Getting a Phantom 4 pro with built in screen any users have time using one?

[John Locke]

No, no videos yet. The boat is currently laid up for repair following Hurricane Irma and we've moved off and into a temporary apartment. We were in the Florida Keys (Marathon, FL) when the hurricane came through and the boat was tossed into a pile of 5 other boats in the mangroves when the mooring cable failed. We have been talking about getting a drone to document our sailing trips and I decided to make use of time ashore (another 6 months or so) to get the drone and fly it.

I just tested the camera for stills and video last week. Nothing to my mind which so presentable so far, but at least I know it works!

I agree with Tomas, you have one of the best use cases I've read, good choice.
Sorry to hear about your boat. The misses and I were booked to visit the Keys in April, but with the hurricane damage we decided to postpone that for another year. I was there in 2010 with my son and had a great time scuba diving and taking in the scenery, including the miniature dear, native to one of the islands. I wish I had my Mavic back then, perfect for capturing animals, less noisy.

 

[svjobeth]

I agree with Tomas, you have one of the best use cases I've read, good choice.
Sorry to hear about your boat. The misses and I were booked to visit the Keys in April, but with the hurricane damage we decided to postpone that for another year. I was there in 2010 with my son and had a great time scuba diving and taking in the scenery, including the miniature dear, native to one of the islands. I wish I had my Mavic back then, perfect for capturing animals, less noisy.

Thanks John, we're eager to be back on board and sailing again. We're looking forward to being back in the Keys; in fact, we're driving down to stay with some friends. Hoping to have a chance to fly while there. I really want to see how the P4P+ display handles the tropical sun!

 

[wataero]

I've had a P4P+ for a year now and the built in bright screen is a big plus, you don't have to worry about cabling and configuring and charging another device, just turn on the RC.
Downside is lack of software support. Even if you don't want to run other apps you can't just download the latest version of the GO app from the app store. You have to wait until DJI issues an update that is customized for the built in Android based display. DJI just released an RC firmware update that brings GO 4 app to version 4.1.22, IOS GO 4 app is at version 4.2.6. Now some of the new features are for Mavic and Spark but it is still frustrating to wait for something that the aircraft can do but you can't because of the RC software. Since there are so few "+" controllers it makes sense that DJI would put their efforts on IOS software and more affordable products like the Mavic. In flight capabilities Mavic Air has just about everything P4P has, if they can shrink the P4P's camera onto a Mavic then I think the obsidian will be the last new P4.
That said, my advice would be that if you can find a good deal on a P4P+, grab it.

 

[NucciVisions]

Whats your experience compared to the iphone 8plus etc.. in terms of brightness and clarity? It is a pain to deal with having to attach the phone to the unit etc.. worried about it slipping and having to mess around with it just to get it snug. It sounds better to just grab the controller and go without messing around with cables etc.

Can I download maps to it? how do the maps work on this unit, how is the screen brightness. Is the interface/updates for it provided by DJI.

They seem to be going for the price of the Phantom 4 pro when it first came out.

I just got a P4P+ a month ago, was using a Mavic Pro Plat with iphone. I did some landscaping with the Mavic and it's been ay DJI for a month so I couldn't wait. I must say the camera in the P4P is a leap ahead of my Mavic. The 4K video at 60fps and the raw images I get are in line with my DSLR. As far as the screen... love it, super bright even at the ocean. Pull it out of the case, turn it on and boom... no cables, apps, phone calls, dead batteries. Also, if your on a job you can run the capture out through an HDMI cable to a monitor.

Whats your experience compared to the iphone 8plus etc.. in terms of brightness and clarity? It is a pain to deal with having to attach the phone to the unit etc.. worried about it slipping and having to mess around with it just to get it snug. It sounds better to just grab the controller and go without messing around with cables etc.

Can I download maps to it? how do the maps work on this unit, how is the screen brightness. Is the interface/updates for it provided by DJI.

They seem to be going for the price of the Phantom 4 pro when it first came out.

 

[andre renaud]

Mine still doesn’t accept the DJI panoramas modes,two months after the update of December.it is a shame!

 

[skiptv]

I have a 3S a 4P+ an Inspire Pro 1 and Access to an Inspire Pro 2, I'm an instructor. If you are only using your drone for photography and cinematography get the 4Pro+ with the screen, 1000 times brighter than the phone or tablet. They also do not overheat like a phone or tablet does. If you are going to do mapping and going to use 3rd party apps, then get one that you have to add a phone or tablet. Of course, if you are doing mapping, you do not need a 4Pro, you could just get a 4 or even a 3 since mapping does not need a 1-inch sensor.

 

[spiritwinds]

Be aware the OSD overlays take up much of the small 5.5" screen. There are no options to upgrade to a larger display later.

Not True. Just get another GL300F controller, pair it and use it with the P4P with whatever you want. I did this for my Moverio BT-300 FPV unit and also my Samsung S2 10" tablet. Think beyond the box!

 

[spiritwinds]

Mine still doesn’t accept the DJI panoramas modes,two months after the update of December.it is a shame!

The newest update this week fixes that. Upgraded and went out and got an excellent 360 Pano on my P4P+ unit.

 

[SimTech]

Whats your experience compared to the iphone 8plus etc.. in terms of brightness and clarity? It is a pain to deal with having to attach the phone to the unit etc.. worried about it slipping and having to mess around with it just to get it snug. It sounds better to just grab the controller and go without messing around with cables etc.

Can I download maps to it? how do the maps work on this unit, how is the screen brightness. Is the interface/updates for it provided by DJI.

They seem to be going for the price of the Phantom 4 pro when it first came out.

Hey...for what it,s worth...I have a P4P+ integrated screen. Initially had probs with no maps but this was all fixed with an update. I find the screen great in bright light but you may at times get some type of reflection depending in which way you are facing. I am not concerned about all the talk about model supercedence cos the the P4P+ is a great unit no question, with no problem about spares etc to keep it flying, and besides there are many ways of attaching an extension visual screen via hdmi if you want to go down that path with video headsets etc.
Some people just have to have the latest and sometimes not necessarily the greatest stuff.
No Cables, No Mess. No Problemo....Have Fun....Fly Safe.

 

[fasterpastor]

I have the P4P+ and think that the screen is a great solution if you are a hobbiest and just do photos and Video. BUT!! - If you need to fly professionally, do mapping, use any third party apps, (like autopilot, drone deploy, maps made easy, etc etc) you are stuck as the integrated screen does not allow any non-dji apps. I have a "Normal" controller and bind my P4P to the one I need and use an IPAD so I can use the others apps when I am doing my Part 107 commercial work.

So it may depend on what you intend to do. You can get quite a deal on a used P4P+, but if you intend to use your drone for commercial work, I would get the standard p4p. If you ONLY need it for photos and video. I think it is a great value. One thing I appreciate is there is no risk of the display "falling" out of the holder during use.

Hope this helps.

 

[DPAus]

I think they fixed that recently. It supports up to 20 apps now. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I have both a P4P and a P4P+... I tend to use the P4P with a samsung tablet over the built in controller now mainly for the use of Litchi... absolutely blew away my client on the weekend when I turned up... set up.... hit the start button and away went the drone... did a 2.5km round trip of a large construction site, taking 12 photos from all sides / corners / POI of the site and then it returned to home and landed... all in less than 4 minutes and me not once touching the controls. Job done from arrive to leave in 15 minutes, and it can be flown again with pinpoint accuracy next time.

Are you saying you can now install Litcxhi on the P4P+ controller? I would definitely be using that if so for all the reasons mentioned in above comments.

 

[John Locke]

Are you saying you can now install Litcxhi on the P4P+ controller? I would definitely be using that if so for all the reasons mentioned in above comments.

Yes, that's what others have reported. I don't have one, so I can't speak first hand, but yes I believe DJI has new F/W for the + controller to allow up to 20 apps I think.

 

[fasterpastor]

Yes, that's what others have reported. I don't have one, so I can't speak first hand, but yes I believe DJI has new F/W for the + controller to allow up to 20 apps I think.

So I am hoping this is true, IF it is, it is very hard to find, and not on the DJI website, that I can see. The only one I have found so far is a "Hack" and not an official DJI release.

 

[rexster314]

Far as I know, Litchi will not install as Google Play has to be installed as well. And I haven't been able to install that apk

 

[Fvunen]

Concur with most that has been said:

On the plus side for the P4P+
- Easy to deploy, switch on the controller and ready to go
- Very bright display
- Solid mount, screen won't come off no matter what
- No external wiring to worry about
- Single item to charge (RC+screen)
- Dedicated to the drone flight, nothing else will distract you

On the negative side for the P4P+
- Unable to install 3rd party apps like Litchi
- Screen a bit small if you get the 5.5inch

The recent firmware update does allow some limited 3rd party app install but still Litchi doesnt work due to absence of the Google Play store which also installs but doesn't work

 

[Timinator]

I've had my P4P+ for about three weeks now. For me it made sense since I didn't have an ipad or a tablet that was compatible. I knew I was giving up some flexibility in operating system of the controller but I also knew I wanted to keep things as simple as possible and not introduce any complexity and compatiility problems by using a phone or tablet.

 

[Jerry H]

P4 lasted only about a half year while p4p now has currently 15 months and is expected to be replaced in the foreseeable future (before or after summer). Therefore I would personally not go for the integrated screen rather a crystal sky.

Wow. I just bought the p4pro yesterday. Pl an on keeping it quite awhile. Anyway, do the think the iPad mini 3 would be a good monitor? Brightness etc. Also I have the Samsung note 8. It' Not listed on the box but it seems to work fine with my p3s. Do you think it will work on the p4 pro? Any advice you can give would be very helpful. Thanks.
Jerry.