phantom 1 or phantom 2?

[edewindt]

I'm trying to decide between the phantom 1 with a self installed tarot or zenmuse gimbal for my gopro black or the phantom 2 with a pre installed zenmuse gimbal.

My dilemma comes down the the battery configuration and cost of additional batteries. I feel I would rather have the phantom 1 and purchase extra battery packs to achieve the same if not more flight time overall than if I were to purchase a single extra battery for the phantom 2 at a much higher cost. I don't mind a short flight, I just want a lot of overall flight time when I do fly. I'm also unsure if I like the whole proprietary battery pack thing. I also feel the connections on the phantom 2 are more susceptible to loss of contact from pilot error than the phantom 1 connections. Please correct me if I am wrong in my assumption.

I would probably end up paying more for the phantom 1 with a gimbal installed by myself than I would for the phantom 2 with the gimbal installed from b and h photo. That is one of the main reasons for holding back on my purchase. I feel like I'm buying "the old model" for more money, but reliability and long term cost are also important to me.

If I am missing critical info on why the phantom 2 is the way to go can someone please "school" me?

 

[davemcm]

I'm trying to decide between the phantom 1 with a self installed tarot or zenmuse gimbal for my gopro black or the phantom 2 with a pre installed zenmuse gimbal.

My dilemma comes down the the battery configuration and cost of additional batteries. I feel I would rather have the phantom 1 and purchase extra battery packs to achieve the same if not more flight time overall than if I were to purchase a single extra battery for the phantom 2 at a much higher cost. I don't mind a short flight, I just want a lot of overall flight time when I do fly. I'm also unsure if I like the whole proprietary battery pack thing. I also feel the connections on the phantom 2 are more susceptible to loss of contact from pilot error than the phantom 1 connections. Please correct me if I am wrong in my assumption.

I would probably end up paying more for the phantom 1 with a gimbal installed by myself than I would for the phantom 2 with the gimbal installed from b and h photo. That is one of the main reasons for holding back on my purchase. I feel like I'm buying "the old model" for more money, but reliability and long term cost are also important to me.

If I am missing critical info on why the phantom 2 is the way to go can someone please "school" me?

P2 all the way (from someone who went the P1 route)

 

[BALDYIAN]

P2

Why not get a P2 + a 3rd party Gimbal ??????????

Ian

 

[syotr]

P2

Why not get a P2 + a 3rd party Gimbal ??????????

Ian

1. Proprietary battery, very expensive ($160 each)
2. Too many reports of them just falling out of the sky, which is likely a battery problem.
3. More expensive overall ($699 without gimbal)

Phantom 1 $399
Phantom 2 props $24
(2) Maddog 2700 batteries $30 each
Total $483

Add Feiyu-tech gimbal for $167 and you are still less than the P2 with one battery and no gimbal.

 

[edewindt]

P2

Why not get a P2 + a 3rd party Gimbal ??????????

Ian

1. Proprietary battery, very expensive ($160 each)
2. Too many reports of them just falling out of the sky, which is likely a battery problem.
3. More expensive overall ($699 without gimbal)

Phantom 1 $399
Phantom 2 props $24
(2) Maddog 2700 batteries $30 each
Total $483

Add Feiyu-tech gimbal for $167 and you are still less than the P2 with one battery and no gimbal.

Exactly...

although where are you finding the phantom 1 for $399? Cheapest I'm able to find it at the moment is $480 (staying away from ebay)

 

[syotr]

P2

Why not get a P2 + a 3rd party Gimbal ??????????

Ian

1. Proprietary battery, very expensive ($160 each)
2. Too many reports of them just falling out of the sky, which is likely a battery problem.
3. More expensive overall ($699 without gimbal)

Phantom 1 $399
Phantom 2 props $24
(2) Maddog 2700 batteries $30 each
Total $483

Add Feiyu-tech gimbal for $167 and you are still less than the P2 with one battery and no gimbal.

Exactly...

although where are you finding the phantom 1 for $399? Cheapest I'm able to find it at the moment is $480 (staying away from ebay)

It was $399 at B&H Photo and the FC40 was $499. I almost bought a spare. Saw them at the same price somewhere else but I can't remember where now.

 

[rustysd]

While cheaper - it is way more difficult to install gimbal on P1.

As a P1 owner this is why I wish I started with P2.

 

[9Jamie]

:? :shock:
I prefer Phantom FC40, it is phantom version 2.0.0 inside.
Transmitter uses 5.8Ghz in remote control & you can use FC40 or Gopro camera's intrinsic 2.4Ghz WiFi for FPV.
Adding a cheap Chinese or Taiwan gimbal is very easy.

Any Comment? :mrgreen:

 

[rustysd]

:? :shock:
I prefer Phantom FC40, it is phantom version 2.0.0 inside.
Transmitter uses 5.8Ghz in remote control & you can use FC40 or Gopro camera's intrinsic 2.4Ghz WiFi for FPV.
Adding a cheap Chinese or Taiwan gimbal is very easy.

Any Comment? :mrgreen:

I have the fc40 as well. The camera quality is poor and the range is quite limited.

As for adding a zenmuse gimbal - please let me know is any mod needed of the transmitter?

I've been torn between buying a gimbal for my fc40 or simply getting a p2 with zenmuse

 

[LeoS]

If all you want to do is just fly and make videos or capture photos, then go with Phantom 2. Its tweaked optimally to get the most out of the premium juice it has. You just screw in the gimbal, connect the single cable, screw in the gopro and up you go for a 20+ minutes flight.

The pricing is a bit deceiving, depending on the components. If you go with DJI, I feel that you're getting all premium components (compared to what's out there in this market. Remember that with the $869 for a Phantom 2 w/ gimbal, you're getting the $160 5200mah smart battery and the excellent Zenmuse gimbal that would cost $369 by itself. So that's $530 value just on the gimbal and battery alone.

And most of all.. the most important aspect is the time you need to put into modding, testing and refining the Phantom 1. If you're an rc hobbyist, then this is a boon... more timesink for something you'd enjoy. if you're a photographer, then this would probably be a waste of time and you'd rather be flying the 20 minutes flights right away.

 

[kydan]

I vote Phantom 1.1.1. Make sure whoever you buy it from is selling the newest Phantom 1 which is the 1.1.1 version.

I just installed a Beholder Lite Gimbal and have good success with it so far. ($399 B&H price while it lasted plus $159.99 for the gimbal). I'm not a great soldering person so I took it to the local hobby shop and paid the guy $2 to solder the power wire from the Phantom to the gimbal. The rest of the gimbal setup was mostly easy to install via the manual/pics.