Next Phantom? When?

[Norris04]

So after the recent price drop of the Vision+ does it make you think there will be something new hitting the store shelves from DJI just in time for Christmas? I feel like I got burned a little when I bought my Vision 2 and the Vision 2+ was released about 2 weeks later. It looks like I have somebody lined up to buy my Vision 2 but now I'm not sure what to buy next. Should I go ahead and buy a Vision 2+ as soon as the old one sells or is there something way better right around the corner?

-Norris

 

[MrDrone27]

So after the recent price drop of the Vision+ does it make you think there will be something new hitting the store shelves from DJI just in time for Christmas? I feel like I got burned a little when I bought my Vision 2 and the Vision 2+ was released about 2 weeks later. It looks like I have somebody lined up to buy my Vision 2 but now I'm not sure what to buy next. Should I go ahead and buy a Vision 2+ as soon as the old one sells or is there something way better right around the corner?

-Norris

If I had to guess, I would say yes. It would make sense that they release one for the holiday season. Being a major retailer, they want to drop a product on the market right as the holiday is about to hit. When might that actually be though? Your guess is as good as mine

 

[eckoner]

If i had to guess i would say "YES" as well we should be seeing a new consumer based Quad around December. I also read somewhere that DJI would likely be adding something more "Prosumer" to the Phantom line. Perhaps something that can carry a better camera or perhaps retractable landing gear with a gimbal that can do 360'!

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Please post in the correct areas. I moved this from 'News' to 'General Discussion' for you.

 

[MadMitch88]

My gut feeling tells me DJI will wait until April to release the Phantom 3.

They need more time to produce something compelling enough to attract new customers but also have existing Phantom owners pony up more cash to buy the latest version. I have the Vision+ and I will only consider buying the Phantom 3 if it has truly innovative improvements like 4K camera and 20X optical zoom. I think features like POI circling would also be cool. "Follow me" capability like AirDog seems kinda gimmicky and probably not that essential to most buyers right now.

Obstacle-avoidance via radar is still about 5 years away and way too complicated & expensive to implement effectively in a sub-$2000 drone.

 

[Cyclone]

They need to do something exciting with the Phantom 3 as Align are about to release their multirotor.

 

[N017RW]

The Align 800 and 900mm offerings are not in competition with RTFs like the Phantoms.

The 800 (M480) is twice the size and 2+ times the cost when compare to a P2.

Competition will come from so many fronts it will be difficult to differentiate.

For many the proprietary battery scheme is enough to second guess purchasing similarly constrained platforms.

 

[ianwood]

P2V won't get 4K or optical zoom anytime soon.

I think we'll see an H4-3D soon. I agree a new Phantom is probably not until spring but who knows with DJI.

As for the P2, it should have built-in BT so you can configure it from your phone as well as some new features like follow me functionality. Also an integrated and revamped OSD/FPV so all you need to do is slap a GoPro in there and you're done.

I'd love to see a slightly higher spec'ed Phantom with better motors and higher capacity batteries for improved flight times, better stability and a slightly higher AUW capability.

 

[Buckaye]

P2V won't get 4K or optical zoom anytime soon.

I think we'll see an H4-3D soon. I agree a new Phantom is probably not until spring but who knows with DJI.

As for the P2, it should have built-in BT so you can configure it from your phone as well as some new features like follow me functionality. Also an integrated and revamped OSD/FPV so all you need to do is slap a GoPro in there and you're done.

I'd love to see a slightly higher spec'ed Phantom with better motors and higher capacity batteries for improved flight times, better stability and a slightly higher AUW capability.

+1 to all this I'd also love to see some waterproofing - I haven't had a water issue - but man it's scary.

 

[SteveMann]

When, with my luck, tomorrow. I just bought a P2.

 

[MadMitch88]

P2V won't get 4K or optical zoom anytime soon.

I think we'll see an H4-3D soon. I agree a new Phantom is probably not until spring but who knows with DJI.

You seem to be somewhat delusional about what features most owners want to see in the Phantom 3.

VERY few people care about a "follow me" feature. That is only for the sports enthusiasts like mountain bikers and surfers. I would say that's around 1% of current Phantom owners. Just read the threads on this board and 95% of the time it's guys in their 30's to 50's just standing in one spot while flying the Phantom.

4K and optical zoom is actually something a LOT of Phantom owners would love. People wanting 4K is self-evident -- just look at all the buzz about the Hero 4. I also think optical zoom is a must-have because shooting aerial video from 300 ft. altitude is getting awfully boring. Would really spice things up if you could zoom down on an object like a person or animal you see on the ground.

 

[N017RW]

Here's something:

http://us.hardware.info/

 

[QYV]

just read the article, wasn't bad but he didn't really give any concrete info about the P3 other than they (along with the industry) are trying to develop sense-and-avoid , and also that they acknowledge and are working to "bridge the gap" between gopro performance and Vision series camera performance

 

[ianwood]

P2V won't get 4K or optical zoom anytime soon.

You seem to be somewhat delusional about what features most owners want to see in the Phantom 3.

VERY few people care about a "follow me" feature. That is only for the sports enthusiasts like mountain bikers and surfers. I would say that's around 1% of current Phantom owners. Just read the threads on this board and 95% of the time it's guys in their 30's to 50's just standing in one spot while flying the Phantom.

......

I don't doubt the demand for 4K but that's not going to make it happen any time soon. DJI trails the pack significantly in imaging. I bet the max bit rate on the P2V+ imager is <10mbps. Meanwhile GoPro H3+B max is 45mbps. H4B even more. It will be one huge jump for DJI to offer a real 4K imager. 4K is nowhere near mature enough to just pull a cheap imager off the shelf and create an industrial design around it (as they did with the P2V/+). It takes A LOT to develop 4K right now. And it's not a core competency for DJI. Maybe the market will be full of cheap 4K imagers in a year's time. Add 9 months for that to be designed into a Phantom.

Optical zoom? You can't even put an optical zoom on a $7,000 DJI S900 / Z15 / Panasonic GH4 setup! Optical zoom requires motors and lenses at variable distances and if it's on a gimbal, it's rotational weight which requires an equal weight to counterbalance it. Then you need to increase the weight of the gimbal axes motors to carry that increased load. Then you need to increase the lift capacity of the craft. Then you need a bigger battery which, in turn, requires more lift capacity. And so on. And it requires sophisticated optical expertise outside DJI's skill set and an industrial design that can withstand crashing. Don't hold your breath.

When, with my luck, tomorrow. I just bought a P2.

Don't sweat it. You don't want to be first in line to buy DJI's new products unless you like paying to beta test.

 

[eckoner]

P2V won't get 4K or optical zoom anytime soon.

I think we'll see an H4-3D soon. I agree a new Phantom is probably not until spring but who knows with DJI.

You seem to be somewhat delusional about what features most owners want to see in the Phantom 3.

VERY few people care about a "follow me" feature. That is only for the sports enthusiasts like mountain bikers and surfers. I would say that's around 1% of current Phantom owners. Just read the threads on this board and 95% of the time it's guys in their 30's to 50's just standing in one spot while flying the Phantom.

4K and optical zoom is actually something a LOT of Phantom owners would love. People wanting 4K is self-evident -- just look at all the buzz about the Hero 4. I also think optical zoom is a must-have because shooting aerial video from 300 ft. altitude is getting awfully boring. Would really spice things up if you could zoom down on an object like a person or animal you see on the ground.

+1

 

[j0seph]

It takes A LOT to develop 4K right now. And it's not a core competency for DJI. Maybe the market will be full of cheap 4K imagers in a year's time. Add 9 months for that to be designed into a Phantom.

Agree and I don't see why DJI should try and reinvent the wheel. There's already a good 4k action camera out there (GoPro Hero 4). I would rather see DJI develop an all in one solution with FPV that allowed you to bolt in your flavour of GoPro 4 camera.

I've just gone purchased a Vision+, but it was a close tossup between that and a Phantom/Zenmuse H3-3D combo. The main thing holding me back on the latter was lack of out of the box FPV, so Vision+ it was. If DJI had an all in one solution that had the functionality of the Vision+ but allowed me to bolt in a GoPro, I would have bought it.

 

[ElGuano]

The GoPro is a fantastic camera for the size, but taking a step back, I'd argue it's not really ideal for ariel use. It's an awkward shape, includes a heavy battery and is arguably a bit too ruggedized (more weight penalty). I'm not surprised DJI has been "doing its own thing" with the P2V+, separating lens/sensor-only for stabilization and integrated digital controls...personally I wouldn't be surprised to see more development along the integrated-camera front for their future quads. Of course, it's hard to beat GoPro in raw quality and production compatibility/workflow so I'm sure they'll keep supporting the GoPro gimbal products.

 

[tpallred]

It takes A LOT to develop 4K right now. And it's not a core competency for DJI. Maybe the market will be full of cheap 4K imagers in a year's time. Add 9 months for that to be designed into a Phantom.

Agree and I don't see why DJI should try and reinvent the wheel. There's already a good 4k action camera out there (GoPro Hero 4). I would rather see DJI develop an all in one solution with FPV that allowed you to bolt in your flavour of GoPro 4 camera.

I've just gone purchased a Vision+, but it was a close tossup between that and a Phantom/Zenmuse H3-3D combo. The main thing holding me back on the latter was lack of out of the box FPV, so Vision+ it was. If DJI had an all in one solution that had the functionality of the Vision+ but allowed me to bolt in a GoPro, I would have bought it.

P2V+ camera type control of a GP3/4 with gimbal tilt control, reliable batteries, GPS that is better protected against interference, and a less fragile (or better protected) gimbal that didn't cost half the price of the craft to repair would make me happy. That would be a great beginner-to-intermediate platform.

 

[Meta4]

just read the article, wasn't bad but he didn't really give any concrete info about the P3 other than they (along with the industry) are trying to develop sense-and-avoid , and also that they acknowledge and are working to "bridge the gap" between gopro performance and Vision series camera performance

He did say .. we’re working towards a more easy and open platform that allows people to use the Phantom for different uses. And we’re also looking at the sensor size and specs of our cameras. All those things will be coming to future generations

That sounds like a big positive. Now we know that they are working on the next generation camera, something for aerial photographers to work with. The current 2+ camera is a masterpiece of miniaturisation that takes the working bits of a digital camera, strips excess weight and bulk so it can work on a lightweight gimbal and be carried on an economical quad. But the sensor size is a serious limitation that means the photographic results are always going to be less than what a photographer wants. The Gopro with no way to take photos when you want isn't the answer either. So it's great news that DJI are working to take aerial snappers to the next level. If they do it right - the sky's no longer the limit.