I want to buy an hdslr helicopter asap, what are my options?

Mastering an RC helicopter needs months, if not years of practice (and lots of crashes).

Quad or even Octa-Copters can be learned much faster and they are more stable.
So I would look in this direction.

Maybe get a cheap one of a toy shop and put a cheap camera like a gopro on it for starters.

Frank
 
Any links to where I can buy these ready to go? Or with little assembly required? I want to get the best one I can get for 2,200 after taxes at the most.
 
well for 2200 you can eventually get a picture of it... in a nice frame
a ready to fly engine for a DLSR would cost at least 6-8000$.
usually it does not exist, you need to build according the needs and require A LOT of fine tuning.
Many people start with an electric heli like the T-REX serie , boost it a bit, add pan and tilt head, customize a lot.
The T-rex goes from few hundred to several thousand dollars starting with a small one.
After few month of fine tuning (and after many crash) they usually go to a bigger model.

I think the ones that make a nice tool ready made is Dranganfly, model X8
last time i checked it was 32000$
anyway, flying a DSLR is stupid because DSLR have nothing to offer on an Helicopter.
You do not need DOF or all these manual setting (you wont be able to change anything remotely, or even check)
And they are super heavy.
That is why people are going to GOPRO or small still camera.
 
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You will not lift a DSLR successfully for $2,200. For ~$1,500 you can get a simple GAUI kit, radio, Lipos and charger and GoPro and start out. That's your best bet for that budget. Or hire someone else for a day.

Draganflys are not worth it. Very expensive and very low payload.

Like others mentioned, start small and learn to fly. I spent 1 year of flying at least 20 minutes every single morning/evening to get comfortable and SMOOTH for professional video. (And tons of crashes, and lots of $$ like learning anything hard)

Or you can hire me :) I do this professionally and travel all over:

http://mattjohnstonsfp.com/aerial/



Also nosys70 - You are somewhat incorrect - you can change settings from the ground, and watch a live video feed from the camera. But yes, shallow DOF is kind of wasted when shooting wide.
 
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rally, just a heads up, I got this while heading to your site:

Picture16.png


I'm at work and they block their fair share of stuff, but that's a new one for me.
 
Hawk Teflon said:
rally, just a heads up, I got this while heading to your site:



I'm at work and they block their fair share of stuff, but that's a new one for me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, that's kinda weird? I will check with my host but I have not heard of anyone else having issues yet? So I hope it is just your workplace firewall... Anyway, here is the vimeo video from that page for those that are interested:


Shows what is going on during an aerial shoot, and how the platforms work. It is monumentally complex. I'm not just saying that to try and deter people and make more money either. I have built race cars from the ground up and that was child's play compared to getting pro video from a custom helicopter
 
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Thanks, had no idea the gopro stuff looked that good. Do the gopros do 24fps? Or can anyone recommend a smaller cheaper camera that does along with an rc helicopter and mount to get started with.
 
dajavudesigns said:
Thanks, had no idea the gopro stuff looked that good. Do the gopros do 24fps? Or can anyone recommend a smaller cheaper camera that does along with an rc helicopter and mount to get started with.
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My examples are not gopro. You cant get much cheaper or smaller than that.Also. You probably wouldn't ever want to shoot 24p from a helicopter.
 
canon and some other brands are still making still digital camera with CCD sensor, with movie recording feature.
they are small and cheap. For sure you can have feedback of everything from air to ground but it adds more electronics, more weight, more battery.
probably way to expensive and complex for your budget.
If you choose a flying thing, just make sure it is equipped for hands free flight (use GPS, Camera, Gyro) to make the plane fly alone, almost no crash possible except if you intentionally smash it against a wall.
 
Interesting. I was originally thinking of investing in the octocopter myself, but now thinking of a gopro and something a little cheaper. My big concern is getting an HD signal back I can look at.

Does anyone make a system like the octocopter but for smaller payloads (so cheaper) and some sort of small HD transmitter?
 
Rick Burnett said:
Interesting. I was originally thinking of investing in the octocopter myself, but now thinking of a gopro and something a little cheaper. My big concern is getting an HD signal back I can look at.

Does anyone make a system like the octocopter but for smaller payloads (so cheaper) and some sort of small HD transmitter?
Click to expand...

The only small, cheaper HD broadcast is the Terradek. It uses 802.11n which is pretty weak for range, and may interfere with your RC signal, so you would have to go UHF on that perhaps or 72mhz. Not really worth it. It would not be an option weight wise on a "smaller cheaper" kit that is also carrying a camera + LiPo.

Price is not directly related to payload, it is a bit, but is more related to overall stability, tuning and features.

I would NOT ever buy any ready to fly Multirotor (or helicopter) unless you are well versed in the first place. They are pretty complex and you need to be able to fix/field repair and diagnose problems often. You also don't want to cut your fingers off, or someone else's.
 
As stated above, good luck on getting a DSLR in the air for <$2,200. Quadrocopter has some nice RTF kits...but I would not recommend for the beginner AP/AV pilot.

http://shop.quadrocopter.us/Droidworx_c_41.html

I've got a Gaui 330X that I will attach my GoPro HD too...I'm just awaiting my batteries and charger to arrive :( For about $1000-$1200 you can have a fun little aerial video rig to start learning on. I also highly recommend a RC flight simulator.

http://realflight.com/
http://www.phoenix-simv3.com/default.asp
http://www.aerofly.com/

These sims will work with most Tx and simulate real life physics pretty well.

If you DO end up getting a nicer rig for DSLR, Photoship One makes some nice gimbals

http://www.photoshipone.com/
 
Rick Burnett said:
Interesting. I was originally thinking of investing in the octocopter myself, but now thinking of a gopro and something a little cheaper. My big concern is getting an HD signal back I can look at.

Does anyone make a system like the octocopter but for smaller payloads (so cheaper) and some sort of small HD transmitter?
Click to expand...

just for framing a SD or even lower signal would probably do the trick.

Frank
 
Postmaster said:
just for framing a SD or even lower signal would probably do the trick.

Frank
Click to expand...

That's true, good point. I am definitely thinking the gopro at the moment. I think the quality would be good enough for now for what I want, and if I get to a point where I want higher quality, then I think hiring someone with a more appropriate system would be the best bet. At least with a gopro setup, I can check out what I want first. :)

And thanks for all the pointers. I am DEFINITELY aware of the simulators. I'd be flying with NO camera for awhile I am sure. redshft, if you would, keep us updated how your $1.2k system with the gopro works. If your experience is good, I might go that route.
 
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