- Joined
- Jun 29, 2014
- Messages
- 61
- Reaction score
- 25
When I bought the Phantom FC40 I did not realize the camera had no sound. At first, I was rather disappointed. The camera obviously is able to provide audio but DJI has scrubbed it from it's brain.....
So, I bought a GoPro Hero 3 White, so I can get sound. Now that I have had it all for more than 6 months, here is what I found, personally, regarding camera work. Please note, I film only for recreational fun, not for professional results nor with any artistic endeavours.
- audio is not important, as we get tired of the noise pretty quick and want to provide some other form of background sound.
- quality of the video in many instances is actually better from the stock FC40 camera (aside from the highest resolution of the GoPro, which I would not use anyway because I do not have the computer power to properly edit it). That fisheye feature of the GoPro sucks most of the time.
- the GoPro's low resolution WiFi output feed makes it nearly impossible to view the image in bright daylight on my tablet / the FC40 cam's WiFi output rendering is much easier to see.
- the GoPro has not quite 600' of connection range at line of sight / the FC40 cam has more than 900' of connection range, I stepped it off in a marked range.
- the GoPro has about 4 seconds of delay between real-time image and what you see on the tablet. This is OK if your Phantom is always in sight. I have no intentions of flying pure FPV, HOWEVER very importantly, I regularly fly behind buildings or trees for a short time period when I lose sight of the drone. At these times, precise timing of what the camera "sees" if very important to me, as it gives me my orientation (when the drone is briefly out of sight). The GoPro is a complete mess regarding this!
- the GoPro costs me between 70 to 100 seconds of flight-time on 2700 mAh batteries. That is a lot because the GoPro weighs considerably more than the FC40 stock camera.
So, my two cents worth: I will use my GoPro for other projects and my Phantom has the stock camera back on it - Don't by a GoPro if you have an FC40, unless you have other uses for a GoPro!
So, I bought a GoPro Hero 3 White, so I can get sound. Now that I have had it all for more than 6 months, here is what I found, personally, regarding camera work. Please note, I film only for recreational fun, not for professional results nor with any artistic endeavours.
- audio is not important, as we get tired of the noise pretty quick and want to provide some other form of background sound.
- quality of the video in many instances is actually better from the stock FC40 camera (aside from the highest resolution of the GoPro, which I would not use anyway because I do not have the computer power to properly edit it). That fisheye feature of the GoPro sucks most of the time.
- the GoPro's low resolution WiFi output feed makes it nearly impossible to view the image in bright daylight on my tablet / the FC40 cam's WiFi output rendering is much easier to see.
- the GoPro has not quite 600' of connection range at line of sight / the FC40 cam has more than 900' of connection range, I stepped it off in a marked range.
- the GoPro has about 4 seconds of delay between real-time image and what you see on the tablet. This is OK if your Phantom is always in sight. I have no intentions of flying pure FPV, HOWEVER very importantly, I regularly fly behind buildings or trees for a short time period when I lose sight of the drone. At these times, precise timing of what the camera "sees" if very important to me, as it gives me my orientation (when the drone is briefly out of sight). The GoPro is a complete mess regarding this!
- the GoPro costs me between 70 to 100 seconds of flight-time on 2700 mAh batteries. That is a lot because the GoPro weighs considerably more than the FC40 stock camera.
So, my two cents worth: I will use my GoPro for other projects and my Phantom has the stock camera back on it - Don't by a GoPro if you have an FC40, unless you have other uses for a GoPro!
