Ready to purchase P4
- Thread starter Rob1962
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msinger
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bro buy it from the phantom 4 website with a student discount it give you 10% discount, DJI Educational Discount | DJI Store Your first stop for DJI drones and camera technologies, offering a host of special value-added services | DJI Store try both link direct from DJI.com
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Check eBay, I got the best deal on the package with all kinds of extras including a really cool backpack. Most of them ship from New York also. I think there is a slew of Camera shops like B&H in NYC that all sell the phantom kits with tons of accessories.
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
It's a good idea to buy extra props, lots of them, with your initial purchase. You will find out why as soon as you begin flying 
It's a good idea to buy extra props, lots of them, with your initial purchase. You will find out why as soon as you begin flying
I am about 30ish flights in and am still using the same set of props.
Mind you I have a P3S and not a P$ so that might be the reason...
Given that a lot of people have found some issues with new ones (me too!), I'd recommend buying locally from an authorized dealer where you can exchange it for another good one. Best Buy has a 15-day exchange policy and I used it twice due to defects I found prior to even flying it. Had I bought it through the mail, it could be costly for return shipping (~$45), waiting, or dealing with the DJI RMA warranty (or not) process.
Some things to look for that seem to pop up on here are:
Body cracks around the motors.
Batteries that are dead and will not charge.
Odd link-up between the transmitter and drone.
Filter that refuses to come off so you can use other screw-on filters.
Camera that shows one side softer than the other (Lens not parallel to sensor).
Lots of hot white pixels in the camera.
Avoidance sensors (Front and Bottom) that will not calibrate on your computer screen using DJI Assistant 2.
Re-boxed gear; i.e. Seals broken or removed, etc. (Fwiw, I worked for an outfit that used to take a quick-glance over and they'd resale the item as new. Boss was "Let the buyer send it in on their dime.").
Firmware updates that crash and brick the unit, and likely you will need an update even with a new one.
Aside, I'd also consider using an Apple device over Android. I have two Samsung devices and neither works well (lag times on video) on the Phantom 4 I have and one is on their "Approved list" too. Samsung comes with a lot of bloatware. My Samsung tablet that I have had for a year now slows down to the point I need to re-boot it as the screen just slows down taking several seconds for my finger being on it to respond. If it is left on for an hour, the screen responsiveness really slows down due to apps that re-load or auto-load. The Apple seems to not allow for a lot of auto-start bloatware in the background and battery life is a lot better as is their faster Lightning data/streaming cable vs. the slower USB as used by Android, imho.
Good luck!
Some things to look for that seem to pop up on here are:
Body cracks around the motors.
Batteries that are dead and will not charge.
Odd link-up between the transmitter and drone.
Filter that refuses to come off so you can use other screw-on filters.
Camera that shows one side softer than the other (Lens not parallel to sensor).
Lots of hot white pixels in the camera.
Avoidance sensors (Front and Bottom) that will not calibrate on your computer screen using DJI Assistant 2.
Re-boxed gear; i.e. Seals broken or removed, etc. (Fwiw, I worked for an outfit that used to take a quick-glance over and they'd resale the item as new. Boss was "Let the buyer send it in on their dime.").
Firmware updates that crash and brick the unit, and likely you will need an update even with a new one.
Aside, I'd also consider using an Apple device over Android. I have two Samsung devices and neither works well (lag times on video) on the Phantom 4 I have and one is on their "Approved list" too. Samsung comes with a lot of bloatware. My Samsung tablet that I have had for a year now slows down to the point I need to re-boot it as the screen just slows down taking several seconds for my finger being on it to respond. If it is left on for an hour, the screen responsiveness really slows down due to apps that re-load or auto-load. The Apple seems to not allow for a lot of auto-start bloatware in the background and battery life is a lot better as is their faster Lightning data/streaming cable vs. the slower USB as used by Android, imho.
Good luck!
