P2V or P2V+ cant decide - please help!

[mikey]

Hi there! I'm totally new to RC anything, but find myself extremely pumped about getting one of these.  

I'm hoping the community can help me with my purchase decision. 

First off I'll spell out my needs and situation as best as possible. 

1. Budget: I'd like to keep it around the 1k mark... but could stretch it upward to 1500 should I be convinced the plus is worth it.
2. I'm not a photographer, I'm the kind of guy who ditched my "point and shoot" as soon as soon as my smartphone was doing 8MP because this was 'good enough' for me. That being said, I don't want to spend a lot of money on something that's going to produce lousy jittery video.
3. FPV is important to me.
4. Fly time also important (the one thing that killed the fc40 as an option was it seems to only give 8min or so?) although I loooove the look of a 500 price point. "Dang, I could buy two of these" is my thought.

OK so here we go. 

I like the price point of the P2V ($900 or so), however... once I saw how smooth the video was from the P2V+ model, compared to the P2V... now I don't know.  

The P2V+ seems to also have more control of the camera correct? (rather than just an up down movement, the camera can also pan left to right?). This isn't such a big deal to me... 

Is there any way (inexpensively) to make the P2V video not so jittery and closer to what the P2V+ is producing? 

I'm torn between the two. On one hand I don't want to spend $900 only to be disappointed by the video and always wish I wouldn't have been so cheap. On the other hand, an extra 500 seems like a lot to spend to only gain smoother video with a little more control of the camera. The coptors are the same are they not? Am I missing anything major that the P2V+ is offering?  

Your input is greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to purchase in a month or so... 

 

[Pull_Up]

I have both a Vision, and a Phantom 2 with GoPro and H3-3D 3-axis gimbal, FPV rig and monitor.

Vision Plus doesn't pan - like all the phantom range (even the P2 with 3 axis H3-3D gimbal) you perform a pan by yawing the aircraft. The third axis just damps the yaw movement of the aircraft a little.

I added a 2-axis Brushless gimbal to my Vision from Rotorpixel. Here's an example of the video quality it produces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1vJNmyYcTE. There are cheaper gimbal options out there, but they aren't necessarily as robust or as plug-and-play. All gimbal installations that aren't factory fitted will require tweaking. There is a third-axis upgrade coming, timescale and price unknown.

You are right that once you've seen two axis stabilisation, single-axis isn't enough. I have to say that once you've seen three axis stablilisation, 2 axis isn't enough! I would say that if ultimate video quality and upgradability aren't important to you then the Vision Plus is probably going to fit your bill better than a Vision. If you either want better video quality, or you think you might at some point in the not too distant future then you might want to look at a P2 with H3-3D setup - matched to a GoPro Hero 3+ Black you have the ability to produce almost cinema-worthy video - but you'll pay towards the upper end of your price range. I only have a lowly Hero 3 Silver but I personally think the video quality is better than a Vision or a Plus because of the higher bitrate - there's just more "stuff" per frame. Higher end models of the GoPro will really show the difference. You can see my P2 rig and sample footage (including windy day tests) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1rEk3CdMnE

Having said all that if you're not a hard-core videographer, you don't mind all-in-one (and therefore not easily upgreadeable) out of the box, you can't see yourself wanting more or better within the next 12 months and you want to just be able to crack on with piloting out of the box then the Plus is hard to beat. The smartphone app and wifi downlink is a killer app, and if you marry it with the new video glasses being advertised in banners on this site then your FPV experience should be very good.

Tough choices!

 

[mikey]

Pull_up,

Thanks for the response! I must say, your setup looks pretty awesome, and the video it shoots was amazing... I'm literally afraid this could turn into a healthy addiction for me - one that neither my precious wife or pocket book will like - LoL

I can see though for me, at least starting out, an out of box experience is what I'm after (either one of the visions models). But hey, perhaps for a second quad (next year) I will tinker and try and build something custom similar to what you have, that looks like it would be a lot of fun!

I just read in another thread, user J Dot talking right along the lines I am asking (P2V vs plus). J Dot, if you're reading this (or anyone else with good knowledge) - How expensive is it to upgrade the P2V gimbal down the road? is it a matter of taking existing off, and mounting new in its place (using same mounting spots) or are we talking a heavier modification?

My only real hesitation with the P2V is I guess it not having the multi-axis gimbal, and if I could find out how easy/hard it is to upgrade this, I think I could properly make a decision. I have time to think and talk about it - giving myself a month before I purchase.

thanks all!

 

[Pull_Up]

Have a look on my channel for how easy it was to upgrade to the Rotorpixel 2 axis gimbal on the P2V - there was no soldering, it was all plug-and-play. It will cost $389 plus delivery. As I said there are cheaper options out there from China, some more plug-and-play than others. See www.rotorpixel.com and also have a search on here in the Vision section for various gimbal threads...

I would say, though, that if it was me starting out again and I had the choice, I'd probably go for the Vision Plus. It's more fragile but it works out of the box with the most stability you can get, even if the camera could be better.

Regarding the addiction thing... I started out with a Vision when it was first released and laughed when people said I collect a few more along the way: "Not me," I said. Now, some 9 months later I find myself with a tricked out Vision, a P2 H3-3D and a Flamewheel 450 my son and I just finished putting together from a kit. You have been warned.