I picked up a DJI standard end of November. I recently got back into photography and video and added the DJI to get Aerial visuals.
I'm focusing on Travel Photography and Video. I added the P3S to balance out my body of work by adding a different visual perspective.
My first travel photo adventure is this January, In Puerto Rico for a week. I'm taking it out and pushing it to the limits to see how it does. I'll update on findings when i come back mid Jan.
Below is a list of all the gear I got and why
DJI 3 Standard
In the Box
- Phantom 3 Standard
- Intelligent battery (comes already inserted in drone)
- 8 propellers
- Battery charger
- Mini-Usb chord for charging remote
- 8GB MicroSD SanDisk Ultra 40MB write speed
- Remote Control with phone cradle (iPhone not included)
- Manuals (that were never read!)
- Different colored stickers (same as the red ones on the image below)
I choose the standard because I'm just starting out in aerials and based on my research this was the best way to learn and acclimate to the gear then upgrade later. The 2.7K video will suffice because my work will be viewed online mainly rendered out in 1080p. The 12MP for pics does a pretty decent job the option of getting all my pictures in DNG Raw means I can edit them till i get the desired outcome. Plus the Intelligent flight modes was a huge selling point for me! being able to set the camera on a course and focus on shot composition.
1.) Batteries!
The Standard uses DJI’s new Intelligent battery with an advertised 23 mins flight time on the standard. If you intend on flying for more than 20 minutes you’ll need a couple of batteries to keep you going! Expect to shell out a small fortune here! each battery is $149.
I was lucky and got 3 extra ones at $138(i've read of people who got them for $100 on some of the threads here) a piece on sale, that plus my original one gives me about 1 1\2 hrs of flight time. I expect to be out shooting in remote places without immediate access to power so having a few batteries will guarantee that I won’t miss a shot!
2.) Battery Charger
You just bought enough batteries to start your car good job! Now how do you charge them all?
In comes Smartree batter charger, for $39.99 vs just buying 3 DJI chargers at $120 or one DJI charging hub at $90
The charger can charge all 3 of my spare batteries at once, while the fourth one charges with the charger that came in the box with the camera.
Or i can charge 2 batteries and my remote at once.
3.) Memory cards
All your videos and photos are saved to the camera on Micro SD cards (Inserted on top of the camera). My Standard came with a SanDisk Ultra 8gb HC1 Class 10 already inserted. I swapped that out with a couple of the SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB MicroSDHC UHS-1 Flash Memory Card With Speed Up To 95MB/s. When shooting HD video and Pictures you want to avoid dropped frames or slow write speeds in between taking pictures so if possible get the fastest, highest rated card you can!
Also, a lesson I learned from doing video work on DSLR’s back in the day, don’t get cards over 16gb so you don’t end up loosing a lot of footage if it ever happens! This forces you to intentionally have to stop and swap cards. The last thing you want is having all your amazing video footage and those epic killer shots you just took on that 32gb or 64gb card to all get corrupted, lost or stollen by minions! (they usually come when its your best footage) I have several of these that I shuffle in between my cameras and any other equipment that uses SD.
4.) Bags
The first thing I realized after unboxing my Phantom 3 was how big it was! I tried fitting it into my regular daypack but that wasn’t happening! The camera has too many bulges where the propellers go and the landing gear. I needed to find a safe and discrete way to lug this bad boy around!
A simple search for DJI Phantom 3 bag, backpack etc, will lead you down a depressing road of financial torment! Most of the bags on sale for Phantoms were all in the $100-$200 range. In comes Amazon to the rescue! after 2 1\2 weeks of searching I came across the bag pictured below, The Ofeely Backpack for DJI Phantom 2 3 Vision Vision+ at only $56.
The bag fits my Phantom 3, 4 batteries, chargers, propellers, remote, iPad as well as space for a water bottle on the side of the bag. I did however have to do some Macgyver-ing with a knife to where the remote controller was meant to go(the huge weird looking hole on the right of the quad cut out) it didn’t fit perfectly when i first received the bag. I’ll update on how the bag fairs after I take it out on a Photo Adventure
5.) ND Filters
Another important lesson I learned from shooting video and photo work in the past, If you have any intentions of shooting out in the sun or anywhere near it GET ND FILTERS!
I got the PolarPo DJI Phantom 3 Standard 3-Pack these attach right onto the rim of the camera.
Neutral Density filters (ND-filters) reduce light intensity without changing color. The circular polarizer filter helps enhance aerial videos by reducing the amount of light reflecting off the ground, sky, or water. Removing this reflecting light allows the Phantom 3 to capture beautifully saturated colors and improves contrast.
2-Stop ND4: This 2-stop neutral density (ND) filter is the middle shade used for filming on mild days, i.e. partly cloudy or during the golden hours(sunset and sunrise). This filter helps reduce highlights as well as reduces lens flare when shooting into the sun. This is the most commonly used of the two ND filters. 3-Stop Neutral Density:
The 3-stop ND8 is the darkest shade and should be used on very bright days. This filter helps prevent lens flare, and reduces any mild rolling shutter. This filter also slows the shutter speed enough to blur the propellers when they are in frame.
6.) Random Knick Knacks and doo daas!
Everything below is just personal improvements that I made to aid in my workflow while using my Phantom 3. These are not necessities, like everything from #1-5.
FPV LCD Monitor Mount Bracket
The silver bracket in the middle allows me to mount my iPad and replaces the flimsy iPhone holder that came with my remote control. This piece only serves the purpose of changing the weight of my Monitor to the center, as well as a better location in correlation to the controls. This comes with a lanyard loop to attach a lanyard or harness of your choice.
Square Jellyfish Mini Tablet Tripod Mount
This mounts to the the top of the FPV bracket and holds my iPad Mini or any large screen smart phone(holds my iPhone 6 plus)
BW® JR PROPO RC Transmitter Neck Strap Neckstrap with metal Hook Adjustable
To offset the weight of the DJI remote over a prolonged period of time, add a lanyard that attaches to the center of the remote controller.
Please let me know if you guys have any questions! I'de be glad to help.
Also if any of you are in the Raleigh, Durham Area lets link up!
Below are some pics that i've shot with the DJI Standard.
