Advanced vs Professional

Meta4 · Apr 25, 2015

tcope said:
Seriously, a fan? For digital recording? Have you ever seen a 4k camera with a fan? Come on.

From the Inspire 1 FAQ:
Is it normal for the integrated camera fan to occasionally start and/or stop after turning on the Inspire 1?
This is completely normal. The cooling fan is built in to protect critical sensors, ensuring that normal temperatures are maintained and the camera can function properly. When the sensor temperature exceeds 30 ℃, the fan is automatically activated. The fan is turned off when the temperature drops below 20 ℃.
P3Pro fan is in the gimbal base.

tcope · May 3, 2015

crc2004 said:
I didn't say I believed him but I did see references to a fan in the gimbal base earlier in this thread.

Took me awhile to find this post. I just wanted to publicly apologize. You are correct, the P3 does have a fan in the camera. I could not have been more wrong.

edonovanl · May 3, 2015

Tcope, I respect your attitude....

Greyfox51 · May 3, 2015

...and you got a 'like' from me. It takes a lot to admit one is wrong and apologize as you have done. I like the cut of your cloth, Tcope.

GhostMaster · May 3, 2015

Looks like only the pro will have the sdk, on other hand dji will add to the pilot app both waypoints and poi.

ethemtolga · Jun 13, 2015

Let's heat this thread up! I'm about to upgrade my P2V+ to a P3. I believe I've waited enough. And even tough I think I'd be very pleased with P3A I still have doubts.

So what do you P3 owners think about this decision after all that product release rush and your impressions untill now? Would it be wise to go for an Advanced?

Drogon · Jun 13, 2015

ethemtolga said:
Let's heat this thread up! I'm about to upgrade my P2V+ to a P3. I believe I've waited enough. And even tough I think I'd be very pleased with P3A I still have doubts.

So what do you P3 owners think about this decision after all that product release rush and your impressions untill now? Would it be wise to go for an Advanced?

Unless you have the resources for editing 4k I would go P3A. The 4K and the charger is the only difference.

peter west nz · Jun 13, 2015

I thought about this too, and went with the Advanced, which arrived about a month ago. However, so far I have only flown it a few times as I have been playing with the p2v+3, sorting out the 2.4g wifi to my satisfaction. The only reason I even considered getting a p3 was the rectilinear lens - which has a much narrower 94 deg FOV, and almost no distortion, compared to the v+, for which a session in ps is needed for decent pics. However, the p2v+ is 140deg FOV, which also means that fisheyed video can be converted in Premier to give wide-angled video, which looks ok. Oh yes - the lightbridge totally outclasses the fpv from the p2v+. They are both nice to fly. The p2v+ tops out at 20km/hr in gps mode, with full stick, While the P3 easily does 50km/hr. But then I am someone who likes to fly even if I am not taking pics or video.

ethemtolga · Jun 14, 2015

Thanks for your replies. Actually I was looking for more real-life impressions. On the paper 4K features of Professional look pretty good and I'm ready to shoot and edit 4K videos. I have a high-end MacBook Pro and I'm long time videographer/RC enthusiast. But I don't think it'd be practical to record 4K videos, store those giant files and process&upload them every time for hours. I don't believe it's worth to pay extra money. You know, IMHO.

So I just ordered a P3A online today. I'll just stick to 1080p@60fps for now. I don't think I'll regret it.

peter west nz · Jun 14, 2015

ethemtolga said:
Thanks for your replies. Actually I was looking for more real-life impressions. On the paper 4K features of Professional look pretty good and I'm ready to shoot and edit 4K videos. I have a high-end MacBook Pro and I'm long time videographer/RC enthusiast. But I don't think it'd be practical to record 4K videos, store those giant files and process&upload them every time for hours. I don't believe it's worth to pay extra money. You know, IMHO.

So I just ordered a P3A online today. I'll just stick to 1080p@60fps for now. I don't think I'll regret it.

peter west nz · Jun 14, 2015

I, too, am a videographer & mac user, and, like you, I didn't want to store huge 4k files
1080p50 suits my various macs. 4k means having to subscribe to Premiere cc, which I am not keen on. Shooting on the p2v+ is bad enough, with the fisheye lens, but the p3A fixes all that, and I won't need to keep up ps cc to correct the stills. You will love the camera on the p3A. My normal cameras are nikon d800 & sony hdr1000.so I know how pics & videos should look. I don't need 4k, since most customers still want dvds. While I agree that converting down in format improves the quality (for the same reasons that reduction in photocopying does), doing It twice is just silly.

Apparition · Jun 14, 2015

Drogon said:
Unless you have the resources for editing 4k I would go P3A. The 4K and the charger is the only difference.

I agree with this. I had to buy a new computer and would do it again. I like having the capability wether I use it or not, but I normally do.

Bambola · Jun 14, 2015

I recently had the same dilemma, in the end I bought a P3A and with the money I saved have an extra battery and a hard case which in my opinion is more valuable to me than a 4k camera.
so far very happy with my decision.
either way I am sure you will enjoy your new toy!

ricky1981 · Jun 14, 2015

I went for the P3A and I don't miss the 4K support but am a bit annoyed that the SDK currently doesn't support the P3A (it does support the P3P) because it means POI, Follow Me and the other SDK features aren't available. Hopefully DJI update the SDK at some point as there doesn't seem to be any technical reason not to support the P3A.

freeskier989 · Jun 14, 2015

I love the 4K and the P3P extra features. Totally worth it. 4K isn't half bad on YouTube:

Douglas Struble · Sep 11, 2015

I must say I own a multi-media company and have no deliverables in 4K. It's useless unless you hook up a P3P to a TV or maybe upload to YouTube. Plus it's a space hog on my RAID. I have owned 2 P3P's and now own a P3A. Waiting for my last PSP to come back from repair. I broke my gimbal yaw arm on my last job. That part is $599 alone cause you have to buy the whole 4K camera/gimbal unit. Stupid. I'll be selling it on Ebay and just keep my P3A. I'd get an Inspire 1, but seems like a ***** to control if you are all by yourself with no separate camera operator. The fact that the Inspire's camera rotates is great, but can seeing it being a flaw too if you are trying to steer it at the same time. Seems like it would be easier to become disoriented and crash it. Just my 2 cents.

Tony Perry · Sep 12, 2015

Even though I primarily target 1080p, I like 4k because it gives me a lot more options in post. Especially digital zooming, cropping, warp stabilizer to really smooth out shots.

Meta4 · Sep 12, 2015

Now that the Advanced does 2.7K video, there's even less to choose between the two models.
Especially since 1080p is fine for most uses.

Douglas Struble · Sep 12, 2015

I think it's important to not that the 4K P3P file is highly compressed and a low grade codec with tons of compression artifacts compared to real professional video. In other words, it looks really crappy for 4K. Just another reason it ain't worth it.

D. Attaway · Feb 26, 2016

I was also leaning towards the P3A but now the price is so close I may end up with the P3P. I know I wanted to start off with one extra battery so the sale for the P3P is $1079 with an extra battery. The P3A is not bundling an extra battery but is on sale for $799. The P3A will cost me $948 with extra battery. This makes a difference of only $131 to go with the P3P. Most likely will back the camera back to 1080p to save on file space.