DJI Phantom 4 PRO!!!

ozmorphasis said:
Wow, I had no idea about the CrystalSky. Not sure how I missed that one, but definitely not going to commit to the +.
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Well... that new monitor must have been announced quite recently. B&H do not even have it on their site yet. Interesting... not sure why one would buy the + now...

Also thought I'd share my Mavic experience in this thread...for those of you still possibly on the fence or waiting to decide. I received my Mavic pro just about a week and a half ago (my first drone). Absolutely love the way it flies and handles ( my only other experience is with Inspire 1). But after first day of testing, I looked at the footage and some very weird - almost tilt-shift lens stuff going on... with often up to 1/3 of left or right side of frame being very soft focus. Happens in both autofocus and seemed to be even worse in manual. Visited the DJI forum to find out I wasn't the only one...
So, I've contacted them - and wondering how many of the early shipments this affects - and mine is going back for full refund. And I'm definitely leaning now upon exchanging it for the much better camera in the 4 Pro. That 60mb vs 100mb and better codec & camera should've gotten more of my attention from the start.
 
I had my aim towards the plus version but now when I've sold my P4 I'm actually leaning towards the P4 instead of the plus. I'm not sure a 5.5" monitor will cut it.
 
markfpv said:
Well... that new monitor must have been announced quite recently. B&H do not even have it on their site yet. Interesting... not sure why one would buy the + now...
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It was announced at the same time as the Inspire 2 and Phantom 4 Pro.
 
Just received a P4Pro and fired it up at home just to set it up. It looks almost like the P4 and fits perfectly inside my backpack for the P4 I had. I'll take it for a spin this weekend and check out how image quality is improved.
 
I think you will be quite pleased with IQ. To update my post #61 above... I now have been able to do several short test flights with my P4Pro. No issues whatsoever. The difference in IQ between this & the mavic is completely worth the extra $ imo. Quite happy with mine thus far.
 
I haven't got to really study my video footage in detail but I've looked at the raw DNG files and they look nicer than the P4. In certain angles the image would need some correction to get the right proportions but other than that I'm pleased with it. IQ is not on par with something like a RX100 as some suggests but fine for a drone.

It does fly well but as many others I get wind warnings on every flight. It feels faster to fly and range has been okay. I've got disconnected a few times but it has come back each time so far and no loss of GPS signals.

At first I believed the focus adjustment and aperture settings would slow me down but it doesn't really and it's much more flexible when shooting. I've ditched shooting in LOG as it's just to compressed and instead used Cinelike gamma which to me doesn't sacrifice any DR and it's easier to grade.

I really like that stills comes out at a 3:2 aspect ratio just like my 5D as it looks more natural compared to 4:3 as on the P4.
 
Finally I got around to dig through the latest flight footage and video looks really nice. I have settled on Cinelike gamma and a minus 3 on contrast. To me at least the footage looks well resolved without being to sharp or loosing finer details. It's also way better to grade and doesn't fall apart like P4 footage did with LOG gamma.

I've made a few tweaks to how to drone settings are compared to default and it's easy to manoeuvrer this thing in the air. As a result I get loads of useable footage in the end. The only downer is my editing machine that, at the moment, struggles to playback the footage without lagging. But that's my computers fault and I will have to solve that.

Range feels just as good as the P4. I'm using a simple range booster that's just cooper shields behind the antenna.
 
Thanks for the update, let us know when you post some samples, a :60 montage of several shots/sequences would be cool. I have decided that when I get a drone, it will be the P4Pro. Being a camera person, I cannot buy a Mavic just because it's small when the video quality is borderline. I've seen a few Mavic clips that looked good and a lot of bad ones. I have seen a few P4Pro clips that looked amazing. That extra 40 Mbps makes a difference.
 
puredrifting said:
Thanks for the update, let us know when you post some samples, a :60 montage of several shots/sequences would be cool. I have decided that when I get a drone, it will be the P4Pro. Being a camera person, I cannot buy a Mavic just because it's small when the video quality is borderline. I've seen a few Mavic clips that looked good and a lot of bad ones. I have seen a few P4Pro clips that looked amazing. That extra 40 Mbps makes a difference.
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My guess is that a lot of tha bad clips were due to user error. Select focus not being used properly, newbies with zero camera experience (bad settings), little knowledge of proper upload techniques, etc.

That being said, I agree with you on the P4Pro. It's not that much more expensive but has a larger sensor, higher recording bitrate, and 4K at 60P. Well worth the little extra IMHO. The appeal of the Mavic is size for sure but if size is not a big concern the P4Pro offers a LOT.
 
With the P4 I always felt image quality was borderline to be passable but with the P4Pro it looks fine and will probably be good enough for anything I could possible need. Not to mention it doesn't break when working with it in post.
 
You can't deny the size and weight of the Mavic is highly appealing. But I will probably mostly use a drone locally. I will not shoot overseas with it and I will not be dragging it out when I am DPing shoots, I have no plans for becoming a certified drone pilot so it will probably be mainly used for exploring local hiking and nature areas I visit, I also live near some beautiful beaches and harbors and my wife does Hawaian Outrigger Racing so it would be fun to shoot some of that since I really can't get much but the water entry and start from the shore. I think for me, a drone will be mainly a learning tool and a way to get some good vantage points of local beauty. For that, I don't really have to have the smallest and lightest drone on the market, capturing better quality is probably more appealing. When it comes down to it, a drone will mostly be a toy for me. Which is probably why I haven't bought one yet ;-)
 
I'm curious to know how other P4Pro users are - if they are - editing / using the h265 video files shot with the drone. This is my only issue with it so far - can't seem to get most systems to play those files back. I've shared with other editors - both PC & Mac based - and so far no luck. Am wondering if the implementation of that codec requires a certain new processing power? Happy with the 100mb h264 - but certainly a bump up from it would be welcomed.
 
I just uploaded a h265 file (.MOV) from my P4Pro to my Mac and neither quicktime nor Premiere recognized it. Did a quick search and found other users were able to use the .MP4 but not the .MOV files. I just changed the extension to .MP4 and reimported it into Premiere. Premiere gave me a message that it needed to download a HEVC codec in order to play. Premiere automatically downloaded it and now the files play back fine.
 
Speaking of the Mavic, what are the main benefits of the Phantom 4 Pro over the Mavic? From what I can tell:

4K @ 60p
Larger sensor 20mp 1" (vs 12mp 1/2.3"). But does this equate to better dynamic range or low light with more pixels on the larger sensor? Or?

I'm guessing there is more...

Also, I see ND filters can be used on the Phantom 4 Pro. But I don't see ND filters on the Mavic.

Seriously debating between both of these. Problem is I would be using it both locally, AND internationally around the world. I'd prefer to not have to invest in both...
 
As a previous owner of a P4 I can say that the P4Pro has very impressive image quality. To me this is the killer feature but I also think the P4Pro flies better than the P4. It's very easy to manoeuvrer around and get great shots with.
 
Heavier machine will be more stable in the wind. That may be one of the most important aspects between the two, but it will also make more noise since it needs to move more air. Also the larger machine probably has a faster flight speed which may be important for some people. The Mavic Pro may be a little slow for one thing I would want to do with it, but the size and folding nature will probably beat out that one specific shortfall. I'm also not going to be renting it out as a production tool, so I can deal with the smaller sensor, etc.

And I did see one company offers snap on filters for the Mavic, guessing they might fit the newer Mavic Pro, if not someone will make them but you can't go too dark or the computer may have problems with some of the avoidance technologies.
 
The thing with filters are they aren't adjustable in flight. Often a strong ND is needed to tame the sky but when you aim the camera straight down the exposure needs to be bumped so things end up being a compromise.
 
Greg_E said:
Heavier machine will be more stable in the wind. That may be one of the most important aspects between the two, but it will also make more noise since it needs to move more air. Also the larger machine probably has a faster flight speed which may be important for some people. The Mavic Pro may be a little slow for one thing I would want to do with it, but the size and folding nature will probably beat out that one specific shortfall. I'm also not going to be renting it out as a production tool, so I can deal with the smaller sensor, etc.

And I did see one company offers snap on filters for the Mavic, guessing they might fit the newer Mavic Pro, if not someone will make them but you can't go too dark or the computer may have problems with some of the avoidance technologies.
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Just to clarify, there is no Mavic. There is only the Mavic Pro (at least from what I know so I may be mistaken) so snap on filters work for that, although I can't say to quality as I don't have the Mavic Pro. The avoidance cameras are separate from the main camera so any filters for the recording camera would not affect avoidance technology.
 
filmguy123 said:
Speaking of the Mavic, what are the main benefits of the Phantom 4 Pro over the Mavic? From what I can tell:

4K @ 60p
Larger sensor 20mp 1" (vs 12mp 1/2.3"). But does this equate to better dynamic range or low light with more pixels on the larger sensor? Or?

I'm guessing there is more...

Also, I see ND filters can be used on the Phantom 4 Pro. But I don't see ND filters on the Mavic.

Seriously debating between both of these. Problem is I would be using it both locally, AND internationally around the world. I'd prefer to not have to invest in both...
Click to expand...

The recording bitrate is higher on the P4 Pro as well. It is 100Mbps in 4K modes vs. 60Mbps of the regular P4. Apparently it is a noticeable improvement.

You can find Mavic Pro filters here:

http://taco-rc.com/mavic-accessories/?sort=featured&page=2

I had the Taco Rc filters for my P3Pro and was very happy with the quality so I suspect the Mavic ones are good as well.
 
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