Advice on which drone to get?

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I'm really struggling to decide which drone to get. Its a tossup based on what I can find online between the fc40, vision 2 & 2+. I'm a new to the drone world and looking to use this specifically for photographing (still, not video) people relatively close to the ground (generally not more than 30 ft from the subject). I would love any advice and or sample photos anyone can provide. Thanks in advance!

Most importantly to me is the quality of the camera and the ease of use.
 
Welcome Wesbob. Unless you want to spend a lot more for the inspire, I would go with the Phantom 2 Vision+ V3. It has a 14 mp camera. I too am a photographer & do very little (maybe once) video. The camera shoots in JPEG & raw format & the images are not bad at all. The only problem is it only has a high ISO rating of 400 which makes for crappy low light & indoor images. The inspire has a high rating of 3200. (Over 3K is a lot of money for a very new platform)
If you were doing video, I would recommend a platform with a go pro but since it is the other way, JMO, I feel the vision + stills are superior to the go pro, where as the video from the go pro blows away the Vision +.
As far as ease of use, with the Vision +, everything is controlled through the app for your iPhone, tablet, or comprapable phone. You start the video, compose & take your photos also through the app where as with Go Pro, you have to start the shutter prior to lift off & then you have to sort through all those images for the one you want. Hope this helps & good luck.
 
Thanks Larry! Do you feel the Vision+ is worth the additional money over the vision?
 
I should also note that I already have a gopro hero 3 black so if I could get a comparable quad setup with FPV I would be ok using the gopro.
 
I like the gamble on the vision + for my images. I have not flown the Vision, or seen images from it but I think the floating gimbal on the vision + is far superior. I do not know what deals they have on the quads now but on some you can get extra batteries with some so that is a plus.
I really do not know much about the go pro set ups but if you want to get FPV to use your go pro, you will probably spend close to 2K. Is this kind of what you were looking at with a go pro?
http://www.uavdirect.com/UAV-Quadcopter ... s-1-v2.htm
 
Hi and Welcome to the forum!

I agree with all that Larry said, as long as you are sure about the video part. I'm sure you will enjoy it. I would recommend buying from Amazon because of their great return policy. Unless you have a local hobby store, then I would buy from them.
 
wesbob said:
I should also note that I already have a gopro hero 3 black so if I could get a comparable quad setup with FPV I would be ok using the gopro.

Well now that you said that, I would recommend a Phantom 2, Vision with FPV. The monitor isn't included but ithe transmitter accepts an iPhone. Many find that to small, but I believe there are brackets for an IPad Mini or an IPad.

I don't have the vision model or FPV, but someone else here, can answer those questions.
 
I would definitely be down for the gopro setup as long as I could get some advice on what would be needed and what would work with the android/iphone setup and if the price was comparable.
 
And for what its worth, I may enjoy playing with video on vacation as I almost always have the gopro on vacation so would like the option....
 
Either way you go, you will enjoy the new perspective.
 
wesbob said:
I would definitely be down for the gopro setup as long as I could get some advice on what would be needed and what would work with the android/iphone setup and if the price was comparable.

Since you have a Hero 3 B, you could get a P2, V2.0 with a 3D gimbal, on Amazon for $800+. The photos will be 12MP as the vision, but you will get better video. However, no FPV. But, you could add that as you go or buy a kit.

I posted here before about a FPV kit, but it is a bit dated. SO fellow members, please give a link to suitable kits and/or a list of a dream FPV setup.

Maybe we can make it a sticky as it is a frequent question.

HELP! (sorry, but yelling helps sometimes! :)
 
The Gopro setups don't use the app or have the camera control that the P2V+ has.
With a Gopro you have to set it to take photos at a preset interval before you take off and hope that some of the many pics it takes are ones you want. WIth the P2V+ you take the pic you want, when you want and can turn on/off video whenever you like. The P2V has the same camera as the P2V+ - it just has a bulky casing and no gimbal. The plus allows you to point the camera straight down which you can't do with the P2V.
Check my photo web page for examples of P2V+ image quality.
It's not a Nikon 800 but you can get it a lot more places.
 
I would go for a P2, a version 1 even! (cheap and extremely reliable), hook up a decent gimbal (100-150$ tops) and the Gopro. Buy a nice FPV set from Fatshark, plug and play, and you're ready to go.

+1 on the vacation value. I use the Gopro for everything, not only my Phantoms (yes, I share 1 Gopro witha FC40 and a P2).

With a P2V+ you're stuck in a proprietary world. And it's 5.8Ghz which limits you in distance and has to keep line of sight. I will be modding my FC40 also to 2.4 because of that.

The FC40 is also a great way to start right away. You get the standard NAZA-M controller which allows you to adjust anything and even move everything into your own built quad. It's easy to mod to anything you want, and it is cheap and reliable. In the beginning you just take it as it is and learn to fly and line up for good shots. Later you change it to the beast you want it to be (bigger batteries, different receiver, FPV,whatever). But it has basic FPV on your smartphone straight out of the box. You can even hook up your Gopro with Wifi on and take pictures on demand while FPVing with the FC40 camera. You need 2 smartphones at once to do that, but it works.
 
I personally would suggest starting with an older P1/FC40 to get used to flying. You can pick one up for a couple hundred used. It'd be alot easier to accept a hard landing than a P2V+.
 
Not going to lie, after everyone's advice and a little more research I think I am leaning more towards a gopro setup.

What would be needed to get FPV setup so I can see what I'm shooting with the P1 or P2? Also, how is the camera (gopro) controlled (e.g. how can I point in other directions, like straight down)
 

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