Quad video hobby getting oversaturated yet?

[Nvr2fst]

I am curious if anybody else is starting to get the feeling that there are getting to be so many people getting into this hobby that it just doesn't have the cool or wow factor it once did. I mean it is still cool but......... I started way back with Helis. Putting cameras on them. Back when they didn't come prepackaged for video or ease of flight. You had to make your own rigs.

Just go on Youtube, forums, and the news. Every day, more and more videos are being posted. Some are pretty cool but I feel we will become desensitized to the neat factor of seeing videos from the sky. At one time it was like wow but now its getting more like, seen it. There will always be videos that stand out because they happen to catch something interesting or somebody comes up with something clever, but as far as your run of the mill aerial shots, not so much as everybody is doing it.

Ultimately they will become more of a tool I think. Also they will be used as a competition to who can get the most extreme shot which usually entails doing things illegal or things that should be illegal. Just look at the idiot that was bouncing his Phantom off of the windows of skyscrapers in New York.

If you don't think it has become oversaturated yet, just wait, I believe it wont be long at all.

What do you think?

 

[Nvr2fst]

I agree on everything you say. Hell, I am guilty at least on the editing part. I have a lot of video from my helis that have some decent content and decent editing but I don't post them online any more because of the resolution quality from the time. Who would be interested in 640x480 or less? We have full HD now.

I have been collecting a lot of video with my Phantoms. I posted a couple without doing any real editing just to get some things up for my new YouTube channel quick. Once I have enough interesting content worthy of a nice mashup, I will hunker down and do some more serious editing.

 

[Gizmo3000]

With the introduction of the Vision, Phantom 2, and lower priced Phantom 1's, I think the numbers have certainly grown in the past month or so!

and naturally, the first thing everyone wants to do is take it up in the backyard and do a 360 or two.

Unfortunately, most people don't realize how boring a 10+ minute flight around the neighborhood is!

 

[LeoS]

You ain't seen nothing yet... wait til mini-pocketable drones are the norm...

Smartphones will come with foldable drone modules and kids will use em to take their selfies. They'll have the 'follow me' mode by default for taking personal videos\cameras.

Of course they won't be called 'drones\quads\multirotors' anymore by then.. Hovercams, maybe?

 

[EyeUpHigh]

I am curious if anybody else is starting to get the feeling that there are getting to be so many people getting into this hobby that it just doesn't have the cool or wow factor it once did.

I think we're seeing the leading edge of a major change - whatever that will be... DJI had certainly made the leap from hobby / builder supplier to mass-market producer of ready-to-fly drones and that'll probably mean the number of drones in the air increases by an order of magnitude (if not two). Low-end quads are also cheap and plentiful these days and soon they won't be a novel sight.

I had just stumbled across this great (non-Phantom) FPV today on YouTube:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilb2XH-p1PY[/youtube]

And was floored to see that it was posted just about a year ago when only the die-hard hobbyists were building and flying mult-rotors. Soon these videos will be ubiquitous (though, as you noted, the vast majority will be rather low quality or lacking production values)

The biggest thing I wonder about, though, (not to yank the topic off-center) is how the regulatory bodies will respond to this surge in popularity. Hobby builders can fly under the radar (sorry for the pun) because they're so few and far between but when there area dozens of quad fliers in every junior high school - and some of them will be doing stupid stuff - there's going to be push for regulation. The FAA's 2015 'deadline for suggested rules' is waaaay too late - the horse will be well out of the barn by that point. The videos on YouTube won't be getting any better either - they'll probably have devolved into an ugly mix of Instagram narcissism and quasi-legal digital peeping.

For the moment, though, we can fly our barely-regulated drones over waterfalls and soccer parks knowing that someday, these will be the good old days before it got really weird...

 

[BenDronePilot]

No I don't think the RC Plane / Quad / Drone / FPV / Flying camera market is remotely near being over saturated yet in terms of people who own them versus how many people own RC cars or the like. On the flip side, the availability of online aerial video from peoples flying camera has become a dime a dozen, with many such videos just being a little boring if you've watched a lot. Years ago any such footage would have been a wow factor, so you got it right there. What still has that wow factor, in terms of online video, is the higher quality and interesting footage with good editing. And videos like that are still few and far in between.

It's also worth noting, that when ever I've been to the park flying I get crowds of people either checking it out flying, or people coming up to me all excited and or curious and asking questions about it. I think I may have even made a few sales for DJI. :lol: These flying quad copters still defiantly have their wow factor to most out there. Even though readily available video footage of FPV flights are popping up more so, many people still don't know such footage exists. It's also still a rarity for most people to see one actually flying in person and most get that wow reaction from it all.

And like you said, now that people don't have to build their own RC Planes any more and can go to your corner store, or internet site and order a ready to fly quad or plane I'm sure that ownership numbers are going to be up near that of RC cars in the coming years.

 

[Hiway]

As with anything else, I think it will come down to the dynamics of the creators- in the beginning, and even still, there are horrible examples of videos on youtube, but over time, and due to the creative demand interesting and new concepts came about- niches were established, and whole cultures sprang from the origins.

Aerial video and photography is only limited by imagination and stagnation (and possible regulation?)

I think we are seeing a calm before the storm as it were... there are extremely talented minds out there just now taking this tech in hand... give it time, and prepared to be amazed and enthralled...

...oh, and try and keep up if you can!

 

[gunslinger]

As with anything else, I think it will come down to the dynamics of the creators- in the beginning, and even still, there are horrible examples of videos on youtube, but over time, and due to the creative demand interesting and new concepts came about- niches were established, and whole cultures sprang from the origins.

Aerial video and photography is only limited by imagination and stagnation (and possible regulation?)

I think we are seeing a calm before the storm as it were... there are extremely talented minds out there just now taking this tech in hand... give it time, and prepared to be amazed and enthralled...

...oh, and try and keep up if you can!

+1
Many good points...

 

[Nvr2fst]

As with anything else, I think it will come down to the dynamics of the creators- in the beginning, and even still, there are horrible examples of videos on youtube, but over time, and due to the creative demand interesting and new concepts came about- niches were established, and whole cultures sprang from the origins.

Aerial video and photography is only limited by imagination and stagnation (and possible regulation?)

I think we are seeing a calm before the storm as it were... there are extremely talented minds out there just now taking this tech in hand... give it time, and prepared to be amazed and enthralled...

...oh, and try and keep up if you can!

Shiny side up......nudge nudge, aye aye

 

[Will Rockwell]

I think we are living in the days when LSD was legal. All it will take is an incident or two and quads will be regulated as to where they can fly, like RC planes are now. Enjoy and be careful.

 

[Nvr2fst]

What originally got me thinking of this topic was as I was putting a couple videos on my new YouTube channel for fill (until I get some editing done) and come to find out somebody has been honing in on my turf! There is at least one guy in my region posting flights of some of the places I was doing. Well I don't need to tell you that I sent him a message telling him to keep off of my turf or else!

He replied back that he and his wife liked my ghost video so ...........I cancelled the turf war.
I guess we have to share the skies and YouTube space. They will be getting crowded.

But if I see his Phantom in my immediate airspace I will take it down! Straight up Phantom dog fight like two hookers on the same street corner.
Or at least give him a dirty look.

 

[Nvr2fst]

I think we are living in the days when LSD was legal. All it will take is an incident or two and quads will be regulated as to where they can fly, like RC planes are now. Enjoy and be careful.

Why do you imagine that there are different advisories for RC planes vs. quads?

Kneejerk reactionism or because one hovers and it opens many more bad possibilities.
But then again Clint Eastwood was chased by a bomb carrying Rc car a long time ago. We still have RC cars though.

 

[iDrone]

I am curious if anybody else is starting to get the feeling that there are getting to be so many people getting into this hobby that it just doesn't have the cool or wow factor it once did... Ultimately they will become more of a tool I think. Also they will be used as a competition to who can get the most extreme shot which usually entails doing things illegal or things that should be illegal. Just look at the idiot that was bouncing his Phantom off of the windows of skyscrapers in New York... What do you think?

I think many you describe are drawn to shiny new cool things seeking thrills & recognition but can least afford to, and like the tsunami will eventually do damage & destruction then drain away into the mire once their energy, funds, benevolent benefactors, and desire have similarly dissipated.

...after all, this level of RC'ing ain't exactly a cheap hobby!

iDrone :|

 

[Shrimpfarmer]

I agree before too long aerial footage will be boring. It is now if its unedited just like every other type of video. Once the novelty factor wears off I reckon I will just be using mine to grab the odd photo or video clip when I am touring to be added into my home movies of trips.

There will always be room though for quality 3 or 4 minute videos on forums like this if they are crafted well enough.

 

[ericty]

I'm ambivalent about the popularity of multi-rotor copters. One one end, as a relatively new person to this hobby, I'm very glad that a company like DJI made the transition and learning curve into operating a UAV easier. On the other hand, I do agree that the 'wow' factor will soon be replaced by a 'ho hum factor' as the price point makes it even more accessible to a great number of people. My background is in video/film and I was hiring 2-person RC heli teams to get footage for me for projects. This was just 2 years ago! Now I'm getting my own footage and combining it with my standard DSLR footage to make videos that I like. Is it a hobby? Well, I enjoy it much like a hobby, but I'm also using it to save money on projects. I agree with the other posts stating that 'creative editing' will set the bar for enjoyment and interest for viewers (other than the person uploading the video). Here's my first project using my quad.

http://vimeo.com/82597616

 

[PhantomFan]

@ EricTy:

It's not only DJI. GoPro has made it possible (and popular) for people to extend the trend to chronicle, document and publish their life's activities on line which started with Facebook and just exploded as a human activity. A lot of what people THINK is interesting (it is to them) is really quite mundane...and then there are whole categories of activities where some will be enthralled, and others will yawn.

Watching bikers bike is a yawn to me - others will be riveted. I love watching surfing and snowboarding footage. Other folks will change the channel immediately...so there will never be a consensus on what is interesting and what is not interesting video, unless it's porn. Don't know anybody that won't watch THAT! :lol: :lol: :lol:

PF

 

[ericty]

@ EricTy:

It's not only DJI. GoPro has made it possible (and popular) for people to extend the trend to chronicle, document and publish their life's activities on line which started with Facebook and just exploded as a human activity. A lot of what people THINK is interesting (it is to them) is really quite mundane...and then there are whole categories of activities where some will be enthralled, and others will yawn.

Watching bikers bike is a yawn to me - others will be riveted. I love watching surfing and snowboarding footage. Other folks will change the channel immediately...so there will never be a consensus on what is interesting and what is not interesting video, unless it's porn. Don't know anybody that won't watch THAT! :lol: :lol: :lol:

PF

So true and in full agreement PhantomFan. Surfing project is next up for me! Will be waiting indefinitely to attempt a snowboarding vid as there's not too much snow in my neck of the woods

oh, and...to your knowledge has there been aerial footage in porn? LOL.

 

[gunslinger]

I think we are living in the days when LSD was legal. All it will take is an incident or two and quads will be regulated as to where they can fly, like RC planes are now. Enjoy and be careful.

Why do you imagine that there are different advisories for RC planes vs. quads?

Kneejerk reactionism or because one hovers and it opens many more bad possibilities.
But then again Clint Eastwood was chased by a bomb carrying Rc car a long time ago. We still have RC cars though.

Yeah... but since then... whenever I see an RC car coming at me, my balls immediately clench... :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[OI Photography]

oh, and...to your knowledge has there been aerial footage in porn? LOL.

Ask me again tomorrow morning :lol:

 

[coloradosky]

I'm ambivalent about the popularity of multi-rotor copters. One one end, as a relatively new person to this hobby, I'm very glad that a company like DJI made the transition and learning curve into operating a UAV easier. On the other hand, I do agree that the 'wow' factor will soon be replaced by a 'ho hum factor' as the price point makes it even more accessible to a great number of people. My background is in video/film and I was hiring 2-person RC heli teams to get footage for me for projects. This was just 2 years ago! Now I'm getting my own footage and combining it with my standard DSLR footage to make videos that I like. Is it a hobby? Well, I enjoy it much like a hobby, but I'm also using it to save money on projects. I agree with the other posts stating that 'creative editing' will set the bar for enjoyment and interest for viewers (other than the person uploading the video). Here's my first project using my quad.

http://vimeo.com/82597616

This video is a perfect example of how TO use uav for video- combined with good ground footage, synced with each other to tell a story from multiple perspectives (excellent work!).

Much like digital cameras had the potential to drown out quality images (since it cost nothing to take a million shots), there are still stand out photographers in the field of all that digital image noise... Now with aerial, there will always be stand out aerial photogs that get it, and who we all strive to be as good as. I think the saturation will exist, albeit at a lower, easily ignored level.

On the other hand, a dull boring look around the neighborhood may have you and I turning the youtube channel, but to your neighbor or someone that knows the area, they may watch it a dozen times, so it sure depends on the audience.

Now, back to aerial views of the kids on the trampoline,and the backyard, and the neighborhood, and the continental divide, and sunset from above, and ... ?

The sky's (now) the limit.