Vision Plus Camera vs GoPro

[ElGuano]

Thanks for the test. Unfortunately the light conditions are far from identical between P2V+ and the GP. Otherwise the setup was very good. I also don´t understand how the stills and the motion could change angle so much? You really seem to have to skills to pull off a much better test than we have seen from someone before, could you please repeat it with identical light and angle?

Hi XL,

Spot on with your comments! When I first posted this to a different forum, I noted that the GoPro shot was taken about an hour later, and the shutters were drawn differently at the time. It's definitely not 1:1, just a quick comparison. If you're comparing sensor noise/compression artifacting/edge aliasing, it should be usable. Not so if you're looking at bloom, dynamic range, color saturation, etc.

Also, the motion shots aren't very well standardized, I just picked up the powered up Phantom and swung it slowly in an arc across the room. Some are higher, some are lower, some a bit faster/slower...my main intent was to see at what speed 60fps interlaced would get distracting, but ended up trying the same on other settings.

I'll try to find time this weekend to do something a bit more rigorous. But if I saw these shots posted by someone else, I'd have said exactly what you did

 

[Sasquatch]

I agree with many of the comments and the debate is good.

It really comes down to what the person is expecting, wanting or needing. Is it the ease of set up, are you a professional or an amateur photographer/videographer and how much are you willing to spend. More technical people might be more inclined to purchase equipment that needs 'assembling' or 'tinkering with as well.

For myself, I'm not a photographer/videographer. I wanted something that would be simple and provide an easy out-of-box solution. I liked what the PV2+ and its features straight out of the box had to offer. At first, I was going to buy just the PV2 and debated whether the PV2+ was a better purchase. Most of the specs were the same or similar, but the 3 axis gimbal on the PV2+ tipped the balance.

I think the camera quality on the PV2+ is quite good. There are glitches, but overall, it's a very decent camera for an amateur or mid range enthusiast.

 

[Lukis]

Well definitely gimbal is good unless you shoot only stills.

About my needs... besides what I mentioned (long range, decent image quality) I really do not need out of the box solution. I am able and I actually fancy assembling stuff, but buying like F450 or so to assemble it from base seem a little excessive to me and I don't even think I would save so much money. My plan kind of is Phantom 2, gimbal (not necessarily Zenmuse), iOSD, Fatshark Googles with ImmersionRC Transmitter for FPV and I will be very happy to solder it together

 

[ElGuano]

Well definitely gimbal is good unless you shoot only stills.

About my needs... besides what I mentioned (long range, decent image quality) I really do not need out of the box solution. I am able and I actually fancy assembling stuff, but buying like F450 or so to assemble it from base seem a little excessive to me and I don't even think I would save so much money. My plan kind of is Phantom 2, gimbal (not necessarily Zenmuse), iOSD, Fatshark Googles with ImmersionRC Transmitter for FPV and I will be very happy to solder it together

The hobby will always need a strong contingent of DIY-capable go-getters. Sounds like a great plan to me

 

[Lukis]

The hobby will always need a strong contingent of DIY-capable go-getters. Sounds like a great plan to me

Pleased to hear so ... any experiences with gimbals other than Zenmuse? 3 axis preferably.

 

[ElGuano]

The hobby will always need a strong contingent of DIY-capable go-getters. Sounds like a great plan to me

Pleased to hear so ... any experiences with gimbals other than Zenmuse? 3 axis preferably.

Not personally, though I've been keeping up with DYS and Arris. They're significantly heavier and a bit more ungainly than the Zenmuse. Unless you're looking to save money, or hack up some retracts and go full 360 yaw control, the Zen is probably the best integrated GoPro option out there today.

If you want bleeding edge stabilization features, you can look to integrate a 3rd party gimbal with the new Phobotics Centerpiece controller (which costs more than most gimbals). Probably good to head on over to the P2 forum and ask those good folks directly

 

[XL-Studios]

Well definitely gimbal is good unless you shoot only stills.

About my needs... besides what I mentioned (long range, decent image quality) I really do not need out of the box solution. I am able and I actually fancy assembling stuff, but buying like F450 or so to assemble it from base seem a little excessive to me and I don't even think I would save so much money. My plan kind of is Phantom 2, gimbal (not necessarily Zenmuse), iOSD, Fatshark Googles with ImmersionRC Transmitter for FPV and I will be very happy to solder it together

Sound like fun. One thing not mentioned when considering long flights/long range is the flight time. The P2V+ will give you much longer flight time. I usually get some 19min active flighttime with my P2V+ and some <10 with the S1000 incl payload. It´s a bit like comparing a good smartphone with a point and shoot camera. One of them you will use a lot with reasonable result. The other can do at best 30% better but with 90% more fuzz. Guess wish one you will use?...

 

[Lukis]

ElGuano... I am looking for third party mainly for cost reasons (if it would be possible while still getting reasonable stabilization... otherwise Zenmuse ).

XL-Studios...
I am definitely not heading towards S1000 but I hope that P2 vs P2V+ flight times wouldn't be much different.

 

[ElGuano]

I will defer to those who have more experience with the P2V+, but so far I've been getting about 17 minutes to 18% battery. Once you hit 20%, the current counter drops very rapidly. AUW is 1260g IIRC.

Most P2 H3-3D owners are reporting between 15-18 minutes average flight, which makes sense as the weights and components are similar. You should probably plan for the 15-min range with a 3rd party gimbal--the Zen is ~165g, where the DYS and others can be over 200g.

I'm jealous of the guys flying S1000s. It would be impractical for me to fly a rig like that (definitely NOT doing professional jobs), but what a machine...

 

[darkoth23]

As a note the video quality of the vision plus is much better in narrow FOV as opposed to wide FOV. In Narrow there is no edge flickering / Aliasing.

 

[XL-Studios]

I'm jealous of the guys flying S1000s. It would be impractical for me to fly a rig like that (definitely NOT doing professional jobs), but what a machine...

The S1000 is indeed a monster! Here I have them lined up. :-D

 

[Mork]

Like said before, the P2V+ will give you FPV
And if capture the moment is what you want then you must have FPV

Iam amazed what you will see when you are in the air, you can participate on whats there
instead of just flying and see what you captured on the ground

Two days ago I did a test flight and I never expected that the sun was reflecting so nice into the water...
Stopped filming and made some picture's and then just continued filming

here's one i made with the P2V+

http://500px.com/photo/74892511