Phantom 3 Vegas Shots

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I've jumped out of a plane before and it paled in comparison to how nerve-racking it was to make this demo. Enjoy.
 
I can not handle how AWESOME that is. Really I couldn't even finish watching it. Fantastic. I will be there in like 5 weeks. Any tips on shooting to avoid getting in trouble?
 
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I can not handle how AWESOME that is. Really I couldn't even finish watching it. Fantastic. I will be there in like 5 weeks. Any tips on shooting to avoid getting in trouble?

It's honestly the hardest part man... I spoke with a security guard (well, he spoke with me) and he said you can't do it from PRIVATE Casino property. But you can do it on the strip...

...except of course you can't. There's people everywhere and you might as well put a treasure chest on the ground. Also, strangely - you can't do it on bridges or some parking structures because the metal screws up the compass. So you have to find parking lots off the strip and get a line of sight that will work... and man, it's just so stressful. I almost backed into the Eiffel tower with the drone while getting the Bellagio because your heart is racing so fast at the footage you're getting. All I can say is, practice doing night stuff at home - A BUNCH. I'm basically stuck here in Vegas for a few days and was able to drive around and scope out places - but I'm sure I could've been stopped by a security guard had I not been as fast as I was. Seriously, 5-10 minutes MAX, load-up and move out. Hands shaking the whole time.
 
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I've jumped out of a plane before and it paled in comparison to how nerve-racking it was to make this demo. Enjoy.

Great job! I lived there for 2 and 1/2 years. Don't miss it at all. I remember sneaking photos from the foundation room at the top of
Mandalay Bay. I would like to sneak my P3 up there for a night flight.
Great video!
 
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Great job! I lived there for 2 and 1/2 years. Don't miss it at all. I remember sneaking photos from the foundation room at the top of
Mandalay Bay. I would like to sneak my P3 up there for a night flight.
Great video!

I abhor this city. But it does make for some purty video. :) Thanks man!
 
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Great video - I did find vegas fascinating
 
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I've jumped out of a plane before and it paled in comparison to how nerve-racking it was to make this demo. Enjoy.

Yeah I think I have about 30 flights in so far and I still get crazy nervous when the P3 flies off to become a barely visible spec in the sky. It's even more nerve racking when you start to draw the attention of people and possibly security guards. A quick pack-up and evacuate post-shoot caused me to abandon my gimbal lock at a site in Mexico. At least it was only a $5 part...

Even with more experience I still get super nervous that for whatever reason, the drone is just going to fall out of the sky and be lost forever, or that I'm going to clip something while going backwards/sideways. But then you keep pushing it further because, like you said, you see the incredible aerials coming in over the monitor. Maybe once spare parts are readily available and DJI isn't so backlogged I'll feel more at ease taking risks.

Anyways, great shots! What did you edit in?
 
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cool video! can't wait to see more...
 
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How did you take off with McCarren International so close to down town? The DJI software shouldn't have let you take off.
 
Thank you for the reply. Dude that is just fantastic work. I am saving that video for inspiration. I can't believe you got those shots. Won't be long until that will be straight up impossible in a place like that. I'll be working on my night practice runs.
 
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I can not handle how AWESOME that is. Really I couldn't even finish watching it. Fantastic. I will be there in like 5 weeks. Any tips on shooting to avoid getting in trouble?

I don't have any tips on flying around a highly congested (people & structures) tourist mecca that virtually parallels active runways of a major airport other than, "Stay low and be careful."

However, if you'll have access to a rental car I would recommend a short trip to the Valley of Fire State Park (about 45 miles NE of downtown).

The Valley of Fire is an amazing, otherworldly place that's extraordinarily photogenic. In fact whenever Spock went "home" in the Star Trek movies this is where they shot it.

So if you'd like to capture some still or UAV footage of "Vulcan" or "Mars"(in Total Recall) this is the place. Have a great trip!
 
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I don't have any tips on flying around a highly congested (people & structures) tourist mecca that virtually parallels active runways of a major airport other than, "Stay low and be careful."

However, if you'll have access to a rental car I would recommend a short trip to the Valley of Fire State Park (about 45 miles NE of downtown).

The Valley of Fire is an amazing, otherworldly place that's extraordinarily photogenic. In fact whenever Spock went "home" in the Star Trek movies this is where they shot it.

So if you'd like to capture some still or UAV footage of "Vulcan" or "Mars"(in Total Recall) this is the place. Have a great trip!


They just recently banned drones from the valley of fire :(
 
How did you take off with McCarren International so close to down town? The DJI software shouldn't have let you take off.

The strip isn't within the McCarren airport ring. Just outside of it... obviously, or I wouldn't have been able to take off. ;)
 
Did you use auto exposure setting? Video look great!
 
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This is amazing, makes a nice change from all the flying over empty field videos. Sometimes you have to take take calculated risks to get great footage.
 
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Did you use auto exposure setting? Video look great!
I practiced a bunch before Vegas with the auto exposure setting and found ways to force it from 1600 to 3200 with simple framing. That way once I was in the air I could rely on that skill rather than try to do it manually while crapping my pants because I was so scared. Manual is great for leisurely flights in open spaces. This was none of those things. o_O
 

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