Recommend me a drone

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Wow, exciting times for drone releases. I had been considering a Phantom 4 of some sort, but now there are more choices. The new DJI Mavic as well as the GoPro are both interesting. Going against the grain, I would prefer to use a Sony Action cam (4k) since I think it is the best performer off the cam. If you have gone this road, could you describe your kit, or give some guidance on the evolving sub $1500 market.

TIA
Grant
 
I've read that Sony makes the sensors for the gopro and Phantom 3. Not sure if this is true...

I do own several Sony action cams and like them.

i think which drone comes down to several factors including budget:
what other cameras will you be intercutting footage with?
how much wind do you plan on flying in?
do you need uninstructed 360 degree camera operation?
 
Some of it depends on your shooting logistics. Personally I'm leaning towards the DJI Mavic Pro.
Reasons:
Portability is important
Obstacle avoidance
ActiveTrack, the ability lock onto and track a subject
Flight time, up to 27 minutes
Ability to use indoors can be useful
Ease of use and speed of setup
 
OP here.

I'll be only a part time user; a fair weather flyer. I'm not so concerned about inter-cutting with other cams, but for WIW, I use a PX-270 and 5dMk3.

I am leaning towards the Mavic for all the right reasons listed. The small size is nice, but not too important to me. The follow me feature is one I think I would use for sure. But I am always looking for versatility, and using my existing Sony kit would be nice; the Mavic is a one trick pony. Despite the lead that GoPro has in action cams, IMHO, the Sony is a better product especially with regard to image stabilization. No doubt the Mavic is a slick deal and will be curious how well it really performs when it hits the streets. Though I have seen some previews on the tubes that are impressive. I like the little controller too.

Grant
 
I'd be wary of using any action cam on a drone. Because they tend to have fisheye lenses, they are not ideal for aerial videos where the horizon is often in the shot. It also means you need to setup your own solution for live monitoring separate to the controller. With the inbuilt camera, at least on the Phantoms 3/4 that I've used, it makes it a lot easier as it is an all-in-one solution.
 
For a completely integrated solution, now in its 5th generation, the DJI Mavic would be my choice.

My only reservation having flown these things for years, is DJI's codec. I wish it were more robust, less compressed and with a higher data rate.

Remember as well that these things have to be registered with the FAA, and to fly commercially you have to pass the part 107 test.
 
ggrantly said:
Looks like my selection decision got easier since the Karma has been pulled from the market.
G
Click to expand...

Ya, bummer for GoPro. Though I've heard it's mainly a software thing as opposed to failing hardware part (but haven't heard this officially from GoPro). And GoPro says (as one might expect):

=====
Karma Recall and Return Information
Last updated November 11th, 2016
GoPro is committed to providing our customers with great product experiences. To honor this commitment, we have recalled Karma until we resolve a performance issue related to a loss of power during operation. We plan to resume shipment of Karma once the issue is addressed.
=====

And to be alerted to when Karma drones are again available, you can enter an email address on this page:
https://gopro.com/2016karmareturn
 
David Saraceno said:
My only reservation having flown these things for years, is DJI's codec. I wish it were more robust, less compressed and with a higher data rate.
Click to expand...

The new Phantom 4 Pro with 100 Mbps and H265 recording would appear to have that covered now.

The camera also appears to be a significant upgrade with much more dynamic range making it a very cheap flying camera solution. Not as convenient as the Mavic to transport but worth it for the better camera and codec.
 
Nirv said:
The new Phantom 4 Pro with 100 Mbps and H265 recording would appear to have that covered now.
Click to expand...

The one factor that stood out is that 100 Mbps data rate is only provided for 4K footage. Remembering the 4K is four times the size of 1080.

At 1080, however, the data rate maxes at 65 Mbps.
 
David Saraceno said:
The one factor that stood out is that 100 Mbps data rate is only provided for 4K footage. Remembering the 4K is four times the size of 1080.

At 1080, however, the data rate maxes at 65 Mbps.
Click to expand...

You missed the H.265 part, roughly double the efficiency, so roughly double the equivalent bitrate for h.264 comparison.

As much as i like the Mavic's body type, the new p4 pro is at the top of my list, i've been waiting for someone to put a 1" sensor into a drone, and this is the first one. I've been very pleased with all the iterations of 1" sensor cams that i've owned and played with over the years. It's a fantastic balance of quality to size. That plus the higher bitrate and H.265 codec, and more avoidance sensors, all add up to what i wish would be in a Mavic body, but would ultimately choose the quality over size
 
The P4 Pro is the one to get now unless you need the portability of the Mavic.

I have a Mavic and have a pre-order on a P4 Pro. The P4P will replace my original P4 and join the Mavic and Inspire 1 Pro in my stable of drones.

And 100Mb 4K is fine... that's what the GH4 shoots and there's a lot of good work that has been or is being done with the GH4. 65Mb 1080P is even better... that's a higher bitrate than the C300 shoots... not that bitrate is everything.

The Mavic is really something for travel though. It's the first drone I take nearly everywhere I take a camera. It fits in my camera bag like another lens or two would.
 
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Apparently my spine turned to jello after I had decided not to throw money at gear for a while.... that P4P is looking mighty fine. Hopefully it should arrive this week! Can't wait to take it out for a spin... :D or... hopefully not a spin but a glide ;P
 
Just got the P4P up and running, with a little fiddling around in the phone settings. It's a dream. Only had it up once due to another job I had to do (grrrrr) so my remarks aren't that extensive. But it's so easy to use once it's been configured.

Right now my only two issues are:
- Slight horizontal tilt to the right.
- For some reason, when set to Pal it maxs out at 50 fps, unlike NTSC which can run 120 fps at 1920x1080.
 
OP here. Time to bump this thread back to life.

So I'm getting closer to a purchase and have decided on the P4pro. Now the decision is whether to get the + model with the integrated screen or the standard controller and use a phone. The + model has HDMI out and I have heard the integrated screen is very good.

Thoughts?
 
Size and Weight might be a consideration.

Mavic pro, is less than 1 kilo, and can be flown without a licence in some places (and certainly in the Netherlands). Above that weight you need a license, a DJI 3 is 1,2 kilo.

It is small enough to take it with you all the time.
 
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I would hold off buying a P4pro until all the bugs and kinks are worked out. Some wont even be possible to solve.

Apparently there are several issues with the P4Pro and frankly I wouldn't feel safe buying into that right now. Users have experienced loss of GPS and lost drones due to fly away. The gimbal have had issues for others. There's odd red flares when shooting into the sun. Reports of app crashes during flight.

Hopefully DJI will find the cause of these things and solve them in future builds of the hardware and software. Until then I'd rather fly a P4.
 
I was thinking the P4 Pro was the economical and quality choice drone at this point due largely to image improvements, but as mentioned above I think waiting til these issues are fixed is adviseable
 
Thanks for the heads up on the P4P issues. Seems surprising that DJI would stumble on this given how they seem to incrementally improve their products. I was really interested in the P4P because of the stills ability coupled with the improved video. Seems like they haven't improved customer service either...a hallmark for them. Combine product issues with bad CS and that is a real recipe for unhappiness.

Grant
 
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