Overwhelmed Newbie

[Tom]

First off let me tell you I am very overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge that this all of you and forum has to offer. I am a newbie to all of this with only my experience using my nephews Phantom 2 Vision, I want to jump in the game and pick up the Phantom 2 with Zenmuse H3-2D but there is so much to learn and not enough time……..So please forgive me if these are stupid questions and have been asked 1000 times. Im a photographer and want to be able to take some awesome still Images in Camera Raw as well as videos. My impression with the Vision is I need a better camera, I already have the a Hero 3+ Black but my questions is how do you control the camera in-flight if you can not use the Wi-Fi, Can you take stills somehow and switch to video while flying.

I know I’m going to need a FPV Transmitter, FPV Receivers (monitor), and DJI Mini iOSD I also find that my nephew loses WiFi connection even with the range extender and I would like to have more range just in case……Any Help would be appreciated!

 

[hrosee]

Quick answer is no. However you set the camera when you take off is what you get. I start recording then turn on the Phantom 2. You have to edit all the dead time out. A far as still you have to set it to start taking a burst and get as many as you can before the card fills up.

It you need to control the camera then you need the Vision 2 + but in my opinion it does not do the job as compared to the GoPro. IMO stills are really not practical with the Phantom 2.

 

[ProfessorStein]

Have you two seen this?
I actually like the quality of the Vision camera better than the GoPro, but maybe that's just me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny3-AwvmRtw

 

[Tom]

You would think with the Phantom 2 and the Gopro, two product that surely go together like Peanut butter and Jelly someone would have figured out a way to make this options possible!

 

[Tom]

I have seen this comparison video and let me tell you it’s not accurate, I nephew has the vision and I have the Gopro and I have processed photos from both, there is tons of lost data in the shadow areas on the vision……now I can’t speak for the Vision + but from what I have read it uses about the same camera.

 

[ProfessorStein]

Not quite sure how you can say it isn't accurate... it's a side-by-side comparison right there in the video. But I admittedly have not compared side-by-side stills very closely. I do shoot my stills in RAW, though, on my Vision... and can tell you there's always definition in the shadows on my shots (I do tend to have a lot of shadows in my shots... how does that work??)

 

[Catalina36]

So let me get this straight. Tom, you are new to this and you are (by your own words) "Overwhelmed" by the knowledge of the people on this board. You ask questions which is cool. When a member with over 550 posts offers you an answer with a link to your questions, you challenge him. Not so cool.

 

[RedRyderMedia]

Not quite sure how you can say it isn't accurate... it's a side-by-side comparison right there in the video. But I admittedly have not compared side-by-side stills very closely. I do shoot my stills in RAW, though, on my Vision... and can tell you there's always definition in the shadows on my shots (I do tend to have a lot of shadows in my shots... how does that work??)

I think the difference is you're looking at video....1920 by 1080, and Tom is looking at potentially larger raw images. I understand you shoot raw also. You can see much more detail and over a broader range of colors and light/dark areas. It's also in some respect personal taste. I agree with you as it relates to video, and that's almost all I do. Tom is looking for stills and even though both offer the option to shoot raw, he seems to have a preference for the GoPro images. Ok, I'm happy with the P2V+, and apparently he's not.

 

[witold]

550 posts is not representative of knowledge or experience. It just means someone spends a lot of their time on forums. Nothing more.

In regards to camera quality, the video is not even looking at the latest Gopro, which is Gopro Hero 3 PLUS Black Edition. Nor is the video testing what people consider to be optimal video settings, 1440p protune. Furthermore, it is generally presumed that professional work requires some post processing. This is why a lot of top tools produce very flat and very ugly image out of the camera. It is unusable until properly processed.

Lastly, getting back to the actual question, to take still photos you need to have a remote trigger (or do the ultimate spray and pray with timelapse mode). And to have a remote trigger, you need to be able to trigger it somehow. Because we don't have any spare channels, we can't really do it... You need to upgrade the radio/rx first and then you can do it. This is generally the route people take.

However, I do wonder if we could use the gimbal tilt control as a trigger mechanism. For still camera use, a gimbal is not necessary which frees up gimbal control. You would just use the gimbal control on the back of your radio for the actual camera trigger. I'm talking real cameras, like Sony Nex5 series.

 

[RedRyderMedia]

So let me get this straight. Tom, you are new to this and you are (by your own words) "Overwhelmed" by the knowledge of the people on this board. You ask questions which is cool. When a member with over 550 posts offers you an answer with a link to your questions, you challenge him. Not so cool.

This didn't sound very friendly to me when I read it......just saying.

 

[Tom]

I was not indicating he was wrong and I did appreciate the link it made me go back and watch it again as well 12 others. I was indicating that the with my experience with the GoPro Hero 3 Black I have produced some awesome images right out of the camera

What I should have explained or expressed better is that with a little knowledge of Photography and some product reviews even I can make the vision camera or Like camera look better then my Canon 5D MK III., I see this all the time on television the way a companies skew commercials so their products look good.

 

[OI Photography]

However, I do wonder if we could use the gimbal tilt control as a trigger mechanism. For still camera use, a gimbal is not necessary which frees up gimbal control. You would just use the gimbal control on the back of your radio for the actual camera trigger. I'm talking real cameras, like Sony Nex5 series.

On the Phantom 1's it's possible to use the F2 port on the NAZA to output the X1 channel as a standard servo channel for control of any accessory with that type of connection (lights, retracts, etc). I'm not 100% sure that's possible on a P2, and if it is then it may require you to be in NAZA mode.

If that port is available for you, you can connect something like this to do what you want: http://www.cnchelicopter.com/fpv-fever- ... y-nex-etc/

 

[Tom]

Thank you Witold, that gives me some direction that there are options and that you sometime need to think out of the box! Although I have not used the Sony Nex5 I have heard some good things about it….. mirrorless camera are the future, take it from someone that wears out a shutter in about 3 years of shooting. P.S. I love the Spray and Pray analogy!

 

[ProfessorStein]

So let me get this straight. Tom, you are new to this and you are (by your own words) "Overwhelmed" by the knowledge of the people on this board. You ask questions which is cool. When a member with over 550 posts offers you an answer with a link to your questions, you challenge him. Not so cool.

This didn't sound very friendly to me when I read it......just saying.

It didn't really sound friendly to me either, Red, and I think I was the one he was talking about. :-\

Tom has a point... number of posts does not equate to experience. Plus, preference in equipment is always subjective. It's well within Tom's right to have a different opinion.

I'll stick with what I like, Tom'll go with what he likes... we're both happy.

 

[Catalina36]

I apologize to Tom. I felt he was disrespectful towards someone that was trying to help him and I called him out on it. Turns out I was called out. Again, I apologize.

 

[Tom]

I apologize to Tom. I felt he was disrespectful towards someone that was trying to help him and I called him out on it. Turns out I was called out. Again, I apologize.

All I'm looking to call out is the best way to achieve the best Stills using the phantom Line....the video would be a fun hobby to play with!

 

[witold]

Thank you Witold, that gives me some direction that there are options and that you sometime need to think out of the box! Although I have not used the Sony Nex5 I have heard some good things about it….. mirrorless camera are the future, take it from someone that wears out a shutter in about 3 years of shooting. P.S. I love the Spray and Pray analogy!

What's interesting - and disappointing - is that Nex5 was released 4 years ago, seemingly a lifetime in digital camera technology.

But to this day, no one has produced a camera that is lighter and has APS-C sensor and 1080/60. It looks like Sony repackaged Nex into A5000 and no one else has come out with a clearly superior and lighter product. Other light cameras that may work: Sony RX100'es, Samsung NX'es, Ricoh GR.

Check dxomark and nothing really stands out to my eye...

 

[witold]

However, I do wonder if we could use the gimbal tilt control as a trigger mechanism. For still camera use, a gimbal is not necessary which frees up gimbal control. You would just use the gimbal control on the back of your radio for the actual camera trigger. I'm talking real cameras, like Sony Nex5 series.

On the Phantom 1's it's possible to use the F2 port on the NAZA to output the X1 channel as a standard servo channel for control of any accessory with that type of connection (lights, retracts, etc). I'm not 100% sure that's possible on a P2, and if it is then it may require you to be in NAZA mode.

If that port is available for you, you can connect something like this to do what you want: http://www.cnchelicopter.com/fpv-fever- ... y-nex-etc/

Yup, that's basically what I was thinking about, but haven't really explored it yet...

People are plugging in 3rd party gimbals and getting tilt control to work, so I'm pretty sure P2 FC can be used this way as well...