A Few Questions on the DJI Phantom 3

squonk

I'm thinking about getting a Phantom 3 at the moment. It looks fantastic and I'd say it's a load of fun. It's also a load of bucks as well though so I want to have a good think about it before deciding whether I'll purchase or not. I'd appreciate some help from owners on this forum. I've a few questions which I hope you might be able to answer for me.

1. It looks like great fun but is it something you continue to use? I don't want to shell out for something I'll use for a few moths and then spend time filling the back of the attic.

2. Is the lightbridge peformance as good as it seems? I plan on flying in my local area in the country and there is mostly line of sight but there are a few places where there are small hills/trees I'd need to get around in the distance. Will this pose problems?

3. I read that DJI have changed the way Waypoints work so that nw you have to fly a route first, set way points and only then can you store the journey for future use. I'd like functionality like the Phantom 2 apparently had where you could set waypoints based on Google Maps and have the Phantom fly that route first time. Obviously there's dangers to this but I'd be planning on flying routes like this sensibly i.e. 50-100 feet up and in my local area as well where I knew the obstacles. I'd also like a radius of more than 500m which seems to be the new limit for the Phantom 3. Are there 3rd. Party apps that provide this functionality still or is the operation hardwired by DJI int he first place.

4. Is the 4K camera really worth the extra €300. It looks good but I get the impression based on reviews that there is fair room for improvement and that 1-2 models down the road might be where the 4k camera comes into it's own. I'm planning on recreational use and exploring places for my own curiosity that are a little remote or for getting some different perspectives on places I already know so I won't really be doing professional video work.

5. I'm a bit confused by some of the deals at the moemnt. Some deals with an extra battery add €300 onto the cost of the machine on it's own. An extra battery is around the €150 mark so does an extra battery actually mean extra battery and charger supplied?

6. Have you a licence? This seems a grey area. I want the aircraft for recreational use in a rural area well away from any built up areas with plenty of land around me. I don't even plan on uplaoding footage to YouTube etc.

7. How do the batteries hold up over time? Have you had to replace batteries that wore out? Do you notice shortened flight time after a few months of useage?

8. The Advanced model seems like the sweet spot in the range right now with the benefit of the newer features without the outlay for the better camera. Is this an accurate assessment?

9. What's the resale market like? If I was to upgrade down the line is there a good trade in/reaale market for my current aircraft?

10. Anything else? Is there anything you wish you'd known before you'd bought yours that you now know? What don't you like about the aircraft? What do you really like?

Many thanks!

Villain

I just purchased a Phantom 3 advanced and based on my research so far this what I know:

1. A mate has as Phantom 2 Vision+ over a year now and still takes it out regularly for pleasure flying or to take photos or videos for friends.

2. Based on reviews it is but it is 2.4Ghz so line of sight is always recommended!

3. Yes you need to fly the path to set it, it does seem a pain but I suppose it is designed to prevent crashes based on missing something obvious during planning. I don't know of 3rd party apps or way to get around the 500m.

4. I don't think is worth the extra €300 and also editing 4K video takes a bloody powerful laptop or PC and also not many have 4K screens of TVs.

5. Ya the battery ones confused me too, I bought a second battery for £100 from Amazon. There is a deal at present on the Advanced and PRO where you get a free DJI hard shell carry bag which is nice.

6. No I don't, the IAA have a new registration policy from 21st of this month which requires all Drones over 1KG to be registered, it also prohibits flying within 30m of a person that you aren't in control of, or 120m of a group of more than 12 people of building of vehicle and also restricts flying above 120m.

7. No idea yet but I did on forums that some people have seen issues where if you have a short flight and say battery is at 80% and you don't use it for a few days then take it, it reads at 80% but it is actually less and Drones have fallen from the sky! So always assume batteries are zero when not used for a few days.

8. That was my assessment.

9. Based on some quick searching I did on sites online that sell second hand products the resale value seemed oddly high.

10. Just make sure you can fly it in comfort near home, e.g. I have about 3km to nearest house behind me so can fly it without any issue at home. Also 3 tips I picked up, never fly indoors (not worth it), always make sure GPS signal is good before flying and don't let anyone else fly unless they hand you €1100 in cash first

I'll post a thread once I get it out for its first flight, assuming the winds and rain take a break

Any questions feel free to ask.

squonk

Thanks Villain. Since posting I actually picked up the Phantom 3 Pro. Think you're spot on in your answers as I've figured out the same from owning a short while. I went for the pro because I'm not going to upgrade often and the 4K camera will come in to be more useful in a year or two. I'll shoot in 1080p for the moment as my iPad just won't handle video higher than 1080p well and my current computers will struggle with editing 4K video.

Had my first crashes today caused by a stiff breeze and the drone held up fairly well. Definitely takes a bit of getting used to. It's deceptively easy to fly but it can lull you into a false sense of security in that you find you aren't quite prepared when something goes wrong.

Great piece of gear though.

Villain

squonk wrote: »

Thanks Villain. Since posting I actually picked up the Phantom 3 Pro. Think you're spot on in your answers as I've figured out the same from owning a short while. I went for the pro because I'm not going to upgrade often and the 4K camera will come in to be more useful in a year or two. I'll shoot in 1080p for the moment as my iPad just won't handle video higher than 1080p well and my current computers will struggle with editing 4K video.

Had my first crashes today caused by a stiff breeze and the drone held up fairly well. Definitely takes a bit of getting used to. It's deceptively easy to fly but it can lull you into a false sense of security in that you find you aren't quite prepared when something goes wrong.

Great piece of gear though.

Excellent fair play, I have my Advanced now too but haven't gotten it off the ground yet, just upgraded the firmware.

Any videos of your first flights?

One other thing I did order a Gimble protector, only £7.99, its a bar that sits between the legs and protects the gimble and camera if you come down hard on uneven ground.

Let me know if you have any tips or tricks, and happy flying

squonk

Villain wrote: »

Excellent fair play, I have my Advanced now too but haven't gotten it off the ground yet, just upgraded the firmware.

Any videos of your first flights?

One other thing I did order a Gimble protector, only £7.99, its a bar that sits between the legs and protects the gimble and camera if you come down hard on uneven ground.

Let me know if you have any tips or tricks, and happy flying

Cheers Villain! Good tip on the protector. Where did you pick that up? You're where I was 2 weeks ago. Got the phantom inboxed but then had to update the firmware. Luckily I couldn't get the compass calibrated indoors which saved crashes and damage. They say it'll fly indoors but don't try it until you're really comfortable. To be honest for houses of the size you'll typically see in Ireland I'd say just fly outside! .

Keep the powder dry with the breezes at the moment. I found today that the breeze caught my phantom just after takeoff and it drifted into a wall. My fault because I had to start it up near the wall. Unfortunately grass is a bit long right now and it caused a Gimble Overload error on startup. All was ok last Saturday so I got panicked and thought I'd damaged it either last week or when I packed it away. Turns out it was the grass getting in the way.

Make sure you run through the settings before you start too. If you want good results first time out set gimble mode to Follow, not FPV. Also set Smart Return to home which will bring the drone back before you get past the point of no return for battery power. Check return to home too and make sure it actually works. Also set fail safe mode to return to home.

Return to home seems to get you the drone in the ballpark of your location but can be just off. My second crash today was because the drone came down in a field across the road from me rather than on my lawn.

Take your first few flights by yourself. Today my cousin happened to pass by and started asking me about the drone. It was hard to concentrate on what I was doing and that contributed to the crash. Take the time to learn how it flies yourself.

Range is great. Keep your first few flights reasonable nearby. The lesson I learned today was that I'd already gotten a bit panicked with the Gimble error, my first crash and got distracted by my cousin. I sent the drone on a circuit ranging to about 1.5Km out at its furthest point. I had line of sight but got disoriented. That was just the panic coming to a head. Return to home sorted me but in hindsight I should have just flown nearer hand or packed up til I was in better form. I've always flown at between 60 and 100m just to be safe.

Really, fly on a calm bright day the first while. You'll have a better experience overall. There's a lot to learn but you'll love it!

Villain

I ordered the gimble from Amazon, there was a few so read the reviews before ordering.

Cheers for the advice, while waiting for the weather to calm for the first flight I have been watching YouTube videos and while there are many of people in good winds without issue there are also a lot which end badly!

May just hope for some high pressure to come

squonk

Yeah having lots of open space nearby helps with windy flying. I'm not sure yet but I think I've learned too that windier conditions affect responsiveness. When my drone was on its way back yesterday it seemed to fly in a sideways-forward way, much like a plane touching down in crosswinds. I think the wind factor isn't worth factoring in early on really. Later this afternoon sounds ok for flying so hopefully you'll get going.