New to Quadcopters Questions

[RadioFlyer]

Hi guys I am an avid photographer, and have decided I would like to get into aerial footage.

My research has led me to the DJI Phantom 3 or the Yuneec Breeze.

Both of these units cost several hundred dollars. AND I have never flown one before.

Should I go buy a cheapie to practice or is that a waste of money? I don't want to crash one of the above units on my first outing. But I am told the cheap quadcopters are unstable and not as well designed as the higher end units I am looking at which are pretty well nailed down in terms of design and usability.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ringolong]

Good question.

The dji aircraft are fairly easy to fly, but not cheap so I would buy a cheap one to learn how the controls make the quad respond.

Go with DJI as they have the best cameras. If the budget is right go with the phantom 4 pro as it has a 1 inch sensor, and the camera settings can be adjusted such as aperture, shutter, and iso.

 

[Wildwelder]

DJI has gone through great lengths to make their products user friendly even if youve never flown. Id get the phantom 3 if I were you. Theres alot of failsafes and safety features. Im sure youll do fine. Youre gonna love these things.

 

[Jackson]

Should I go buy a cheapie to practice or is that a waste of money?

Buy a very inexpensive quad for learning and fun. I live in an urban area, there happens to be an empty lot across the street. It's nice to just walk there with a few batterries in my pocket and zip around on the spur of the moment.

But I am told the cheap quadcopters are unstable and not as well designed as the higher end units

Ya think?

 

[Wildwelder]

Buy both! Get a $50 quad for learning and developing hand-eye but Get the phantom also. Heres my theory: by having the cheaper quad to fly around and get acquainted with drones, you wont be so rushed to learn all there is to learn about the phantom. And theres alot to learn! The cheap one will take the edge off. Theres a huge leap between learning to fly a drone and mastering aerial videography. Good luck radioflyer! Let us know how you make out.

 

[GlassKnees]

I agree with Wildwelder above. Practicing with a small cheap quad will sharpen your reaction as well as become familiar with the controls. If you can master a Hubsan X4, a Phantom 4 will be a piece of cake.

 

[Jackson]

No reason to even pay $50. My first.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-Selling...hash=item46481ffa15:m:mQjB0DlnkbgfsDSsrBqzBtQ

 

[RadioFlyer]

Thanks Everyone!

 

[ArmyVet]

RadioFlyer, I am in the same boat. I have been flying a little nano quad for a couple of years. But, when it comes down to plopping down $500 or more. Uh Uh....I am practicing with my Tarantula.

$50 its a large Quad.

https://www.amazon.com/Xmas-Tarantu...id=1485456544&sr=1-3&keywords=tarantula+drone

Flys pretty nice actually and I get decent results from the cheap camera, costs extra. Stay away from the FPV set up made for this quad. Not worth the money.

I am also probably going with the Phantom 3 standard. Although. I do change my mind daily..hahah

Have fun any way you go.

 

[QuadKid]

If you are thinking about a Phantom think about purpose, I fly a P3Pro for my videography & stills, it is 4K which is useless unless you have a 4K TV or laptop Windows 8 or newer or a MacBook, the 4K will not play properly on anything earlier, ( stutters, pixelated & audio is not sync'd ) all the Phantoms basically fly the same, ( except for the new P4 series & Mavick that have (Sport Mode). Just getting started I recommend The Phantom 3 Standard - 2.7K camera, easy flight control with RTH/GPS/Maps ect... and the cost is a third of the upper end models and does nice 1080P Video.
I also use Wondershare Filmora for editing & creating nice seamless video.

 

[ArmyVet]

Good info, I did not think about the different video formats. Of course this is only for my entertainment and to amaze my family and friends...haha

Going with Standard anyway, unless I change my mind again..LOL