Has anybody here owned a P2V+ for...

[photographix]

Keep in mind that nobody posts about all the great flights they've had. I think reading so many negative posts can give you a false perception.

Hear, hear! Happy people don't complain online!

Got mine from B&H 6 weeks ago. B&H is the place to buy: Great service and fast shipping, usually free shipping on big ticket items.

I've had 3 incidents, all pilot error. Hitting my van was the worst. Dropped 6 feet onto concrete...damage was a few scratches on the camera/gimbal. Second time I hung it by a prop in a small tree. Damage: Tree sap on body and dinged prop. Third time, I was on the ground, running the props up to drain the battery when a gust of wind pushed it over. Broke 2 props and got sand in one motor. 30 minutes total repair spent watching a YouTube vid on how to take the shell apart, doing it, cleaning the motor, and put it back together. Flew fine the next morning.

Biggest tips: While you are waiting for it to arrive, read the manual, and then read it again. Charge all the batteries, do a compass calibration on the first flight, do close-in, easy maneuvers and work your way up. You'll be fine. And very happy!

 

[QuadGrandad]

I've had mine several months and any problems I've experienced have been related to pilot error. Camera gimbal has shaken twice , both times related to landing in tall grass. It does seem to be more "sensitive" than my first phantom vision in that regard. It's "wandered" when hovering, because the compass wasn't calibrated right. Other than that, it's a blast to fly, takes great pictures/ videos and is an enjoyable hobby.
In all honesty, a larger factor in the decision to purchase one now is the FAA overkill rulings caused by the idiots flying them everywhere. Im concerned that laws are going to severely hamper the hobby. I also feel there's a " hysteria" factor due to the term " drone", synonymous for many with " invasion of privacy". To test my theory, when asked by onlookers if I'm flying a drone, I tell them it's a quad copter. I notice an immediate change of attitude. Problems with the product aren't going to interfere with your flying, but the government might.

 

[TeeJayN]

...over 3 months and not had a single problem with it? I hate to make the same post that has been made 1,000 times, but as much as my heart wants to pull the trigger on one of these bad-boys, my brain just won't let me. From doing hours upon hours of research, I've just convinced myself that I will have a problem - guaranteed - within a few months of owning it.......

Had mine since mid May, zero crashes, over 100 flights, and still on the original props.
Your chances of crashing are inversely proportional to the amount of time spent reading and following the Users Manual and the Pilot Training Guide.
Keep flying your P2V+ in the default Phantom Mode until you are very comfortable with all its functions. Then, and only then, consider switching to the NAZA Mode for additional flexibility and function.
The only issue I had was with intermittent S1 and S2 switch failures and I replaced both switches. And fortunately, since I was in the Phantom Mode when I noticed the switch failures, no resulting crashes or damage occurred.
Bottom Line:
- Read and follow the Users Manual and the Pilot Training Guide - don't skip anything!
- Don't just glance at the Quick Start guide and then take off - you'll likely regret it.
- Enjoy your new bird - you'll have a hard time wiping the smile off your face!

 

[ToThePoint]

Tree sap

Thats a new one after the lawn mower nick.
A tree juicer with pulp. LMAO

 

[mr_quatson]

Dear everyone!
I was in the same boat as the OP and I pulled the trigger about 1 month ago. So far the flying experience has been nothing but good - no problems there.

BUT the camera is giving me trouble. Even though I set white balance manually (to sunny, shade, etc.) the videos show severe color shifts - as the white balance still would be on auto.

Here is a video clearly showing the effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-QOqs2StyU

My dealer tells me I can send it in for repair which will take 6-8 weeks (!)
Can anybody of you confirm that your white balance settings behave as the should - no color shift when manually set to a preset. I just want to make sure it's worth to be without my quad for so long.

Thank you a lot in advance

 

[Mako79]

Dear everyone!
I was in the same boat as the OP and I pulled the trigger about 1 month ago. So far the flying experience has been nothing but good - no problems there.

BUT the camera is giving me trouble. Even though I set white balance manually (to sunny, shade, etc.) the videos show severe color shifts - as the white balance still would be on auto.

Here is a video clearly showing the effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-QOqs2StyU

My dealer tells me I can send it in for repair which will take 6-8 weeks (!)
Can anybody of you confirm that your white balance settings behave as the should - no color shift when manually set to a preset. I just want to make sure it's worth to be without my quad for so long.

Thank you a lot in advance

lock the iso in also. Change to a average metering.
auto sucks with camera

 

[happydays]

I'm on my third Phantom.

P1 got lost in the sea due to pilot error.
P2 is still going strong despite spending the night up a tree and various other minor crashes. All pilot error.
PV+ is going well - never been crashed. Hand catch every time and this usually avoids any issues.

For me the V+ is easily the best, solely due to the fact that the gimbal smooths out the video so well. Take a look at some of my YouTube clips (link below) and see if you can spot which ones were taken using the V+ and which were using the P2V.

Get out there and enjoy it. Practise like mad in a very big wide open space with no trees in the area. Trees are most definitely not the phantom's friend.

Good luck!

 

[doug86]

Best advice from me (who has owned my V+ since May): do not read this forum! Every time you get the urge to read this forum, open up the DJI user manual instead, and do your best to understand cover to cover. Go to YouTube and watch videos on how to make a better video. Learn editing skills instead of reading stories of other people's problems.

My first few weeks with the V+, I was reading this forum every day, and I was scared to even take off....

I only check in here about twice a month now, and spend my time flying or editing videos. No issues with my phantom

 

[Onezerosix141]

I've had mine for awhile and I'm glad I bought it.
Go with a place with good warranty! [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

 

[Onezerosix141]

Best advice from me (who has owned my V+ since May): do not read this forum! Every time you get the urge to read this forum, open up the DJI user manual instead, and do your best to understand cover to cover. Go to YouTube and watch videos on how to make a better video. Learn editing skills instead of reading stories of other people's problems.

My first few weeks with the V+, I was reading this forum every day, and I was scared to even take off....

I only check in here about twice a month now, and spend my time flying or editing videos. No issues with my phantom

You got to remember, more people come to post when there are some issues they need help with. [emoji16]
I stop by at least once a day to see any issues or solutions been posted so I know what to do when it happens to mine [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

 

[cadsii]

56 flights on mine, 2 months, no problems....

just watch the youtube videos "phantom crash compilation" you will see, all pilot errors.

Novice flyers tend to blame problems on hardware, rather then admitting to doing something stupid.

 

[Mossie]

Had P2V and then P2V Plus for 10 months now. Not a single crash or problem with either model and I fly it regularly .

 

[bliffman]

Maybe 30-40 flights over the last 3 months for me and my P2V+. Never had any issues. Read the instructions available online and take care of it and it should be fine.

 

[Hotrod]

All my crashes (2) were caused by me. There, I said it. However, experience is a great teacher, and sometimes it hurts At the moment my camera is broken. I am licking my wounds and practicing without the camera. The PV2+ itself seems to be a tough SOB. It fly,s a little better without the interference from the wifi.

 

[rrmccabe]

Yea me too. My current V+ has over 100 flights since the first of July and no issues. Been 9998' away from home with it. I did have a camera mishap a couple days ago caused by TOTAL pilot error. But will be fixing that and getting back to it.

 

[bouvier]

The op reminds me of me. Too much reading has left me fairly intimidated by this bird. While each of the few flights I have had since I got it in June have been nothing short of exhilarating I still harbor a lot of fear as I really can't afford to watch it destroy itself or fly away from me
I'm encouraged by this thread and thank all the posters for reminding me just how the forums generally work.

 

[ShoreBird]

About five months in and and approximately 50 flights in mine is currently at DJI repair facility for a failed video transmitter. Not crashes or any misuse...just quit working. When I had my older Vision it was to a repair facility twice in its first year. Seems just like a thing for DJI. I'll get it back and hopefully it will be good to go but I have been looking at other brands of copters.....

 

[timtown]

Well, I don't think I'm the only one dealing with the B&H returns department (good guys, mind you), but I'm going on my 3rd replacement. I haven't flown any of them. They have just sat on my office desk connected or not to my computer and/or iPhone5. In the manufacturing business, we would call these failures infant mortalities. I'm sure there are many that work and many which have flown and failed due to pilot error. But such is not with the failures I experienced.

I really want the thing to work!

--Tim

 

[nhoover]

Have owned it over 3 months and have done 85 flights in US and Canada. No problems at all (other than when using an old P2V battery in it that no longer works well once it's down to 50%). Have flown it high, far (over 2 miles) and fast (nearly 70mph). Currently running a Flytrex Live on it. Gimbal working great, but I haven't crashed at all. Running 3.06 on it and while I dislike the descent speed and the reduced forward speed, I put up with it since it flies straight. I never thought taking aerial photos would be so fun. The P2V+ is truly great as long as you can accept the compromises they made in the camera quality.

 

[atomicmak]

How do you get your flight's NO ? Can we extract how many flights we took off ?
Mine is just two week old and it seems that I have more than 30 flights made from day 3 I was hand catching and few difficult low alt follow flights. THis is my first experience of flying without any teacher.

Logic is I spent 15 days proper on this forum reading plus/minus do's and dont's and I am ready.

Here is my today's small compilation went into the trees without any issue for documentation purpose.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fVwv0BY6wI[/youtube]