Inspire 2 or Phantom 4 Pro?!

[msinger]

It is possible to install other Android apps on it.

 

[Jussaguy]

Ok, at least one of each please! I think I my wife may have to take my credit cards away from me. Both of these new platforms look so awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

It's pretty simple.

If you have the money, you get more out of the camera for the Inspire 2 but you don't need to just spend the money even if you have it.

The Phantom 4 Pro has a camera that is limited by it's inability to encode ProRes or shoot Raw. Among other things, this is the main issue with regards to professionalism between the Phantom 4 Pro Camera and the X5S on the Inspire 2.

If you have any sort of aspiration for professional broadcast, the Phantoms (including the Pro) are just not going to produce you a professional deliverable while the Inspire can provide not only a faster bit rate (which is more important than resolution for quality) but also a bigger/better lens which is changeable (you can pull focus on it, you can change it, change aperture, etc) and it shoots not only Raw but ProRes. Of course you can team up on the Inspire with a camera op as well. To be clear, yes there is now H.265 instead of H.264 and it's 100mbs but its still going to be recorded to rather slow microSD as far as I can see and the H.265 will deliver a smaller file that may or may not look better than H.264 but its not a deliverable and it's also a ***** on your editor as far as CPU power unless you up encode it to something like ProRes.

It really seems from a hardware and most important a software perspective (as it pertains to encoding software built in the bird ROM), DJI has taken some major strides forward. I am so excited to see what I can do with the Inspire 2.

 

[AnchorageAk]

Where are you guys seeing the P4P with out the build in screen?

 

[msinger]

Where are you guys seeing the P4P with out the build in screen?

When you go to purchase the P4P here in the DJI Store, you'll be prompted to select between the two RCs.

 

[AnchorageAk]

No wonder I couldn't find it. Only $300 more for the build in screen. I may have to go to Drones Anonymous for help. Hi" I'm a ....". But, instead of help it would turn into a group buy. LOL

 

[jimwinstead1]

Just an FYI the 3K is JUST the bird. (Inspire 2)

Main gimbal camera is sold separately.

Go to the DJI store and click "In the Box"

The entry level camera is the DJI Zenmuse X5S at 1,800 bucks.

Correction, the entry camera is the X4S @ $600.

 

[Dronefriend]

It's pretty simple.

If you have the money, you get more out of the camera for the Inspire 2 but you don't need to just spend the money even if you have it.

The Phantom 4 Pro has a camera that is limited by it's inability to encode ProRes or shoot Raw. Among other things, this is the main issue with regards to professionalism between the Phantom 4 Pro Camera and the X5S on the Inspire 2.

If you have any sort of aspiration for professional broadcast, the Phantoms (including the Pro) are just not going to produce you a professional deliverable while the Inspire can provide not only a faster bit rate (which is more important than resolution for quality) but also a bigger/better lens which is changeable (you can pull focus on it, you can change it, change aperture, etc) and it shoots not only Raw but ProRes. Of course you can team up on the Inspire with a camera op as well. To be clear, yes there is now H.265 instead of H.264 and it's 100mbs but its still going to be recorded to rather slow microSD as far as I can see and the H.265 will deliver a smaller file that may or may not look better than H.264 but its not a deliverable and it's also a ***** on your editor as far as CPU power unless you up encode it to something like ProRes.

It really seems from a hardware and most important a software perspective (as it pertains to encoding software built in the bird ROM), DJI has taken some major strides forward. I am so excited to see what I can do with the Inspire 2.

I wouldn't rule out P4P material for professional broadcasting because of the codec. There are plenty of cameras that record 100mbit 4K that can be used for broadcasting, or other professional uses. It also uses H265 with much better dynamic range, color depth and quality / bitrate compared to H264.

However, in order for the P4P to provide acceptable material, you cannot have any props visible in the footage, and for the far smaller sensor to be useable you have to use it in broad daylight. As it gets darker, that small sensor will very soon lose any opportunity to be used as a professional camera.

 

[IBV]

It's 27 minutes max. The Inspire 2 are up on DJI's website here.

A battery mod for inspire2 would be surely easier as it got this parallel setup and can handle more payload...

 

[IBV]

The 4g link option of the insp2 sounds inteeesting. TheP4P hasn't got that. Maybe P5?

 

[AlexSP]

if you can swing it I'd say go with the Pro. Even if it means you have to wait a bit longer.
if you don't go with the Pro you're going to regret it 6 months from now.

We will all going to regret in 6 months from now despite going for Pro, because at this rate DJI will release a P5 or something amazing to get us reaching for our wallets again LOL

 

[King Luff]

It's pretty simple.

If you have the money, you get more out of the camera for the Inspire 2 but you don't need to just spend the money even if you have it.

The Phantom 4 Pro has a camera that is limited by it's inability to encode ProRes or shoot Raw. Among other things, this is the main issue with regards to professionalism between the Phantom 4 Pro Camera and the X5S on the Inspire 2.

If you have any sort of aspiration for professional broadcast, the Phantoms (including the Pro) are just not going to produce you a professional deliverable while the Inspire can provide not only a faster bit rate (which is more important than resolution for quality) but also a bigger/better lens which is changeable (you can pull focus on it, you can change it, change aperture, etc) and it shoots not only Raw but ProRes. Of course you can team up on the Inspire with a camera op as well. To be clear, yes there is now H.265 instead of H.264 and it's 100mbs but its still going to be recorded to rather slow microSD as far as I can see and the H.265 will deliver a smaller file that may or may not look better than H.264 but its not a deliverable and it's also a ***** on your editor as far as CPU power unless you up encode it to something like ProRes.

It really seems from a hardware and most important a software perspective (as it pertains to encoding software built in the bird ROM), DJI has taken some major strides forward. I am so excited to see what I can do with the Inspire 2.

I have had my footage on the BBC recently on one of their most popular and well edited programmes. I fly a P3A which is now miles behind in terms of the camera tech.

My point is that it isn't always about the equipment we use, it's about the content. So if anyone (like me) has aspirations as a aerial photographer or videographer the P4P looks to be the real deal at a very affordable price.

 

[AlexSP]

I wouldn't rule out P4P material for professional broadcasting because of the codec. There are plenty of cameras that record 100mbit 4K that can be used for broadcasting, or other professional uses. It also uses H265 with much better dynamic range, color depth and quality / bitrate compared to H264.

However, in order for the P4P to provide acceptable material, you cannot have any props visible in the footage, and for the far smaller sensor to be useable you have to use it in broad daylight. As it gets darker, that small sensor will very soon lose any opportunity to be used as a professional camera.

I agree. Being in the aerial imaging business for a few yrs now I can say that my I1 got A LOT LESS work than my P3P fleet, both for mapping and surveying as for filming, because it´s too big and flies too little. The flying time has been solved in the new I2 but it´s still a big beast to travel with, carry around and fly. It was good 1 or 2 yrs ago to impress clients but now things have changed. Maybe it´s different for others but for me and my company and my clients, portability and ease of use has become very important.

I have competitors who commited huge cash in fleets of hexas, octas, Inspires and amazing RED, X4/X5 and IR cams in anticipation for demand, only to have these collecting dust and costing them locked $. Many now fly these superdrones for personal use most of the time. I even sold my I1 and now rent superdrones for a change whenever I need - which to be honest is not very common because, well, not every production firm is willing to pay (or need) what these superdrones and supercams can provide.

The P3P - which can be considered "old and obsolete" by today´s standards - on the other hand is small, cheap, stable, reliable and good enough in the whole of its features (fly + cam), especially if you know how to deal with its limitations. Most clients are pretty OK with P3P UHD or something, as long as it´s usable and well shot. The rest is solved in post. Even the local leading TV channel uses P3Ps for many of their news and documentaries, with good results. It´s not like I´m doing 25 minutes of 4K aerial shots for ads all the time, or hollywood films either...

All that is to say, IMHO from a business standpoint, the P4P is for me the new standard. I´m getting a Mavic because of portability, but this new P4 is certainly an awesome personal drone, more than capable for mapping/surveying, and well above acceptable for perhaps 90% of my filming/shooting contracts. I can get 2 for the price of 1 Inspire 2, not factoring the cost of a really good camera, and optimize jobs. Both will be obsolete in a short time too, sometimes you can´t even get a ROE and keep working only to pay the bills (not to mention if I crash one which is always a possibility too LOL).

 

[IBV]

I agree. Being in the aerial imaging business for a few yrs now I can say that my I1 got A LOT LESS work than my P3P fleet, both for mapping and surveying as for filming, because it´s too big and flies too little. The flying time has been solved in the new I2 but it´s still a big beast to travel with, carry around and fly. It was good 1 or 2 yrs ago to impress clients but now things have changed. Maybe it´s different for others but for me and my company and my clients, portability and ease of use has become very important.

I have competitors who commited huge cash in fleets of hexas, octas, Inspires and amazing RED, X4/X5 and IR cams in anticipation for demand, only to have these collecting dust and costing them locked $. Many now fly these superdrones for personal use most of the time. I even sold my I1 and now rent superdrones for a change whenever I need - which to be honest is not very common because, well, not every production firm is willing to pay (or need) what these superdrones and supercams can provide.

The P3P - which can be considered "old and obsolete" by today´s standards - on the other hand is small, cheap, stable, reliable and good enough in the whole of its features (fly + cam), especially if you know how to deal with its limitations. Most clients are pretty OK with P3P UHD or something, as long as it´s usable and well shot. The rest is solved in post. Even the local leading TV channel uses P3Ps for many of their news and documentaries, with good results. It´s not like I´m doing 25 minutes of 4K aerial shots for ads all the time, or hollywood films either...

All that is to say, IMHO from a business standpoint, the P4P is for me the new standard. I´m getting a Mavic because of portability, but this new P4 is certainly an awesome personal drone, more than capable for mapping/surveying, and well above acceptable for perhaps 90% of my filming/shooting contracts. I can get 2 for the price of 1 Inspire 2, not factoring the cost of a really good camera, and optimize jobs. Both will be obsolete in a short time too, sometimes you can´t even get a ROE and keep working only to pay the bills (not to mention if I crash one which is always a possibility too LOL).

You got some points here. It depends on your clients and if they don't need or want to pay extra then it's waste. For some special applications and cine-filming an i2 or matrice 600 can be booked.- but not at the price of a P4 shooting.. For people working with these special applications the i2 and alike are surely great tools. For the others great toys

 

[King Luff]

I agree. Being in the aerial imaging business for a few yrs now I can say that my I1 got A LOT LESS work than my P3P fleet, both for mapping and surveying as for filming, because it´s too big and flies too little. The flying time has been solved in the new I2 but it´s still a big beast to travel with, carry around and fly. It was good 1 or 2 yrs ago to impress clients but now things have changed. Maybe it´s different for others but for me and my company and my clients, portability and ease of use has become very important.

I have competitors who commited huge cash in fleets of hexas, octas, Inspires and amazing RED, X4/X5 and IR cams in anticipation for demand, only to have these collecting dust and costing them locked $. Many now fly these superdrones for personal use most of the time. I even sold my I1 and now rent superdrones for a change whenever I need - which to be honest is not very common because, well, not every production firm is willing to pay (or need) what these superdrones and supercams can provide.

The P3P - which can be considered "old and obsolete" by today´s standards - on the other hand is small, cheap, stable, reliable and good enough in the whole of its features (fly + cam), especially if you know how to deal with its limitations. Most clients are pretty OK with P3P UHD or something, as long as it´s usable and well shot. The rest is solved in post. Even the local leading TV channel uses P3Ps for many of their news and documentaries, with good results. It´s not like I´m doing 25 minutes of 4K aerial shots for ads all the time, or hollywood films either...

All that is to say, IMHO from a business standpoint, the P4P is for me the new standard. I´m getting a Mavic because of portability, but this new P4 is certainly an awesome personal drone, more than capable for mapping/surveying, and well above acceptable for perhaps 90% of my filming/shooting contracts. I can get 2 for the price of 1 Inspire 2, not factoring the cost of a really good camera, and optimize jobs. Both will be obsolete in a short time too, sometimes you can´t even get a ROE and keep working only to pay the bills (not to mention if I crash one which is always a possibility too LOL).

Well said.

 

[ElGuapo]

We will all going to regret in 6 months from now despite going for Pro, because at this rate DJI will release a P5 or something amazing to get us reaching for our wallets again LOL

Lol, agree. What if we all get shocked with all of the nice features the P5 is going to have a few months from now and regret buying the P4 Pro.


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[King Luff]

Lol, agree. What if we all get shocked with all of the nice features the P5 is going to have a few months from now and regret buying the P4 Pro.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

Then the Mavic 2!

 

[GadgetGuy]

If you keep waiting for the perfect tool, you are missing all the photo and video opportunities along the way!

 

[AlexSP]

LOL Yeah, that's the modern affliction... fast evolving technology for some personal appliances. If we think of it and look at how fast things are going, something like a Mavic with all the yummy hardware and firmware tech of the P4P may not be too far. IMO 2017 seems realistic.

I mean, when I bought my last P3P only a year ago (october 2015), it was an state-of-the-art prosumer drone with excellent flying time, stability, range, camera, etc. for a very, very reasonable price. I did 1000s of flights and it delivered most times. Now we have a semi-autonomous P4 Pro with all these smart features, redundancy, tracking, etc. and a really good, semi-pro camera. Pretty exciting.

Someday soon a compact drone will be operated by one man and perform like an I2 does with two now, and professional aerial filming will be within reach of the masses. It already is to a great extent. But I insist that even then, these uberdrones will be just tools as they are now. Our experience and judgement in capturing the best content will still be relevant as it is today.

 

[CaptainDrone798]

if you can swing it I'd say go with the Pro. Even if it means you have to wait a bit longer.
if you don't go with the Pro you're going to regret it 6 months from now.

6 months from now is DJI's launch of the Phantom 5 or Mavic Pro+..... or both.

Sent from my SM-P550 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[ElGuapo]

6 months from now is DJI's launch of the Phantom 5 or Mavic Pro+..... or both.

Sent from my SM-P550 using PhantomPilots mobile app

I am telling you, it is hard to keep up with the launch of new products. I already told the wife the P4 Pro is the last drone I am going to buy... Lol.