What feature will make you upgrade to P4 ?

I agree you get less quality even with optical zoom, but believe most Phantom pilots aren't professional photographers. I doubt there are many P3 users who wouldn't enjoy decent quality 3x zoom capability on their Phantom, in a similarly sized package & price point, even if it isn't professional movie-grade quality. If cost is no object then optical all the way.

You don't get something for nothing. Even with digital zoom. With prime lenses (non-zoom), you trade flexibility for clearer optics and greater light gathering. With optical zoom, you trade weight, clarity, light gathering and price for quality. For digital zoom, you trade quality for lack of weight and reduced price.

Digital zoom is virtually worthless. Simply crop in premiere or other post processing app. You would get far better results as its interpolation routines are far more powerful than anything DJI could throw on that tiny camera board.
 
Digital zoom is virtually worthless. Simply crop in premiere or other post processing app. You would get far better results as its interpolation routines are far more powerful than anything DJI could throw on that tiny camera board.
I don't think it is worthless. You could actually use it to frame a shot but after framing the shot I would zoom back out. I don't think i would use it much.
 
I would like it to take a licking and keep on ticking
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I'd go for a micro 4/3 sensor in the camera with ISO 25600 support, along with a Micky mouse 4X digital zoom (to keep it light). That along with Lightbridge 2 using H.265 compression, 50ms latency and 1080p downlink, I think that would get my interest. 30min flight time would be nice. However, all this would likely be in the $2000 to $3000 range. This setup would be awesome to backpack. Maybe someday. Maybe in July.:rolleyes:
 
Hey guys and gals.

I just purchased P3 pro 3 days ago and just found out that on march 1 DJI will announce P4 with tentative ship dates at the end if march.
Since i have 45 days to return it i was thinking about what will it take for me.

And i think 2 important features that i would like are:

1) Obstacle avoidance
2) Follow me feature without having the remote on you.

Longer flight time is nice, but 25 min or 30 min is not a big deal for me.

So how about the rest of you?


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Something to consider... the P4 Pro will more than likely be $1499 or more when it launches. I picked this price as it fits well with the competition.

Based on reports, speculation and rumors I've read, the P4 will have:

- longer video and communication
range.
- New intelligent battery.
- 4k camera at 60 FPS and a better bit rate.
- Improved, more rugged, camera gimbal
- Sleeker & lighter body (thinner top to bottom when you look at it from the side)
- New button on transmitter (no idea what it's for).
- Improved vision software/hardware.
- A new software with new buddy drone features (i.e., lots of new film & follow me options)
- Rumour states a 360 gimbal and retractable legs.
- DJI has obstacle avoidence technology and they may place it in the P4.
 
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Ugh. I just bought mine! Is there a silver lining such as battery and accessory prices come down?


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That is absolutely not how digital zoom works. More megapixels does not equate to a better digital zoom. You should read up about how something works before commenting on something like it is the gospel.


Actually, that is how digital zoom works well. Simply, if you have a good size sensor with plenty of megapixels and low noise, then you essentially crop the portion of the photo you want and fill the screen with it. It gives you the impression you have zoomed in but in reality you've just cropped the video feed. This is how all cell phones and tablets zoom in on objects.
 
Yes but the more megapixels allow greater noise. That's like saying - curing cancer is all about killing cancer cells. Obviously! But cropping and upscaling makes it look like crap and more megapixels do not help. In fact, they create more noise and can possibly hurt.

More megapixels absolutely do not automatically mean better pictures.


Actually, that is how digital zoom works well. Simply, if you have a good size sensor with plenty of megapixels and low noise, then you essentially crop the portion of the photo you want and fill the screen with it. It gives you the impression you have zoomed in but in reality you've just cropped the video feed. This is how all cell phones and tablets zoom in on objects.[/QUOTE
 
Yes but the more megapixels allow greater noise. That's like saying - curing cancer is all about killing cancer cells. Obviously! But cropping and upscaling makes it look like crap and more megapixels do not help. In fact, they create more noise and can possibly hurt.

More megapixels absolutely do not automatically mean better pictures.

In some cases where the sensor technology remains the same and then more megapixels are added, more noise is also added. But technology moves on and sensors improve and noise reduces.

Digital zoom has never been anything more than just zooming in on the existing image on the sensor. Optical zoom is the only zoom that lets the lens do all the work. You don't really see this in cell phones or tablets and I don't think we'll see it in the Phantom 4. If DJI wanted us to have digital zoom, they would have placed it in the DJI go app. No one else seems to be doing it either... could be a privacy concern or the fact that if you zoom in, then your FPV is all messed up while you fly (objects in FPV are not as close as they appear) and your bound to crash your Phantom.
 
That is enough. Dirty Bird. Davphys. Posts deleted. Warnings granted. Banned from this thread.
 
P4 will, IMHO, not be the replacement for the P3 - rather it will be for those who want to spend more money for some additional features.
My guess is that it will have some add-ons (later), so unlike the P3's it may be upgradeable and have a program for other companies to add to it. Of course, all of that will cost you!

$1500 is likely to be the very start of it - I wouldn't be surprised if it ran well over 2K once you add in some extras and batts, etc.

And so - those of you with or looking at a P3....chances are you won't be first in line (if I am anywhere near right!).
 
Well I'm sure I'm in the minority but I'm completely satisfied with both of my P3As. I have a new version and old version. Collision avoidance isn't an issue as I'm out in an open place. distance isn't an issue as it goes as far as I'm comfortable flying it. I guess a longer battery would be welcome as would a more secure gimbal but for now. Also I have no need for 4k video. Right now I'm shooting 1080 and that is great. I'm very pleased with both of mine and don't have any interest to upgrade yet. Can't imagine what they could offer that would make me think otherwise. Just happy with my P3A.
 
30 minute battery life, before first low battery warning. My P3A is awesome but I could really use the extended fly time sometimes.
 
I wouldn't upgrade as not had the P3P that long and it's ideal for my needs. There will always be something better in terms of tech but the one thing a lot of people don't consider is the skill of the person flying - an eye for photography can kick out amazing shots with the most basic of cameras, and the P3P camera isn't basic. And if you have good flying skills, you're onto a winner.


UK
 
I don't think it is worthless. You could actually use it to frame a shot but after framing the shot I would zoom back out. I don't think i would use it much.

If you can't frame a shot at 1x what makes you think you can do it at 2x or 10x? There is no focus so there is no need to digital zoom.

Virtually all post processing video programs have some sort of crop or pan and scan ability and they have lots more horsepower (CPU/GPU) to work the interpolation with. Digital zoom is nothing more than turning a 12mp camera into a 6mp camera but still forcing it to make a 4k image out of it. It has to "make up" the missing pixels. And, once you have recorded in digital zoom, you are committed to it. You can't undo it. In post, you can undo, re-try and alter the effects.

Anyone remember the old days of x86 machines (386 or 486 days)? Remember those "Turbo" buttons you used to have? Well, guess what, that was marketing crap. It didn't speed the CPU up or overclock it in any way! Quite the opposite, it slowed it down (underclocked) when you turned it off. Imagine your V8 car engine had the same turbo button. By turning it on, it used all 8 cylinders. When you turned it off, it shut off 4 of them so you were only running half power. Same horse puckies as digital zoom.

Digital Zoom doesn't "zoom", it crops and resizes. It shuts off some of the pixels from the sensor (thereby reducing the effective megapixels used to capture the image) and then resizes the image to the original pixel dimensional height and width. Its like telling it to stop using all 12mp and only use 8mp but you still want it to make a 3000x4000 image from it.

Digital zoom is nothing more than marketing garbage that manufacturers can put in BIG BOLD PRINT on the side of their cameras to sell them to myopic neophyte consumers.
DigitalZoom.png



I stand by my statement that digital zoom on the DJI camera is worthless.
 

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