Phantom 4 or Phantom 3 Pro

[Fantasmagorico]

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and I don't own a Phantom yet. I need all your expert opinions and experience to help make my decision. I am wanting to purchase the Phantom 4 but I've been kinda put off by all the bad reviews on Amazon.com. I've been around the block a time or two and know to take most reviews at face value and that some people are even paid to slander so competitors can gain an advantage. But, so many bad reviews with different problems and all the complaints about customer service have me worried and looking at the Phantom 3 Professional as the alternative. As owners of the Phantom 4 what are your suggestions.
1- Are the bad reviews and accusations founded in truth?
2- Is the Phantom 3 Pro as good as the 4 in video quality and live streaming? I know the 3 has the Sony camera and both have Lightbridge.
3- How is DJI customer support really?
4- If it was you would you buy the 4, the 3 pro, or wait?

A little about me. I am an experienced RC airplane, helicopter, and drone pilot. I have had many different drones from micros to DJI knockoffs and have even built my own and now I want to step up to a more professional aircraft for recreational cinematography and photography.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

P3P and P4 are just about equal insofar as the quality of the pictures and videos. Unfortunately, DJI customer support is indeed atrocious. Some people will deny it and blame it on "pilot error," but I know from experience that "flyaways" or inexplicable loss of control are a fact. Still, the Phantoms are the best product for the price and I don't know if loss of control is not an issue with other makes.

 

[John Locke]

I would buy the 4 as the props sit up higher and you do not get prop shots in your recorded media as much as you do with the Phantom 3.
.

This is false DJI propaganda, don't believe everything DJI says, like 28min flight times, HAH!

You should measure this yourself since you have both craft. It's simply not true.

When you sit both P3 and P4 side by side the props are identical in height in relation to the surface. But.... when you measure the camera height you'll find the P4 camera is actually 9mm CLOSER TO THE PROPS. This means the props are in essence lower in relation to the camera and props will enter into view sooner on P4 versus P3. The difference is very slight, but the P3 is better in that regard.

If there is any benefit to the P4 regarding camera ergonomics, the P4 camera has 9mm more ground clearance than the P3P camera when landing.

I own both P3 & P4 craft. If I lost the P4 the only thing I would miss is the extra 3-4 min flight time over the P3, that's it! Oh wait, I'd miss the clip on props too.[emoji106]

 

[ray rokni]

Hands on experience says the props are more in the frame on p4 than on p3
28 mins, oh wait, I'm laughing so hard. I take off on full battery and the timer starts counting from 14 mins!!!!! Batteries are new so after the initial 10 flights I'll see what happens.
Obstacle avoidance, I turn it off so in GPS mode I can go faster than 21mph, besides, that function doesn't interest me.
I only bought it because I lost one p3p mid flight, after 2 mins the battery which was fully charged just died and so did the p3p!!!
And the other p3p is at dji to replace a bad mb!
Otherwise I was not planning on buying a p4.
Now after all that, I have to say that it is a great drone, and if I didn't have P3P I would be totally amazed as I was when I got the P3P



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[MrCynot]

I have noticed the batteries aren't lasting anytime at all. They are new and have one flight each on them for a total of 12 min each flight. Is there a break in process for the batteries?


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[John Locke]

I have noticed the batteries aren't lasting anytime at all. They are new and have one flight each on them for a total of 12 min each flight. Is there a break in process for the batteries?


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The batteries do improve with usage, increasing a couple minutes, but that's all. If you're flying in S mode you'll get less time unless you're really easy on the speed. Flying P mode with OA enabled will help you slow down to maximize flight time. New craft get about 19 to 20 min when landing with 15% battery left. But initially, first ten charges, it's suggested you land at about 40% for battery break in. This should be about 10- 11 min flights. It's believed this helps to initially condition the battery for a longer battery life. Others argue nonsense.

 

[msinger]

But initially, first ten charges, it's suggested you land at about 40% for battery break in. This should be about 10- 11 min flights. It's believed this helps to initially condition the battery for a longer battery life. Others argue nonsense.

Others argue nonsense because nobody has been able to prove this does anything.

 

[Wayne Parris]

So if I buy a Phantom 4, where should I buy it, Amazon, or DJI Store?

Whomever you buy it from, keep a printed receipt somewhere safe. I bought mine through coptershop.com. They are no longer in business, and my receipt got lost in a move. Now I have to send my P3P in for repair, and without proof of purchase, they may not fix it under warranty.

 

[MrCynot]

The batteries do improve with usage, increasing a couple minutes, but that's all. If you're flying in S mode you'll get less time unless you're really easy on the speed. Flying P mode with OA enabled will help you slow down to maximize flight time. New craft get about 19 to 20 min when landing with 15% battery left. But initially, first ten charges, it's suggested you land at about 40% for battery break in. This should be about 10- 11 min flights. It's believed this helps to initially condition the battery for a longer battery life. Others argue nonsense.

I flew today with a fresh battery and got a total of 14 minutes. I was flying in P mode with OA on. I did do some yaw turns and camera tilts. but didn't fly anywhere just went up about 125 ft and hovered. I'm hoping it gets better. I have read that Atti mode is the best for battery life. I haven't tried it yet. I will probably do some testing this weekend.

 

[ray rokni]

I flew today with a fresh battery and got a total of 14 minutes. I was flying in P mode with OA on. I did do some yaw turns and camera tilts. but didn't fly anywhere just went up about 125 ft and hovered. I'm hoping it gets better. I have read that Atti mode is the best for battery life. I haven't tried it yet. I will probably do some testing this weekend.

I can tell you this, the battery flight time of the p4 is horrible, I believe dji managed to add a bigger battery but got less flight time!!!

So far I have been doing the break in period, which by the way I don't believe in, on one battery and tomorrow going to test it to %10 battery before landing, and I am going to fly it like I fly my p3p, pedal to the metal. I get around 18 mins on the p3p, I will let you know what happens tomorrow but if this doesn't get better I'll be sending it back, I can put up with the horrible horizon tilt but not the battery flight time!!!


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[ElGuapo]

3- How is DJI customer support really?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Follow this thread: Dealing with DJI Support

 

[ElGuapo]

1- Are the bad reviews and accusations founded in truth?

 

[ElGuapo]

This is false DJI propaganda, don't believe everything DJI says, like 28min flight times, HAH!

You should measure this yourself since you have both craft. It's simply not true.

When you sit both P3 and P4 side by side the props are identical in height in relation to the surface. But.... when you measure the camera height you'll find the P4 camera is actually 9mm CLOSER TO THE PROPS. This means the props are in essence lower in relation to the camera and props will enter into view sooner on P4 versus P3. The difference is very slight, but the P3 is better in that regard.

If there is any benefit to the P4 regarding camera ergonomics, the P4 camera has 9mm more ground clearance than the P3P camera when landing.

I own both P3 & P4 craft. If I lost the P4 the only thing I would miss is the extra 3-4 min flight time over the P3, that's it! Oh wait, I'd miss the clip on props too.[emoji106]

Move forward to the 2:10 of this video, the props can be clearly seen in the video review.

 

[KingDad1985]

I have noticed the batteries aren't lasting anytime at all. They are new and have one flight each on them for a total of 12 min each flight. Is there a break in process for the batteries?



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My first flight on my battery I got 11 minutes with battery at 51 percent still. I decided to stop because family duties called but I could of at least got another 8 or so minutes. I also own the p3a and I find the P4 to be more stable, not tremendously but I do feel it. Also seems a little more responsive too. For range I have no clue as I only flew 3 to 4 houses down and up the street at about 30 feet high. Both are great birds. But the P4 seems to hold its position better especially in the wind.

 

[KingDad1985]

I did notice that my P4 gets hotter than my P3A. Anyone else that owns both getting the same results? I'm going to buy a temp gun and hover both for 15 minutes and compare Temps.

 

[MrCynot]

I did notice that it has its own cooling fan.


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[KC10Chief]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my P4. I've been into RC for almost 20 years. I've built a lot of my own quads ever since 2010. I've used DJIs controllers in the past. Last year I bought a Yuneec Q500 4K. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I thought about getting a new Typhoon H but kept reading about the P4. I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it is absolutely fantastic. I haven't had any issues with it. I do notice that when you're descending and moving forward, it wants to yaw to the left. That's about it. The DJI has a ton of features and handy things that the Yuneec just doesn't have. I don't use and will probably never use a lot of the features the P4 has. The tracking and the tap fly aren't anything I'm interested in using. I like to fly manually. Also, the obstacle avoidance isn't anything I really feel that I need. I flew one of my home built drones into a light pole once when I backed into it. I could do the same thing with the P4 since it only senses on the front. Still, it's a great flying bird and I get plenty of range out of it. I've had it a mile away with no loss in video feed or signal. Full bars. I had to modify my Yuneec's remote just so I could make it out to about 2,000 feet! The P4 is awesome. I've never had a P3P and I considered that one too. I have zero regrets getting the P4. I have lots of DJI stuff and I've never needed their customer service so I can't comment on that. I hear it's getting better. DJI got big pretty quick so I'm guessing they're playing catch up with the customer service department.

 

[dguth66]

Also Google dbs mods DJI remote

 

[mygto]

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and I don't own a Phantom yet. I need all your expert opinions and experience to help make my decision. I am wanting to purchase the Phantom 4 but I've been kinda put off by all the bad reviews on Amazon.com. I've been around the block a time or two and know to take most reviews at face value and that some people are even paid to slander so competitors can gain an advantage. But, so many bad reviews with different problems and all the complaints about customer service have me worried and looking at the Phantom 3 Professional as the alternative. As owners of the Phantom 4 what are your suggestions. 1- Are the bad reviews and accusations founded in truth? 2- Is the Phantom 3 Pro as good as the 4 in video quality and live streaming? I know the 3 has the Sony camera and both have Lightbridge. 3- How is DJI customer support really? 4- If it was you would you buy the 4, the 3 pro, or wait? A little about me. I am an experienced RC airplane, helicopter, and drone pilot. I have had many different drones from micros to DJI knockoffs and have even built my own and now I want to step up to a more professional aircraft for recreational cinematography and photography. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[MrCynot]

I just gotta say I love my P4. I'm so glad I picked it thanks to everyone for their input.


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