Your Ultimate Aerial Filming Rig

NovosRSA · Mar 30, 2014

Hi Guys,

What would your ultimate Phantom 2 Rig look like - best of everything - This is what I am thinking - Please give me your thoughts on each item.

Zenmuse H3-3D
FPV Set Up - I am thinking the 664/w Lilliput HD 7" Screen
What RX/TX Units are the best for range etc?
Controller - Futaba FT8FG
IOSD mini V2
Naza-M V2
4 Spare Batteries
1 X Dual block battery charger
Carbon Fiber props 9"
Possibly Upgraded Anti-Gravity T-motors ?
Pro Carry Case

Any comments here would be greatly appreciated as i am looking to make a purchase in the next few days and really want to get the best possible system i can.

Budget $ 3000 USD

adanac · Mar 30, 2014

My ultimate aerial filming rig would not be a Phantom, if that's the question. You do seem to say later ultimate Phantom rig.

A couple of questions:

- Is Naza V2 an option? I thought they all came with that.
- What will the H3-3D do that is better? The landing gear are so close to the edges of frame in many cases. Can it be set to stay locked in one spot to correct for involuntary yaw changes?
- In what way are carbon fiber props better than the stock props? Are the CF props self-tightening?
- How are the t- motors better?

NovosRSA said:
Hi Guys,

What would your ultimate Phantom 2 Rig look like - best of everything - This is what I am thinking - Please give me your thoughts on each item.

Zenmuse H3-3D
FPV Set Up - I am thinking the 664/w Lilliput HD 7" Screen
What RX/TX Units are the best for range etc?
Controller - Futaba FT8FG
IOSD mini V2
Naza-M V2
4 Spare Batteries
1 X Dual block battery charger
Carbon Fiber props 9"
Possibly Upgraded Anti-Gravity T-motors ?
Pro Carry Case

Any comments here would be greatly appreciated as i am looking to make a purchase in the next few days and really want to get the best possible system i can.

Budget $ 3000 USD

OI Photography · Mar 30, 2014

adanac said:
- What will the H3-3D do that is better? The landing gear are so close to the edges of frame in many cases. Can it be set to stay locked in one spot to correct for involuntary yaw changes?

The 3-axis Zenmuse isn't for manual panning, rather it smooths out yaw movements while generally staying pointed "forward"...it'll just move a bit slower (and much smoother) when the airframe yaws (intentionally or otherwise).

wkf94025 · Mar 30, 2014

I would skip the carbon fiber and spiffy motors, and add Fatshark goggles, Spironet antennas for both goggles and Lilliput, and the ImmersionRC 200mW transmitter. I would also mod the Hero3+ with a RageCams 5.4mm lens if fisheye ain't your thing. And regardless of lens choice, several microSD cards for fast media change upon P2 battery change. That essentially sums up my config, though I'm obviously 2-axis on the Zenmuse today. I think the Futaba with Ianwood's v4 model has done more for my video smoothness than the 3-axis Zenmuse I will get soon.

Kelly

Hiway · Mar 30, 2014

Without having the experience, I suspect it would be a Y6 frame (250 to 450)- 3 axis gimbal, and the ability to use 4s batteries.

As for flight control, I can not shove enough info into my feeble brain to know what is the best option overall- there is Naza, and Super X-Flight, and that pixhawk looks pretty nifty- but I just don't know enough yet to make a proper choice... gotta go back and read some more.

I do know now, beyond a doubt, that I am heading towards the Y6- after all I have seen and read so far- for aerial filming it is the way to go if you have a penchant for fpv

NovosRSA · Mar 30, 2014

Thanks for the responses guys.

Kelly please let me know what you have set up your lilliput with? Is it attached to your controller or separate?
RX - TX ?
What exact items would I need especially for maximum range?

NovosRSA · Mar 30, 2014

adanac said:
My ultimate aerial filming rig would not be a Phantom, if that's the question. You do seem to say later ultimate Phantom rig.

A couple of questions:

- Is Naza V2 an option? I thought they all came with that.
- What will the H3-3D do that is better? The landing gear are so close to the edges of frame in many cases. Can it be set to stay locked in one spot to correct for involuntary yaw changes?
- In what way are carbon fiber props better than the stock props? Are the CF props self-tightening?
- How are the t- motors better?

NovosRSA said:

Hi Guys,

What would your ultimate Phantom 2 Rig look like - best of everything - This is what I am thinking - Please give me your thoughts on each item.

Zenmuse H3-3D
FPV Set Up - I am thinking the 664/w Lilliput HD 7" Screen
What RX/TX Units are the best for range etc?
Controller - Futaba FT8FG
IOSD mini V2
Naza-M V2
4 Spare Batteries
1 X Dual block battery charger
Carbon Fiber props 9"
Possibly Upgraded Anti-Gravity T-motors ?
Pro Carry Case

Any comments here would be greatly appreciated as i am looking to make a purchase in the next few days and really want to get the best possible system i can.

Budget $ 3000 USD

Click to expand...

Hi Adanac - Not 100% sure on the Gymbal
The Anti-Gravity T-Motors are apparently better in that they give you more power and more flight time.

The Carbon fiber props are 9" and apparently more stable.

ianwood · Mar 30, 2014

NovosRSA said:
The Anti-Gravity T-Motors are apparently better in that they give you more power and more flight time.

The Carbon fiber props are 9" and apparently more stable.

Careful what you read. Just about every person who's made the effort to "upgrade" the motors says there is no discernible benefit. Save your money. Stock is best. And the CF props are so bad they're dangerous. Again, stock is best.

And if you're looking for range as your primary TX capability (not typically that important for filming), you should stick with stock. If you want filming features like reduced rate yaw and gimbal control, then a T8FGS is a good choice.

The best P2 based rig for filming would be stock P2, Hero H3+B, T8FGS, H3-3D, Lilliput 664w and Fatshark 250mW vTX with iOSD. Then there's also LightBridge.

wkf94025 · Mar 30, 2014

I second Ian's advice to a T.

Two additional details: thus far, my limited experiments suggest Spironet CP antennas on P2, goggles, and Lilliput are my best video range option. Others may have better knowledge/luck/success on antennas. Re radio, I have Futaba 14SG, buI think the 8 is just as good for Phantom purposes.

I am anticipating that LightBridge will be an expensive bad*ss addition to the toy box.

Kelly

adanac · Mar 30, 2014

What is a v4?

FASTFJR · Mar 30, 2014

This is pretty close.........http://aerialmediapros.com/store/dji-s1 ... o-fly.html

ianwood · Mar 30, 2014

adanac said:
What is a v4?

My Futaba controller profile which is customized to support smooth and steady shots while filming. Thread here: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=8358. And whoever was after a mounting option for the Lilliput, this works well for me. You can find them all over eBay for $15-$20.

wkf94025 · Mar 30, 2014

Ian,

What is your battery setup on your Lilliput? How long does it last relative to a P2 flight battery?

Kelly

ianwood · Mar 30, 2014

wkf94025 said:
Ian,

What is your battery setup on your Lilliput? How long does it last relative to a P2 flight battery?

Kelly

I've been using the Canon LP-E6 batteries as I already have a bunch of them. You can get the Wasabi ones for $15 on Amazon. They last at least 3 flights so that's almost an hour. It can probably go longer but I haven't tested it.