Which one ?

[Cornishblue]

Hi all

I am currently a pro photographer and looking to commercially branch out to aerial photography and film. I have been sifting through the internet for a short while now and before I make a final decision on what drone to get I would just like clear a few things up.

I have a friend who is selling the below drone for a £1000 pounds and it has only been used twice for a test flight:

Option 1

DJI F550 RTF Hexacopter with Naza v2 GPS & Dt7 tx
Spektrum DX8 & AR8000 Rx
DJI mini iOSD
RC 7inch Moitor & 600mW Tx
DJI Zenmus H3-3D Go pro Gimbal
AeroXcraft Landing skinds
DJI Ground station & 2.4 ghz Data link and bluetooth
Turnigy 50w charger with PSU
1 3S battery
NO CAMERA

Option 2

Phantom 3 professional 4k
Ipad (for remote view)

So if I did go for option 1 I would have to buy a Gopro black 4k so both options would pretty much cost the same in the end.

In an ideal world I would stick a good SLR on the F550 but the gimbals seem to cost £1800 and the camera would cost a further £1000 or am i missing something here ? Are there more affordable gimbals/SLRs that offer better quality than the Gopro ?

Which option would be more future proof ?

Does anyone have any suggestions that could help me out ?

Cheers

Aiden

 

[msinger]

You should wait and see what DJI is releasing today at 8 PM EST. It's apparently a new product with an improved camera.

 

[Mal_PV2_Ireland]

But be prepared to at least triple your budget

 

[750r]

Welcome to the forum .
IMO sounds like you are only wanting a GP for flying if that is the case go with the P3P it will be much more user friendly for flying .
You can control what the cam is doing and with the last update you'll have some cool features .
The P3P is a compleat package

 

[Meta4]

I am currently a pro photographer and looking to commercially branch out to aerial photography and film.
Option 1
DJI F550 RTF Hexacopter with Naza v2 GPS & Dt7 tx
Option 2
Phantom 3 professional 4k
Ipad (for remote view)
Which option would be more future proof ?
Does anyone have any suggestions that could help me out ?

Aiden ... Option 1 is old technology which has been superseded (in a big way) by the Phantom 3.
It's unlikely the F550 could properly handle an SLR.
The P3 will give you much better control and will also be much easier to use.
Unless 4K video is essential, you should also look at the P3 Advanced.
It's identical to the Pro except for 4K video - but has just been upgraded to do 2.7K video so it's pretty close there are well.

Looks like an even better camera is coming for the Inspire but you are talking much bigger $$, much bigger bird and probably much shorter flight times.

 

[Xpeez223z]

Do some research and find out what kind flight time, camera setup (gimbal, gopro or what's needed for your photography), either use that or separate fpv flight camera, size, distance you want to travel ect. After you get all that together you can easily build you own. I order all my stuff from China. Since I'm in no rush I am able to build what I want for half the price, not limiting myself to one specific frame or flight set-up.
Just an idea Cornishblue..
Save yourself the doe and get the enjoyment of building it yourself. I'm not really impressed with the inspire, and you are quite limited when buying a phantom. There is only so much you can customize.
Just an idea.

 

[Xpeez223z]

I do think when it comes to main flight controllers, GPS lock, RTH mode Dji company's second to none. Easily setup on their software to program and dial in your P.I.D.'s.

 

[Cornishblue]

Thanks for all the feedback

I have checked out the new DJI products and Im not sure they would help my cause, the cameras look good, but also look pricey and would require a Inspire drone.

Building a drone could be an option but once the drone was built what camera/gimbal could you suggest that is reasonably priced ?

Are there other mirrorless cameras around that are good for aerial photography ?

Thanks again

aiden

 

[DroneWorxUK]

Oh and if you're doing aerial filming /photography in UK for any sort of reward then you need to also be qualified, holding caa permission for aerial work. They are coming down heavy on those who fly illegally.

 

[Cornishblue]

O ye im on that, its all been costed in ;-)

 

[Mal_PV2_Ireland]

You are looking at buying the Phantom 3 or the new inspire with both costing €1399 and €4999 respectively. If you want a dslr in the air you are looking at about €7k without a camera. Sorry but that's reality at the moment.

 

[Meta4]

Are there other mirrorless cameras around that are good for aerial photography ?

Plenty of good cameras but the trouble is that by the time you add a suitable gimbal, you need a big (expensive) aircraft to lift it.
We'd all love to fly a Sony RX100 - the lightest good camera or something with an even bigger sensor but:
1. Weight is critical in flight
2. Nothing (except the Inspire) has a better control system than the Phantom 3
This is why the Phantom 3 is so popular.
To get any better results, you have to spend several times what the P3 costs - and it's still not going to be as easy to use..

 

[Cornishblue]

Thanks for your replies much appreciated. II think thephantom 3 pro is the way forward.

 

[RoyVa]

Good luck in you endeavors.

 

[John Locke]

You really need the Inspire 1 Pro with the new x5 camera, just introduced this week. This new camera is like a Panasonic GH4 from a spec point of view but it's lighter and less expensive, and it's fully integrated ready to use on the Inspire, it looks like a very sweet setup. However you shouldn't buy that until you learn to fly with less expensive drones like the dromida omnius for outdoor practice, and one of the nano drones for indoor practice like a proto x or a hubsan nano palm sized drone. After you get competent with those and can fly them without crashing, then you'll be ready for an expensive flying pro camera. You must learn to fly first before buying your professional equipment, unless your rich and wouldn't flinch at crashing a $5000 craft.