Drone for Real Estate photography

All the answers above are helpful and there's plenty of range with DJI in smaller form factors...but yes, to be short - the P4P will be great for what you need or possibly overkill depending in your clientelle.

RoOSTA

Hi
Thanks for the advice.
I have been offered a new Inspire 2 plus X5s camera for $3600 US. I have put my P4P up for sale to buy the Inspire. Do you think that the inspire is overkill?
Keep in mind I want to do a mapping and survey course as well.
Cheers
 
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Remem

Remember the drone is just a tool. In the hands of the right person the simplest tool can produce amazing results and inversely the most amazing tool in the hands of an amatuer will likely not product viable products.

As @msinger has already stated, in the right hands even the Spark can work.

For the record... YES! I have made $$ for a few years now with Phantom 3's and now Mavics. We even shot video for Disney on one project and for The Travel Channel a couple of times.

The drone is just a tool and up to you to produce a high quality finished product that your client is willing to pay for.
Well said. Remember, the camera is only as good as the person holding it. I have has as much success using the iPhone 8 as I have with my Canon Mk5iii. The same with the Drone - it is all about how you approach the project and your knowledge of light.
 
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HDR only need to be used in specific circumstances. Many people over use is and/or mistake it for something else entirely. Over use often results in a photograph that looks unrealistic to the eye as your camera lens can already capture a wider range than the human eye is capable of seeing.

Real estate photos generally are used on the internet or in newspaper (dunny paper) publications and as such do not require all this nonsense people are referring to! By far the most important post production you’ll need to do is colour correction and profiling correctly for the intended usage. The photography itself can be carried out with an incredibly basic camera in most cases and a phantom 4 pro is more than suitable to get a perfect shot in camera every time. Much easier to land and attach a filter than go through all that HDR crap.

Real estate photography is all about preparation of the property and photographing it in the correct light at the best angle to portray the property in an honest way to prospective purchasers, in other words making [Language removed by Moderator] look great, not like a work of art.

HDR is best saved for other types of photography, where you should be introducing your artistic flare.

Just my two bobs worth as a professional photographer (10 years) and a licensed estate agent...
 
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This is one of many real estate walk-throughs I've done with my 4 Pro,
It's a great gig and you can make a bunch of money in the right environment.
Good luck
 
Hi
Thanks for the advice.
I have been offered a new Inspire 2 plus X5s camera for $3600 US. I have put my P4P up for sale to buy the Inspire. Do you think that the inspire is overkill?
Keep in mind I want to do a mapping and survey course as well.
Cheers

The Inspire is massive, so yes...big overkill. The 4K camera and quality stills the P4P can produce, which is much more compact and cheaper,was already stated by me as rather overkill. If looking at DJI - I'd look at these in order for any deals out there - Mavic 2 > Phantom 4 Pro > Mavic Air > Spark

RoOSTA
 
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This is one of many real estate walk-throughs I've done with my 4 Pro,
It's a great gig and you can make a bunch of money in the right environment.
Good luck

Hey Mark
Thanks so much. Really cool.
Very brave to fly indoors like that. One can use a Richo Theta v 360 camera indoors which produces an amazing product without risking the drone.
Thanks
Again
Cheers
[emoji41][emoji576]
 
HDR only need to be used in specific circumstances. Many people over use is and/or mistake it for something else entirely. Over use often results in a photograph that looks unrealistic to the eye as your camera lens can already capture a wider range than the human eye is capable of seeing.

Real estate photos generally are used on the internet or in newspaper (dunny paper) publications and as such do not require all this nonsense people are referring to! By far the most important post production you’ll need to do is colour correction and profiling correctly for the intended usage. The photography itself can be carried out with an incredibly basic camera in most cases and a phantom 4 pro is more than suitable to get a perfect shot in camera every time. Much easier to land and attach a filter than go through all that HDR crap.

Real estate photography is all about preparation of the property and photographing it in the correct light at the best angle to portray the property in an honest way to prospective purchasers, in other words making **** look great, not like a work of art.

HDR is best saved for other types of photography, where you should be introducing your artistic flare.

Just my two bobs worth as a professional photographer (10 years) and a licensed estate agent...

Thanks so much.
Your advice is spot on as well.
Probably stick to the phantom.
Happy flying
[emoji41][emoji576]
 
The Inspire is massive, so yes...big overkill. The 4K camera and quality stills the P4P can produce, which is much more compact and cheaper,was already stated by me as rather overkill. If looking at DJI - I'd look at these in order for any deals out there - Mavic 2 > Phantom 4 Pro > Mavic Air > Spark

RoOSTA

Thanks again. Will probably stick to my Phantom for real estate.
Is it good enough for mapping and surveying?
Cheers
[emoji41][emoji576]
 
Is it good enough for mapping and surveying?
Yes. And it's likely the better tool for most people considering the size, portability, cost, and battery flight time.
 
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I think it's difficult to lump multiple purposes into one drone. For most real estate photo work, the 12MP camera in the Mavic Pro will give excellent results for MLS listings. For real estate print advertising, the 20MP camera in a P4P or MP2 will give better outcomes. The Mavic Pro is noticeably inferior to the P4P or MP2 for video work because of the internal signal processing as well as the camera resolution and sensor size. The rolling shutter in the MP or MP2 won't be anywhere near as satisfactory as the mechanical shutter in P4P for mapping regardless of sensor size. The I2 may be the superior rig for mapping, but the size, price, and strong performance of the P4P in mapping make it hard to choose the Inspire. And for photo or video inside a house, don't use a drone.

My recommendations are:
Real estate MLS aerial photos -- Mavic Pro
Real estate video and print -- P4P or MP2
Mapping -- P4P

Best choice for a do-it-all is P4P in my opinion.

Aside from all that, as stated in earlier posts -- the drone selection won't be as important as your eye for composition, your knowledge of how to use your equipment, and your skills at post processing. If you're just getting started, there's a bunch to learn. And I'd defer taking on video work until your photo work is no longer challenging.

Just my $0.02USD.................R
 
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Hey Mark
Thanks so much. Really cool.
Very brave to fly indoors like that. One can use a Richo Theta v 360 camera indoors which produces an amazing product without risking the drone.
Thanks
Again
Cheers
[emoji41][emoji576]

It's obvious much too shaky to be done with a drone. Perhaps with the phone?
But generally if this is enough for the Real estate than almost everything is. The video is very shaky, picture is too much distorted at angles, etc.
The Phantom is obviously more than enough for such purposes.

But I'm interested how you get involved into this business? Just send photos or videos of an object or they must invite you or what?
 
I think it's difficult to lump multiple purposes into one drone. For most real estate photo work, the 12MP camera in the Mavic Pro will give excellent results for MLS listings. For real estate print advertising, the 20MP camera in a P4P or MP2 will give better outcomes. The Mavic Pro is noticeably inferior to the P4P or MP2 for video work because of the internal signal processing as well as the camera resolution and sensor size. The rolling shutter in the MP or MP2 won't be anywhere near as satisfactory as the mechanical shutter in P4P for mapping regardless of sensor size. The I2 may be the superior rig for mapping, but the size, price, and strong performance of the P4P in mapping make it hard to choose the Inspire. And for photo or video inside a house, don't use a drone.

My recommendations are:
Real estate MLS aerial photos -- Mavic Pro
Real estate video and print -- P4P or MP2
Mapping -- P4P

Best choice for a do-it-all is P4P in my opinion.

Aside from all that, as stated in earlier posts -- the drone selection won't be as important as your eye for composition, your knowledge of how to use your equipment, and your skills at post processing. If you're just getting started, there's a bunch to learn. And I'd defer taking on video work until your photo work is no longer challenging.

Just my $0.02USD.................R

Thanks so much. This is valuable advice. I am going to do a photography course with a guy that teaches photography at one of our universities. It also just so happens he is involved in a drone company Altohelix.
So I’m doing flight training with them then the flight review and then the photo course.
I have researched post software and it seems Lightroom is the one to use.
Cheers
[emoji41][emoji576]
 
It's obvious much too shaky to be done with a drone. Perhaps with the phone?
But generally if this is enough for the Real estate than almost everything is. The video is very shaky, picture is too much distorted at angles, etc.
The Phantom is obviously more than enough for such purposes.

But I'm interested how you get involved into this business? Just send photos or videos of an object or they must invite you or what?

Need to know agents brokers etc. Not that easy to just break into. I am doing courses before I actually start. Photography etc.
Cheers[emoji41][emoji576]
 
HDR only need to be used in specific circumstances. Many people over use is and/or mistake it for something else entirely. Over use often results in a photograph that looks unrealistic to the eye as your camera lens can already capture a wider range than the human eye is capable of seeing.

Real estate photos generally are used on the internet or in newspaper (dunny paper) publications and as such do not require all this nonsense people are referring to! By far the most important post production you’ll need to do is colour correction and profiling correctly for the intended usage. The photography itself can be carried out with an incredibly basic camera in most cases and a phantom 4 pro is more than suitable to get a perfect shot in camera every time. Much easier to land and attach a filter than go through all that HDR crap.

Real estate photography is all about preparation of the property and photographing it in the correct light at the best angle to portray the property in an honest way to prospective purchasers, in other words making [Language removed by Moderator] look great, not like a work of art.

HDR is best saved for other types of photography, where you should be introducing your artistic flare.

Just my two bobs worth as a professional photographer (10 years) and a licensed estate agent...

What do you suggest for post work. Lightroom?
Thanks
 
What do you suggest for post work. Lightroom?
Thanks
I use Adobe Lr extensively for aerial photo editing as well as for editing full frame DSLR interior/exterior MLS photos. For DSLR real estate interior/exterior photos, you'll also need Photoshop skills to do a bunch of the finishing touches that agents like. You can get a combo Lr+Ps subscription pretty cheaply. Studying is great, but getting out and getting your hands dirty doing it is even better. There are lots of opportunities to practice if you work at it. Your own house, neighbors/friends homes, model houses, open homes, etc. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Good Luck............... R
 
I use Adobe Lr extensively for aerial photo editing as well as for editing full frame DSLR interior/exterior MLS photos. For DSLR real estate interior/exterior photos, you'll also need Photoshop skills to do a bunch of the finishing touches that agents like. You can get a combo Lr+Ps subscription pretty cheaply. Studying is great, but getting out and getting your hands dirty doing it is even better. There are lots of opportunities to practice if you work at it. Your own house, neighbors/friends homes, model houses, open homes, etc. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Good Luck............... R

Thanks again.
Greatly appreciated.
[emoji41][emoji576]
 
Yes the Phantom is perfect. A simple Software edit solution is Affinity Photo, Put in photo click on preset, done.
 
I've been a professional real estate photographer for over 10 years and using drones in my work for the last 5 years. My inside photos of a home are an HDR blend of five exposures, but my P4P shots are straight jpeg with almost no post-processing. I do use Lightroom to resize for the multiple listing service. Examples of each are attached.
12645 Deerfield Ct 14.jpg
mls 17067 Pasadena Ct 66.jpg
 

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