PHANTOM 3 STD - BUYER'S REMORSE ?

[BillH]

I was told by several people that the only difference between the P3S and the P3P was the camera. That is far from the truth as we found out. What bothered me the most is the crappy antennas and 1500 feet loss of signal on the Standard. I won't be flying my new Advanced 3 miles from the home point, but I want a good signal at 1/2 mile. As far as the 4K video goes, it seems pretty useless as most of us can't even upload that resolution let alone stream it.

 

[Mark_DeKruyter]

Cry me a river

 

[BillH]

Cry me a river

I guess I shouldn't complain, huh? After all it was only $650.00 with extra battery, and it was my fault for not researching it better. Not crying, just informing others so they don't get one not knowing. No need for the ignorant comments

 

[QuadBart]

Due too a unique business opportunity, I picked up a Standard. I already have the "Advanced" for personal use.

I got it set up and running last night and today. While I've yet to try the "Flight Modes (Follow Me, POI, etc)". I'm pretty happy with what its been able to do, or better yet, what I've done with it which is some moderate range checks and photo/video quality. The Standard will be used outdoors and even the "limited" range is more than enough for what I need it for...

I have heard that since its only using US GPS and not GLONASS the "Flight Modes" can be a bit of an issue if you only have a marginal view of the skies...

 

[mmtphoto]

My adult daughter bought my P3S for me as a Christmas gift, I had no idea she was doing that and have been having a great time with it so far-I read as much as I can, and early on after I got it I bought a Hubsan x4 107C and a Holy Stone F181 so I could practice flying and shooting.

Although the better range sounds appealing, I have yet to get more than 500 feet out or much over 350 feet altitude, and honestly the times I've had it that far up or away was a little too nerve racking for me. The images I've shot and footage are truly amazing, and this being the middle of winter, I am certain when it gets nicer out I will fly much more than I do now (2-3 times a week, extra battery so my sessions are long enough). I'm pretty sure she paid what they were going for back in December (around $699 i think) and I bought the extra battery, and I now see the P3S going for $499 so I feel kind of bad about that, but even at $699 I think these are pretty darn amazing.

Back in the spring of 2015 I bought a Toruk AEE AP10 but it wouldn't start up, and no one on the phone could solve it so I sent it back (bought it on Amazon, no problem returning it), and I kind of put the entire thing out of my mind-until I got this, now I am hooked on this hobby.

I might want a P3A or P3P someday, but this is certainly not a toy and seems capable of keeping me happy for a long time I think. I might just consider doing a windsurfer, and maybe whatever the range upgrade is (don't know what is involved) so if and when I do them, maybe the Phantom 4 will be out, or maniacs that are irresponsible will have ruined this for those of us who want to be safe-either way, I'm hooked!

 

[TheTanger]

Same story here. I started with a cheap Dromida Optimus FPV and became hooked. I bought the P3S at first because I figured there was no way I was every going to need more than a half mile range out of a drone... or need to set up a tablet of all things on the controller to monitor the flight.... Well, that only lasted a few days and before I knew it the RTH was activating on its own after losing signal over multiple flights. Fortunately, Best Buy has a 15 day return policy and the P3A was returned for a P3S.

Now I only have 1 full day of flying the P3S (a little over 2 hours of flight time), but now I can't believe the difference. Having the tablet on the controller and having a lot more reliable signal have made a world of difference. Of course now I am saying there's no way I am going to need a 3 mile range... or will I?

I know you can buy upgrades for the P3S, but by the time you purchase all the equipment and then take the time to modify it, you are close to, if not over, the cost of just buying the P3A in the first place.

Agreed, and congrats on picking up the ADV. You have massive range right out of the box, it's a great craft. The P3S is an outstanding entry-level aerial photo quad (probably the best) too!

 

[Roytala]

I'm wondering if others out there are thinking what I'm thing about the P3S and all the missing features and getting a glorified P2V.
Don't get me wrong, I like the bird, but the longer I have it and the more research I do, I am finding so many Huge differences between it and the Pro than I knew when I bought it. Everyone I talked to and most of the info online was saying the only difference was the camera. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Listed below are some major differences as far as I know, and these are the things I'm going to miss the most.

1. CAMERA
Yes, the camera's are quite a bit different with different lenses, 2.7 K on the Standard and 4K on the Pro. There are also quite a few settings on the PRO that the STD doesn't have such as ISO settings to change shutter speed and aperture. At least I could not find these settings while going through the settings on my Go App. The PRO has screw on filter marriage and the STD has a push on only ability. I'm not sure, and I have no filters for my STD yet, but maybe the slide on filters will be fine.
In a nutshell, yes, the Pro Camera has a lot more features, but I am happy with the STD Camera. The 4K is almost impossible to upload to Vimeo or Youtube if you don't have Blazing fast internet. 15 Mb is the fastest available here in the mountains where I live, and in real life, I can only upload at up to 1 Mb / S. 4K is way ahead of the game, and most people don't realize what it takes to upload or Share the Video.

2. GIMBAL
Gimbals are the same as far as I know, and my P3S Gimbal works awesome. I find that while watching a video, even in light wind, the videos look like still shots until I start panning or moving the camera. I have to look at the Play Bar to see if it's playing or paused. The 3 Axis Gimbal is an awesome advantage over the old P2V that was missing the Roll motor.

3. CONTROLLER
This is where my biggest complaint comes in, and it's all my fault because I didn't take enough time to do in-depth comparisons between the P3S - P3A - and the P3P.
There is no option on the P3S for FPV Goggles or wired monitor. Chatting with DJI, their advice is "No, the P3S does not have that feature and if you want it you have to purchase the P3A or P3P models. The P3A & P3P have 2 antennas also and better range right out of the box.
There are also numerous added switches and buttons for camera functions on the P3A and P3P
and the clunky John Deere Tractor Gear Shift switches are gone on the A and P models and are in better locations where they don't get bumped accidentally or interfere with your FPV placement. There are other things too many to mention.
I've had my P3S 2 weeks, and have thought about sending it back and upgrading to the P3P. Maybe I'll keep it and purchase the Pro later when I've learned to fly better. Some of my info here may not be correct as I am still learning, but the fact is there is a reason you can get the P3STD for $500.00 This is one instance where you get what you pay for, and don't let anyone tell you the only difference is the camera.

This is just my opinion to date, and I know others will have different opinions. There, I got it out. .... LOl

I got my P3S four months ago and still enjoying it. Got the holder for the ipad mini from Amazon for $11 and with a little mod to keep the clamp from swinging down due to the weight of the tablet. I bought the Litchee app from the app store for twenty something dollars and man, got a lot of distance, I have to bring it back for fear of draining the battery on the way back. I was planning to get the Advance but the camera is a 1080 compared to 2.7K. I'm glad I saved a few hundred bucks with a better camera.

 

[peterepeat69]

Advanced best bang per buck.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Sinisalo]

I got my P3S four months ago and still enjoying it. Got the holder for the ipad mini from Amazon for $11 and with a little mod to keep the clamp from swinging down due to the weight of the tablet. I bought the Litchee app from the app store for twenty something dollars and man, got a lot of distance, I have to bring it back for fear of draining the battery on the way back. I was planning to get the Advance but the camera is a 1080 compared to 2.7K. I'm glad I saved a few hundred bucks with a better camera.

the advanced can shoot in 2.7k as well

 

[Stiggy Pop]

I don't live near a microcenter, so when I was buying three weeks ago the Advanced was a 75% price increase over the standard... that's pretty significant. I also wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy flying a 'non-toy' quad so took the lighter investment with the standard. I don't regret that, though it's hard not to pine over the nice upgrades that come with the A/P. I think the P3S is going to be plenty for me while I get comfortable with it and learn how to film nicely. I haven't hit the range limit yet, but I'm sure eventually I'm going to want to fly further.

I look at it this way, it was a much much cheaper way to get into the hobby. If next season roles around and I'm still really into it I'm going to sell the P3S and buy whatever is hot and has good deals next year (p4 maybe?). If I spend the summer having fun with the P3S but the novelty kind of wears off and I'm flying it less often, well then I've spent $400 not $700 and it was a smart decision.

Look at how many barely used birds there are on ebay. Lot of people fly the things a half dozen times and go "ok yeah, I get it..." and they're bored with it. That's a much easier thing to learn for $400. If you are already into the hobby and know you're going to use it like crazy then yeah, I think the P3A is the way to go.

P3S serves its purpose perfectly as a stepping stone into the hobby.

 

[FASTFJR]

My adult daughter bought my P3S for me as a Christmas gift, I had no idea she was doing that and have been having a great time with it so far-I read as much as I can, and early on after I got it I bought a Hubsan x4 107C and a Holy Stone F181 so I could practice flying and shooting.

Although the better range sounds appealing, I have yet to get more than 500 feet out or much over 350 feet altitude, and honestly the times I've had it that far up or away was a little too nerve racking for me. The images I've shot and footage are truly amazing, and this being the middle of winter, I am certain when it gets nicer out I will fly much more than I do now (2-3 times a week, extra battery so my sessions are long enough). I'm pretty sure she paid what they were going for back in December (around $699 i think) and I bought the extra battery, and I now see the P3S going for $499 so I feel kind of bad about that, but even at $699 I think these are pretty darn amazing.

Back in the spring of 2015 I bought a Toruk AEE AP10 but it wouldn't start up, and no one on the phone could solve it so I sent it back (bought it on Amazon, no problem returning it), and I kind of put the entire thing out of my mind-until I got this, now I am hooked on this hobby.

I might want a P3A or P3P someday, but this is certainly not a toy and seems capable of keeping me happy for a long time I think. I might just consider doing a windsurfer, and maybe whatever the range upgrade is (don't know what is involved) so if and when I do them, maybe the Phantom 4 will be out, or maniacs that are irresponsible will have ruined this for those of us who want to be safe-either way, I'm hooked!

I see your in Glenside, I'm in Wyndmoor

 

[Hickeroar]

Every time I think about how I should have gotten the Adv or Pro, I just remember that it would have been several hundred more for "basically" the same kit I have now, and I wouldn't have been able to afford all the extras I bought on top of the drone itself (hard case, two extra batteries, a tablet for viewing, and a couple other little things). It's all about priorities and intended uses though. Wanting features just for the sake of having them is one thing, but wanting them because you really need them for something you want to do is something else.

I figure the Standard was a great place to start as a new drone owner, and in a year or so I can consider upgrading to something like the P4 or something else. If, as a new drone owner, I wreck the hell out of the Std, I lost $500. If I wreck the hell out of a Pro, I lost twice that.

To the OP's point though, if there's one thing I wish I had from the Adv/Pro, its the controller. For the most part it's just wanting something shinier that I don't really "need."

 

[Stiggy Pop]

To the OP's point though, if there's one thing I wish I had from the Adv/Pro, its the controller. For the most part it's just wanting something shinier that I don't really "need."

Yeah controller would be nice. The Standard phone holder is pretty cheesy, I just got an Inspire tablet holder to install looks like it'll be a nice improvement.

 

[Hickeroar]

Yeah controller would be nice. The Standard phone holder is pretty cheesy, I just got an Inspire tablet holder to install looks like it'll be a nice improvement.

Yeah, I bought a tablet holder from evolution3d.com and it made a big difference. The phone holder that comes with the standard is a piece of crap.