Drone help

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tunes4046

tunes4046

DJ Extraordinaire
ODJT Supporter
Jul 24, 2008
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Fennimore Wi
I am going to buy a drone, I am not sure what I want yet, I know I want to be able to shoot video, possibly be able to see what I am filming while flying, easy to learn flying is a must, parts availability from amazon or another quick shipping company is a must as I am in a small town with no hobby store anywhere near me. I have about a $1000 budget for this
 
To specify, in the quadcopter (quad) family, the DJI Phantom is probably the most popular (and easiest to get parts for). The DJI Inspire is one of the coolest, especially when you watch the motors and legs move up (to get out of the way of the camera). Most of the big ones have either a screen or goggles you can wear to see what it sees.

Smaller ones to learn 'flight basics' on are reasonably priced (like the Nano QX, Proto X).

A 'drone' could be a plane, car, boat or other.

Some ideas:

Best Drones 2016
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The best drone you can buy right now
September 2016 Best Drones For Sale List | MyFirstDrone
 
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The one I've used is a Fat Shark Teleporter (mounted on a Night Vapor). There's a bunch of us that get together every now and then and fly in a gym, my buddy bought this to put on his Vapor.
 
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3 types of camera drones - the cheap little includes a basic camera.
the best one up (which is near your limit) will let you fly a Hero/GoPro cam or similar. You'll want a 3 axis gimbal for the camera mount which is the costly part, besides the camera and drone itself.
If you want to get serious and fly a dslr then you'll need to spend $3k and up - much bigger and heavier camera means a much bigger drone, more expensive batteries, motors, gimbal, etc.

A simple solution is the blade 350qx Blade 350 QX3 Aerial Photography Quad Combo RTF with Stabilized Camera | Horizon Hobby

https://www.amazon.com/BLADE-350-Quadcopter-Discontinued-manufacturer/dp/B00PY7VRYW

the DJI comes in many 'kits' with cases and such.
https://www.amazon.com/DJI-CP-PT-00...&qid=1474390447&sr=8-3&keywords=dji+phantom+4

If you fly as a HOBBY fine, join the AMA and get liability insurance as part of your membership.
If you try to make money at this it's a whole nuther critter - Unmanned Aircraft Systems
 
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I actually bought one of these a few months ago, just to have something to play around with. Of course, my daughter took it over. I think it lasted for a couple of weeks before she destroyed it. It is pretty cool though. They have an iphone app that will let you live stream the camera from the quad. Video quality is so-so, but it's also not $1500.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y2GGB8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I can't wait to see what this technology brings us in the next few years...should be really amazing!
 
Drone technology has changed a lot in the lat few years, more specifically the last two.

I work in the film industry out here in LA, and have a good amount of experience flying several different types.

The DJI line has really good now, and the Phantom 4 is quite unbelievable for the price. Sure the inspire line is better, but a lot bigger, takes a lot more practice, and not needed for most users.

If you opt for the better camera on the Phantom Line, it will blow away the typical DSLR b/c of how good the dynamic range is.

I wouldn't bother with Go Pro any drones any more. The built in cameras from DJI are a lot better.

If you are going to buy a camera to put on a drone, it's going to be a lot more expensive, even if you are using a light camera like the A7sii.

Also, regarding a license-- you just need to pass the written test, and you also purchase insurance per time usage.
 
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I saw that go pro just came out with its own drone that you can control with a separate control screen and it doesn't have to be on your phone. It is compatible with the hero4 and hero5.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Cancel my last comment. Didn't see the previous post.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've been a DJI Phantom user since the P2 Vision+ came out a few years ago. The newest DJI quadcopter is the 4. It has 4k quality video and can fly about 3 miles away. Flight time is approx. 30mins as well.
The Phantom 3 Professional runs $999.00. It also has a 4k camera for video with a 12mp still photo quality. You are able to view what the camera sees on an ipad or iphone if you choose. From there you also can take photos and videos. They are very easy to learn to fly.
As of August 29, the FAA set out new "drone" rules to obide by. You must keep the aircraft within your eyesight. You can not fly higher than 400ft. The operator must have a remote pilot certificate of have one there in his presence.
 
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within eye sight..yet the drone can fly 3 miles..LOL
It's SOOO easy to lose a drone in the sky - thankfully mine has 'return to home'.
I tried to fly across teh ohio river - 1000', maybe 1500..and lost it in the sky. Had the camera recording and from what i could see I made it MAYBE 1/2 way across. Disappointing.

Another time I wanted to go up and look down on a park from above the hiway bridget that spans the park..besides challenging winds swirling around the bridge it didn't look all that high - but the 140' that the simple mode limits altitude to (since it's most stable to fly in this mode) would not let me get high enough.

And without GPS lock YOU have to fly the quad - and flying it smoothly to film is a challenge. I did some moving shots - not hard - but to hold it still..wow. I was in a valley and couldn't get GPS lock.

BlueLineDJ said:
I've been a DJI Phantom user since the P2 Vision+ came out a few years ago. The newest DJI quadcopter is the 4. It has 4k quality video and can fly about 3 miles away. Flight time is approx. 30mins as well.
The Phantom 3 Professional runs $999.00. It also has a 4k camera for video with a 12mp still photo quality. You are able to view what the camera sees on an ipad or iphone if you choose. From there you also can take photos and videos. They are very easy to learn to fly.
As of August 29, the FAA set out new "drone" rules to obide by. You must keep the aircraft within your eyesight. You can not fly higher than 400ft. The operator must have a remote pilot certificate of have one there in his presence.
Click to expand...
 
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I have the DJI Phantom Pro. Love it. It's easy to fly and takes great pics and vids. However DJI just came out with the Mavic Pro. Much smaller, faster setup. Will probably be my next.
 
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WireNut said:
I have the DJI Phantom Pro. Love it. It's easy to fly and takes great pics and vids. However DJI just came out with the Mavic Pro. Much smaller, faster setup. Will probably be my next.
Click to expand...
Take a look at the brand new Gopro Karma. interesting!
 
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