Which route to go? New to Forum

[dunginhawk]

Good evening Phantom PIlots guys and gals.
Just wanted to share that I am a first time poster. I have been watching videos, reading reviews, etc for the past 2 months. Ive decided after all the reviews of the blade, the walkera, building it myself, etc that the phantom was the right choice.

I am trying to figure out just what model to get.

1. Money is not the overriding issue. Only slightly. I just got back from vegas, and Hit a few really nice parlays at the sportsbooks haha.
2. I have a LiquidImage EGO camera which I wouldnt mind using, if I went with a Phantom 2 w/ zen gimbal i may be able to mount it????
3. I like the option to tilt the camera on the P2V+, it seems like it would be nice to have.


So im kind of looking at these options.

1. P2V+
2. P2 w/ gimbal gopro
3. P2 w/ gimbal use my own camera some how.

Extra battery would be in any of these im sure.


I would love any input. I am just a novice looking for some fun. Not a professional photo guy etc.

Thanks

 

[Meta4]

Welcome .... you are asking the same question that many others do.
The comparative virtues of different Phantoms are much debated and they all have their good points.
Probably the best idea is to read here.
You'll find someone asks about this just about every day so there are plenty of answers to go through.

 

[dunginhawk]

I actually did pretty well at the craps table too.. Im home now though.
Its strange, I am a pretty spontaneous person. Bought a traxxas stampede 4x4 last summer, modded the heck out of it, then never touched it again. I was afraid that would be the case with the Phantom.
But then again, I have thought about it daily for a couple months now. I find myself still wanting it.

I also didnt mention that i would want FPV, which the P2V+ offers.
Im definately leaning that way simply because its all in 1 package.
Id love it if i could make the thing go 1-2 miles though, instead of half a mile or so.

Thanks guys

 

[Meta4]

Half a mile is plenty far enough for most things and it's well out of visual range.
But if you want to fly even further you can read how in the forum.

 

[MadMitch88]

Well if you're flush with Vegas cash, then definitely go with the flagship model Vision+. I'd also recommend buying an extra 2 or 3 batteries since you can enjoy a longer stay out in the field for flying.

I have it and it's the best out-of-the-box solution for great FPV flying. The tilt feature is really nice and I use all the time to get great shots, and personally I don't see how you can really enjoy good footage without it. I can't really comment on stock ranges since I modded my Vision+ as soon as I bought it with all the superb antennas and amps being sold by cool guy Tony at FPVLR.com. I'm getting reliable FPV out to around 3,000 ft, but I plan on buying a Sunhans amp to get it out to a mile or more. I already have the Sunhans 2-watt amp for the control side and I havent even found out what the max. range is on that yet (it's at least 3,000 ft).

It might not seem obvious, but if you're a complete noob to RC quadcopters then make sure you spend at least 4 or 5 hours doing very basic flying maneuvers on the Phantom before you attempt crazier stuff like long-distance flying out of visual range, etc. Only the really rich dudes can afford to go through 4 or 5 crashed and busted up Vision Plus's learning how to fly these things properly. There is a lot of technology built into it to make flying easy, but you can still fly these things right into a building or ground and ruin your day. Read the manual inside and out several times before you try the gutsy stuff. Have fun learning to be a good pilot and spend as much $$$ as you can --- you'll get more fun out of the hobby that way :mrgreen:

 

[dunginhawk]

So, am I crazy to entertain looking at the Walkera Tali H500? Its relatively new and will need some updates but things im reading/watching show its a good hex copter.
Anyone here have any experience with one?

I think i have made up my mind that if I do buy a DJI it will be a vision + . I want the out of the box ready to go situation. I do really love the receiver of the Tali H500 though... Its an interesting option.

Also, i have a blade mpqx or something like that, and a Heli Max Sq1 i think its called. Im not good with either, but i have at least flown them for a few hours.

Whatever i buy will have some sort of GPS tracker on it too... ANy ideas on what people like the best?
thanks again

any additional thoughts?

 

[ProfessorStein]

I'm seeing a lot of complaints about the H500. If you really want one, I'd wait until you know they have the kinks worked out of the firmware. Once that happens, it could be an awesome machine.

 

[dunginhawk]

ProfessorStein, would you mind sharing where you read/watched some complaints? I would love to get more info as it looks compelling. For all that people complain about DJI most folks are still happy with them.. something to be said for that.

 

[ProfessorStein]

There are several threads over at RC Groups, but the one I've read the most of is at

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2203180

A lot of the early adopters calling it a beta product, with bad GPS performance, klunky waypointing, and shocked at the poor video quality.

I will caveat this, though, by admitting that there is now a new firmware update (hadn't read about it before)... and some of the issues have been adressed.

 

[dunginhawk]

Thank you, definately some good reading.
It does sound like a lot of the issues were fixed, but i still feel more comfortable with the V2+
So i think ill grab the extra battery package from amazon today... 8 bucks to have it by tomorrow.

I tried to buy one off the classified, but the user never got back to me... oh well. his loss

 

[MadMitch88]

Thank you, definately some good reading.
It does sound like a lot of the issues were fixed, but i still feel more comfortable with the V2+
So i think ill grab the extra battery package from amazon today... 8 bucks to have it by tomorrow.

Have fun! Enjoy a couple months of flying that beauty before it gets too cold. :|

When you're ready for long-distance bravado --- be sure to check out all the goodies over at FPVLR.com:

http://fpvlr.com/shop/

Tony is the owner and makes the antennas by hand. Shoot him an email and he will give you lots of good advice about sending that bird WAYYY out there.

 

[dunginhawk]

you bring up one good point...
would it make more sense to wait for a new model over winter? knowing the liklihood is there for something new?
also knowing i cant fly it much in the winter.. although i do see folks flying it in the snow
thoughts?
thanks

 

[RobertMfromLI]

Also, i have a blade mpqx or something like that, and a Heli Max Sq1 i think its called. Im not good with either, but i have at least flown them for a few hours.

I've flown other copters, and the P2 is a breeze in comparison. Especially in GPS mode. I've only crashed once, and that was due to me reinstalling the compass incorrectly on new landing gear, and I do some really close (to abandoned buildings) flights, nearly touching the sides with the copter.

 

[MadMitch88]

you bring up one good point...
would it make more sense to wait for a new model over winter? knowing the liklihood is there for something new?
also knowing i cant fly it much in the winter.. although i do see folks flying it in the snow

No one knows when a Phantom 3 is supposed to debut. Some are saying November in time for Xmas shopping season --- others are saying April like when the Vision+ debuted. It's up to you if you think you can play the waiting game that long. I personally don't feel that a Phantom 3 will have any features compelling enough to make anyone wait 6 months, but I could be proven wrong. A much better camera with optical zoom would be a really nice upgrade. Having the bird fly GroundStation missions beyond 500m flight radius would also be cool, although that's just a software upgrade.

As far as flying in the blustery winter weather, I've only owned my V2+ for a month so I have no experience with it. I guess I'll be brave enough to try it a couple times, but standing there in the cold with my fingers numb doesnt seem a very fun way to fly a Phantom :shock:

 

[dunginhawk]

yeah, im with you...Only a few things would make it worth the wait for me.. The zoom wouldnt be it, but for a bunch of the quad copter perverts maybe thats a thing to wait for.
Object avoidance if we ever get that would be a no brainer.

what else do you guys feel would be worth the wait?

 

[RobertMfromLI]

yeah, im with you...Only a few things would make it worth the wait for me.. The zoom wouldnt be it, but for a bunch of the quad copter perverts maybe thats a thing to wait for.
Object avoidance if we ever get that would be a no brainer.

what else do you guys feel would be worth the wait?

Object avoidance (for the P2) is already in the works from another company.

 

[dunginhawk]

SHould i be seriously concerned about fly aways with the V2+
There are sooooo many horror stories. Last thing i want to do is hurt someone. Or destroy my new quad.

Has the problem been resolved? or are the 2's still acting up as much as the earlier models were?
thanks

 

[ProfessorStein]

Object avoidance (for the P2) is already in the works from another company.

Yep. Not sure if this is the one you're talking about, but it's the one I've been keeping my eye on.
http://www.panoptesuav.com/

Even if the P3 has object avoidance, I'm pretty convinced that it will simply be a "module" that can easily be added to earlier platforms as well... just as 3rd parties are now (or... will soon).

 

[ProfessorStein]

SHould i be seriously concerned about fly aways with the V2+
There are sooooo many horror stories. Last thing i want to do is hurt someone. Or destroy my new quad.

Has the problem been resolved? or are the 2's still acting up as much as the earlier models were?
thanks

When you say "sooooo many horror stories", I think you're overlooking how many Phantoms are out there, and the ratio of those "horror stories" to those that are flying without any issue at all.

For the most part, fly-aways are avoidable and recoverable with proper pre-flight prep and maintenance of your Phantom. There was one fly-away report just recently by Opwan, that I have to admit has me pretty stumped. But, again, when taken in context of how many Phantoms are out there, it's still a very small risk. It happens, but if you're truly seriously concerned about it I'd probably rethink operating a flying machine in the first place. As far as I can tell, nearly all multi-rotors (in fact, nearly all RC craft of any kind) have reports of fly-aways and failures... so you're not going to get away from it just because you go with something other than a Phantom.

You'll more likely "destroy your quad" through pilot error than any type of system malfunction. Though we all hope that doesn't happen, either!

 

[RobertMfromLI]

Object avoidance (for the P2) is already in the works from another company.

Yep. Not sure if this is the one you're talking about, but it's the one I've been keeping my eye on.
http://www.panoptesuav.com/

Even if the P3 has object avoidance, I'm pretty convinced that it will simply be a "module" that can easily be added to earlier platforms as well... just as 3rd parties are now (or... will soon).

That's the one! I entered for the beta (crossing fingers)... I know one other guy who's working on installing it to test for them.