How would you compare the two? Dronebase vs Better view, is one better than the other...thanks
I haven't done any jobs for BV. I'm signed up, test passed, and there is a demand in my area, yet I haven't received a WO.
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Nope. Goin on like 7 days of rain here in Portland! It's starting to eat me up inside
. We're supposed to get some decent weather soon. I'll keep you guys posted.
I shot 2, 10 rated properties on Saturday. I was payed twice on one for a total of $50, and $25 for the other. There are many more to do. The one that was purchased twice is probably my best pano ever. It was shot in downtown Portland next to the river. I wish there was a way to share these panos, it would be more of an advertisement.
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Dronebase is having a problem with their software. Sent in 7 panos today and 4 of them came back upside down and were rejected.
"...Because I was *inverted*"...
Shot two panos yesterday to test out my new Mavic Pro, using the litchi app. One paid today, the other didn't stitch right, but as stealthy, portable and quite as the Mavic is, shooting over 47 plus picture as appose to 25 plus pics with my P4 Pro is a bit much.
I also realized the battery drained a bit and by the looks of it; I could only perform 2 panos per battery.
I also realized the battery drained a bit and by the looks of it; I could only perform 2 panos per battery.
Have done 12 missions, been paid on 5. Last one paid out over 2 weeks ago. Some were paid for $19 so the average payout is pretty low. Hard to justify.
I did my first four panos, 2 residential, 2 commercial, last weekend. Got paid for two (one of each) within days. The other commercial keeps having stitching errors.
Today I got offered, and accepted, a client job. Seven stills and two video flybys. Twenty minutes of work for $100 payout. I can't complain.
Today I got offered, and accepted, a client job. Seven stills and two video flybys. Twenty minutes of work for $100 payout. I can't complain.
I've been a Drone Base certified Pilot for a year now and their business model is great. They pay out immediately after you upload your work so there is no wait on getting paid. They also make it easy to know what shots they want by giving a shot list and a tutorial for each. I made about $3500 with them last year.
It won't pay the bills but ot would get you a new bird or two...
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Exactly. Do it in your spare time. An excuse to fly. Make a couple bucks and use it to buy more toys.
Inspire 2 here I come, lol!!!
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This is a really good discussion and addresses many of the experiences and thoughts I have had about Dronebase. I have my 107 Cert and have been searching for ways to use it. I have a full time job but have dreams of flying drones as a profession. I see so many uses for this platform. Anyway, I found and signed up for Dronebase. I live in northern Indiana so my experience may be different from someone living in a California. After reading other posts I didn't expect to make a living doing this through Dronebase. I really just wanted a reason to fly, gain experience, and build a portfolio as others have said. I have flown 4 submitted missions and have been paid for 2. $19 each. Woo-hoo. I flew 3 other missions but the lighting was crap and my camera settings were bad, so I didn't submit those. May try to redo those later.
As a disclosure, I don't fly a Phantom. Currently flying a Solo because they were so darn cheap at Best Buy. Can't beat $300 for a quality bird. Bought 3. I have my eye on a $1600 Inspire 1 package on Craigslist. If that doesn't pan out, may look at the Mavic Pro. Of course I dream about the new Matrice 200 series with a zooming X30 and thermal XT camera. So many choices. I've found you really need 3-4 different models depending on what you're doing. Keep trying to explain that to my wife. Wish me luck.
I have been using Dronepan for Solo. It is a bit limited as they have stopped working on it since the Solo is dead but they have done a lot with the DJI app. Super easy. You fly to 100 feet, push the start button and it takes 19 photos. 6 at 90 degrees, 6 at 60 degrees, 6 at 30 degrees, and 1 nadir. The DJI app has more options. I think you can specify the number of shots per rotation and there are default settings for specific drones. Do a search on Dronepan or Dennis Baldwin. He is doing some cool stuff. I take my pano pics and run it through PTGui to see how it will look and see if it will stitch well. Before I submit to Dronebase, I do a quick color correction in Light Room.
I have had fun flying these missions. I limit my flights to commercial as I think these will probably pay out better on average. I haven't had any run-ins with the law or any disgruntled property owners but see how that could happen. You do have a bit of a covert operative feeling when you shoot these. I purchased a safety vest that says FAA Certified Drone Operator in bold print. Gives me a little cred standing out there by the busy road (maybe just in my mind). I avoid any situations where privacy might be a problem. Again the reason for focusing on commercial.
As others have said, I am concerned about this diluting the value of this service. $19 is a joke and doesn't nearly cover the cost of going out there. However, I will continue flying these to gain experience and build my own base. Good luck.
As a disclosure, I don't fly a Phantom. Currently flying a Solo because they were so darn cheap at Best Buy. Can't beat $300 for a quality bird. Bought 3. I have my eye on a $1600 Inspire 1 package on Craigslist. If that doesn't pan out, may look at the Mavic Pro. Of course I dream about the new Matrice 200 series with a zooming X30 and thermal XT camera. So many choices. I've found you really need 3-4 different models depending on what you're doing. Keep trying to explain that to my wife. Wish me luck.
I have been using Dronepan for Solo. It is a bit limited as they have stopped working on it since the Solo is dead but they have done a lot with the DJI app. Super easy. You fly to 100 feet, push the start button and it takes 19 photos. 6 at 90 degrees, 6 at 60 degrees, 6 at 30 degrees, and 1 nadir. The DJI app has more options. I think you can specify the number of shots per rotation and there are default settings for specific drones. Do a search on Dronepan or Dennis Baldwin. He is doing some cool stuff. I take my pano pics and run it through PTGui to see how it will look and see if it will stitch well. Before I submit to Dronebase, I do a quick color correction in Light Room.
I have had fun flying these missions. I limit my flights to commercial as I think these will probably pay out better on average. I haven't had any run-ins with the law or any disgruntled property owners but see how that could happen. You do have a bit of a covert operative feeling when you shoot these. I purchased a safety vest that says FAA Certified Drone Operator in bold print. Gives me a little cred standing out there by the busy road (maybe just in my mind). I avoid any situations where privacy might be a problem. Again the reason for focusing on commercial.
As others have said, I am concerned about this diluting the value of this service. $19 is a joke and doesn't nearly cover the cost of going out there. However, I will continue flying these to gain experience and build my own base. Good luck.
Your flying DB missions with a Solo? DB is supposed to be for Phantom brand drones only with a min of a P3S. They are trying to keep the platform consistent.
Interesting..........
I use a modified GoPro H4B with a Peau Productions 3.97mm flat lens. This eliminates the fish eye effect that the standard GoPro has. Can't say without doing more research if that is comparable to the Phantom sensor. Also shooting the 19 photos vs the 25 they suggest doesn't seem to reject my submittals. I do wish Dronebase had the option to allow you to generate your own panoramas for submittal. I enjoy messing with the software that does this (PTGui, Autopano Pro, After Effects, etc) which would allow for more editing and color correction prior to submittal although I guess that defeats the purpose of an easy submittal. I just think I could do it better than whatever automated process they have.
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Could you post a screen shot of a '10 rating pano mission' if you have time so I can see what I'm looking for on the DB map?
I haven't seen any 10's in my area for a few weeks now. They didn't last long.....
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