What is the best setup for the phantom 2?

[Krimzon_Wolf]

Hello everyone,

I have been doing very extensive research on the phantom 2, but googling everything has not been able to answer some of my questions.

First of all I need to stress that I'm a cinematographer, and that I want to be capable of achieving beautiful aerial shots. I am not interested in the IOSD mini at all! I'm on a very tight budget, and the phantom 2 fits my price range very well.

So what I'm asking from you guys is....what is your setup for the phantom 2?

I need an FPV system so I can properly frame my shots, and I've found two systems that are cost effective but I'm not sure where I can actually buy them. There's a website called HeliPal.com which has a lot of different systems for the phantom, but I read a bad review about them.

Thanks

 

[OI Photography]

Krimzon, in your situation the simplest and probably cheapest solution would be to get DJI's AVL58 transmitter and a 32-channel Black Pearl monitor, which has a compatible receiver and battery built in. The AVL58 connects very easily to the P2 (no soldering needed), and that monitor is a nice all-in-one option for the ground end.

If you're doing cinematography then a gimbal is a must-have, and unless you have a flawlessly steady hand and are always filming in ideal conditions you had better make it a 3-axis. There's a few options now for those that will work on a P2, but DJI's Zenmuse H3-3D is by far the easiest to install.

Are you in the US? There's lots of good options for dealers to use, just depends on where you're located.

 

[Krimzon_Wolf]

Thank you all for your advice. Yes OI I'm in the US and have spoke with the folks at Atlanta Hobby before. What about the warranty for the quadcopter? Would adding an FPV system such as the AVL 58 void the warranty? Or what about a Go-Pro? Would it have anything to do with it?

 

[OI Photography]

Thank you all for your advice. Yes OI I'm in the US and have spoke with the folks at Atlanta Hobby before. What about the warranty for the quadcopter? Would adding an FPV system such as the AVL 58 void the warranty? Or what about a Go-Pro? Would it have anything to do with it?

Atlanta Hobby is definitely a great place to get stuff for your Phantom, they're one of the premier dealers here in the US (I've shopped with them a bunch).

Adding an AVL58 and GoPro won't affect the warranty of the Phantom, neither of them require making changes to the aircraft itself (just plugging things in).

 

[Krimzon_Wolf]

Ok thanks.

 

[Krimzon_Wolf]

Krimzon, in your situation the simplest and probably cheapest solution would be to get DJI's AVL58 transmitter and a 32-channel Black Pearl monitor, which has a compatible receiver and battery built in. The AVL58 connects very easily to the P2 (no soldering needed), and that monitor is a nice all-in-one option for the ground end.

If you're doing cinematography then a gimbal is a must-have, and unless you have a flawlessly steady hand and are always filming in ideal conditions you had better make it a 3-axis. There's a few options now for those that will work on a P2, but DJI's Zenmuse H3-3D is by far the easiest to install.

Are you in the US? There's lots of good options for dealers to use, just depends on where you're located.

Ok I will look into that. Just to verify is this all I need to get (according to OI):

http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

http://www.amazon.com/FlySight-Diversit ... rl+monitor

 

[OI Photography]

Since the black pearl has a receiver built in, you don't need that half of the AVL58 kit and can get just the transmitter: http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

You'll need an antenna for that with an SMA connector, this one should work: http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

I should have pointed out that Opwan is absolutely right about the iOSD mini being a very valuable tool, and it's easy to integrate with everything else you're getting. If you use DJI's FPV hub all your airborne components will connect together easily at one point, and all necessary cables are included: http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

There are a ton of antenna options available for the video transmitter and the black pearl as well, but unless you expect to need more than a few hundred meters of range then the ones you're looking at now should be adequate. You can always get different ones later if these don't suit your needs.

Are you using the stock DJI controller? If so, this is a great mount to attach the black pearl to it: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6239

Lastly, I'd suggest ordering your black pearl from rangevideo.com, it's a known good vendor with great support and competitive prices: http://www.rangevideo.com/en/58-ghz/55- ... esign.html

 

[Krimzon_Wolf]

I just ordered my Phantom 2 yesterday from Amazon. I figured that I would wait and see whether we could manage without the FPV, but if we are just flying blind and the shots are not turning out then we would get a FPV system. Check this video out, this guy did not use an FPV system:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwJ2DZJJH0


Also, could anyone else recommend a very long range antenna (with an SMA connector). Because I doubt that just a few hundred meters would do the trick for what I'm planning on using this quad copter for.

 

[OI Photography]

I just ordered my Phantom 2 yesterday from Amazon. I figured that I would wait and see whether we could manage without the FPV, but if we are just flying blind and the shots are not turning out then we would get a FPV system. Check this video out, this guy did not use an FPV system:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuwJ2DZJJH0


Also, could anyone else recommend a very long range antenna (with an SMA connector). Because I doubt that just a few hundred meters would do the trick for what I'm planning on using this quad copter for.

That video is pretty, but those shots were all done with the Phantom at close range. Trust me that trying to frame shots by guessing while the Phantom is more than 200m away can be a frustrating roll of the dice and very inefficient. You might pull off good shots, but without FPV you'll never know for sure until you check the vid on the ground later.

 

[QYV]

Also, could anyone else recommend a very long range antenna (with an SMA connector). Because I doubt that just a few hundred meters would do the trick for what I'm planning on using this quad copter for.

This antenna bundle from FPVLR is like.. the ferrari of antenna kits, assuming you have a diversity receiver with 2 antenna ports
-an omnidirectional antenna for the transmitter
-an omnidirectional antenna for the receiver
-a circular helix long range directional antenna for receiver

custom built, tested, etc. I'm very happy with my set

 

[ChrisTompkins]

Please note, with the GoPro in PHOTO mode, FPV does not work, AFAIK.

I have the Lightbridge for FPV w/P2 and GoPro, great for video, no live view in photo mode.

 

[OI Photography]

Please note, with the GoPro in PHOTO mode, FPV does not work, AFAIK.

I have the Lightbridge for FPV w/P2 and GoPro, great for video, no live view in photo mode.

You can have simultaneous video output while using the gopro for pictures if you set them on the timer, at least every 5 sec or more.

 

[ChrisTompkins]

Right, I have done this as well, photo and video at the same time. However, the photo size is smaller, they're not full res.
For full size pics, the cam needs to be in PHOTO mode only.

 

[QYV]

Right, I have done this as well, photo and video at the same time. However, the photo size is smaller, they're not full res.
For full size pics, the cam needs to be in PHOTO mode only.

actually what I heard is that it's a resolution thing. The chart below shows which resolutions get you what results when you simultaneously record video + stills

image from this page, which has a little more info about it:
http://provideocoalition.com/jfoster/story/gopro-announces-the-hero3-black-silver-edition-cameras

 

[ChrisTompkins]

In photo + video mode the size of the sills are: 3000 X 1688

In photo mode the size of the sills are: 4000 X 3000

This is with the 12mp selected.

 

[QYV]

ahh ok I get it. now I'm curious I've never gone flying in stills only mode. Mostly what we get here are guys doing both and wondering why their stills are low quality when they're for example running the video in 1080p only getting 7mp stills

 

[OI Photography]

That is a good point about the cap on pics when using photo+video, I don't need images that large so it's never been a factor for me but it can be relevant for those who do.

 

[Krimzon_Wolf]

This antenna bundle from FPVLR is like.. the ferrari of antenna kits, assuming you have a diversity receiver with 2 antenna ports
-an omnidirectional antenna for the transmitter
-an omnidirectional antenna for the receiver
-a circular helix long range directional antenna for receiver

custom built, tested, etc. I'm very happy with my set

Would these products work with what your recommending?

Video Transmitter: http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

Cables: http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

Monitor: http://www.atlantahobby.com/store/pc/vi ... category=0

 

[henrycruz]

i would like to have a confirmation as well if i am buying the correct parts for my first FPV for my phantom 2.

Video Transmitter: http://www.getfpv.com/5-8ghz-600mw-video-tx.html

Cable: http://www.firstpersonview.com/cables/d ... tter-cable

Monitor: http://www.rangevideo.com/en/58-ghz/55- ... esign.html

Thanks for your help!

 

[OI Photography]

i would like to have a confirmation as well if i am buying the correct parts for my first FPV for my phantom 2.

Video Transmitter: http://www.getfpv.com/5-8ghz-600mw-video-tx.html

Cable: http://www.firstpersonview.com/cables/d ... tter-cable

Monitor: http://www.rangevideo.com/en/58-ghz/55- ... esign.html

Thanks for your help!

Those will all work together, as long as you order the SMA version of the monitor (and don't have an iOSD mini)