Question before buying Phantom 2 Vision

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Hello everyone. I have a few questions I need answers to before I purchase the Phantom 2 Vision.

1. Later on if I decide I want to outfit my Phantom 2 Vision with a Go Pro camera, can I do that? Or will I forever be stuck with the camera that came with it.

2. I know absolutely nothing about Go Pro cameras, or the camera that comes with the Phantom 2 Vision. What will a Go Pro camera do, that the Phantom 2 Vision camera won't do, or visa/versa?

3. If the Phantom 2 Vision was available when you bought your Phantom without the camera, would you have chosen the Phantom 2 Vision, and why?

4. If cows could fly, would you walk outside without an umbrella? JUST KIDDING!

Who has the best deals on Phantoms right now?

Thank you very much for your help. I'm brand new, and hope to learn as much as I can from all of you. Peace!
 
1) No, not easily as the Vision is only really designed to take the camera it comes with.
2) Much higher quality video, Protune mode for very high bitrates, better optics.
3) No, due to my answer to 1. The Vision is a dead end and IMO more of a toy. The Phantom and Phantom 2 are capable of being tools for serious work.
 
rilot said:
1) No, not easily as the Vision is only really designed to take the camera it comes with.
2) Much higher quality video, Protune mode for very high bitrates, better optics.
3) No, due to my answer to 1. The Vision is a dead end and IMO more of a toy. The Phantom and Phantom 2 are capable of being tools for serious work.

I started with a Vision. I now fly a Phantom 2 with full FPV, Mini IOSD, Zenmuse and Gopro. That was an expensive mistake so learn from me for free :)
 
Depends if you want it solely for picture, or for video as well. The P2V pictures are very acceptable, but the video is not. Not long ago I was asking myself the same questions, but ended up with a P2 w/ zenmuse, gopro black, and FPV system. All in I paid around $1550 including the gopro 3+ black (I did not get an extra battery yet). If you want usable video with the P2V, you have to get a gimbal because the std setup is just too shaky. The cheapest quality gimbal for a P2V right now that I'm aware of is RotorPixel at $400 (I'm sure cheaper option are on the way). But for now, $1200+$400=$1600 for the P2V, so the 2 systems are similarly priced.

The deciding factor for me was the versatility of the gopro. You can take it anywhere. I never had a desire to own a gopro, but now that I have it, I love how small it is. I've taken it skiing with friends and got some amazing videos and plan to take it snorkeling on our upcoming family vacation. The gopro also has several FOV options for video and pictures. I'm not crazy about the fisheye effect on a lot of the videos and pics, and the gopro gives you narrow and medium settings (which have less fisheye) as well as wide. I believe the P2V only has a wide FOV setting.

For me it was a no brainer. Better quality pics/video and camera versatility. I think a lot of people were returning the Visions or just opting for the P2's, which is why they brought back the free battery promo on the Vision only. I got my P2 zenmuse from http://www.1uas.com
 
Shrimpfarmer said:
rilot said:
1) No, not easily as the Vision is only really designed to take the camera it comes with.
2) Much higher quality video, Protune mode for very high bitrates, better optics.
3) No, due to my answer to 1. The Vision is a dead end and IMO more of a toy. The Phantom and Phantom 2 are capable of being tools for serious work.

I started with a Vision. I now fly a Phantom 2 with full FPV, Mini IOSD, Zenmuse and Gopro. That was an expensive mistake so learn from me for free :)
I can access Amazon right now on my PC so i can't post a link... but if you search Amazon for "DJI Phantom 2 Ready to Fly - With Zenmuse H3-2D Camera Gimbal", is this a set up equivalent to yours?

What is FPV and Mini IOSD?

And how can i stream video as i'm flying similar to the P2V?
 
Sounds like I just avoided a costly mistake!! Thank you, thank you for giving me your opinions and experiences so I can make a semi-educated purchase. For some reason, I always felt the Phanton 2 Vision was not the set up I wanted. And now that I know I'm somewhat stuck with THAT type of camera forever, it makes for a more informed decision. My biggest wall I'm facing now, is learning all of the terminology. Gimbals, FPV etc... I've got a lot to learn, and believe I've found the best forum for that.

It appears there are a few "package deals" out there, and I need to determine which one is the best. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.

A little about myself. I just turned 58, and believe me, my bones let me know that on a daily basis. I retired 2 years ago with a total of 32 years in law enforcement. I'm excited about being retired, but I seem to be falling into the "becoming lazy" lifestyle. I'm hoping this venture will get me off of the couch and get outside!

Thank you for allowing me into your group, and look forward to getting to know all of you. Rowdy13
 
What is FPV and Mini IOSD?
FPV = First Person View. The term refers to a system that allows you to see what your camera is seeing in real time. It is integrated into the Vision via a smartphone app. The problem I have with that, is that a smartphone screen is pretty small. Some have adapted an iPad mini though.

But with a P2 zenmuse, you have to add your own system. There are many systems out there and most come with a 7" monitor and work on 5.8ghz. The P2 controller runs in 2.4ghz so you need to avoid that due to interference. A typical system consists of a video transmitter (vtx) that is mounted on the phantom and a monitor with either a separate or integrated receiver. Helipal and others have some ready to go systems. Most packages are between $250-$300. I got mine for $210 because I put the pieces together myself.
http://www.helipal.com/fpv-system_fpv-package.html

IOSD = On screen display. This allows you to see telemetry (height, distance, battery life, # of satellites, etc) on your fpv screen. The iosd mini from DJI is the choice most go with and it is $69.

Hope this helps. And welcome to the group, both of you.
 
1. Later on if I decide I want to outfit my Phantom 2 Vision with a Go Pro camera, can I do that? Or will I forever be stuck with the camera that came with it. Yes you can change.

2. I know absolutely nothing about Go Pro cameras, or the camera that comes with the Phantom 2 Vision. What will a Go Pro camera do, that the Phantom 2 Vision camera won't do, or visa/versa? Too many differences to list, go do some research.

3. If the Phantom 2 Vision was available when you bought your Phantom without the camera, would you have chosen the Phantom 2 Vision, and why? I don't want to spend time buying and setting up all sorts of stuff I have no knowledge of, so P2V out of the box is the route I took.

Not sure about the expensive mistake or toy comments. The go-prov + FPV costs as much if not more than a P2V, a GoPro is a toy camera if you happen to own a DLSR and some decent lenses for instance, and side by side imagery/videos of the GoPro/P2V are a hairsbreadth apart.

Do your research and make a decision to suit you needs, finances and expectations, it should be a more satisfying end result.
 
A lot depends on what you want it for.

The GoPro has it`s drawbacks and adds considerably to the total cost. A lot of people went the P2 route because they already owned a GoPro. Arguably the GoPro gives better video. The Vision wins because you can control the camera from your smartphone and take photos when you can see you have the shot you want. As I understand it, with the GoPro you have to set it to take photos at set intervals before take off. I am not sure whether you can video and stills at the same time with the Gopro, or whether your flight has to be either or. With the Vision you can start and stop the video as often as you want from the phone.

Take a look at the Vision videos on Vimeo (better quality than Youtube). I purchased mine to `fly it`, taking vids and pics is just a bonus, most of which I delete anyway. Out of the box the vision is a much simpler option and quite a bit cheaper unless you already have a Gopro.

To get steadier video with the Vision you would need to by a gimbal, but again, if you fly without too much wind, I find the stock vision video perfectly acceptable for my needs.
 
I was in the same boat a few weeks back. Had been hanging out here for a few months trying to decide which way to go. I finally went with a P2Z setup. The main reason for me was the lack of a gimbal on the P2V. I knew I would not be happy with the shaking of the P2V footage and that I would end up buying a gimbal for it. By the time I factored in the cost of a gimbal (and the wait!!!) there was not much difference in it (£11.55 saving). If you manage to get a free extra battery with your P2V then the saving is a bit more.

I am happy I went with the P2Z setup and it exceeds my expectations. You can set it up to take video and stills at the same time, but I just leave it in video only mode and grab stills from that. I only want stills for Facebook etc

The below shows UK prices that helped me decide to go with the P2Z:-
 

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xgeek said:
I was in the same boat a few weeks back. Had been hanging out here for a few months trying to decide which way to go. I finally went with a P2Z setup. The main reason for me was the lack of a gimbal on the P2V. I knew I would not be happy with the shaking of the P2V footage and that I would end up buying a gimbal for it. By the time I factored in the cost of a gimbal (and the wait!!!) there was not much difference in it (£11.55 saving). If you manage to get a free extra battery with your P2V then the saving is a bit more.

I am happy I went with the P2Z setup and it exceeds my expectations. You can set it up to take video and stills at the same time, but I just leave it in video only mode and grab stills from that. I only want stills for Facebook etc

The below shows UK prices that helped me decide to go with the P2Z:-

Thanks xgeek. What is the name of the business you bought yours from? I too have decided on the Phantom 2 w/o vision. I've looked at others videos who had the phantom 2 vision, and noticed the video is somewhat shaky. Not too bad, but if I were going to try and make some money at it, it would make a big difference. Now I just need to determine what additional gadgets I want. It's very frustrating not knowing what i need! But as with all things new, I will eventually learn.
I have a question. With the zenmuse, can it pan up and down? And if it does, how does it do that. I know the phantom vision pans, but not sure of all of the capabilities of the zenmuse gimbal. And will it pan up and down only,or will it also go left to right? Sorry for all of the stupid questions. Thanks for your help.
 
I am in the Uk and got my Phantom from Heliguy and the monitor and VTX from Firstpersonview.

Yes you can tilt the gimbal up and down but not left or right. Rotate the Phantom to do that :D . Unlike the P2V you can point the camera directly down. There is a lever on the back of the controller. It's not the smoothest of controls so you need to be careful to get fine movement.
 

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xgeek said:
I am in the Uk and got my Phantom from Heliguy and the monitor and VTX from Firstpersonview.

Yes you can tilt the gimbal up and down but not left or right. Rotate the Phantom to do that :D . Unlike the P2V you can point the camera directly down. There is a lever on the back of the controller. It's not the smoothest of controls so you need to be careful to get fine movement.

Thanks xgeek. Hey, I just got through typing a message to Shrimpfarmer, and was telling him while I was doing research, I came upon a YouTube video that was comparing the phantom 2 to the "ultimate phantom". I've never heard of the ultimate phantom. It looked the same, but the controller looked different and was also black instead of white, and the batteries looked different. They were also black instead of white. Ever heard of it before?
 
Nope never heard of the ultimate Phantom. Sounds like a turn-key system a vendor has put together. Have a link to it?
 
xgeek said:
Nope never heard of the ultimate Phantom. Sounds like a turn-key system a vendor has put together. Have a link to it?

I believe the ultimate Phantom is actually a souped up Phantom 1, not a Phantom 2. The thinking is that if your prepared to live with a shorter flight time you can actually afford a lot more batteries in comparison to the large cost of the P2 batteries. Its an interesting idea but as the supplier was in the US I discounted it. I like to be able to bang on the door of my supplier if needed.

As for the comment I made about an 'expensive mistake' when I bought the Vision, I did not mean to denigrate the Vision. I still own one however I rushed into the hobby without proper research and bought a Vision which is unsuitable for my needs.

Re the comment that you can attach a Gopro to your Vision, well thats true as I believe Rotor Pixel produce the Gopro mount. However I don't think the camera will work with the DJI mobile app so its not an attractive option.
 
Rowdy13 said:
See if the below link gets you there. If not, go to you tube and type in the following,

DJI phantom on steroids - DSLRPros.com ultimate aerial film drone with FPV OSO and telemetry

Let me know what you guys think.

http://youtu.be/aZH2bJXpBRA

Yes its the same one I looked at some time ago.

I think

Not many people are probably flying that setup so your access to forum support might be less ? Not sure about that though.

If your new to RC models, messing around with the settings on that radio Tx may blow your mind a little.

I would never put carbon props on mine. This is a purely safety issue for me. The Phantom Props can give you a nasty cut if they hit you. Carbon fibre will amputate fingers. This quad is often hand caught as the ground may be uneven. Wait till you try it and see how you feel knowing its going to hurt if you misjudge it. Then see how you feel if you think your going to lose fingers. I have seen many posts where people have bought carbon props only to remove them again as they don't fly as well as the stock ones.

Having said all that it is a turn key solution but its built around the Phantom 1 not the P2.

I would probably go for something thats a little more main stream where you can easily see how others have solved the problems you may have. Mind you the innards of the quad are basic P1 so no difference there.
 
Have a look at the Phantompilots search link in my signature and search for 'I can recommend' The search link works much better than the standard forum search.

I just checked that and it looks like B&H Photo is well liked in the USA. Search for them and see the positive comments from other users.

Then have a look at their package deals and see if any of those look good to you.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... av-Search=

Customer service beats cheap price with these things time and time again.

They offer 2 very complete solutions. I would only consider the ones with the IOSD included. You need that telemetry.
 

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