Can I mount a new gimbal with a gopro 3 or 4 to my V2+?

[sheldrake]

Really am sick and tired of the crappy video im getting from th V2+ camera. From no manual control, to some the worst video compression, the video just plain stinks. I would like to remove the existing gymbal and cam and install a new 3d gymbal, Gopro 4, AND also maintain FPV via the DJI App on my iphone.. And if there is a gimbal that can actually pan left or right (motorized) that would be amazing!

 

[Idbird]

Scarcely a day goes by without someone asking, "Can I replace my Vision+ camera with a GoPro?" or some other camera or gimbal.

Here I attempt to provide an answer to that question, along with a few details:

Basics - First we need to understand a few basics. The Vision+ utilizes 5.8 Ghz for controlling the aircraft and a 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi system for FPV, camera control, & telemetry. The Vision+ FPV system incorporates three components: A Wi-Fi module mounted within the Phantom's shell, the camera/gimbal assembly slung beneath the aircraft, and the Wi-Fi extender mounted on the controller which functions as a bridge between the aircraft and your phone or tablet. All three components are required for FPV & telemetry. If you remove the Vision+ gimbal, you will lose ALL FPV, camera control & telemetry features. If you are intentionally replacing the Vision+ FPV system, you can remove the Wi-Fi module & antennae from the aircraft, saving weight and making room for custom components.

FPV Solutions - Option #1 - Since the Vision+ uses 5.8 Ghz for control, installing a 5.8 Ghz FPV transmitter is not recommended due to interference. Therefore, if you want to replace the integrated FPV system, the least expensive path is to look to FPV solutions that operate in another frequency band (ie 900 Mhz, 1.1, 1.2, or 2.4 Ghz). Note that lower frequencies offer greater penetration & range, with the tradeoff being lower frequencies require a larger antenna. Opting for an FPV solution in a band other than 5.8 Ghz minimizes the complexity & expense of customizing your Vision+ as you will retain the stock 5.8 Ghz controller & receiver.

*Note that you will NOT have camera control capabilities with this system. Before flight, you must manually start recording video or engage the camera's intervalometer function for stills.

Option #2 - The most popular FPV solutions operate in the 5.8 Ghz range. These systems do NOT provide the longest range, but use smaller antennae more suited to use on a small aircraft like the Phantom. Choosing a 5.8 Ghz FPV system means you will also have to replace the Vision+ controller & receiver. Obviously this increases the cost and complexity of the project. This solution allows you to install the more popular 5.8 Ghz FPV solutions, and also affords the opportunity to make use of more common, feature-packed, & programmable 2.4 Ghz controllers. The standard Phantom 2 operates on a 2.4 Ghz system that is compatible with Futaba's FASST technology. One choice would be replacing the 5.8 Ghz Vision+ receiver with the 2.4 Ghz Phantom 2 receiver. The benefit here is the 2.4 Ghz Phantom 2 receiver fits perfectly in your Vision+. You could opt for the standard Phantom 2 controller, or any FAAST-compatible controller. Alternatively, you can replace the receiver with any 7 channel (or greater) 2.4 Ghz receiver and the controller of your choice (Hitec, Spektrum, Tactic, etc..)

*As with Option #1, you have no in-flight camera controls.

Option #3 - DroneExperts makes a system designed to allow you to replace the camera/gimbal while retaining the Vision+ FPV/telemetry system. I am uncertain if the system has actually begun shipping, nor how well it performs? IMHO it is rather pricey. The base unit is ~$390 + $50 for the adapter for your choice of gimbals, + gimbal, + camera. If you were getting the base unit with mount + Zenmuse H3-3D + GoPro Hero3 Black you are looking at over $1200 - The cost of a complete new Vision+ and nearly TWICE the cost of a new Vision+ gimbal module! In a serious crash you risk destroying ALL of these components.

*As with the Options #1 & #2, you will have no in-flight camera controls.

Option #4 - The totally bare bones approach: Purchase the Vision+ GoPro mount & the GoPro of your choice. Keep the Vision+ Wi-Fi system & gimbal base. You will have telemetry, but no FPV, no stabilized video, & no in-flight camera control.

Telemetry - The Vision+ FPV system relays telemetry from the aircraft, to the Wi-Fi extender, and ultimately to your display device. You need the Wi-Fi extender, along with both the Vision+ Wi-Fi module & the camera/gimbal assembly (or at minimum the gimbal base) to receive telemetry. If you want telemetry without these components, you need to install something like DJI's Mini-iOSD to provide the telemetry data. The Mini-iOSD connects inline between your camera feed & FPV transmitter, overlaying the telemetry data onto the video feed. This is my recommended telemetry solution.

Gimbal - If you desire stabilized video, you obviously require a gimbal. If you are replacing the entire FPV system you have many choices available. The Zenmuse line is popular, though there are many less expensive models from which to choose. Whatever you chose, select a gimbal designed for your intended camera.

Camera - The GoPro series seem to be the most popular choice in standalone camera systems. They range in price from $150-$500+ for the newest "Hero4 Black" model. Some GoPro models offer Wi-Fi connectivity & camera control through an App. The effective range is unknown as the connection will be directly between your phone/tablet & the camera. You may be able to add a boosted Wi-Fi bridge & antenna array to increase range, but this increases the complexity & cost required for the upgrade.

FPV Monitor - You will require either a monitor or goggles for receiving FPV from the aircraft. Choose a system compatible with the FPV solution you have selected. There are lots of choices available. They range from a standalone FPV receiver & monitor with external power supply, an integrated monitor/FPV receiver with an internal rechargeable power supply, to FPV goggles with an embedded FPV receiver.

Summary - The answer is yes, you CAN replace the Vision+ camera, but it is involved and rather pricey to do so. It requires some technical expertise to bring everything together. Your Vision+ may not look as sleek with components mounted externally and wires dangling about. You will likely wind up with shorter flight times due to the increased weight of components. You will likely lose in-air camera control. Many feel that the Vision+ gimbal is excessively fragile & expensive at $679. No doubt the Vision+ gimbal is expensive, but it is generally LESS expensive than replacing the entire system. I am sure opinions on this subject will vary as much as do the choice of components, but I hope this serves to provide insight for the daily question of "Can I replace my Vision+ camera?"

NOTE - I will try to keep this updated should things change. If you have suggestions for improvement please feel free to let me know. - Dirty Bird

 

[Mopar Bob]

This is an excellent recap which I found very informative. I think there is still one option DB does not cover, but it too is costly. Installing Lightbridge. Besides the cost of the gimbal and gopro, you would also have the $1400 price tag of Lightbridge. And with the new phantom transmitter with the training plug now available the cost of a $500 transmitter wouldn't be needed. The big advantage this offers is the high definition FPV. I am not an expert on this and not sure I covered all the bases, so any comments on its viability would be nice to hear.

 

[aggiesrwe03]

So basically, we should have bought the phantom 2, and bought FPV, and Gimbal separate plus a Gopro and be only $100 or $200 more than what the Vision+ costs? (depending on what you buy of course) Honestly, I wish I had gone this route, because the OP is right, the more I use the Vision+ camera, the more I miss my GoPro. I'm actually thinking about selling and starting over... Oh well, you live and learn!!

 

[MikeDH]

So basically, we should have bought the phantom 2, and bought FPV, and Gimbal separate plus a Gopro and be only $100 or $200 more than what the Vision+ costs? (depending on what you buy of course) Honestly, I wish I had gone this route, because the OP is right, the more I use the Vision+ camera, the more I miss my GoPro. I'm actually thinking about selling and starting over... Oh well, you live and learn!!

Aggiesrwe03, I'm thinking along the same lines. Can you give an example of the Phantom 2 set-up you describe (e.g. which FPV system would you get)? I just received my P2V+ and having a blast, but not thrilled with the video quality. Since I'm well within my 30 day return period (bought on Amazon), I'm thinking of alternatives to get better video. (Also, I'm considering returning this one for another reason - the upgraded P2V+ came out the day I received the older version, and I like some of the new features - like controlling camera pitch with the 7th channel knob on the new transmitter. So for that reason alone I may return this one and get the upgraded one.)

I bought the P2V+ because it's "plug and play" but willing to do some work if I could get the same functionality and better video with a different set-up.

 

[erikgraham]

I'm leaning toward the Quickrelease from DroneExperts for the Vision Plus. Its definitely an expensive route to take if all you want is the zenmuse gimbal + GoPro, but I like the idea of being able to swap in different gimbal/cameras as DroneExperts adds support for them. For example, they are supposedly working on a new SonyDX100 connector.

 

[flyNfrank]

I noticed nobody mentioned modifying the current vPlus camera. These guys have a decent setup, that cost too much in my opinion. But they do have a video on youtube that walks you through the process. After watching I thought I would find and buy my own and do it for pennies on the dollar compared to just under $400 for a kit. http://ragecams.com/shop/54mm-flat-lens ... p-704.html

 

[Mako79]

I noticed nobody mentioned modifying the current vPlus camera. These guys have a decent setup, that cost too much in my opinion. But they do have a video on youtube that walks you through the process. After watching I thought I would find and buy my own and do it for pennies on the dollar compared to just under $400 for a kit. http://ragecams.com/shop/54mm-flat-lens ... p-704.html

That doesn't improve much as the limiting factor of the camera is the CCD. The lens they used just fixes the fish eye and assist in FPV for a truer depth perception. In other words, you don't need to fly so close to get your subject matter.

DJI needs to do a firmware upgrade on the camera and see if they can push the data bandwidth. They can do minor tweaks also to improve quality to minimise noise.

I think gopro option is much better than the 5.4mm path. The 5.4mm lens itself is $200 and looks like a pain in the ***.
If you are going down that path, I would suggest you to find a crashed camera and do the mod on it so you have a 2.8 and 5.4 swappable.

 

[aggiesrwe03]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner MikeDH. I haven't priced together any option just yet so not totally sure. As for the droneexperts QuickRelease, that appears to be the way to go, and will probably be what I do! Looks easy, and seems to to be the most cost effective when you consider starting over means new phantom, Gimbal, FPV system, iosd, plus go pro. Not to mention its native to the app.

 

[Mako79]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner MikeDH. I haven't priced together any option just yet so not totally sure. As for the droneexperts QuickRelease, that appears to be the way to go, and will probably be what I do! Looks easy, and seems to to be the most cost effective when you consider starting over means new phantom, Gimbal, FPV system, iosd, plus go pro. Not to mention its native to the app.

It's not a bad option. It is the cheapest solution but if you can spare $500 and do a bit more homework...

DE quick release $400
Vision Mount plate $75
Zenmuse Mount Plate $75
Zenmuse h3-3d $450
(not going to include the price of the vision plus)

So its a $1000 to upgrade to hots swap.
Advantages is that you can take photos.

Other option:
PV2 with Zenmuse $950 (old version)
Pearl diversity $300 32 channel receiver
AVL58 or ImmersionRC $100 transmitter
IOSD mini $75
Cable/Plug in kit $20 for FPV (this makes it plug and play).
Miscalenous upgrade Antenna $60.

$1500 to have a spare backup unit.
Advantages is that you don't place all your eggs in one basket.
Also, the FPV doesn't go black immediately.

***Gopro is excluded in both ***

 

[Dirty Bird]

This is an excellent recap which I found very informative. I think there is still one option DB does not cover, but it too is costly. Installing Lightbridge. Besides the cost of the gimbal and gopro, you would also have the $1400 price tag of Lightbridge. And with the new phantom transmitter with the training plug now available the cost of a $500 transmitter wouldn't be needed. The big advantage this offers is the high definition FPV. I am not an expert on this and not sure I covered all the bases, so any comments on its viability would be nice to hear.

While the Lightbridge is another option, I did not include it in the list because it is prohibitively expensive. The Lightbridge alone is currently $1400, plus you would need a new 2.4 Ghz controller, gimbal, and camera. With a Zenmuse, GoPro Hero3 Black, and a decent Futaba transmitter, you are looking at $2500 or more depending on choice of transmitter. I will add it in a few days. In the middle of moving...

 

[MikeDH]

Thanks to both for very helpful suggestions. I've done some research since I posted here and found no shortage of set-ups that use other cameras (mostly gopro). Since, as mentioned, I'm still within the 30 day return window, I can start fresh just for the cost of shipping my new P2V+ back to the vendor. So, based on my research, I'm leaning towards a set-up very similar to the one described my Mako79 in his "other option", except rather than an old version P2V I would start with a new P2 (version 2.0 with upgraded motors, ESCs, props, etc.), with a gopro 4.

I'm actually also thinking of another plug n play option, albeit at a hefty premium. That is, one of the DSLRpros kits that take a P2 version 2.0 and add FPV, iOSD, etc. and put it all together, test it out and ship it. http://www.dslrpros.com/

Certainly not cheap but has its appeal and they seem to get good reviews on this board.

Thanks again for the information.

 

[Mopar Bob]

DB: I agree with your comments, especially about price. Very expensive. But I do think you can exclude the cost of the controller in this scheme if you have, or plan to buy, the updated controller from DJI. It has a training port which will connect to the Lightbridge ground unit. Lightbridge will then handle all the communications to the aircraft. I am reasonably certain of this but not 100%.

One other comment regarding the quick release option. This seams very reasonable for those that really want to go the Gopro route. One advantage that I see to it is that you can incrementally make the changes. That is, you can spend $600 up front to get you to where you started, then over time update to the new gimbal, then the new camera, and so on. You can plan out the next 3 years Christmas gifts this way! BUT, something I did not see mentioned anywhere is that the overall height of the unit changes with this option. There are spacers that get inserted in the landing gear to accommodate the extra height of the quick release mechanism. So if you spent a lot of dough on a good case, the phantom may no longer fit into it.

 

[unclecharlie]

Anyone out there using a quick release / zenmuse / Gopro 4 that can give us some feedback. I've heard about problems with image wobble/ jello..

I wish I'd found this forum before buying my Vision+, great unit but the video quality is major drawback.

Cheers
J