Phantom 2 Vision for a newbie in this hobby?

[un hombre]

I guess now, when they decreased the price for the original Vision by 100 Euro, it is clear what I will get.

Vision is now the best choice for me, cheaper then Walkera in FPV set up, no brainer.
Only thing that is stopping me is curiosity how Parrot Bebop is going to be. It is tempting, quite small, can be controlled without the control or with it, up to 2 km range and probably cheaper with the controller than Vision. They have to adjust the price accordingly if they want to compete.

 

[Wedeliver]

I have read through this thread after reading the op's well thought out beginning post and I noticed no cosideration has been given to the most inexpensive fpv phantom. The FC40 It has a great camera, you can watch videos from fc40 camera and gopro camera and cannot tell the difference. You view fpv from a phone or tablet and the camera is ridgid so good for fpv. at under $500.00 you could have 1for backup. just sayin'

good luck brother.. but watchout over thinking your purchase. its not a marrage.. keep it simple and you will remain sane.

 

[ATOMSK]

That dslrpros package is for an outdated Phantom 1.
The value of the package is debateable.
when they say"The 4 easy to change batteries will give you over half an hour of flight without needing to recharge".
They are meaning it only gets 8 minutes flight time on one battery.
And by the time you add a Gopro, you could have bought a P2+ for the same money.

Well, this is a topic about a newbie craft. For less than 1k (minus the Gopro) this is a great deal. I have had GoPro's fro the past 7 years so this option would be perfect for me. I don't think that the P1 is that outdated. The one that DSLRPros sell have upgraded boards with OSD. The batteries they sell are larger than the stock 2200mah's that normal P1's come with. I'm betting this thing gets at least 10minutes per battery. I also think the batteries that the P1 uses are a plus. You can buy 5 for less than 100 bucks. That means you can stay out in the field longer for cheaper.

And in the end, if you want to upgrade to a P2 or a P3 when they come out, you'll have a nice case already. (if the P3 is the same size. which i sorta hope it is)

 

[lake_flyer]

I have read through this thread after reading the op's well thought out beginning post and I noticed no cosideration has been given to the most inexpensive fpv phantom. The FC40 It has a great camera, you can watch videos from fc40 camera and gopro camera and cannot tell the difference. You view fpv from a phone or tablet and the camera is ridgid so good for fpv. at under $500.00 you could have 1for backup. just sayin'

good luck brother.. but watchout over thinking your purchase. its not a marrage.. keep it simple and you will remain sane.

Big +1
In my post I also mentioned the FC40. I started with that one and I still love it. It just works. And the camera is certainly decent enough for a lot of applications and amazingly vibration proof in the simple but effective holder/gimbal. The range for FPV is about 100m but as a beginner you should def. stay in line of sight anyway. Having a very long range as a newbie could make it tempting to fly far beyond line of sight without really knowing what to do when something happens.

A nice advice could be (as I did): buy a FC40, have a blast, learn, mod, understand how aerial video shooting actually works and only spend around 430 Euros. And when you're educated enough, go for the Phantom setup you (by than) know you really need for your particular use. (and end up with 2 quads instead of one)

 

[un hombre]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your advice about FC40, I have considered it alright but I decided I don't want to consider it for many reasons:

- Worse battery life,
- Older tech,
- Worse range,
- Non HD camera,
- No ground station support.

I'd rather have something with potential and not buy a product thinking, that I will upgrade to something better in a while. I don't plan on upgrading to something better, I am an amateur that would like to relax and take it to film some views every now and then. It would be nice to program a path with Ground station so that it flies and records nice video, I don't need super smooth gimbal production so Vision would be fine.

In fact, I am seriously thinking about waiting for Parrot and their Bebop, I realise that it is a different size and class of a Quad, but the tech behind it is great, quad is much more portable, I can fly it with mobile phone or normal controller for longer distances etc.

I think I will wait for firt reviews of Bebop.

 

[MadMitch88]

Photoshop (and a bunch of other software) will correct the fisheye distortion in video just as easily as it does for stills.

Please explain how Photoshop can correct the fisheye distortion of Vision+ video in a reasonable amt. of time?

I know you can do all kinds of batch mode processing with Photoshop --- but applying a fisheye correction filter to 27,000 sequential HD frames in a 15 min. video? That seems ridiculous, friend.

:roll:

 

[Meta4]

You just open the video file in Photoshop and operate on it the same as a photo file.
Photoshop is also a very good video editor.
Google will find plenty of tutorials and youtube help if you need it.

 

[ProfessorStein]

It's one of the better kept secrets of the Adobe product line, yes.

Or, if you want the more traditional route, use Premiere Pro or After Effects. Pretty sure both can use the same lens correction filters.

 

[lake_flyer]

FC40 older tech? I consider it new tech. The FC40 is 5,8GHz and uses the same transmitter as the Vision2+. FPV is transmitted through a wifi App. It is meant to be the successor of the Phantom 1.

Range is restricted to 800m because of the 5,8Ghz restrictions in many countries (Europe CE is even only 500m) and the same as a standard Vision+. You can get a bigger range with different antenna's and much bigger if you forget the local rules. More then a mile is possible but let's be honest, do you need that range to shoot footage? 500-800m s is adequate enough to encircle even the largest objects like buildings or big sea cruisers. Big advantage is that you can use wifi camera's and smartphone apps.

The non HD camera can ultimately be used as close range FPV camera (using the smartphone App) while having a Gopro attached for video. Wifi range can be extended using a wifi booster. And you can just swap the FC40 camera with any Gopro or wifi camera in the future, also the ones with GPS so you have OSD from the camera.

The batteries can be doubled easily without modding by using a simple split cable. My FC40 has a flight time of 14 minutes and weighs around 1400 grams. A P2 at 1400 grams will give you only 2-4 minutes more.

Ground station is supported be it that you have to get a few more items to make it work, but it is a simple DIY upgrade. Even Lightbridge can work on a 5,8 as well as a 2,4GHz Phantom, because it takes over the control signal as well as the video.

Think again about parrot. It is a toy, nothing more. My neighbour spent 300 euro on the latest Parrot, a few weeks ago, after seeing me having fun with my Phantom. He hates it like hell. In spite of getting a FC40 for 100 euros more, he now has a drone that has a control range of less then 50m and no GPS (expensive upgrade) and it just is a flimsy stupid thing to see, and man, it catches wind..... He stopped flying after only 4 tries and losing it on a roof of a 3 story complex. Beyond line of sight, the Parrot ignores any input and stays hovering on the spot until the battery runs out. If that's over water or over a tall building or tree, you're screwed. He had to rent a ladder truck to get it off the roof. Next time he started it up it did the same thing! it got caught by the wind and it floated right over the roof again. He left it for the rest of the weekend and got it back the monday after.

The V2 would be the best choice ultimately but it is a bit expensive by the time you have you're final setup.

Anyway, I think both, actually three, would be a good choice. The FC40 has modern technology and gets you started straight away and is quite easy to upgrade to (almost) anything. Even a combination of wifi app AND Gopro FPV, take the video with the FC40 and stills with Gopro eg. Use the FC40 to line up and trigger the Gopro shutter via wifi as well, with a second smartphone (great for photo's), this thing is just so versatile!

The V2 has the 2,4GHz control and range (2,5 km), the intelligent battery, more flight time, and is probably the easiest Phantom to mod since it has all the basic stuff needed to hook up Groundstation, IOSD, etc.

The P1 is indeed 'older' technology but is easy to mod, 2 batteries no problem, and has 2,4Ghz which gives you all the choice of 5,8GHz FPV and longer control range, just like the P2.

I know, it is a difficult choice and you just don't know what you would need up ahead. Only by doing it you will know what you want ultimately.

Edit: and not to forget: if you want it all to work straight out of the box and have it all complete at day one, the Vision2+ is the best bang for the buck. If you know upfront you never want a different camera or gimbal that is.

 

[Lowepg]

Buy Once, Cry Once.


Get the P2v+.


The suggestions to buy a "starter setup" and then eventually upgrade later seems short-sighted....

I've gone this route in other hobbies and almost universally regret it later.

Unless another setup offers something truly unique OR you can't afford the p2v+, there's really no reason not to get it FIRST.

 

[MadMitch88]

You just open the video file in Photoshop and operate on it the same as a photo file.
Photoshop is also a very good video editor.
Google will find plenty of tutorials and youtube help if you need it.

I'll be damned --- I just opened a sample video clip in Photoshop. I never knew it could do that --- I thought you had to use brute force batch-mode on every single video frame in order to apply PS filters and plugins and such. :shock:

Thanks for the tip, broh --- and "bye bye" to nasty Vision+ fisheye distortion!

 

[un hombre]

I researched Parrot Bebop a bit more and I guess it is going to be just a little, light toy and their software stabilization will not be perfect anyway.

I think I decided to take the Vision, don't see point in paying extra for the Vision + although the extra smooth video is tempting... But potential gimbal repairs would be costly, not to mention the problems I read about weak GPS reception and problems with gimbals.

Anyway, any recommended places to buy in UK? Is first person view.co.uk reputable?

The problem is that the Vision model is mostly not in stock any more...

 

[HarryT]

I'd recommend buying from Heliguy (http://www.heliguy.com). They offer GREAT service, and are a "tier 1" DJI dealer, which means that they can do any repairs themselves. I recently had an unfortunate mishap with my Phantom which necessitated quite extensive repairs, and they had the whole thing done in 3 working days. They'll talk to you for as long as you need on the phone to make sure you're buying the right kit.

 

[un hombre]

They do not have phantom 2 vision on offer.

 

[HarryT]

They do not have phantom 2 vision on offer.

Give them a ring in the morning on 0845 838 8652. Even if they don't advertise the Vision on their website they'll be able to get one for you if that's what you want.

 

[lake_flyer]

The suggestions to buy a "starter setup" and then eventually upgrade later seems short-sighted....

short sighted?

Thanks. I'm a strategist from profession. My take is that one-size-fits-all actually doesn't fit all. And that goes for everything, not just Phantoms.

 

[lake_flyer]

And by the way, many people will advise you to get the one size fits all thing because they did it themselves and want confirmation of the community that they did the right thing.

That's the way Facebook is getting their money. Because everybody wants to 'share' his experience. You just don't want to be the only one buying a PV2+ without exploring all options first, as the OP is rightly doing. So you advise everybody to do the same. So human.

 

[Meta4]

I don't see point in paying extra for the Vision + although the extra smooth video is tempting... But potential gimbal repairs would be costly, not to mention the problems I read about weak GPS reception and problems with gimbals.

Do your research but be aware of the possibility of getting a skewed opinion from an over representation of negative posts on anything.
There are many, many P2+ users that have never had any problem with their machine but the posts of a much smaller number that have had trouble gets all the attention.
Almost all problems are due to crashes caused by user error and despite what some users say, crashing is not inevitable.
As for the GPS reception, there is an issue with inadequate shielding. But it is easily fixed with a simple 30 minute fix which makes it perfect.

 

[HarryT]

Do your research but be aware of the possibility of getting a skewed opinion from an over representation of negative posts on anything.
There are many, many P2+ users that have never had any problem with their machine but the posts of a much smaller number that have had trouble gets all the attention.
Almost all problems are due to crashes caused by user error and despite what some users say, crashing is not inevitable.
As for the GPS reception, there is an issue with inadequate shielding. But it is easily fixed with a simple 30 minute fix which makes it perfect.

To be fair, Meta4, when I had my mind set on buying a Vision+, my dealer, Heliguy, strongly urged me not to do so. They are a "tier 1" DJI dealer in the UK and ARE experts, while I am certainly not. In their view, the Vision+ is extremely unreliable and has far more problems than any other Phantom model. Almost any crash will damage the camera/gimbal unit, which is a very, very expensive replacement part. This is their view, based on the number of P2 V+'s that they get returned to them for repair.

Of course you're absolutely right in saying that crashing is not inevitable, but for a beginner in the hobby, I'm sure you'll agree that it's highly likely. I've been flying RC models for more years than I care to remember, and I've crashed my P2 through pure pilot error, even though I would consider myself to be an experienced pilot.

 

[Wedeliver]

Do your research but be aware of the possibility of getting a skewed opinion from an over representation of negative posts on anything.
There are many, many P2+ users that have never had any problem with their machine but the posts of a much smaller number that have had trouble gets all the attention.
Almost all problems are due to crashes caused by user error and despite what some users say, crashing is not inevitable.
As for the GPS reception, there is an issue with inadequate shielding. But it is easily fixed with a simple 30 minute fix which makes it perfect.

To be fair, Meta4, when I had my mind set on buying a Vision+, my dealer, Heliguy, strongly urged me not to do so. They are a "tier 1" DJI dealer in the UK and ARE experts, while I am certainly not. In their view, the Vision+ is extremely unreliable and has far more problems than any other Phantom model. Almost any crash will damage the camera/gimbal unit, which is a very, very expensive replacement part. This is their view, based on the number of P2 V+'s that they get returned to them for repair.

Of course you're absolutely right in saying that crashing is not inevitable, but for a beginner in the hobby, I'm sure you'll agree that it's highly likely. I've been flying RC models for more years than I care to remember, and I've crashed my P2 through pure pilot error, even though I would consider myself to be an experienced pilot.

I wish we knew what the profit margin is on the different phantoms, since it is probably true that the advice you got was really an opinion and nôt based on facts or stats. now, i amjust saying this as a possibility.. it seems that the p2V+ is a more fragil unit but it also takes really nice pictures. i do think it is cool how you all discuss this!