Anybody here have one? (Drone)

Quote from War Hoop

Looking at buying one, anybody here got a DJI Phantom 3 or 4.

Amazon.com: DJI Phantom 3 Standard Quadcopter Drone with 2.7K HD Video Camera (Certified Refurbished): Camera & Photo

I dont have one, but I have looked into them. One feature I would require is the auto return feature if something goes wrong. Had a guy staying at the vacation rental next door who was flying one and the wind kicked up and he completely lost it dont know what happened, but he was really pissed and just as he put the controller down to his side giving up the drone came back into sight and landed right back where it had taken off from.

I live right near the end of the airport runway and it really isnt legal to fly them here when I told the guy that it had gone straight at the airport he suspected that people at the airport had blocked his signals to disable the drone and get it out of their airspace

I have no clue if that is what happened or if they even have that ability, but I was very impressed at how the drone had come back - - knowing what these things cost I think it is a necessary feature - at least it would be for me

There is a photography forum I used to hang out on and they have a drone photography sub forum where I am sure you could get some very good information - here is a link - DP Review Drone photography

I have also looked into them, but the one I want is rather pricey and I've held off for now. @av8ingtom has the one I want, but the price starts around $1100 when I looked back in the summer. It has the auto home feature, and enough AI to try to avoid crashing when it does. Tom lost his temporarily while at Dry Falls in NC, and he hit home and it showed up right above him about 2 minutes later. It has great video, and takes high resolution stills. It is a sweet machine for certain. Pretty sure he'll chime in when he has time.

At ZZP we have a Phantom 4 Pro and a Mavic Pro. Both are sweet. The phantom carries a lot heartier price tag. The camera on the Phantom is better but unless you’re really getting into making video for a living you probably will never notice the difference.

Both are very easy to fly and have a “return home” feature should you loose it or battery gets too low. Both have anti collision features making them fairly hard to crash into things like trees and roof tops. I get about 30-45min of constant fly time out of the phantom and about 25-35min out of the mavic. Multiple batteries are a must.

The phantom has an actual remote that you put your smart phone into which acts as your eyes while it’s in the air. The mavic is the same but you also can control it with the phone touching the screen. Personally I like the phantom control more in this area.

These 2 drones are very similar in many aspects in my opinion but where they differ most is stability and air speed. The phantom is a tank. It’s very stable in moderate to heavy winds and flies up to 45mph which makes using the tracking feature pretty cool chasing jet skis and bass boats across lakes. However with that said, it’s also 4x the size and weight as the mavic so it’s much less portable and can be harder to get into tight spots.

The mavic is small and extremely convenient and portable. It has a small back pack that it folds down into. The phantom I have a pelican hard case for and it doesn’t fold down. The mavic is good in no to moderate winds. It struggles a bit in high winds. The mavic flies at up to I THINK 35mph but don’t quote me on that. The phantoms range is something like 4mi where the mavic is I think half that. I could be a little off on those ranges. However, with that said good luck getting 4mi out and back before the battery runs out especially if there’s high winds.

Both are awesome and I don’t think you would be disappointed with either one. If you’re getting one to make some serious video I would probably go with the phantom. If it’s going to be more of a hobby thing I would probably go with the mavic. Our video guy likes the mavic a lot better. Mainly for its portability and the shot amount of time it takes to deploy and pack away. The majority of our ariel shots in our videos are made with the mavic.

Touching on the phantom 3, it’s a great drone but it’s less feature packed than the 4. I think if I were choosing between those two specifically I would go with the 4. It’s got better tech. But I’ve never owned a 3 so, there’s that.

In regards to where you’re flying it, I would highly recommend getting familiar with air space law and where you can and can’t fly them. I believe the DJI site has a section devoted to that. If memory serves, you’re not supposed to fly them within 1mi of an airport or helipad and you must remain under a certain elevation.

Happy flying and let us know what you decide on!!!

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I have both the Phantom 2 and the Mavic Pro. My Phantom is old and is definitely faster and will get to higher altitudes than the Mavic. The Mavic is my favorite because of all the new technology compared to the Phantom. You are very limited with altitude restriction with the FAA, and I see the restrictions getting tighter in the next few years. The Mavic takes great pictures and video and it is the only one I use now. The Phantom has been retired. You can even operate the Mavic on auto pilot if you desire.

I just sold my Mavic Air and still have my Mavic Spark. I don't use them nearly enough...just too busy.

I have the Phantom 3 Standard. It seems to do everything I ask of it. Photos are decent as well, although I do not print any off. Just view and share them with freinds. Only once have I struggled to get it to come back to the launch area, but that was more my error in flying in a super heavy wind. My only criticism of it is the flimsy cell phone holder it comes with. That can be swapped out with an aftermarket one easy enough though. Overall I am very pleased with its capabilities.

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I have the mavic pro, it is very stable even In higher winds. I have also done the gps flight and let it take off, record video and return all on its own. its very nice. my kit was about 1300 when I bought it. FAA restrictions are tight, but table heights and all are user monitored. I have seen pilots that have flown way above cloud level. the biggest problem that I have with the mavic are the flight zones. here in northern Virginia you have to drive quite a ways out in order to fly it. I also have a 250 racing drone. it doesn't have the same restriction locks that the other drones have, but flight distance from you and all of that is way shorter. but you can put a gopro on it for your pictures and video.

I use a DJI Spark and love it. It has all the features you would need for doing amateur video/pics. Only down side is it doesn't have a 3 axis gimbal, but for me it is more than adequate.