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Help me with a drone


RyanB

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So, like the rest of the world, I want a drone.  But I don't know much about them, other than spending (too much) time on YouTube and here watching the cool videos people put together.

The main thing I would like to do is the typical scenery shots, boating stuff (surfing and foiling).  And maybe to get some videos of my dog while he is pheasant hunting (need to check into the legalities of that).

It seems like most recommend the DJI Mavic Pro.  I have a ton of United miles, and thought this one here might be a good way to burn some of them.  https://www.mileageplusawards.com/ualoyrewards/productdetails?productCode=PRD138826&keyword=ZHJvbmU%3D&fromMile=0&isFromSearch=Y&selectedSortType=RELEVANCE&newFilterSelected=false&promotionFilterSelected=false&itemLocationFilter=LTE%3D#.WmtlqSOZPR0

Thoughts on it?  It looks like it has most of the additional accessories that people say you need.  If I went this way, what else would I really need?

What else do I need to know?

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Amazon recommends the Phantom 3 standard as the "best budget model." You should be able to find one at under 400 bucks. The video is really good, battery time is more than than 20 minutes and closer to 25 minutes.  The only thing I don't like about mine is that it's range is not very far. Once it gets out of sight, it is probably too far away and it starts to tell you that it is our of range.

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1 hour ago, RyanB said:

So, like the rest of the world, I want a drone.  But I don't know much about them, other than spending (too much) time on YouTube and here watching the cool videos people put together.

The main thing I would like to do is the typical scenery shots, boating stuff (surfing and foiling).  And maybe to get some videos of my dog while he is pheasant hunting (need to check into the legalities of that).

It seems like most recommend the DJI Mavic Pro.  I have a ton of United miles, and thought this one here might be a good way to burn some of them.  https://www.mileageplusawards.com/ualoyrewards/productdetails?productCode=PRD138826&keyword=ZHJvbmU%3D&fromMile=0&isFromSearch=Y&selectedSortType=RELEVANCE&newFilterSelected=false&promotionFilterSelected=false&itemLocationFilter=LTE%3D#.WmtlqSOZPR0

Thoughts on it?  It looks like it has most of the additional accessories that people say you need.  If I went this way, what else would I really need?

What else do I need to know?

Mavic is hands down the best action sports, take with you on the boat drone for sure. The fly more is a must, only thing else you would need would be a tablet to plug into your controller. I would recommend getting one with HDMI out so you can fly it FPV with goggle in the future (its awesome and so easy to get good camera shots). Also you might want to invest in a hard case, one more spare set of props and the landing gear extensions to keep the props higher of the ground when landing in rough terrain or damp grass.

 

Other than that the mavic is the go to.

  • Like 2
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new mavic air was released. smaller and better camera than the original mavic. shorter flight time and range though. cheaper and better sensors / more sensors / safe flying modes

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I ordered the Mavic Pro in my first post. Should be here in 10 business days. Which should give me enough time to play with it on land before I get the boat out. 

Come on summer!

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12 hours ago, alpensurf23 said:

How quiet are the new ones? I could here a friend's buzzing around even with wet sounds 10's cranked...

Mavic Pro Platinum is pretty quite for a drone that size.

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5 minutes ago, nohlan4 said:

Mavic Pro Platinum is pretty quite for a drone that size.

Thanks for the heads up I will recommend to friends. My only issue other than that with drones is when people do unauthorized fly bys. Might have to break out the old wrist rocket/ sling shot if keeps happening. The pics are cool when shared. Thanks again @nohlan4

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Mavic pro is noticeably quieter than spark and mavic  Air,

the smaller drones have a higher pitched frequency.

 

this guy does a good job comparing the 3 models, he’s just a little weird

Edited by Stevo
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1 hour ago, RyanB said:

@Stevo thanks for posting that comparison.  All 3 look like they would be good options, but I am happy with what I decided to buy.

Do yourself a favor and start watching the tutorial videos about setting up your camera and gimbal settings for optimal footage,

Flying the drone while sitting in a moving vessel while trying to frame a moving subject while maintaining proper exposure and focus can be a challenge. I’m still learning and I’ve had mine for a year

 

Edited by Stevo
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17 minutes ago, Stevo said:

 

Do yourself a favor and start watching the tutorial videos about setting up your camera and gimbal settings for optimal footage,

Flying the drone while sitting in a moving vessel while trying to frame a moving subject while maintaining proper exposure and focus can be a challenge. I’m still learning and I’ve had mine for a year

 

Thanks for the advice.  I have been doing some of that, but I do better learning when I can actually "do" it at the same time.

I am glad that I will have it with time to practice before we get out on the boat.  Right now my thought is baby steps.  First do some playing on land.  Then maybe try with my fishing boat while it is at least mostly stationary.  And then move to the Malibu.

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I’ve had mine for a season and trying to get everything set up on a moving boat with sun glaring down definitely isn’t the easiest. 

Next summer my goal is to use the auto fly more and get someone else to man it while I’m riding. 

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I have  Mavic Pro. Auto fly is the way to go. 

Also, the Platinums blades can be used on the Pro and you will get a bit less noise and maybe a little more efficiency. There was a guy on youtube who did a comparison on this. But you wont get the extra air time as there is a processor difference.

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Personally the active track feature I’m not impressed with and in almost every time I’ve used it, it loses the subject and just hovers in Place. And when you are skiing or at wakeboard speeds you can loose visual line of sight very fast. 

Ive had the best luck just manually flying and slowing the gimbal reaction speed down so the movements are smoother. Cinematic mode also helps but remember the brake or stopping function is dumbed down and you need more space 

im starting to use waypoints more and have created a few offline routes to test fly next time out

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  • 2 weeks later...

And one video.  I really need to figure out basics (like go home) before I do much more.  On a side note, I think I figured out my limitation on how far/fast I can run........

 

 

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1 hour ago, BlackBluMalibu said:

@RyanB, nice  1st video.  I purchased the Phantom 4 Pro and have put together some clips.  How do you post a movie?

Share to YouTube, either through iMovie or Final Cut Pro, or which ever you use. 

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Things to practice: try making slow sweeping turns and adjustments 

these YouTubers have good mavic instructionals Flyt Path, Dylan young, Peter McKinnon, 

As far as picture color and settings

- Mavic has a fixed aperture so on very sunny days (most days on the lake) you Picture can looked washed out. I initially purchased the DJI ND filters and regularly use the 8, and 16. But they are cheaply made and will be replaced them with the Taco or Polar pro.

Set your white balance using the sunny, cloudy, fluorescent etc

ideally you want your shutter speed around 50% of your ISO , but without ND filters this will be tough on sunny days.

 

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I bought polar pro filters, definitely worth the money. Only thing is if they aren’t clipped on properly the footage can be crap. 

I was told to fly strictly with the right control stick which makes for a much smoother flight. 

 

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@Stevo, so I did a little photo editing yesterday.  Part of my problem is that I am not changing the settings before I fly because I am impatient and just want to get out there.  My travel this week is going to be cold, so I might bring the drone and try playing more with the setting as I won't have as much incentive to stand outside flying.

The photos are still getting washed out, so I need to use a filter.  But I am not sure on that as when I took a photo on the ground, the colors were not bad.

 

Photo near the ground (which I don't think is terribly washed out).

eaBzZH1.jpg

 

And then in flight.

9SYtpYl.jpg

 

CuMnzAD.jpg

 

tLaBdy9.jpg

 

 

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Mavic Pro 2 is said to be releasing in March 2018 for any users looking through this thread and contemplating a purchase soon.

Could be a good opportunity to pick up the original Mavic Pro at a discount or to upgrade to the newest tech. 

@RyanB - looks like you are enjoying the new toy. like anything else, a bit of practice and playtime will have you ready to go by boating season =)

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36 minutes ago, RyanB said:

@Stevo, so I did a little photo editing yesterday.  Part of my problem is that I am not changing the settings before I fly because I am impatient and just want to get out there.  My travel this week is going to be cold, so I might bring the drone and try playing more with the setting as I won't have as much incentive to stand outside flying.

The photos are still getting washed out, so I need to use a filter.  But I am not sure on that as when I took a photo on the ground, the colors were not bad.

 

Photo near the ground (which I don't think is terribly washed out).

eaBzZH1.jpg

 

And then in flight.

9SYtpYl.jpg

 

CuMnzAD.jpg

 

tLaBdy9.jpg

 

 

It has to do with the amount of light in the picture

the picture low by the house doesn’t have the focal range of a full skyline or reflective light off the grass or water like the others.

it just takes a lot of practice, I’m no pro by any means and had little photography knowledge prior to owning the mavic , but I have caught the photo bug and I do enjoy tinkering and trying to find the best type of shot , framing, exposure etc. I may have gone overboard helping my daughter with her 4th grade California Mission project , filming in 4K with time lapses, overhead drone shots , and handheld gimbal 1st person narrative. 

if the mavic 2 has an adjustable aperture like the phantom 4 I will probably upgrade.

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