Camera aside is the P4 worth the extra $200?

[BruteForce]

Hi all,

Now that I've come to to terms with spending a grand on the P3, should I be considering the P4 for the collision detection and other non-camera functions?

Most of my flying area will be over a lake and above a forest in Northern Wisconsin. Which scares me further on spending another $200!

 

[msinger]

I don't think the collision avoidance features are going to benefit you much if most flights will be above all obstacles. Setting an appropriate RTH altitude should be sufficient.

It might be worth the extra $200 for the design improvements though. For example, the Phantom 4 has a locking prop system. It's very rare to hear of props flying off a Phantom 4. You can find a list of other design-related improvements here.

 

[BruteForce]

Thanks for the quick response and link. I should have been clearer as well. Comparing the the P3 Advanced to the P4.

 

[msinger]

IMHO, buying the Phantom 4 only for its anti collision features is not worth it. Buy the P3A if you don't need to shoot 4K video or the P3P if you do need to shoot 4K video. With that said, I must say the Phantom 4 is a very impressive quadcopter. It's well worth the extra $200 if you consider everything that was changed outside of the anti collision features.

 

[BruteForce]

Is is better for a beginner?

 

[msinger]

All Phantom 3 models and the Phantom 4 require the same skill level to fly. They are extremely easy to get into the air and fly. All are very technical though, so you'll want to ensure you take the time to read the Phantom manual thoroughly and understand the aircraft so you're able to safely get it back down to the ground.

 

[WetDog]

I fly P3 pros exclusively. But - if you DON'T want 4K video the P3A is a good choice. I would rethink the not wanting the 4K video since in the next couple of years this will be the standard video choice for the majority of people. You might not want to consider it if you have three or four year old computer hardware that can't handle it. The money you save could be used to upgrade your computers (you can't win in this game).

If you want 4K video, I would go with the P4 unless you are really price constrained. In which case I would suggest raising hamsters as a hobby. While the P3 firmware is a bit more mature, most (but not all) of the bugs have been worked out of the P4 and this is going to be the number one Phantom platform for the next two (???) or so years. Support for the P3 will slowly decrease. The P4 has a few improvements over the P3. Not enough to warrant tossing your old AC but good enough to start out.

By the time you complete a reasonable kit (Phantom, extra batteries, tablet, ? FPV goggles, filters, extra SD cards, sunshades, antennas a second aircraft, a new wife) the initial price difference between the P3 and P4 is pretty small.

Especially after your first major crash.

Those hamsters are awfully cute, aren't they?