Now that I have seen the Pro I'm thinking of waiting and saving a little more and buying that one with the included monitor on the remote, not to mention the few other upgrades. I was going to spend $400 on a new iPad anyway and that was without cellular so no GPS. With Black Friday pricing I was hoping to stay around $1400, Phantom 4 + new iPad.
This is my first drone. Tell me, am I completely stupid to buy this one as the first one? Is this like buying a new car where you never want the first years model? This has already been done it just has some upgrades. Over 20 years in public safety has caused me to develop a very sick sense of humor and extremely thick skin. Let me have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
This new Phantom is probably a lot more idiot proof that all the others put together because of it's Obstacle Avoidance in basically 5 directions, which is what causes most new pilots to crash, they fly into something not realizing they were closer than they thought. I own the P4 but will wait before dropping $1500 on a new drone. I think the funny thing is that all those new Mavic owners may be a bit ticked off in that they did not wait, but then again, nobody knew, this release of the P4 Pro, has come out of nowhere in my estimation. If the P4 Pro has a beginner mode, I would highly advise that you fly in that mode for the first ten flights or more and until you get a real feel for how the P4 handles and responds to the stick controls. Keep your altitude low, around 30 feet and no further away from you than 100 feet or so in the air and just fly around a field, open field and just have fun playing with the Phantom. Keep your eyes glued to the Phantom itself and not the screen, you can get a bit confused first starting out if you try to fly around by just looking at the screen and in case you loose the screen for some reason, you will know how to bring the Phantom home by sight alone and the controller. The fact that it will come with a video screen is mind blowing, who would have guessed that would ever happen. I am wanting to get more into FPV than I already am and it will be great when DJI puts out a nice set of
Goggles to be used with any Phantom, from the P2 up to the new P4 Pro. Hope this helps brother, don't be in any big hurry when learning to fly. Try going online to YouTube and punch up Phantom 2. There are a bunch of beginner video's for them that still apply in large part to all Phantoms. Drone Camps RC has some really good beginner video's I would suggest watching.
Do not forget to go to the FAA and get a number for your aircraft, it is good for any and all drones you may own now and in the future. Be sure to also put your personal contact info on the drone in case you mess up and loose control and it flies off or lands far away from you and don't think it can not happen. When I was first learning to fly a P2, it tried to fly away a couple of times and what saved me and kept me from loosing it was that I was flying real low and flew into some low hanging tree limbs.
AgentOrange2015, thanks so much for the informative reply. My plan is to do exactly what you are saying. This is the first I have ever heard of Drone Camps so I will definitely be checking them out. I had planned to register the Phantom with the FAA and display my numbers but I hadn't thought of putting my name and info on it, solid advice, thanks. I was probably going to drop $1400-$1500 on the 4 and a new iPad, so I think I will save a little more and pick up the Pro.
I noticed the line at the bottom of your post. Thank you for your service sir, from the bottom of my heart.
The obstacle avoidance only works when the Phantom is moving forward, backward, or to either side (4 directions total). It does not avoid obstacles when descending.
The obstacle avoidance only works when the Phantom is moving forward, backward, or to either side (4 directions total). It does not avoid obstacles when descending.
I read almost everything they had posted with the P4 Pro and their was a mention of 5 directions according to what I read.in the post. I do agree that it may be only 4 but I will check back and see if I can find the spot where I read about 5.
Man, all I can think of is what I should buy. I really think this is a hobby that I will be interested in for a very long time. I am also experimenting with trying to work with this thing in the future. I need to figure it out before Black Friday so I don't lose out on the price of the 4. Maybe I pick up the 4 and then look to upgrade that one after I have been in for a couple years. I don't know.............................
Man, all I can think of is what I should buy. I really think this is a hobby that I will be interested in for a very long time. I am also experimenting with trying to work with this thing in the future. I need to figure it out before Black Friday so I don't lose out on the price of the 4. Maybe I pick up the 4 and then look to upgrade that one after I have been in for a couple years. I don't know.............................
If you buy the P4 six months from now you are going to be regretting not having bought the P4 Pro, and in the long run the P4 Pro is going to end up costing you more. You are going to put the P4 for sale, let's say six month from now, and not get close to what you are going to pay so that you can use the money to purchase the P4 Pro.
If decide you want to put the P4 to work you need to get FAA Part 107 license, study the material and take the test.
I would not want you to get in troubles with the FAA for working without a license, huge fine.
Yes ElGuapo, you are probably correct. My wife also feels this way and is telling me to get the pro.
I've been studying the Part 107 stuff and man there is a bunch of stuff on that exam. I work with a pilot and he brought in the FAR AIM 2017 book today for me to borrow, together with the study guide I bought I will be busy. Of course you have the insurance to think about as well.
I kind of like the idea of the integrated screen on the Pro, but I would love for it to be larger. With that said maybe I buy the one without the screen and use my iPhone 6 Plus until I can afford an iPad. The $1499 version comes with a remote correct? Just not the screen...
Any comments on problems with bogus high wind warning and other flight issues ? See Several adverse comments on that and IMU programming issues re: the 4Pro on the DJI Phantom Forum.
Also, any recommendations re: buying at DJI store, Best Buy, or Droneworld? And is DJI Care worth it? Also, does Best Buy or Droneworld offer additional warranties?
Sorry so many questions. I'm about to go for the P4 Pro Plus and it's a big jump!
Buy directly from DJI or an authorized DJI dealer (if you're in the US) and from a place that has a good return policy (like Amazon Prime's 30-day return policy). The return policy for each seller can be found on their website.
Some companies do offer their own warranties. For example, you can review Droneworld's warranty here. For any others that do, you can find more information on their websites.
Man, all I can think of is what I should buy. I really think this is a hobby that I will be interested in for a very long time. I am also experimenting with trying to work with this thing in the future. I need to figure it out before Black Friday so I don't lose out on the price of the 4. Maybe I pick up the 4 and then look to upgrade that one after I have been in for a couple years. I don't know.............................
Your first drone purchase really depends on your skill set. If you have never flown a drone or other RC craft, I suggest you get some training under your belt before you fly a $1000-$1500 craft. Does that make sense? I'd recommend starting with a DJI P3 std. Wal-Mart is selling those for $329. There is a lot of similarity in the behavior of the craft and the ergonomics of the app, versus P4P. By the time you outgrow that craft, Phantom 5 will be out. Best part is if you crash during this training period, you've only lost a few hundred dollars, not $1000+. If you don't crash, you can sell it for $200. That's a good low risk training for $150.
I have been thinking of what John said. I am a newbie, with lets just say no experience. Maybe I should pick up the standard to get some flight time under my belt. This should help me develop my skills and then move up. I can get a re-furbed unit from DJI for $359 shipped. Crashing $359 is better than crashing $1799. Not that I won't or cant crash with experience under my belt later, but at least maybe I would have a better sense of flying by that point and if something happened maybe I will feel better about it....IDK.
So what do you guys think? Does this make sense? What would you do? I can pull the trigger tonight if its the right way to go.
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