New ex-3DR Solo owner

[JonW]

As a new ex-3DR Solo owner (just returned to B&H yesterday) I am in the market for a quad, and after suffering through the Solo fiasco, DJI now looks like the way to go. I wish I had made that choice in the first place.

I have a question about Phantom. One issue with Solo was that it was absolutely unable to fly under tree canopy or other obstacles without losing GPS and possible disastrous results. The solution was fly manual without GPS stabilization when under or near obstacles. Phantom owners I have talked with tell me they have no such issue. Is this true? Can Phantom fly under tree cover or structural obstacles while in GPS stabilized flight without the problems Solo experienced. I just wonder what fundamental difference in design would cause a drastic difference between GPS reception in the two.

 

[Mako79]

It's true.
GPS+Glonnas = shitloads of sats! In the open, you can get 15-20 sats. This drops to half when I'm in a single storey brick house.
Even with the P2VP (foil mod and puck upgrade), I could get 6+ sats indoors.

 

[750r]

Welcome to the forum .
Any gps could loose signal under cover but ATTi will keep you stable but will drift . The SoLo has some bugs they need to work out .
Not sure what bird your looking for I own the P1 & P2 both are great everything I have read about the P3 is even better .
DJI makes a good stable bird they have been around awhile . Do you know what you want ? Fixed cam or do you want to use a GP ?

 

[Vern Shurtz]

Phantom 3 Professional & Advanced - Features | DJI

Scroll down to this section.

"VISION POSITIONING
Fly indoors, low to the ground, and in GPS-free areas with Vision Positioning technology. Visual and ultrasonic sensors scan
the ground beneath your Phantom 3 for patterns, enabling it to identify its position and move accurately."

This is why I am passing on the 3DR Solo and getting the Phantom 3 Pro next week.

 

[JonW]

Welcome to the forum .
Any gps could loose signal under cover but ATTi will keep you stable but will drift . The SoLo has some bugs they need to work out .
Not sure what bird your looking for I own the P1 & P2 both are great everything I have read about the P3 is even better .
DJI makes a good stable bird they have been around awhile . Do you know what you want ? Fixed cam or do you want to use a GP ?

Well, the P3P looks awesome, BUT, I now have a GP Hero 4 black with rectilinear 5.4mm lens and filters that I purchased for the Solo. So If I go P3P I'm stuck with a $850 Gopro that I don't need. To use Gopro I would need P2, right? It's a tough choice.

 

[750r]

Yes if you want to use the GP you need a P2 with gimbal . Now their are a few things you should know if you want FPV you will have to add a few things and you will not have control of the GP you have to make your setting before flight . For FPV you will have to add a transmitter (5.8) & receiver & Monitor (5.8) and a iosd (not needed but recommended ) you can not use a cell phone for a monitor . If you like to get hands on and do some work you shouldn't have a problem . Now if your not hands on and don't want to tinker the P3 would be the way to go all you need is a cell or tablet and you have FPV it is a compleat package . You could sell your GP to help with the price . I use my GP's other than for flying my P1 was just another mount for my GP then I got hooked . So if you got the GP just for flying you won't miss it .

 

[JonW]

Yes if you want to use the GP you need a P2 with gimbal . Now their are a few things you should know if you want FPV you will have to add a few things and you will not have control of the GP you have to make your setting before flight . For FPV you will have to add a transmitter (5.8) & receiver & Monitor (5.8) and a iosd (not needed but recommended ) you can not use a cell phone for a monitor . If you like to get hands on and do some work you shouldn't have a problem . Now if your not hands on and don't want to tinker the P3 would be the way to go all you need is a cell or tablet and you have FPV it is a compleat package . You could sell your GP to help with the price . I use my GP's other than for flying my P1 was just another mount for my GP then I got hooked . So if you got the GP just for flying you won't miss it .

Sounds like I should take whatever loss on the Gopro and move forward with a P3. I also have a brand new Galaxy Tab S 8.4 that I bought for Solo. It looks like that is compatible with P3P. I don't need a tablet with GPS do I?

 

[cdronefly]

Do not go with the P2.
The P3 can fly circles around it and is everything you need in an AP quad.
Find a Solo fan and sell the camera....or take the loss.

The P3 is not perfect and you will have to experiment with the app (depending on device) and learn some of the ins and outs - but it is far and away the best AP quad on the market (in the consumer arena).

I have flown the P3 in every type of forest and around trees, buildings, etc. and never lost GPS. Not to say it's impossible, but it is improbable in everyday use. Also, it does not misbehave is and when it ever did so.

Here is an example flight in a small clearing in a park with a stone tower. I had at least 15+ sats the whole time.

 

[kenjancef]

Here is an example flight in a small clearing in a park with a stone tower. I had at least 15+ sats the whole time.

I live in East Providence... how is flying in Newport? I go there a lot to walk the city, maybe I should take my P2 there next time (yea, I know you don't like P2's.. lol... j/k)

 

[dirkclod]

Do not go with the P2.
The P3 can fly circles around it

 

[Meta4]

I also have a brand new Galaxy Tab S 8.4 that I bought for Solo. It looks like that is compatible with P3P. I don't need a tablet with GPS do I?

Your Galaxy Tab has GPS
GPS in the tablet is not essential for flying the P3 but it is needed for Dynamic Homepoint and probably for the new features that are coming next week.

 

[JonW]

Your Galaxy Tab has GPS
GPS in the tablet is not essential for flying the P3 but it is needed for Dynamic Homepoint and probably for the new features that are coming next week.

Well whaddayaknow, it does. Thanks. I thought GPS only came with a data plan enabled model

 

[GoodnNuff]

Ahh JonW, hopefully you've found a happy home here!
As an owner of a Phantom 1, Phantom 2, and Phantom 3 Pro (and as you know JonW, a Solo too), I'd go with the P3. You could probably sell your GoPro with little loss.

 

[DaveM]

Ex Solo owner here: You'll like the Phantom for its camera and flight. You'll absolutely hate it compared to the solo when it comes to the smart shots, because DJI isn't even in the same ballpark when it comes to Solo's orbit/cable cam capabilities. Both for ease of use and accuracy. This is even with the new auto flight stuff coming out next week. None of the 3rd party apps I've seen so far handle like 3DR's, so be prepared to suck that up.

 

[JonW]

Ex Solo owner here: You'll like the Phantom for its camera and flight. You'll absolutely hate it compared to the solo when it comes to the smart shots, because DJI isn't even in the same ballpark when it comes to Solo's orbit/cable cam capabilities. Both for ease of use and accuracy. This is even with the new auto flight stuff coming out next week. None of the 3rd party apps I've seen so far handle like 3DR's, so be prepared to suck that up.

So you don't have high hopes for the update? I really was impressed with Solo's flight capabilites. It was just useless to me without a gimbal. So for the moment it sounds like folks need to choose whatever handful of features fits their needs best. I would take a completely functional craft with limited capabilities for the moment. I still hope 3DR will someday have a finished product. I will need 2 craft anyway so maybe P3P now and Solo in a few months if they work out all the bugs. Those who are finally getting gimbals seem to be having lots of problems.

 

[cdronefly]

I live in East Providence... how is flying in Newport? I go there a lot to walk the city, maybe I should take my P2 there next time (yea, I know you don't like P2's.. lol... j/k)

Newport is quite crowded - I did that little video for the Land Trust so I had an excuse. Still, off-season you could find a place to fly if you know where to look.
We actually stay in Portsmouth which is up-island. If you want to fly your P2 a great place is the area of the Polo Fields in Newport - obviously when there is no Polo match! It's a bunch of big open fields and very few people.

I'm one of those stealth operators. I suss out places and go when almost no one is there......I can walk to a number of places like those Polo fields and the (bay) beach, etc.
Here are the Polo Fields

 

[cdronefly]

I still hope 3DR will someday have a finished product. I will need 2 craft anyway so maybe P3P now and Solo in a few months if they work out all the bugs. Those who are finally getting gimbals seem to be having lots of problems.

The smart way to deal with it is to wait 60-90 days after 100% of the features (full gopro control, etc.) are available and also after the complete units are available for immediate shipment.

Then check unbiased reviews on the complete craft with complete software.

That way you have the benefit of knowing what the little (or big) problems are and can decide if you can put up with them.

 

[DaveM]

So you don't have high hopes for the update? I really was impressed with Solo's flight capabilites. It was just useless to me without a gimbal. So for the moment it sounds like folks need to choose whatever handful of features fits their needs best. I would take a completely functional craft with limited capabilities for the moment. I still hope 3DR will someday have a finished product. I will need 2 craft anyway so maybe P3P now and Solo in a few months if they work out all the bugs. Those who are finally getting gimbals seem to be having lots of problems.

It all depends on what you're doing with it. Are you buying a quad for photographic reasons, or just for fun? The still camera in the P3 is the best. The video is pretty good too. The lens on the P3 is superior. But its programmed flight features, planned and available, suck in comparison. What's a good camera if you can't operate it like a camera should? That said, at least you can learn how to do shots manually with the P3.

The smart way to deal with it is to wait 60-90 days after 100% of the features (full gopro control, etc.) are available and also after the complete units are available for immediate shipment.

Then check unbiased reviews on the complete craft with complete software.

That way you have the benefit of knowing what the little (or big) problems are and can decide if you can put up with them.

Unfortunately, with these things, you wait 60-90 days after it comes out and there'll already be talk of a new "bigger and better" version.

 

[kenjancef]

Newport is quite crowded - I did that little video for the Land Trust so I had an excuse. Still, off-season you could find a place to fly if you know where to look.
We actually stay in Portsmouth which is up-island. If you want to fly your P2 a great place is the area of the Polo Fields in Newport - obviously when there is no Polo match! It's a bunch of big open fields and very few people.

I'm one of those stealth operators. I suss out places and go when almost no one is there......I can walk to a number of places like those Polo fields and the (bay) beach, etc.
Here are the Polo Fields
View attachment 29654

Nice! maybe when the tourists leave I'll bring my P2 down there.

 

[cdronefly]

What's a good camera if you can't operate it like a camera should? That said, at least you can learn how to do shots manually with the P3.
Unfortunately, with these things, you wait 60-90 days after it comes out and there'll already be talk of a new "bigger and better" version.

I guess I'm missing something - used digital still and video cams since about 1998 and never was aware of that I wasn't using them as a camera should be used. Maybe selfies or follow-me are the new ideas of how cams should be used.....I must admit to never doing (or wanting to do) either.

If you were truly talking about operating as a camera should - I think you should talk more about making ISO and White Balance and other adjustments as well as all that new stuff like HDR.

As to the 90 days being time for something new - I think we are over 90 days into the P3 and I'd say it's just getting started. They (DJI) are probably 15% or so into their sales projections of the model.

The idea that one has to have the newest thing all the time can be dangerous and expensive. The P2V+ was not perfected until V3.0 which was about 8 months after it was first released.

Then again, I have an iphone 5 and a Nexus 2013......