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Hi fellow enthusiasts I writing to you from Oman in the middle east;

I am a newbie and wanted to do a bit of research and get first hand experience from the people the who are already using the DJI Phantom.

I am interested in getting a DJI Phantom and I managed to convince my place of work to get one as well so that they can shoot special events etc. I have a few questions:

1. From the videos I saw it looks very easy and fun to fly, is this the case in reality for someone who has very little experience in RC flight.

2. How do you communicate with the GoPro camera on the Phantom is in flight, do you need to start recording before it leaves the ground, how do u switch from video to photo when the Phantom is in flight.

3. To get rid of jello effects are there any after market props that can be used for smooth flight.

4. Is the phantom able to carry any other high end camera; is there a holder for things like canon and Nikon DSLRs.

I apologize if these questions have been asked before, I look forward to learning from you and enjoying myself
 
Welcome to the forum... a lot of these questions can be answered by searching the forum with the search function but I will give them a quick stab:

1) Yes... in GPS mode you get all the help you need and it virtually flys itself. Flying takes a sensible couple of hours flight time to get reasonable. Filming, panning around (yaw) and getting great shots takes a lot more practice. Best done in open space with a single object (of low value) to pan round and test.

2) You set the GP recording first. While you 'could' use the Wifi remote/app, DJi and many others advise you steer well clear due to interference (it uses the same frequency as the transmitter!). To get better images in flight you will want FPV (First Person View) like a Fatshark Predator V2 kit - google this and you will see all the details. It basically means you can see the output of the camera while flying which makes it much easier to get the shots you want. I will mention gimbals below....

3) Yes... but first you should do your research and buy a Prop balancer as IMO this makes all the difference compared to attachments. You don't switch between modes in flight. You do have max 14 mins flight if you invest in a dual battery setup (8 mins on a single batt) so instead its better to a photo run (time lapse mode) and a video run.

4) Yes... but you won't be able to fly it due to the weight and battery drain. From the sounds of it you/your company are looking for a commercial solution and the Phantom is not really for that purpose (it is deemed more of a toy that 'can' produce near pro shots with the right setup). If you buy a stabilising Gimbal the GoPro Hero 3 Black is all you will need quality wise anyway (research gimbals with care.... they are not without their flaws!). Ultimatley If you need to carry bigger better cameras, have full control of the modes and the shutter etc you are looking at needing a high end Octo (8 props) like the DJI S800 or equivilent. For this you will need a budget of about £3000 just to fly it and double that for pro spec gimbals etc.

Lastly... make sure you can actuall legally film commercially in your country. You simply can't do that in the USA it seems and in the UK we need a CAA license/training for it. For fun its no problem but if your company uses it in any way shape of form it will be deemed as 'adding value' and hence it is a commercial venture. No point in paying all that money only to get fined by the authorities.

Hope that helps a bit. I'm sure others will chip in too. Get searching!
 
No problems at all guys. A bit of help and a nudge in the right direction is what the forum is all about afterall. Keep us all posted on your progress and happy flying.
 
bigboy4eva said:
Hi fellow enthusiasts I writing to you from Oman in the middle east;

I am a newbie and wanted to do a bit of research and get first hand experience from the people the who are already using the DJI Phantom.

I am interested in getting a DJI Phantom and I managed to convince my place of work to get one as well so that they can shoot special events etc. I have a few questions:

1. From the videos I saw it looks very easy and fun to fly, is this the case in reality for someone who has very little experience in RC flight.

2. How do you communicate with the GoPro camera on the Phantom is in flight, do you need to start recording before it leaves the ground, how do u switch from video to photo when the Phantom is in flight.

3. To get rid of jello effects are there any after market props that can be used for smooth flight.

4. Is the phantom able to carry any other high end camera; is there a holder for things like canon and Nikon DSLRs.

I apologize if these questions have been asked before, I look forward to learning from you and enjoying myself

Hello there.

1 the phantom is extremely easy to fly( no I am not a pro so it isn't like every thing is easy to fly)

2 really there is no way to control the gopro. You can't use the gopro app because the signal frequencies will interfere.

3 with DJI's new props there is no such thing as jello!

4 not really:( You would have to make your own mount. The phantom can fly a DSLR, but here is what happens http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GhaocIQounQ
 
DeweyAXD said:
No problems at all guys. A bit of help and a nudge in the right direction is what the forum is all about afterall. Keep us all posted on your progress and happy flying.

Hey Dewey, FYI, I am a gal, and beyond that, a senior citizen learning new tricks. Just sayin' :lol:
 
fizzviic said:
DeweyAXD said:
No problems at all guys. A bit of help and a nudge in the right direction is what the forum is all about afterall. Keep us all posted on your progress and happy flying.

Hey Dewey, FYI, I am a gal, and beyond that, a senior citizen learning new tricks. Just sayin' :lol:

About time we saw a few more ladies stepping forward in here! :p I must confess most gals that I have met showning interest have ended up pulling their husbands away from me when I told them how much the Phantom was :D Their loss I say!
 
DeweyAXD said:
fizzviic said:
DeweyAXD said:
No problems at all guys. A bit of help and a nudge in the right direction is what the forum is all about afterall. Keep us all posted on your progress and happy flying.

Hey Dewey, FYI, I am a gal, and beyond that, a senior citizen learning new tricks. Just sayin' :lol:

About time we saw a few more ladies stepping forward in here! :p I must confess most gals that I have met showning interest have ended up pulling their husbands away from me when I told them how much the Phantom was :D Their loss I say!

No husband therefore I can spend my money the way I want to and not how somebody tells me to, LOL I am an old, emphasis on OLD former Apollo rocket scientist (propellants and other things that go boom), and now that I am retired, it is time to PLAY !!!
 
ay![/quote]

No husband therefore I can spend my money the way I want to and not how somebody tells me to, LOL I am an old, emphasis on OLD former Apollo rocket scientist (propellants and other things that go boom), and now that I am retired, it is time to PLAY !!![/quote]

That's excellent. Welcome to a true rocket scientist. Me, I'm a rock scientist. But I still like to leave earth for awhile and return gently!
 
Roadkilt said:

No husband therefore I can spend my money the way I want to and not how somebody tells me to, LOL I am an old, emphasis on OLD former Apollo rocket scientist (propellants and other things that go boom), and now that I am retired, it is time to PLAY !!![/quote]

That's excellent. Welcome to a true rocket scientist. Me, I'm a rock scientist. But I still like to leave earth for awhile and return gently![/quote]

Hey Roadkilt, We rocket scientists might have gone to the moon, but what did we bring home? Right, rocks!!!
 

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