total drone noob needs buying advice (UK)

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ok my friend has a couple of p2's with go pros and a p3 hes not even flown yet. more money than I have.

anyway I was initially going to buy the p3 pro, as I like the range and video link quality quoted, from simply electronics net. but after doing some searching it seems this was not a good idea. ive just cancelled the order and im hoping they refund me quick. so then I thought id use slrhut, but again it seems a grey importer.

so im now wondering if I can afford to enter this hobby at all. do I need a pro? or would the p3 4k work as well? in the UK we apparently need to be able to see the drone at all times anyway. so having 3+ miles is good but cant really use it.

I then pondered on the p4, it has a feature called active track, which id like to use to follow one of my cars for a video sequence. but the price is eye watering and after reading some threads on the p4 section im wondering if they haven't got one too many issues.

what would be your advice and where would you buy from in the UK?
 
I got my P3P few weeks ago from a UK site with Netherlands offices, granted it was a risk bit ones assured a 2 year warranty, got it for £765 all in. Third party apps can give you the active tracking, but it's a risk you'd have to take.. Same risks with P4, flyaways.. Bad sight lines, trees etc. The Pro is worth the extra over the 4K imho.. If only for lightbridge(wifi 480p option not great) & faster charging.. The Pro uses a better GPS chip using GPS and GLONASS (Russian gps) satellites. ThebPro is considered safer and more reliable.

Sell your kids/Gran... Empty your tat onto your local Facebook 'for sale' page and get those extra few quid for the Pro.. You won't regret it.. Search hard for the best deals, avoid companies that operate out of a PO Box, (all seemingly based in the same branch of Mail Boxes Etc, https://www.google.com/search?q=Mai...04ecfb0088b9:0xd85592ab212b1417#istate=kp:xpd )

Wouldn't risk those myself..

If you can't squeeze the Pro, go for the Advanced, same as pro but without 4K (& a slightly slower charge, ) and do you REALLY need 4K? the other benefits of the advanced (lightbridge, better gps etc) outweighs the usually unnecessary 4K ability..

Good luck, keep us in the loop !
Stu
4dP (@4dperceptions) • Instagram photos and videos


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get one of these
upload_2016-4-26_20-18-59.png
 
Here's my opinion on this topic. I was completely going to buy the Pro. But as it came closer to when I could buy, my funds dwindled as well. So, I grudgingly bought a Standard. To say the least, I am THRILLED with my purchase! Like Stoo1701 said, do you really need 4k?? 4K video takes up waaay more space on memory cards, it takes a better computer to run and edit that kind of high quality video. Finished video also takes up way more space. Add to that the fact that most people aren't even watching much or anything in 4K yet because they don't have gadgets that run it yet. The 1080p camera on the Standard and Advanced models is plenty good enough for most applications. I have been quite impressed with the video quality so far. So the difference between the Advanced and Standard for the extra several hundred dollars? Lightbridge, giving you that extra range. You already said in UK you must keep the drone in sight anyway, so you dont need Lightbridge. Besides that, I have flown my Standard out to 1 mile and was still getting full signal. That is more than double Dji's advertised range for the Standard. So even the Standard gets more than enough range. I, like most others, would love to have the Pro or the Phantom 4. But if you are at all on a tight budget, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Standard, at a fraction of the cost.
 
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thanks guys for the advice.

flpholt what is that drone?

should I be considering other drone manufactures?

the 4k thing is me trying to future proof. as I plan to gradually upgrade tv camcorder to 4k. plus I have an Epson tw5300 projector which seems to make 4k look better than 1080p, even though its only a 1080p projector.

stoo1701 where did you get it for £765?
 
What's your budget? If budget is a priority go P3A if it isn't P4
Do you want the best quality video? If you do P4, Typhoon H or P3p (budget 4K)

Do you have a tablet? If you don't and are on a budget go Typhoon H (1299 ready to fly) or P3 series with a Nvidia Shield K1.

Is range a priority? If range is a priority P4, P3 series advanced or pro

Will you ever want to use goggles? P4 or P3p

Do you fly alone or with a friend? If you have a partner that will be with you Typhoon H will allow for independent operation of a 360 camera.

Note: there are some decent unreleased options Autel and Typhoon H jut remember they are not yet tested.. they are bound to have their problems. Stick with DJI for proven quads..

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I suppose my budget is around £750. but that seems to put the pro out of reach due to taxation in the UK. $999 becomes £949. gota love living in this damp isle.
 
autel x star premium comes with case
upload_2016-4-26_22-28-9.png
 
Its confusing to Newbies sometimes. There are 2 versions with 4K cameras, one is called P3 4K and another is called P3 Professional. Go for P3 Professional.
 
Go with dji pro, I have an advanced and to me that's all you need really, never needed 4k


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Get an Advance - use the money saved on extra lipos and a case - No need for 4k.... :)
 
ok my friend has a couple of p2's with go pros and a p3 hes not even flown yet. more money than I have.

anyway I was initially going to buy the p3 pro, as I like the range and video link quality quoted, from simply electronics net. but after doing some searching it seems this was not a good idea. ive just cancelled the order and im hoping they refund me quick. so then I thought id use slrhut, but again it seems a grey importer.

so im now wondering if I can afford to enter this hobby at all. do I need a pro? or would the p3 4k work as well? in the UK we apparently need to be able to see the drone at all times anyway. so having 3+ miles is good but cant really use it.

I then pondered on the p4, it has a feature called active track, which id like to use to follow one of my cars for a video sequence. but the price is eye watering and after reading some threads on the p4 section im wondering if they haven't got one too many issues.

what would be your advice and where would you buy from in the UK?
I bought a p3 advanced from drones direct in the UK.
They do some good package deals such as quad + extra battery + tablet and others.
I went for the advanced over the pro simply because the cost difference over 4k or 2.7k video was quite a bit.
The only difference between pro and advanced is the video and advanced comes with a slower charger (still charges quick tho).

UK Supplier of RC Drones, Quadcopters & Camera Drones
 
I got a P3A from Jessops back in January, primarily because the price dropped from £899 to £699 which was the same pricing everywhere from authorised retailers at that time, but also for their fantastic after sales service and they were doing a deal for a second battery at £102. I didn't open the box for three weeks and when I did, I discovered the props were missing from the box - no quibbles, they just ordered two sets for me. So, for me a £50 saving from a grey importer like SLR Hut just wasn't worth the risk. As Bob Hyslop says, Drones Direct have deals as do many others. Personally, as we don't have a 4K TV as yet, I didn't see the value in spending another £200 for the Pro and the full HD images the P3A produces are stunning. Anyway let us know your decision and good luck!
 
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in the UK we apparently need to be able to see the drone at all times anyway. so having 3+ miles is good but cant really use it.

I'm in the UK
I think by being "able to see the drone" you are referring to keeping 'line of sight'. These are not the same, unless you have the eyes of a Peregrine Falcon.
Believe me, you don't have to travel far before you have to switch to your tablet/device view as it gets too small to see. When you look back up its pretty much impossible to find it in the sky visually as it's a white dot against a bright (usually) sky.
I have a P3A, once I'm over half mile out its too much of a squint to track it visually believe me. I go as far out as the battery permits, over a couple of miles and still I am well within 'line of sight'.
Happy flying :)
 
I'm in the UK
I think by being "able to see the drone" you are referring to keeping 'line of sight'. These are not the same, unless you have the eyes of a Peregrine Falcon.
Believe me, you don't have to travel far before you have to switch to your tablet/device view as it gets too small to see. When you look back up its pretty much impossible to find it in the sky visually as it's a white dot against a bright (usually) sky.
I have a P3A, once I'm over half mile out its too much of a squint to track it visually believe me. I go as far out as the battery permits, over a couple of miles and still I am well within 'line of sight'.
Happy flying :)
Agree with how difficult it is to see once out to about 1500 ft but caa regs state that line of sight is generally up to 500m anyway.
See attached regs for UK

Small unmanned aircraft | UK Civil Aviation Authority
 
The P3 Standard/4K range is almost like stepping back to the VisionPlus you will really curse it as signal flickers in and out two fields away.
P3 Pro is good for ultimate best video, but do you have a very capable PC to actually deal with the files?
1080p from the Advanced still looks great on HD TV,computer screen or youtube.
If on a budget 4K really isn't worth it - especially since the Advanced can actually do 2.7K and some say the Pro video is better at that setting too.
So, get the Advanced and an extra battery.
 
Look at RC geeks! They do a deal where if you buy the P3 advanced for £700 you can get a second battery for £50! (Official dji battery too)

They are really helpful there too!


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Re the CAA rules, this is point 2 in the summary...
2. The aircraft must be kept within the visual line of sight (normally taken to be within 500 m horizontally and 400 ft. vertically) of its remote pilot (i.e. the ‘person in charge’ of it). Operations beyond these distances must be approved by the CAA (the basic premise being for the operator to prove that he/she can do this safely).​
 
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Even with the 500m max flight distance. Having lightbridge is very helpful. I had a ITElite phantom 3 standard and I got interference at 100m and the wifi is limiting.

I would spend the extra couple hundred and future proof yourself with either a Adv or Pro. :)


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