities. Is there a way to get a monitor while using a GoPro?

 

[SeaNile]

I've got to be budget minded for this first purchase. I'm strongly considering a Phantom Vision 2. If I really get into this I will look to upgrade later.

For now I am on the hunt for a preowned Vision 2. New they can be found for 899-999 so I am curious what the used prices will be. I'd like to find one with a few extras....batteries, etc.

If you see a good deal please pass it along!

 

[IrishSights]

Wrong and wrong again.

With smooth stick input you can capture usable video without a gimbal. A gimbal does make capturing usable video much easier though.

You do not need a monitor to shoot video.

Why do self-described newbies post this kind of pap.

Idiocy.

Technically you are correct. You might get useable video without a gimbel in zero or very low wind. So smooth stick input in wind without a gimbel will not get you steady video. Even with a gimbel it can be challenging enough. If you live in the part of the world where 10mph winds and gusts is the norm, like me, then a gimbel is a must. If you want to frame your video shots for accurate video then you would need a monitor and video transmitter if going for a P2. For flexibility in shooting then the GoPro is the better option although its a pain to remove it from the gimbel. You cannot remove the camera from a P2V so its a little less versatile from that point of view.

IMHO only an idiot calls another person an idiot.

Sent from Samsung S4 via Tapatalk

 

[Topeeka]

Just as a starting point for acquiring a P2V that is under your budget, you might want to keep an eye on eBay, etc. for nearly new ones that people are selling so they can upgrade. Here is a listing that looks typical...very little usage, extra battery, price now at $950...seems about right... This link is:

http://www.amazon.com/DJI-Phantom-Quadc ... dp_product

EDITED UPDATE....WRONG URL... Sorry for the last URL...that was to a review I did and NOT to the Amazon offering now.

Hope this might help....

 

[Topeeka]

I guess this all depends on what sort of video you want as your end result. From looking at video submissions on here, it seems there are two sort of distinct groupings. The first is from Phantom Phlyers who just want to fly around overhead, gain a lot of altitude, maybe swoop through a park, etc. All of this with not much concern about exactly what the camera is precisely focused on....just aerial shots of a park, waterfront, geographical feature, etc.

Then...the other group of videos are a LOT more specific about having a particular object, building, landscape, etc. centered in the camera....maybe slow flights toward or back from the object...motion along a particular feature, etc. All of this with a story or theme as a guide. For work like this, it's imperative to be able to see exactly what the camera sees...and for that, FPV is a must....! The ability to look at the actual image from the camera....to tilt it up or down a few degrees, to rotate it a bit to the left or right...or to move up or down until the shot looks just right is essential.

 

[OI Photography]

Then...the other group of videos are a LOT more specific about having a particular object, building, landscape, etc. centered in the camera....maybe slow flights toward or back from the object...motion along a particular feature, etc. All of this with a story or theme as a guide. For work like this, it's imperative to be able to see exactly what the camera sees...and for that, FPV is a must....! The ability to look at the actual image from the camera....to tilt it up or down a few degrees, to rotate it a bit to the left or right...or to move up or down until the shot looks just right is essential.

+1

While you might indeed end up with decent footage just by estimating from the ground, that's not what you want to rely on when framing is critical...sometimes just a little bit too much background (or even subject) can ruin an otherwise stellar shot.

 

[IrishSights]

That is simply not true. If you know what you're doing you can frame your video shots when flying LOS.

As the original poster is new to this, advice needs given with that in mind. If you still think you can take a video or still, and frame it accurately (notice I've been using the word 'accurately') while flying, with no 'viewfinder' to look through then you are indeed way above the rest of us mere mortals. You are indeed intitled to your opinion of course.

In the end the questions was asked from a beginners point of view so in the spirit of helping him lets be realistic from that perspective.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8

 

[SeaNile]

Will a phantom Vision 2 allow me to see what is being shot via a monitor or iPhone or iPad?
I really like everything about the 2+ but that is not really in my cards right now.

I'm thinking a Vison 2 with a spare battery. Am I right in thinking the vision 2 would be a good fit for me?

 

[GhostMaster]

Get a hubsan x4 micro first...

 

[IrishSights]

Will a phantom Vision 2 allow me to see what is being shot via a monitor or iPhone or iPad?

Yes, but not a monitor as far as I know. Could be wrong tho.

Am I right in thinking the vision 2 would be a good fit for me?

Only you can decide that.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8