Inspire 2, Mavic, phantom 4 pro, which is the easiest one to set up?

When you have Inspire 2, Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro in hand, what to do with them?

Have fun flying, of course.

But which one is truly ready-to-fly?

With embedded screen on controller, Phantom 4 Pro is much faster to set up than the rest.

All in all, with so many drones this year, which is the best?

Portable, unexpected Mavic Pro? Xiaomi’s drone with bracelet?

Or Inspire 2 that raced with Tesla and Audi? (Link here)

We’d like to hear your thought on【Drone of 2016】

Vote for:

DJI-Phantom 4

DJI-Phantom 4 Pro

DJI-Mavic Pro

DJI-Inspire 2

Xiaomi- Mi drone

Zero Tech-Dobby

Yuneec-Breeze

Yuneec-Typhoon H

GoPro-Karma

Zero Zero Robotics-Hover Camera

Tecent-Ying

Flypro- XEagle Pro

Liveman F1

Feima Robotics- J.Me

PowerVision- Power Egg

DJI- Agras MG-1S

DJI- M600 Pro

Xaircraft- P20

Others

What do you expect for drones in 2017?

What makes your choice the drone of 2016?

Leave comments and tell us your story with drones.

 

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What’s been improved in the camera of Phantom 4 Pro?

DJI, as the leading drone manufacturer of the industry, kept launching new products throughout 2016. In November 15, DJI updated its two major product lines: Phantom and Inspire by launching the latest Phantom 4 Pro as well the long-anticipated Inspire 2.

I have done a lot of reviews on these two amazing drones as soon as I got my hands on them, and this review is going to focus on the camera of Phantom 4 Pro, to see how much it has been improved comparing to its predecessor.

Appearance: there is nothing changed in terms of the shape and color of Phantom 4 Pro’s gimbal, but the size is bigger, meaning a ND filter used on P4 cannot be used on P4P anymore.

Image sensor: the image sensors in all previous Phantoms are 1/2.3 inch. But Phantom 4 Pro is the first Phantom to use a 1 inch sensor, whose size is almost twice as the previous ones, and it’s also one of the greatest improvements to P4P’s camera.

Resolution: upgraded sensor means higher resolution, which is up to 20 megapixel in Phantom 4 Pro. Compared with Phantom 4’s 12 megapixel, P4P’s size of a single pixel increases from 1.55μm to 2.4μm, bringing higher signal-to-ratio and wider dynamic range.

As you can see, image shot by Phantom 4 Pro has more details and sharper edges, all these make the image cleaner and clearer.

We took the same image test card with both P4 and P4P, and this is how they look 1000% larger.

Note: due to limited conditions and we didn’t put the entire test card in the frame, the numbers in the pictures cannot reflect two cameras’ actual resolution. But considering P4 and P4P shared the same situation, at least we can see the difference of resolution between these two cameras in a qualitative instead of a quantitative way.

This is the image of a building after being magnified. We can see that Phantom 4 Pro was able to capture more details, such as the reflection on the glass.

Image shot by Phantom 4 Pro has more details and sharper edges, all these make the image cleaner and clearer.

Low light performance: as the size of each pixel in Phantom 4 Pro increases, so does the amount of light captured by each pixel, resulting in less noise of an image. When shooting photos, Phantom 4’s adjustable ISO range is 100-1600, while P4P is up to 100-12800. Below are screenshots from a 4K video taken by P4P, without post processing.

Screenshot by P4P 4k 30p ISO 1600

Screenshot by P4P 4k 30p ISO 1600

We compared the two drones’ performance in low light environment under the same ISO setting. The two jepg images below are shot by Phantom 4 and Phantom 4 Pro respectively.

Because ISO 1600 is the best Phantom 4 can do, the following images with higher ISO are from Phantom 4 Pro only.

Moiré: moiré pattern occurs when a scene or an object that is being photographed contains repetitive details (such as lines, dots, etc) that exceed the sensor resolution. As a result, the camera produces a strange-looking wavy pattern as see below. Moiré can be effectively reduced by installing a low pass filter in a digital camera, but this will also impact the sharpness of the images it shoots.

As the test result shows, both Phantom 4 and Phantom 4 Pro did a great job in controlling moiré. No moiré is shown below, despite the density of buildings in the pictures, and the ones shot by P4P has clearer lines.

P4 iso 100 f2.8 1/700s RAW

P4P iso 100 F5.6 1/320s RAW

Note: the purpose of the above two photos is to show P4 and P4P’s performance in reducing moiré. Though the exposure and color temperature differs, they are insignificant, since the two factors don’t have any effect on moiré.

Auto Focus (AF): AF is a new feature in Phantom 4 Pro. Unlike Phantom 4, whose focus extends to infinity, P4P has a built-in AF lens through which you can tap the screen of your mobile device to focus as see below:

Adjustable aperture: Phantom 4 Pro has adjustable aperture with a range of f2.8-f11. Compared to Phantom 4’s fixed aperture, having an adjustable aperture means when ideal exposure is not possible by adjusting shutter speed in strong lights, you can still realize it by adjusting aperture.

Mechanical shutter: for the first time, mechanical shutter is built into Phantom 4 Pro, supporting a maximum 1/2000s shutter speed, which can be lifted to 1/8000s with electronic shutter. So when the shutter speed is higher than 1/2000s, P4P will automatically shift to electronic shutter. But mechanical shutter can significantly reduce jello effect and distortion when shooting fast moving objects, as it’s shown in the two photos below, where the blades of the fan are totally distorted shooting with Phantom 4’s electronic shutter.

For you information, I’d like to make some explanation of the difference between mechanical shutters and electronic shutters.

Mechanical shutter: definition

Electronic shutter

• Rolling shutter (CMOS, DJI): definition
• Global shutter (CCD): definition

Why does Phantom 4 Pro use mechanical shutter—cut distortion when shooting high speed moving objects (explain how) (though not much a difference in terms of video shooting)

4K slow motion shooting: 4K(4096×2160) 60p slow motion shots are now available with Phantom 4 Pro. Since high resolution, high frame rate and high dynamic range are the trends of the development of digital cameras, it’s very impressive that as small-sized as P4P camera can shoot 4K@60p videos at 100Mbps.

H.265 coding format: the new H.265 video coding standard has been added to P4P’s image processing system.

H.265, upgraded from H.264, is a new video coding standard launched by ITU-T VCEG. It has higher compression efficiency, and keeps an excellent image quality under a relatively high compression rate.

But H.265 does have drawbacks. For example, the H265 encoder isn’t compatible with many post processing software, including AE, PR, Edius , DaVici Resolve, FCP.

Conclusion: Phantom 4 Pro’s camera has been greatly improved in terms of image sensor, resolution, frame rate and low/high light performance, which is a good alternative for individuals and small size aerial photography studios who really care about image quality.

 

 

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Hover Camera specs,price

Thanks to the little gadget Hover Camera which is designed to take selfies and capture videos, you could say goodbye to your selfie sticks.

A drone equipped with a 13 megapixel camera and 4K videos that allows you to capture 4K ultra-high-definition video, as well as 13-megapixel images, putting it about on par with Apple’s iPhone 6s lens, capture a selfie photo or a whole group easy with the Hover Camera, no need to control with its AI, it uses facial and body recognition to adjust to users orientation.

The Hover Camera is easy to use, unfold it, then let it go and it hovers automatically, powered by a Qualcomm SnapDragon 801 2.3 Ghz Quadcore processor, it calculates its location and orientation with its sensors, capture precise image with its electronic image stabilization. The drone is safe to use and durable as its propeller is enclose in safety casing a fiver carbon enclosure that is safe even for kids.

As with most small drones, battery life appears to be the biggest downside at just up to 7 minutes per charge. The batteries are easily swapped out by simply sliding off the top.

The Hover Camera Passport is currently available for $599.99 with the extra battery pack running $44.99.

Below are the specs of the Hover Camera:

• 13 MP photos and 4K video
• hover as high as 164 feet or 50 meters
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
• 360 Pano mode
• Electronic Image Stabilization
• carbon-fiber framework
• 32GB internal memory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Xiaomi mi drone 4K review

Xiaomi has released Xiaomi smartphones, Xiaomi earphone, Xiaomi tablet pc, Xiaomi miband, etc at the most competitive price.Its first drone Xiaomi Mi drone bundled with specs at a price point so low, it might give the DJI quadcopters a run for their money.

Camera

The Xiaomi Mi drone has two variants, the 4k and the 1080p variant.

• 4k: 12.4 megapixel Sony sensor, with an Ambarella image processor and can shoot 4k (3,840×2,160-pixel resolution) at 30fps.
• 1080p: 16.4 megapixel Sony sensor and an Ambarella image processor and can shoot 1080p video at 60 fps.

Autonomous Flying

Similar to the Phantom 4, the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K allows for autonomous flying. Just like TapFly, you can control where your drone goes with the tap of a finger. Open up the map and point where you want it to go. Not only that, but you also tell it what to film from your phone.

Surrounded flight is among one of its most exciting features. From your phone you can tell the Mi drone to fly in a circle around a selected object. It will continuously fly in a 360 motion focusing the camera on a subject. How cool is that? Imagine balling out on a yacht while your quadcopter captures the glory. One day!

Preset Routes

More and more drones are implementing route planning. You can preset your settings to craft a flight line. This will give you a smooth flight and allow for amazing photography. It has automatic takeoff and landing. If the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K gets out of its 3m range, it will come back on its own.

You also have the option to bring it back at any time with a single button. Just make sure your quadcopter is calibrated! God forbid you accidentally crash, the drone is constantly being tracked. This will allow you to easily find your quad.

Battery and Flight Time

Xiaomi is claiming that the Mi Drone 4K has a flight time of 27 minutes on a 5100mAh, 5S LiHV battery. However, you can deplete battery life at a much faster rate when using features such as automatic departure and return. It comes with a 17.4V 5199 mAh rechargeable battery that takes about three and a half hours to charge. Just like most other quads, we recommend buying a backup or two. Driving to the perfect spot may take some time and it would be a pain to go back and forth charging one battery.

Price

The Mi Drone’s 1080p variant will retail for $380 and the 4k variant will retail for $460 (in China).

The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K, given its features, is a fully equipped drone and is great for amateur drone users. It also cost less than existing high-priced drones with almost the same specifications.

 

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Mavic Pro hardcore test-Video

We have all seen Mavic Pro flight test before. Test on Youtube to see how our favorite drones will react under extreme and unreal circumstances. The DigitalRev TV took an excerpt of Mavic Pro flight test and show you the highlights.

Apparently DJI Mavic can fly even in the worst conditions, but don’t you take this as a recommendation! Please don’t do all that bad stuff to your Mavic Pro!

 

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Parrot bebop vs DJI Phantom 3 comparison of my experience with both

Since I now have both, a Parrot bebop 2 and a DJI Phantom 3(advanced) i thought it might interest some to read a quick comparison of my experience with both.

Flight characteristic/stability/speed

In fairness, I think both are impressive. The Phantom 3 is heavier, has more inertia and you feel that, but on the other hand, its more stable too. It can descend much faster and without wobbling, the GPS position and altitude hold also seems to work even more accurately. Parrot bebop 2 is good enough here for me. Maybe when doing time lapses it matters, otherwise, not so much. The bebop is a more nimble, and because its so light and small, its more fun to toss around without worrying too much.

Video/photo quality

It won’t surprise anyone the Phantom 3 wins this handily. The camera, particularly of the advanced version I have, is WAY better. Even when shooting in the same resolution and frame rate as the Parrot Bebop, its so much sharper and with more detail.  Its like comparing a gopro hero black with a 720p keychain cam. No more blurry trees or grass, everything is razor sharp and shooting in 60FPS makes it oh so much more smooth. The gimbal also just works a lot better than the electronic stabilization, particularly when tilting/panning. On my first landing, I managed to tip the phantom over. On the video, you cant even see that anything happened. If the video of the phantom is clearly superior, still images are in a different league all together. Yeah, same megapixels, everything else is beyond comparison. But you probably already knew that. One major disadvantage of the Phantom 3 for me is the minimal interval time of 5 seconds. When doing mapping, 5 seconds is too long and I end up waiting or slowing down a lot for the camera.

Range and endurance

I haven’t fully range tested the Phantom 3 yet. But I’ve gone out about 1km with no impact on reception at all, video remained completely smooth and free of artifacts. That’s despite missing one antenna. The resolution with lightbridge may also be better, but I’m using a 5″ phone right now, so I would lie if I said I noticed. I do notice the reduced lag. Light bridge really works pretty well, I have to admit. Using the skycontroller, I generally found the range of the Parrot Bebop to be more than adequate. It does suffer a lot more from freezes/artifacts at > 3-500m, but Id still call it good enough. The latency is more annoying in my opinions, lightbridge is much closer to an analog FPV experience. Closer than I would have thought.

As for endurance, the surprise winner there is actually the Parrot Bebop. It comes much closer to its advertised flight times than my Phantom, which only lasts 18 minutes in my tests. In fairness, that was in windy conditions, and I have a crashed one with one motor that’s turning a bit rough and that will be replaced. Maybe a new motor will increase flight times.

Features/flight modes

In general, the Phantom 3 is a much more complicated platform with a ton of features that you may or may not find useful. A few things that stand out for me because I missed them on the Parrot Bebop: POI circling mode. This truly helps making cinematic shots. And is very useful for my photogrammetry experiments. I’m also delighted to discover the Phantom 3 has a FPV mode for the gimbal, that makes it roll in turns, which can make dynamic flight shots all the more, well, dynamic RTH, flight mode and navigation features are a lot further developed, to the point where I actually had to read the manual to figure it out.

Robustness

Neither platform is a real winner in this regard, they both are fragile. My Parrot Bebop wouldn’t take a 3 meter drop on grass without the cross frame breaking, the Phantom 3 I bought had suffered a slightly more serious crash, but the damage was also a lot more substantial. Particularly the camera gimbal is unbelievably fragile. On mine, one of the alu gimbal arms was bent by nearly 45 degree. I couldn’t imagine what crash it would take to do that, since its normally protected by the landing gear, until I tried straightening it. The aluminium bends almost as easily as rubber. Except that it breaks, where rubber doesn’t. I’ll still grant the Parrot Bebop this category if for no other reason than that repairs are a lot cheaper. Most of parrots spare parts are actually reasonably priced.

Portability

What you see is what you get in this regard. When paired with the skycontroller, the Parrot Bebop requires about as much space as the Phantom + controller. Of course the drone itself is in a league of its own for compactness, so if you don’t use a SC, easy win for the Bebop. Fun fact: the Phantom controller is almost as small as the Bebop, and the skycontroller comparably large as the Phantom 3.

Price

Now the Phantom 3 Advanced version is $699 and Phantom 3 Standard costs $499,while the Parrot Bebop 2(white) is $499.

So which one should you buy?

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