Why I ended up going with the Phantom 3 Standard?

I did a lot of research when deciding on what drone to buy. I ended up going with the Phantom 3 Standard due to US government regulations: you can’t fly more than 400 feet in the air or make your drone beyond your line of sight, which made it unnecessary for me to buy a super high-end drone if I couldn’t use it to its full extent. So I just needed something with a decent camera and a good control.

My Phantom 3 Standard arrived on time. You can detach the quadcopter’s battery from the quadcopter and charge it separately. Meanwhile, the controller also needs to be charged. You stick your smartphone in a clamp at the top of the controller the way you may put it in a holder on the top of your car dashboard for map directions.

The quadcopter comes with stickers so you can replace the red bands. At first I didn’t know how to use it so I wasted my bands by putting them on top of the red ones, not realizing I could remove the red bands first. I ruined my pink bands that way.

Some random facts for people who have never owned a drone:
-You can’t use these to spy on people because they’re loud. Not leaf-blower loud (thank goodness), but hair dryer loud. A lot of people who don’t own drones talk about using them to spy on people so that’s why I brought it up.
-You do have to register your drone, but it was 5 bucks and the registration lasts 3 years so I wasn’t bothered.
-It is fairy light. The weight of a filled coke bottle or so. When I carry it around I can stick my arm through the leg handles as if it were a weird plastic handbag.

As for flight, the quadcopter has its own SSID when you turn it on. You go into your phone, connect to the SSID, and that connects your phone to the quadcopter. You go into the DJI GO app and you will see a livestream through the app.

Now, nothing can be poking your camera. That means a completely flat surface, not grass, because the grass will keep the camera from turning which then means the drone automatically will not fly. It took me a while to figure that out. That can be annoying when you’re testing it out in a park so I wish there were a way to override that and say go ahead and fly anyway (or maybe there already is? I have my drone on beginner mode).

Flying is automatic. You drag your finger across a bar on the screen and the Phantom 3 Standard rises on its own. Landing is the same way–your drone can be a few hundred feet in the air and you just have to slide your finger across the screen and it descends slowly and carefully. In that sense it’s idiot-proof, although once I flew the drone into a wall on a windy day so it’s not completely idiot-proof, heh. Nothing broke but the propellers got a little scratched up, there’s a black smudge that I can’t get rid of no matter how hard I rub with soapy wet cloth.

The battery lasted me maybe up to 30 minutes but it starts shutting down at around 30%. I get a good 20 minutes of flight out of it though. I find myself staring at the phone’s live feed. The live feed lets you either take pictures or start recording a video, so I like to fly up and then slowly turn the drone with the video recording on. I don’t know whether I can include sound, as all my videos have been silent, but there are a lot of features so maybe I haven’t discovered it yet. Best of all the live feed measures the height and distance from the controller you are holding: that way you can see whether your drone is 100, 200, 300 feet in the air and you don’t break government regulations. I don’t dare fly above 200 because I’m paranoid it will stop receiving signals from my controller.

You can also put a radius limit so that if you try to take your Phantom 3 Standard beyond that distance it will not go any further. If you keep trying to make it go beyond that point it will simply hover in place. Great protection for a newbie like me.

Now, the wind can screw things up for you because the Phantom 3 is fairly light. The wind once blew my Phantom 3 into a wall, another time into a bush. Thankfully both accidents happened pretty low so then Phantom 3 fell only a few feet. The actual quadcopter is fine, only the propellers are a bit scratched up.

Overall it’s an excellent product, I just wish I lived somewhere where I have more excuses to use it.

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Does DJI Phantom 3 SE Crush Xiaomi drone 4K Dreams?

DJI recently released Phantom 3 SE and now you can preorder one for a promotional price of RMB 2999 (The regular price is RMB 3499) before March 31. Our editor was considering getting a Xiaomi drone 4K but ended up of turning to a SE. In this post we would like to talk about these two eye-catching entry-level drones – the DJI Phantom 3 SE and Xiaomi drone 4K.

Appearance

The Phantom 3 SE inherits the classic design of the Phantom series, and the Xiaomi drone 4K is no different with the 1080P version except for the newly added golden ornament.

The improvements of Mi Drone (4K version) in appearance are its quick release propellers and foldable landing gears, however, it doesn’t come with a professional backpack which is a drawback. The Phantom 3 SE is built on the base of previous products, it is compatible with multiple accessories and fit with a series of professional backpack DJI launched.

4K Image Quality & 3-Axis Mechanical Gimbal

Aerial photography is the major selling point of today’s consumer drones.

Both of these two drones carry 4K cameras with aperture F2.8 and FOV 94°, are capable of recording 4K video and 12M stills, the shooting performance outperform most consumer drones in the market.

From my experiences of flying DJI Phantom series, I can tell that basically the Phantom families are almost the same with each other, and the Phantom 3 SE can also shoot cinematic videos.

The two drones are equipped with 3-Axis mechanical gimbals, which are more reliable than those built with the electronic anti-shake technologies, but the ultimate shooting performance of these two still needs to be seen. The image distortion of Mi Drone (1080P) is really terrible, I wonder if the 4k version has solved this problem.

4km Video Transmission

How far can a Wi-Fi video transmission system reach? Both Phantom 3 SE and Xiaomi drone 4K can transmit video away from 4 km (FCC compliant), but Mi Drone’s 5G frequency band beats the Phantom 3 SE in anti-interference performance.

Restricted Flight Distance: 500m

Restricted Flight Altitude: 120 m

What surprises me the most is the 500m restricted flight distance and 120m restricted flight altitude showing on the Mi Drone’s specification web page, are you kidding me? I am not buying a drone just to fly it indoors!

The maximum restricted flight altitude of the Phantom 3 SE is 500m, and the maximum service ceiling above sea level can even reach 6000m, plus the controllable distance is of 4000m, allowing me to take it in mountain climbing and fly it far. I hope the Mi Drone can loosen the restriction on the flight distance and altitude in its following products.

Flight Time of 25 min VS 26 min

The maximum flight time of the Phantom 3 SE is 25 minutes, while the 26 minute flight time of the Xiaomi drone 4K put itself in an intermediate level position among consumer drones. But if its actual flight time lasts that long still remains to be tested.

What you can’t ignore is the “Beginner Mode” in Mi Drone, the drone is automatically locked in “Beginner Mode” in your first 300 minute flight, if a battery can really ensure a 26 min flight, you will have to fly almost 12 times to exit the Beginner Mode….. it is so inconvenient and it’s one of the things that Mi Drone users are complaining about. I don’t know if this 4K version spares experienced pilots from the Beginner Mode.

Dual IMUs and Dual Compasses

Last year not long after the shipment of Mi Done 1080p version, crash accidents began to occur frequently, the poor performance of anti-interference and robustness in flight controllers, less powerful propulsion system were calmed to be the main reasons to these crashes, so last year Xiaomi offered its users “Free Maintenance” services (Free replacements with more powerful motors), which was essentially a recall.

This time in 4K version, Mi Drone adopts enhanced dual IMUs and compasses, thus the flight safety can be increased theoretically, but I would like to give it a violent test on its real performance. While the Phantom 3 SE inherits the same flight controllers and sensors in Phantom 3 series, there is no question of its reliability. (I really feel like comparing these two drones through violent tests.)

Both drones adopt vision positioning technologies, the Phantom 3 SE is able to hover indoors without GPS, however, when I flew Mi Drone last year, it failed to take off when GPS is less than 14 signals, I am not sure if the Mi Drone 4K can take off indoors and hover in place only relying on its downward vision system.

Aftersales Service

I think for beginners, the most common problem they have is crashing the drones before actually grasping the skills of how to fly them…Xiaomi’s drone forum was filled with all kinds of aftersales complaints last year, the company just didn’t expect that the aftersales of drones is such a troublesome problem. I even heard that an insurance company almost went bankruptcy due to its business on drone insurance.

But I do think the DJI Care for the Phantom 3 SE is very useful, especially for beginners, you don’t have to argue with an aftersales representative after a crash, just pay for extra RMB 399 and you will get a new drone, this DJI Care service costs only RMB 800 and it ensures you a worry-free flight, maybe it seems unnecessary for experienced pilots, but it is really a great deal for beginners.

Others

It’s obvious that the Phantom 3 SE is launched to compete with Xiaomi drone 4K because the functionalities of both drones are almost the same, but one is from a well-known brand “DJI”, the other is from a new brand “Xiaomi”, both of their target consumers are beginners, I am super curious that is Xiaomi really be prepared for this competition?

The live broadcasting of Mi Drone launch in May last year was really impressing, because the drone crashed in front of millions of audients, and the 1080P version wasn’t ready for sale until November, the 4K version was supposed to be on the market in last July but being postposed to today, what was happening during this period? I think what Xiaomi’s the engineers were busy with is fixing bugs while DJI kept launching Mavic, Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2…

Apparently Xiaomi doesn’t have any advantages on high end drones, so the Xiaomi drone 4K is positioned as the best cheap entry-level drone, but we need to be aware that a drone can be a very dangerous product, manufacturers can’t ignore the reliability and safety of a drone just because it’s for beginners. By the way, stay tuned for our next violent tests! I will show you if the Xiaomi drone 4K is worth for the money and if the DJI Phantom 3 SE can continue to be a success.

 

 

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Phantom 3 SE vs Xiaomi Mi drone 4K:entry-level drone at war

DJI has just released a somewhat brand new drone called the Phantom 3 SE, while the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K will go on sale at March 3. Many people maybe not sure which one to go with, we’ve decided to do a comparison of features and specs.

MAXIMUM SPEED

The Phantom 3 SE has a claimed top speed of 57 km/h, while the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K can fly up to 57.6km/h.

Winner: Xiaomi Mi drone 4K

MAX FLIGHT TIME

The DJI Phantom 3 SE can fly for 25 minutes, and the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K can fly for up to 26 minutes.

Winner: Xiaomi Mi drone 4K

MAX DISTANCE

Both of them have claimed a max distance of 4km.

Winner: Tie

CAMERA

Both the DJI Phantom 3 SE camera and the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K are capable of 4K video. The former is capable of shooting both JPEG and DNG photos, while the latter could shoot JPEG and RAW photos.

We won’t know how the image quality of the cameras compare until they’re pitted against one another.

Winner: Uncertain (for now)

STABILIZER

Both drones feature a gimbal for 3-axis stabilization.

Winner: Tie

INTELLIGENT FLIGHT MODES

The Phantom 3 SE will return to you at the press of a button.Built-in GPS records your Phantom’s takeoff point and remember it as you fly. Then at your command, or if the control signal is ever lost, your Phantom comes back to you instantly.

There are also the drone-standard features you would expect, including takeoff, landing, return to home and point of interest functionality.

Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K has an auto-pilot feature included along with the easy to use flight controls. It has automatic takeoff and is also capable of landing and returning to you with just a simple command from the handheld controls.

Winner: Uncertain (for now)

PRICE

The Phantom 3 SE costs $430 while The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K costs $460.

Winner: Phantom 3 SE

Conclusion

Both of them are entry-level drone with an afforable price. DJI is the old brand and professional, but Xiaomi drone is one of the new players in the drone industry. So consider well before buying.

 

 

 

 

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Parrot Bebop 2 vs Phantom 3 Standard:The choice may come down to…

The Phantom 3 Standard has a famous reputation for being an affordable all-rounder and quite frankly it is the best choice that can be made. The Parrot Bebop 2 on the other hand is most certainly a very well thought out machine. Both of them are fit for beginners, are lightweight and compact and deliver 25mins flight time according to the drone companies. Both drones can fly faster than the 15 m/s average (36 mph) and have the same flight features. So which one you’ll be purchasing?

Design&Remote Control

Coming to the more hardware oriented side of things is where the Parrot Bebop 2 really starts to shine like the little gem it really is!  The Bebop features a feather light (almost 400g) fully reinforced ABS molded quadcopter frame and finished off with a very light yet extremely durable EPP (expanded-polypropolene) foam body that protects the parrot p7 dual-core CPU and quad-core GPU with its internal 8GB flash memory built onto a magnesium shelf that essentially acts as a cooling plate that shields all software from electromagnetic interference!

The Parrot Bebop 2 has all of its function buttons layed out on an app which is a bit too crowded to concentrate on everything that’s going on. Some of the functions, like the Emergency button, is well marked and at the middle-top of the tablet on the app. All the other nice features that can be utilised when filming or just when flying for fun require going into different menu’s while flying which is not very user-friendly.

The Bebop 2 does become a very well tamed machine once the use of the Parrot skycontroller is incorperated and is definitely a neccessity if you plan on filming with the Bebop. It can be flown directly from the Parrot freeflight3 app (which is free) but is much harder to fly by use of the accelerometer on your tablet or smartphone. The one other issue with flying the Bebop from the App itself is that the drone will only fly as far as the WiFi connection will allow between the drone and the apple or android device.

The Phantom 3 Standard on the other hand, has a iconic white plastic body. It is a very good machine to learn on due it’s gimbal and camera being removable and of course the size of it. It’s a large drone but it is big enough to handle wind quite nicely. It’s GPS system works very well and has all the function buttons marked with nice icons in a very comfortable and easy to operate layout for the user.

The remote control reminds me of a scaled-down version of the one that shipped with the Phantom 2 Vision+. It’s streamlined, so there’s no need for a separate Wi-Fi extension module, and the AA batteries are replaced by an internal rechargeable battery. A micro USB port sits at the bottom to recharge. Four LED lights indicate the charge level, and a single power switch turns it on. A clamp sits on a metal rail to hold your smartphone—it’s big enough to hold an iPhone 6 Plus, but it can’t handle a tablet like the remote for other Phantom 3 models can.

Range

Parrot Bebop 2: 300m (2000m with skycontroller )

Phantom 3 Standard: 1000m

Camera

The Phantom 3 Standard records footage at 2.7K (1520p) resolution at 30fps or 24fps with a 40Mbps bit rate. The Standard tops out at 48fps when shooting at 1080p, but can shoot at 50fps or 60fps at 720p. All standard lower frame rates—24fps, 25fps, and 30fps—are supported for those resolutions.

Image quality is on par with the Phantom 3 Professional and Advanced. The 1/2.3-inch sensor captures 12-megapixel JPG or Raw DNG images at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Image quality is similar to a point-and-shoot camera with Raw support.

While the Parrot Bebop 2 boasts a 14-megapixel camera that can capture 1080p video. For capturing images and video, the Bebop 2 takes a different approach than most drones: it uses a fisheye lens attached to the nose instead of an external camera mounted on a gimbal. Instead of using a remote to manually pan and tilt a camera, you can shift your focus within the wide field of view generated by the fisheye, a trick accomplished through software.

The Bebop 2 has done a nice job improving the quality of video when you are panned straight down to the ground, a viewpoint that is unique to aerial filming and can produce some magical results over interesting terrain.

Unfortunately, the camera itself hasn’t been upgraded much. When you compare the blurry, compressed footage to what some pilots shot at identical locations with camera from Phantom 3 Standard, the Bebop is clearly far inferior.

( Video via Patrick Jourdheuille )

Price

the Parrot Bebop 2 is priced at $483 and $549 with FPV Bundle, while the Phantom 3 Standard is $499.

The last choice may come down to the camera and price.

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To anyone thinking the Phantom 3 Standard is substandard

The Phantom 3 Standard review is from Amazon.

THE GOOD: To anyone thinking the Phantom 3 Standard is substandard. I own one and love it. It is the perfect drone for a first-time pilot, and I know several experienced pilots who buy the Phantom 3 as backup drones. The main limitation of the Standard is that the range it can fly is about half of the higher up models, and it uses fewer GPS signals and has no downward looking visual “eye” like the Advanced and Pro, so it will drift more up down and sideways (but not a whole lot) and not land quite as accurately at the take off point automatically. I give mine a 15-foot radius for safety in landings and sometimes it will land 10-12 feet from take-off point on auto-land. Advanced and Pro stay within 2-6 feet usually. The controller is more limited with older technology. BUT the Phantom 3 standard flies just as fast, and as high, takes just as good video and pics and is just as much fun as the $1000 models for 1/3 the price. In the beginning, you always want to fly within line of sight (Standard’s limitations keeps you there) and legally you are ALWAYS supposed to fly line of sight.

THE BAD: DJI leads a new user to believe all the built-in guidance system will do everything for you from takeoff to landing. And it will, until it doesn’t. That will happen, not and if – it is a when… you have 3 sensitive components talking to each other (controller / drone / smartphone) using both Wi-Fi and radio, plus very sensitive onboard compass and GPS. This overly complicated plumbing will fail at some point and it can happen even a few feet away. At that point, you need to switch to manual control immediately – and hope you have time. I have had compass errors happen 3 feet off the ground in auto land and the dreaded “crazy flying meat slicer with 4 exposed blades” needed to be grabbed by the landing gear to stop it from hitting things as it got confused and would not respond to the controller. By the way: A pair of chef’s slice proof gloves is a great idea at take offs and landings, don’t ask how I know.

RULE NUMBER ONE: Always be prepared for the unexpected! Like flying a private plane the phrase “hours of calm punctuated with seconds of panic” applies here. Best advice for new pilots – learn to do everything manually first – especially landing – because at some point you will need that skill and need it FAST! Also never ignore the long boring preflight compass calibration. I do it every time I set up for flight. Not only does it recalibrate your compass – more importantly – it warns you if there are magnetic disturbances. If there are – my advice is pack it up and move elsewhere, or fly totally on manual control. Ignore any of those warning at your own risk. Compass or GPS warnings for a new pilot mean WAIT or RELOCATE.

SAFETY: Never forget how dangerous these drones are. 3 pounds with spinning blades plummeting from 400 feet is a deadly weapon. Don’t fly over people or roads. Warn folks near by to be aware of the drone. A drone, under the right set of circumstances with a simple malfunction could kill a pet or a human. It’s like owning a gun, be responsible or don’t own it. Never do like these YouTube folks and fly it miles away to see how far it can go or push the limits to see how fast you can swoop over a crowd of people. That is inviting disaster.

THE MIDDLING – should the worst happen with the Phantom 3 Standard, and you make a fatal flying error – more likely when a new pilot – then you are out only $400 or so max, instead of a grand, and actually less if you sell the remaining controller and battery etc. on eBay. Every piece of a DJI is worth money and easy to sell, so pick up the pieces if you can. If you can find your crashed drone DJI may fix it under warranty if it was the drone’s fault, but don’t count on it. DJI at this point in time has horrible support, if that changes, it would be wonderful. I would buy a 3rd party crash warranty over DJI’s coverage any day of the week, if that is important to you.

NICE PART: Battery lasts longest of all the DJI P3 models in the Standard version by 2 – 3 minutes because of fewer sensors. If you step up to a Phantom 3 Pro – batteries and case can come along (But not Phantom 4) and at $100 plus per battery, that is good news. Eventually you will want 3 or 4 batteries so you can fly an about hour with juice to spare for landings, trust me.

BOTTOM LINE: Most of the “Bad” I listed applies to any drone, from $49 to $5000. You can watch at least 3 videos on YouTube of folks crashing $3000 DJI Vision Drones on their very first flight, despite the Vision having much more tech and more sensors and collision avoidance. Sensors or not, if you tell it to go into a wall because you are disoriented and unfamiliar with the controls, it’s going to do what you say. This sad story happens every day. This is why I don’t encourage a new drone pilot to drop a grand or more on a first drone. Fly a while first and you will never get that disorientation that can cost you a fortune, as you will understand the principles and react instinctively to the inevitable unexpected situation. On the other hand, most any drone any cheaper or similarly priced as this is not a “real” drone, so you can’t take as many of the skills with you when you step up. Many drones in this price range have nothing better to step into. Once you learn to fly a DJI and get familiar with their software and controllers – you can fly their whole line pretty much. I haven’t yet mentioned the excellent camera that makes me often joke “for the price of a GoPro, I got a comparable camera with a stabilizing gimbal that flies.” Put all this together and that is why, in my opinion, this is the BEST DEAL in drones right now – by far.

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Xiaomi drone vs Phantom 3 standard

Surely you already know the DJI and Xiaomi? Xiaomi is a famous smart phone brand , while the DJI is an old player that focuses on the drones (unmanned aircraft) for commercial and personal activities of aerial photography and videography.

Xiaomi Drone was introduced on May 25, 2016. Today we will compare the Xiaomi drone with Phantom 3 Standard to help those who are confused in choosing the drone.

Design

The drones belong to the category of quadcopter, which means that this drone has four motors and four propellers. Xiaomi drone has a simpler design than its rivals, but DJI Phantom 3 standard looks slimmer. But Xiaomi mi drone had a stent design and camera gimbal that can be folded while the DJI Phantom 3 standard stents fixed type. Given its portability, it looks like Xiaomi drone is superior to Panthon 3 Standard.

Specification

Secondly, we will compare its specs. Xiaomi provides two options for the quality of the camera. Namely, 1080p quality and 4K quality camera. The drone is priced at $460 USD for the 4K version reaching a distance of 2 km and $380 for the 1080P version reaching distance of 1 km.While the Phantom 3 Standard is price at $499 with 1km.

Phantom 3 Professional: EXMOR 1/2.3” Effective pixels: 12 M, 720P at 30 fps.

Xiao mi drone:The 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.

Both of them come with 3 axis gimbal mounts and provide excellent stutter correction.

Xiaomi drone 1080P also has its own advantages in video shooting. Lens with field of view of 104 ° will shoot more content than Phantom 3’s 94-degree. Xiaomi drone is more transparent than P3S in the screen resolution of the image. So it would be better to take a static photograph. The 4K version has a maximum video resolution of 3840 × 2160 which is the same as DJI Phantom 3 standards. But we should note that Xiaomi drone only have two functions with a single photo and video catching, slightly worse than the Phantom 3 Standard with the shooting mode.

Phantom 3 Standard is not equipped with an ultrasonic sensor that allows it to fly low over the floor in the room, while Xiaomi drone has an ultrasonic positioning module, although it was not open to the indoor function. Both of them are equipped with a GPS system that is useful to know the position when operated drone in the air, but the GPS function of mi more is more sophisticated than Phantom 3 Standard’s. Xiaomi drone can fly 27 minutes, which is two minutes longer than the Phantom 3.

Remote Control

In terms of function remote control, Xiaomi drone have some innate features such as Automatic Take Off / Landing, one key to return, holding altitude, guidance flying, airline planing, hovering automatic, real-time power monitoring, electricity shortage reminds return. DJI Phantom 3 Standard also has the same features as above, but DJI Phantom 3 Standard has the advantage that features a “Follow Me” which will follow wherever its controller holder.

Conclusion

According to the comparison above, both of them have advantages and disadvantages. DJI is the old brand and professional, but Xiaomi drone is one of the new players in the drone industry. So consider well before buying.

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The Most Complete Instructions on DJI Products and Accessories

DJI has a wide range of products and accessories. The following tables clearly show DJI’s products and compatible accessories. DJI’s product line covers aerial drones and handheld imaging solutions including the Inspire Series (Inspire 1 and Inspire 2), the Phantom Series (Phantom 3, Phantom 4, Phantom 4 Pro), the Mavic Pro, the Matrice M600, the Ronin Series (Ronin, Ronin M and Ronin MX) and the Osmo Series (Osmo, Osmo+, Osmo Pro, Osmo Raw and Osmo Mobile), etc.

1. High-end All-in-one Drones— Inspire 1, Inspire 2

2. Consumer Drones— Phantom 3, Phantom 4, Phantom 4 Pro

3. Small and Foldable All-in-one Drone—Mavic Pro

4. Professional Aerial Flight Platforms— Matrice M600 Pro

5. Professional Handheld Gimbal Stabilization Systems—Ronin, Ronin M, Ronin MX

6. Consumer Handheld Gimbal Cameras and Stabilization Systems— Osmo, Osmo+, Osmo Pro, Osmo Raw, Osmo Mobile

Through the tables above, I’m sure that you have got a better understanding of DJI’s aerial drones (the Inspire Series, Phantom Series, Mavic and Matrice) and handheld imaging solutions (Ronin Series and Osmo Series). The information may vary, and it is for your reference only.

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Yuneec Breeze VS Phantom 3

Breeze is the first drone released by Yuneec targeting the mass market with the price $499. Yuneec cut down on costs by opting to use smartphones (iOS and Android) as the controllers instead of having a dedicated remote control.

So the Yuneec Breeze drone is completely controlled with the Breeze Cam mobile app, offering several flight modes – Selfie, Follow Me, Orbit, Journey and Pilot—that will work both indoors or outdoors with the help of GPS and optical sensors.

The Breeze Cam mobile app also allows users to instantly share aerial photos and videos on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp

With its connected Breeze Cam App, the Yuneec Breeze is able to work with a variety of automatic creative modes.

• Selfie Mode keeps the drone in a single place, facing the user.
• Pilot Mode allows full manual controls.
• Orbit Mode has the drone circle any object.
• Follow Me Mode makes the drone follow the user’s smartphone with GPS.
• Journey Mode uses camera pitch to allow the user to make and view a trajectory for the drone to fly, reach a designated spot, and fly back to the user.

Yuneec employs what they call their Indoor Positioning System (IPS) to hold the Breeze drone in place either indoors or out.

Compared to the Phantom 3 series, despite being introduced 20 months ago, has blossomed into a mature and reliable platform with many 3rd party accessories and apps. The prices have come down while the capabilities have increased (due to apps and some DJI improvements). This being the case – it’s hard to come up with a better value than the Phantom 3 series. The Standard is for the (relative) beginner who is on a budget and wants to get his or her feet wet in aerial photography – while the Advanced and Pro models have advanced features that still keep the competition on the ropes. Many experts claim DJI is 2+ years ago of most other camera drone makers – and the P3 line seems to prove that point.

Breeze is considered a selfie drone and is made for those who belong in the social media generation. This seems to fall in competition with the Phantom 3 Standard. Both are completely different designed. The Breeze’s camera is in the body of the aircraft. But the Phantom 3 Standard has a more traditional gimbal which can produce better image. And at the same time, Phantom 3 Standard has longer flight time and farther controlling distance.

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Hover Camera Falters in Wake of Phantom 3 Standard

Norm Chan is a vlogger from San Francisco who reviews the latest technology. Chan took a look at the Hover Camera from Zero Zero Robotics.

The Hover Camera is a portable drone that is small enough to fit in a handbag. Priced at $599, it’s an entry-level aircraft that may attract an audience that is new to flying drones.

The Hover Camera has a unique and easily identifiable design. Out of the box, it is shaped like an average-sized book but unfolds to reveal propellers that are elegantly protected. The Hover has a downward sonar sensor to know how far it is from the ground. Theoretically, the Hover Camera should be able to hold its position. Unfortunately, it does not use GPS for positioning like the Phantom 3 Standard, which is renowned for its accuracy in the air.

The Hover Camera is controlled with an mobile device app and has a range of 20 meters. The Phantom 3 Standard uses the fully-featured GO app and the range is 1000 meters, fifty times that of the Hover.

The Hover Camera’s 13 megapixel camera can take 4K video but the camera can only be pitched up 30 degrees or down 90 degrees. It does not have the full-range camera movement options of the Phantom 3 Standard. The Phantom has a 3-axis gimbal, which makes video capture very stable. Any effect of wind or vibrations are cancelled out by the motorized gimbal.

Chan discovered several issues with the Hover including its stability outside, the tracking capabilities, and quality of the camera. Specifically, the Hover Camera does not have enough processing power on-board to provide high quality video and the aircraft struggles to remain stable in wind. “Not very impressive,” Chan comments.

The Hover battery lasts for about 10 minutes, whereas the battery flight time of the Phantom 3 Standard is an impressive 25 minutes.

The Phantom 3 can record in 2.7K and 1080p and the aircraft gives you proven multiple intelligent flight options. With the Phantom you can live stream in 720p to your smartphone from the camera and you can broadcast your stream to social media. This capability is unavailable on the Hover.

The wealth of features of the Phantom 3 priced at only $499, $100 less than the Hover Camera, makes it a challenge for many consumers to justify opting for the latter.

Chan found that the flight features referred to as Face Tracking and Body Tracking did not perform in all conditions. “Where the Hover does fail is in the promise of subject tracking and delivering good quality video,” Chad said. It remains ironic, then, that those very features are often touted as the main selling points of the Hover aircraft.

In conclusion, while the Hover Camera Passport has some interesting features, it can’t match up to a trustworthy drone like the Phantom 3 Standard.

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The Most Complete Aerial Cameras Development History (II)

Yesterday we have published “The Most Complete Aerial Cameras Development History (I)” in which we focused on the core point—camera and analyzed the development history of previous drones carrying a GoPro, Panasonic GH4 or Sony A7. The results show that the all-in-one design is necessary because it’s better for flight experience and the combination of cameras with video transmission and app can make the operation and parameter settings more convenient.

Now taking DJI as an example, this article will explain what independent attempts the drone manufacturers have made in recent years to realize “all-in-one aerial photography”.

I. 【The First Ready-to-Fly Drone】Phantom 2 Vision

The Phantom 2 Vision released on October 2013 is DJI’s first all-in-one drone carrying an independent R&D camera—the DJI FC20. This ready-to-fly drone has unfolded the all-in-one design trend, freeing the consumers from installing gimbal camera and setting video transmission signal. Afterwards, a series of drones released by DJI and other drone manufacturers start to follow the “all-in-one” design trend.

This drone camera uses a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and supports 14 megapixel RAW and JEPG photo shooting and 1080 30p/60i video recording. Besides, its built-in single axis gimbal can be used for tilt stabilization. So it is literally the first “gimbal camera”.

Half a year later, DJI released Phantom 2 Vision + equipped with a 1/2.3 CMOS senor and 14 megapixel camera, but smaller and more delicate appearance. Moreover, the built-in gimbal improved a lot in that the previous servo was replaced by brushless motors and the stabilization effect was enhanced by a 3-axis gimbal.

II. 【Clearer and More Flexible】DJI Inspire 1

In November 2014, DJI released its professional drone Inspire 1. This drone with an awe-inspiring transforming design is equipped with Zenmuse X3, the first Zenmuse series camera which improved a lot in image quality and parameter adjustment.

This camera features 4K video shooting and offer various parameter adjustment options, such as 100-3200 ISO scale and shutter speed. The camera lens comes with 20mm infinite focus length and wide angle. Compared with motion cameras, it is specially optimized to eliminate distortions for aerial photography. Besides, the 3-axis gimbal with retractable landing gears enables a full 360⁰ unobstructed view and allows separate pilot monitoring and camerawork, enabling flexible and multi-angle shooting.

III. 【Let Your Creativity Fly】DJI Phantom 3 Series

So far, DJI has released four Phantom 3 Series including Phantom 3 Professional and Advanced in April 2015, Phantom 3 Standard in August 2015 and Phantom 3 4K in January 2016. Similar in appearance, the Phantom Professional and 4K supports 4K video shooting while the Phantom Advanced and Standard only supports 2.7K video shooting. Compared to the Phantom 2 Series, the Phantom 3 Series cameras have made a qualitative leap in their image quality. The cameras on Phantom 3 Series all have 12 megapixel sensors and 20mm f/2.8 lens, which can rival DJI Zenmuse X3.

IV.【Aerial Camera】Zenmuse X5 & X5R

In September 2015, DJI released two professional aerial cameras, Zenmuse X5 and X5R compatible with Inspire 1. As the updated version of Zenmuse X3, Zenmuse X5 and X5R can also work with DJI Matrice 100 and DJI Matrice 600.

As the best in DJI’s independent R&D cameras, Zenmuse X5 & X5R are equipped with the M4/3 sensor, a significant progress compared to the previous 1/2.3 sensor.

Zenmuse X5 & X5R can take 16 megapixel photos with 12.8 stops of dynamic range. High lighting ratio allows Zenmuse X5 & X5R to capture images with stunning details. And the ISO range from 100 to 25600 empowers Zenmuse X5 & X5R with higher image sensitivity and better noise reduction performance compared to previous cameras. Besides, Zenmuse X5 & X5R support LOG mode shooting. In addition, Zenmuse X5 & X5R come with interchangeable lens compatible with several M4/3 lenses through the MFT mount. Zenmuse X5 & X5R feature a maximum aperture up to F/1.7, Focus Remote Controller and video streaming at 4K 30p and 1080 60p. X5R mainly differs from X5 in that X5R can record 4K RAW Cinema DNG sequence, uses DJI’s SSD for storage with 1.7Gbps average bitrate, allowing more space for post-production. This is really an exciting surprise for filmmaking professionals who expect higher image quality.

V. 【Professional Advancement Thermal Imaging Camera】Zenmuse XT

Three months later, DJI released the thermal imaging camera Zenmuse XT which can be mounted on the Inspire 1, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600. Zenmuse XT made specifically for industrial application offers two different resolution ratios (640*512 and 336*256), 6 lens options with different focus length and digital zoom up to 8x. The Zenmuse XT is a joint product created by DJI and FLIR. As the global leader in infrared thermal imaging technology with 50 years’ experience, FLIR has produced thousands of thermal imaging systems applied in different industries over the world.

VI. 【Visionary Intelligence, Elevated Imagination】Phantom 4

In March 2016, DJI released the latest Phantom 4. Compared to earlier generations, the Phantom 4’s aircraft performance has been significantly improved with remarkable breakthrough in obstacle avoidance. Just as DJI’s founder Frank Wang said, “The sexiest drone that DJI ever designed, welcome to the era of VISION.” Regarding the imaging system, the Phantom 4’s biggest progress lies in that it supports 1080/120p video recording. Besides, the optimized lens enables clearer images with stunning details with the distortion degree reduced by 36% and colour aberration decreased by 56%. Featuring a specially designed U-frame structure, the Phantom 4’s gimbal enables the camera to capture more stable and smooth footage even during high-speed flight. So to speak, the Phantom 4 is a perfectly designed all-in-one drone.

VII.【Zoom Camera】Zenmuse Z3

In July 2016, DJI released the first zoom drone camera, the Zenmuse Z3 with 22-77mm equivalent focal length and 7x zoom obtained by 3.5x optical zoom and 2x lossless digital zoom (only under 1080p mode). The 2x lossless digital zoom here means that compared to the digital zoom technology based on pixel interpolation algorithm, the Zenmuse Z3 won’t lose image qualities when you zoom in the 4k footage. Thanks to the reaction wheel stabilization technology, Zenmuse Z3 can capture clear and stable footage even at long focus. The Zenmuse Z3 can be mounted on the Inspire Series, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600 and it is made specifically for industrial application.

In only three years’ time, from the single axis gimbal camera FC20 to the current 4k RAW aerial cameras, we can see that DJI has been striving for higher image quality to meet the users’ demand as well as the industrial development trend.

Will DJI make major breakthroughs in aerial cameras in the future after it becomes a shareholder of Hasselblad? What improvements can be made for the aerial imaging system? Whether there will be any aerial camera solutions that can rival DJI in the drone industry? For more details, please stay tuned to us.

The post The Most Complete Aerial Cameras Development History (II) appeared first on Drone Inner.

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?

The post Parrot bebop vs DJI Phantom 3 comparison of my experience with both appeared first on Drone Inner.

DJI Phantom 3 has cost advantages over Yuneec Q500 in roof inspections

The Yuneec Q500 has had many problems, not the least of which is that it is not the most affordable option for some jobs.

It could be that Drone Girl has too much time on her hands. Or maybe she is better than the rest of us at thinking about the known unknowns-, like whether our roofs have holes and need repair.

Either way, she has done a public service by alerting us on the most cost-efficient way to inspect roof tops. Not to mention, she has now helped many a person avoid a trip up a rickety ladder and a possible dangerous tumble off of a garage roof.

Through her work, Drone Girl confirms what many might not know, that an RC quadcopter or hexacopter to inspect your roof doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. She did a comparison of DJI Phantom vs various models from other UAV drone manufacturers to arrive at her conclusions.

The figures speak clearly. A Yuneec Q500 will set you back $699 to buzz above the shingles on your roof and beam back pictures of any trouble spots. But in DJI Phantom 3 comparison, she finds that one of the most popular drones ever will do the same job but cheaper.

“This drone (DJI Phantom 3) is incredibly wallet friendly,” Drone Girl tells us. “The video streams through your smartphone or tablet, which you can use to get real-time video.”

By “wallet friendly” Drone Girl means $499, hundreds of dollars less than the Yuneec Q500.

And just to show we are not making light of using a drone to see what is on your roof, we leave you with some insight from Drone Girl on the matter.

“Roof inspections can get fancy,” Drone Girl tells us. “You could add a thermal camera (particularly if you have solar panels on your roof). If you had a huge roof and needed to fly the exact same route every time, you might want to use Skycatch, which could even generate a map for you.”

“But for most roof inspectors, all you want is a relatively small drone that is stable, easy to fly, can get close to the roof, is safe, and offers both a live video feed and generates high qualities images or video that can be saved.”

Indeed, food for thought.

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Yuneec Breeze aims for sky already covered by DJI Phantom 3 Standard

Yuneec Breeze,the starter RC quadcopter from Yuneec, falls short.

Initial marketing says the Yuneec Breeze is an RC quadcopter for beginners with a price just shy – and marks an important entry point for casual drone users who want some close-up aerial video and photos.

That seems wonderful until you realize that the DJI Phantom 3 Standard claimed that title and space more than a year ago. At the same time, the low-cost entry-model Yuneec Breeze has some major limitations.

The maximum flying speed of the Yuneec Breeze for example is 5 m/s—mostly because of software-imposed limitations linked to the smartphone app controller. That is significantly slower than the 19.4 m/s for the bulky Yuneec Typhoon H hexacopter, which isn’t all that great either.

And flight time of the Yuneec Breeze is about 12 minutes, compared to around 25 minutes for the DJI Phantom 3 Standard and the same for the Typhoon H. The beetle-shaped Yuneec Breeze is also called a “selfie drone” for a reason; you need to keep it at arms-length to avoid getting a hand caught in one of the unprotected blades. The Yuneec Breeze unit is compact and is certainly divergent from other Yuneec models such as the Q500 4K.

Still, the smaller Yuneec drone lacks a collision sensor, an intelligent rechargeable battery or a dedicated controller for solid gimbal handling, thereby making the Yuneec Breeze cheaper for a reason. It is true that mastering a flight controller may be more of a challenge for users used to phone screen touch commands.

But that touch pad ease has a downside too, as the range is limited to about 80 m before the phone WiFi signal gets choppy, potentially sending the Yuneec Breeze on its way to home base, or worse, a flyaway.

And as a review on Stuff says, the short range goes with the short battery life, which itself is another hidden cost because a spare is certainly needed.

“Admittedly, you won’t get far before the Breeze’s battery life gets you, either,” Tom Morgan writes. “Twelve minutes per charge really isn’t a lot, so it is a good job the battery pack is removable. You only get one in the box, so it might be worth picking up a spare if you’re going to be out all day.”

Morgan also wonders about the comparison of the Yuneec Breeze to the $499 DJI Phantom 3 Standard, which does have lower specs than models such as the DJI Phantom 4, but also comes with more features and a dedicated controller and also works with most phones.

Skimping on features does help lower the price, but it also makes the Yuneec Breeze a poor comparison with other low-end models that retail for as little as $99. There is certainly a market for a reliable beginner drone that can allow close-up video and photography—it just seems that the Yuneec Breeze has missed that spot.

 

 

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