Self Leveling Gimbal for FC40?

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Hi all, and apologies for possibly repeating other threads, but I can't find any which are what I would call up to date for this.

I aim to change my FC40 from the standard camera, so one of a higher quality like a go pro 3 etc.

What gimbals and cameras can be used with an FC40, which, and this is the important piece for me, self level so pictures are level instead of being tilted like you get with the standard setup in a little bit of wind upwards.

I like my FC40, it suits my needs perfectly well, and I don't want to splash out on a new phantom3 etc. hence this route.

All help appreciated!

thanks
 
Welcome to the club! Yes it will self level. I had mine without pitch control for a month or so. Most of the time all you have to do is add power. There too many camera's and gimbals to list! Ask more questions! Where are you located?
 
The Walkera G2D is a 2 axis gimbal. The price is about $80. It's very simple. Just add a power supply. I have one on my P1. So far I am pleased with it. Many videos on YouTube.
 
Hi all, and apologies for possibly repeating other threads, but I can't find any which are what I would call up to date for this.

I aim to change my FC40 from the standard camera, so one of a higher quality like a go pro 3 etc.

What gimbals and cameras can be used with an FC40, which, and this is the important piece for me, self level so pictures are level instead of being tilted like you get with the standard setup in a little bit of wind upwards.

I like my FC40, it suits my needs perfectly well, and I don't want to splash out on a new phantom3 etc. hence this route.

All help appreciated!

thanks

Hey Ian, go here and look at all the threads on gimbals.
http://www.phantompilots.com/forums/phantom-fc40-discussion.20/

You can also find some in the P1 forum. The P1 is the same as the FC40 except for the control frequency.
http://www.phantompilots.com/forums/phantom-1-discussion.29/

There are also a couple helpful links in my signature.
 
Does the Walkera G2D gimbal self level? How easy is it to 'just add a power supply'? I am not technical at all!

I had looked at the Walkera, but couldn't see if it was self levelling anywhere!

thanks all
 
Ian that's what gimbals do. They keep the camera level all by itself without input from you. You need to study video's on you tube. There are plenty on the Walkera
 
thanks all, made an assumption it was for tilting the camera up, down, left, right, etc!

thanks all.

Is it simple to install a g2d, and would you use a gopro3 or 3+ or an ilook?
 
[QUO"Ian Matthews, post: 421294, member: 28410"]Does the Walkera G2D gimbal self level? How easy is it to 'just add a power supply'? I am not technical at all!

I had looked at the Walkera, but couldn't see if it was self levelling anywhere!

thanks all[/QUOTE]
The Walkera G2D is simple to install and power. To install you may want to reverse the top bracket so the camera sets farther back and does not interfere with opening battery door. To power it....there are a couple of ways. You could get power from the Phantom itself or do what I did. I have a small 7.4 v 850ma battery from a small quad. It has the JST connector that plugs into the gimbal wire harness. I rubberband the battery to the rear of gimbal mount. Doing it that way also lets you take the gimble off the quad and use it as a self contained hand held unit. This way you don't have to get inside the quad unless you must have the pitch control active.
 
I would want it to mean i could change the angle of the camera up and down (pitch?) and also self level, that's it.

Yes I am a newbie and can't remember which is pitch and which is yaw!
 
I use a 3+ silver but either would be fine
I'm sure. Whatever you get make sure it has wifi
Where are you located?
 
I bought this gimbal: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GAY5YBU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

It was fairly easy to install and I am in no way technical

It works great and I can't believe the difference in photos and video

While installing the gimbal, I documented it for those in the same situation as me.
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You even get to see me start a fire on my Phantom in that video! LOL
 
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[QUOTEan Matthews, post: 421356, member: 28410"]I would want it to mean i could change the angle of the camera up and down (pitch?) and also self level, that's it.

Yes I am a newbie and can't remember which is pitch and which is yaw![/QUOTE]
On the Walkera g2d, it will keep level no matter how you hook it up. If you don't connect the pitch control, the pitch and level is done with a supplied plastic screwdriver. There are two adjustable pots on the unit. Now to have pitch control, providing you have that on your transmitter, you have to go inside the bird. Now, if you can't see what the camera sees, I don't think it helps much. I have heard in some cases, they had problems after connecting pitch control. Erratic operation I believe. Don't expect perfection with a $60 gimbal. A 2 axis will not have yaw adjustment. Yaw is done flying the quad. Unless you know what you're doing...start simple. Videos I see where the pilot keeps changing the pitch while flying is annoying unless they are really good and can make some shots better. The problem with this world today is there are too **** many buttons to push without knowing how to use them properly.
 
I bought this gimbal: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GAY5YBU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

It was fairly easy to install and I am in no way technical

It works great and I can't believe the difference in photos and video

While installing the gimbal, I documented it for those in the same situation as me.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

You even get to see me start a fire on my Phantom in that video! LOL


Nice videos, its even smooth when you are bothering your friends fishing. Having negotiations now with the wife trying to decide what gimbals to get to satisfy both of us. We both have quads and she wants a gimbal for filming and so do I. How does your gimbal handle in windy conditions?
 
Nice videos, its even smooth when you are bothering your friends fishing. Having negotiations now with the wife trying to decide what gimbals to get to satisfy both of us. We both have quads and she wants a gimbal for filming and so do I. How does your gimbal handle in windy conditions?

Hey Beario, my cheap Chinese gimbal is kinda letting me down these days. I'm getting a great deal of footage which is tilted left or right. Granted, I have run it into a great deal of "stuff which would not move", so it has been "Impacted" lets say. I think it was doing well before being abused, but who knows, I was new.

I know it's not my place to say, but I'll do it anyway. Spend a couple extra bucks and you won't have to think about it again. At least that's how it's supposed to work. I know I have hours of video which I would never publish because of it being tilted or jittering. It's a shame, you may only have one chance for "the shot", and if the gimbal lets you down, you're screwed.

So, after saying all that, I am not planning to put a gimbal on my new P1. I'm hoping YouTube will fix the video for me. :rolleyes:
 
Hey Beario, my cheap Chinese gimbal is kinda letting me down these days. I'm getting a great deal of footage which is tilted left or right. Granted, I have run it into a great deal of "stuff which would not move", so it has been "Impacted" lets say. I think it was doing well before being abused, but who knows, I was new.

I know it's not my place to say, but I'll do it anyway. Spend a couple extra bucks and you won't have to think about it again. At least that's how it's supposed to work. I know I have hours of video which I would never publish because of it being tilted or jittering. It's a shame, you may only have one chance for "the shot", and if the gimbal lets you down, you're screwed.

So, after saying all that, I am not planning to put a gimbal on my new P1. I'm hoping YouTube will fix the video for me. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the advice Ifly. I've put quite a bit of money into this hobby already, but when I get new stuff for upgrades, I have to upgrade 2 `quads each time (the wife and I). Last thing we need are 2 gimbals for smooth video(One for her and one for me). The contestants are down to 6 gimbals. I found 3 and she found 3. We both use Ebay so you can see the similarities. On her side she thinks we should get the best cheapest since I am always upgrading and UPS stops here every week:rolleyes: Found a ton of videos on all of them so far. All are doable.

Hers:

Budget --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-CNC-...646?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf77760ae
good --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-2...306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46381552f2
Expensive ---> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-3...190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee29e989e


Mine:

Budget ---> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-CNC-FPV...759?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item419418b277
good --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-2...306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46381552f2
Preferred ---> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-3...190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee29e989e
 
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Thanks for the advice Ifly. I've put quite a bit of money into this hobby already, but when I get new stuff for upgrades, I have to upgrade 2 `quads each time (the wife and I). Last thing we need are 2 gimbals for smooth video(One for her and one for me). The contestants are down to 6 gimbals. I found 3 and she found 3. We both use Ebay so you can see the similarities. On her side she thinks we should get the best cheapest since I am always upgrading and UPS stops here every week:rolleyes: Found a ton of videos on all of them so far. All are doable.

Hers:

Budget --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-CNC-...646?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf77760ae
good --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-2...306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46381552f2
Expensive ---> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-3...190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee29e989e


Mine:

Budget ---> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hot-CNC-FPV...759?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item419418b277
good --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-2...306?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46381552f2
Preferred ---> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walkera-G-3...190?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee29e989e

Funny Beario,
I notice hers says "Expensive", while your suggestion says "Preferred". Just razzing you, I'll look at all of them now. :p
 
I have done quite a bit of flying with it now and it has yet to have a problem. Wind is no more a problem for the gimbal than it is for the aircraft. The only issue I have with it is when I tilt to look straight down, it binds up and jerks the camera. I may need to try to limit it a bit more. I just put a Yi camera on there and 16 mp stills are great.
 

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