Hello, I work for a local park services and we want to film some battlefields. We are looking for a cost efficient quad-copter that has the ability to elevate quickly and support HD quality video. We would also like it to be compatible with google map type application on a tablet or phone. Looking between 400 and at the max $1000. Thanks for any feedback!
Welcome, James! Any and every quadcopter is a compromise of sorts...just like sailboats, aircraft, etc. The sticking point here is the request about the google map type of setup. Although prices are coming down quickly, it still costs a bit to get that feature - autonomous flight. This is especially true when you also want range and the ability to fly in reasonable winds! At the lowest end is the AR Drone with GPS add-on. That's about $500 all together with an extra battery or two. The downside is that it has limited range and also is not very good in low winds. The built-in camera is also not up to par, so you'd have to add an $80 Mobius for better HD. At the upper end - or above it - is the new Phantom Vision 2+ - which has very high quality video and stills, a gimbal (stabilizes the video) and much more. It has long range also - but, as of this writing, the mapping feature is just promised - not available yet. The plain Phantom 2 does have the autonomous (map) features available. See the castle picture on this page: http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2 Note that you have to add some options to the stock Phantom 2, then you have to add the gimbal and camera - so you will bust the budget! The 3DR Iris will be similar - once you add-on all the stuff to really do the job, you will be over that $1000 mark - and the Iris likely needs a little more tech knowledge from the operator. That should give you some direction. You may have to forego the autonomous flying or else wait a couple months and hope that DJI releases it for the other packages. Others newer quads such as the Parrot BeBop will likely have this - but we have no idea of the price range. If you are non-technical, I think the DJI stuff provides a better experience out-of-the-box.
James, another option may be the new Walkera 350 pro with the APM controller. This quad - with a gimbal and camera, etc. can be had for about 800..... Do some research on it - it may fit your needs!
