Phantom 3 alternatives?

[TheloniousMac]

For fucks sake GoPro fans. Put up or shut up. Is is so ******* hard to find even one video comparing the GoPro to the Inspire where the GoPro doesn't get its *** handed to it?
Without side by side comparison there really is no point proclaiming GoPro better than the other so my request still stands that until I see a GoPro vs Inspire/Phantom 3 at the same time/place then right now the Inspire/Phantom 3 has the superior camera.
Mind you the Inspire is still out of reach for a lot of people so once the Phantom 3 comes out I'm betting we'll see more comparisons.

Honestly if the GoPro was actually better I'd really like to see side by side evidence.
Saying that you don't know how myself or all of the others doing direct comparisons manage to get such poor quality out of the GoPro doesn't help. They were all done without mods and on the default settings. If there is some tweak that we can do to bring the GoPro up when we take it out of the box then I'm sure GoPro would love to hear about.

 

[ianwood]

It should be helpful to know that those comparisons are flawed. And it should be obvious as well. I also think it's not exactly hard to compare the cameras without a side by side comparison. Just about every video I've seen from the Inspire and now the P3 has the same issues. Issues that the GoPro doesn't have.

And I'm not making this stuff up. If you don't think I know what I'm talking about, go follow the posts of the DPs and other professionals on rcgroups. They all see it pretty much as I do: the DJI cam is good enough for most but the GoPro is better.

And I'm not going on about this because I'm some GoPro fanboy. My GoPro days are numbered as I will soon be moving to the Black Magic Micro. I'm saying it because it is true, unequivocally.

 

[TheloniousMac]

How exactly is a side by side comparison flawed vs two random videos from two random people?
I've heard the same thing over and over how much better the GoPro is without any proof. All the evidence I've seen clearly shows the Inspire camera to be better.

If you can tell me what settings/parameters you want tested I can do a comparison on your terms. Resolution, frame rate, lighting conditions, whatever. As I said before I was planning to do an extensive test between the two myself but stopped after the first video due to the GoPro being far inferior to the default quality coming out of the Inspire.

 

[Apparition]

Like these?
Packs of 2
http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Ribbon-Cables-DJI-Phantom/dp/B00RLU5TZ8
http://www.davesmotors.com/DJI-Special-Order-Part-Ribbon-Cable.html

Dunginhawk did these links help you?

 

[dunginhawk]

I dont need the cables. the point was people spent 2 years trying to get DJI to support their crappy ribbon cable breaking. just because they recently started selling them doesnt inspire a ton of confidence in their support. the problem still exists.
But thanks for coming back and trying to stir a turd

 

[Apparition]

I dont need the cables. the point was people spent 2 years trying to get DJI to support their crappy ribbon cable breaking. just because they recently started selling them doesnt inspire a ton of confidence in their support. the problem still exists.
But thanks for coming back and trying to stir a turd

I had no intention of stirring you. You mentioned the cable a couple of times so I assumed you needed them. If I were DJI I wouldn't have offered them separately either but due to the success of the Phantom there's no way they could service them all so eventually you have to allow them for sale. With competition DJI will have to focus on support, this should only be the beginning, albeit a little late.

 

[jcknows0]

Until you show or share your secret technique no-one has any ide.


That's on Youtube .. what compression is from the camera and what's from Youtube?
Youtube videos are no way to critically examine camera image quality.

If they are using the same camera as the inspire than they are way over compressing because their bitrate is almost half GoPro 4 black which itself is only 2/3 of acceptable minimal bitrate for real 10 bit 4k.

That said there is no acceptable microsd card that can write this speed consistently and the GoPro software does a fantastic job of reencoding 10 bit uncompressed 4k video with fisheye removed. I also beg to differ on 4k, as aerial video is one of several instances where 4k is not overrated.

I really want to like the p3, but I cannot accept the sacrifices on the camera although I am extremely envious of the tight integration with the app. I think the next rev of the inspire might be my chance to go all in on the dji platform (don't think the solo platform is anywhere near p3 or inspire) but that is only if they can get their processing power up on the camera.

 

[jcknows0]

Ian your Downtown Los Angeles from last year was awesome and really got me into it when I got my Vision+
However without side by side comparison there really is no point proclaiming one better than the other so my request still stands that until I see a GoPro vs Inspire/Phantom 3 at the same time/place then right now the Inspire/Phantom 3 has the superior camera.
Mind you the Inspire is still out of reach for a lot of people so once the Phantom 3 comes out I'm hoping we'll see more comparisons.

Honestly if the GoPro was actually better I'd really like to see side by side evidence.
Saying that you don't know how myself or all of the others doing direct comparisons manage to get such poor quality out of the GoPro doesn't help. They were all done without mods and on the default settings. If there is some tweak that we can do to bring the GoPro up when we take it out of the box then I'd love to hear about it as I'm sure GoPro would.

You clearly haven't googled it because helipad has done this exact thing and it's clearly limited on inspire/p3. The real winner is the Panasonic gh4 (but also 10x cost) which is shooting real 4k(as stated in previous post acceptable minimum bitrate for 10 bit 4k is 100 Mbps and go pro is at 66, p3/inspire are half that.) for still pictures the dji camera clearly wins out utilizing RAW images but they clearly are not maxing out the video processor the way GoPro is doing and they don't have the desktop software side for color correction and post processing which is a huge deal. The real competition for GoPro now might be some org who creates a gimbal + platform for Sony action cam as from prelim results it gives GoPro a run for its money

 

[Apparition]

Ok which one of you "actually" put this crap on YouTube? No really count the actually's.

 

[Apparition]

You clearly haven't googled it because helipad has done this exact thing and it's clearly limited on inspire/p3. The real winner is the Panasonic gh4 (but also 10x cost) which is shooting real 4k(as stated in previous post acceptable minimum bitrate for 10 bit 4k is 100 Mbps and go pro is at 66, p3/inspire are half that.) for still pictures the dji camera clearly wins out utilizing RAW images but they clearly are not maxing out the video processor the way GoPro is doing and they don't have the desktop software side for color correction and post processing which is a huge deal. The real competition for GoPro now might be some org who creates a gimbal + platform for Sony action cam as from prelim results it gives GoPro a run for its money

I thought I read that the bitrate on the inspire/P3 was higher than the gopro. You may want to check into that.

 

[dunginhawk]

Ok which one of you "actually" put this crap on YouTube? No really count the actually's.

i freakin watched that too and was like dude WTF unboxing?
i will post an unboxing and review if i get it though

 

[jcknows0]

I thought I read that the bitrate on the inspire/P3 was higher than the gopro. You may want to check into that.

From dji site:
Inspire 1 - Specs | DJI
www.dji.com/product/inspire-1/spec

Inspire 1. Advanced, professional-level technology in one complete, ready to fly system. Modular 4K camera, live HD .... Max Bitrate of Video Storage. 60 Mbps ...

That is max and it never gets that high. I can tell you from actual inspire owners it's more like 40. I can tell you my GoPro bitrate is always 66 Mbps. Notice how neither one is true 4k but the GoPro comes closer to it with their post-production software which clearly people are not using here but should

 

[NYG]

I'm very interested in the SOLO too. But I'm holding out until Best Buy stocks them.

The one single thing that really bothers me with DJI is their control of firmware. I very much dislike the inability to rollback firmware and I fear restrictions will become commonplace in firmware updates from DJI.

I'm not a purist or pixel peeper when it comes to video I'd just rather throw my hat in the ring with the more open platform.

 

[dunginhawk]

id rather not wait for best buy to get them, because they will cost $100 more in just sales tax where i live

 

[NYG]

id rather not wait for best buy to get them, because they will cost $100 more in just sales tax where i live

I figure If I'm going to buy it I'll use a 10% off coupon.

 

[Apparition]

From dji site:
Inspire 1 - Specs | DJI
www.dji.com/product/inspire-1/spec

Inspire 1. Advanced, professional-level technology in one complete, ready to fly system. Modular 4K camera, live HD .... Max Bitrate of Video Storage. 60 Mbps ...

That is max and it never gets that high. I can tell you from actual inspire owners it's more like 40. I can tell you my GoPro bitrate is always 66 Mbps. Notice how neither one is true 4k but the GoPro comes closer to it with their post-production software which clearly people are not using here but should

I thought I had read somebody got 66Mbps with the P3 but I'm unable to find it. Did find this nice video on inspire pilots though.

 

[dunginhawk]

ive not gotten in to the camera argument because i dont know what im talking about, but that safari video is stunning. quite amazing.

 

[GhostMaster]

If you're debating redundancy, you should consider that the SOLO has 3 IMUs which is the first FC I know of to have more than 1. That is a level of redundancy typically found in aircraft. If one disagrees with the other 2, it is ignored. Also, 3 IMUs should theoretically provide enhanced stability.

IMU hiccups are rare but they are the primary cause of actual flyaways (not the BS kind where people lose control or scramble their compass by taking off from the roof of their car). It takes only a few milliseconds of bad IMU data to send your bird screaming like a bat out of hell in one direction. Only manual mode will recover it.

After 200 or so flights, I experienced this first hand the other weekend. Cost me about $1,000 to replace broken parts. I have a newfound appreciation for any company that designs 3 IMUs into their FC.

I must agree, the redundancy in the pixhawk 2 is awesome.

 

[ianwood]

ive not gotten in to the camera argument because i dont know what im talking about, but that safari video is stunning. quite amazing.

It is amazing subject matter and well shot. The video does typify all the limitations of the DJI camera though. There is really bad artifacting in every aerial shot. Compare the aerial shots to the hand-held shots where there is virtually no artifacts at all. He must have a good DSLR.

It's shot really well. It's disappointing to see the loss of detail. Look at 2:07 where the zebra are running. It's all mushy.

 

[sdharris]

I thought I had read somebody got 66Mbps with the P3 but I'm unable to find it. Did find this nice video on inspire pilots though.

Certainly convinces me 4K is the way to go as the difference compared with 1080p is startlingly.