Been trying to get independent reviews on the quads for different makes/models. Mostly what I've been finding is for the Phantom 3 and how wonderful they are. Are these actual reviews or someone from DJI just marketing the product? Also - Do they make the batteries with a longer life? These flyers seem to have a relatively short flight time for the money you spend.
If you look at our front page and scroll down you will find recent reviews for many other copters including blade, eachine, hisky, etc. We follow the consumer RTF drone market - and right now about 80% plus of that market is DJI sales. Also, we have tested various other units like the Parrot BeBop, etc. and frankly most of them were not anything we would suggest to our target audience. We are one of the very few independent sites and these are actual reviews by both myself and some other site members. In a sense it's as if we were covering Personal Computing in 1979. There was Apple....and some Apple Clones. If we were covering Personal Computing in 1988, it would be IBM largely, etc. We don't make the market....just cover it as it is. In terms of DIY and hacking/hobbyist stuff - that's also generally not what we cover. Many other site do this very well. Longer life batteries? For which model? Very few pilots would find 2o+ minutes too short. Is there some sort of special mission you have in mind where you would need to fly for longer?
No special mission...I was thinking about just having the capability of having a longer battery life prior to a recharge. The batteries are expensive, imo. Maybe I'm just not used to drones yet but would like to get one. I camp a lot and figured this would be something I'd like to have with me. I'm interested in the Phantom 3. Do they have any aerobatic capabilities? I did speak with a guy at a kiosk in the mall and he said they basically just go up, down, and sideways. He didn't make it very interesting. What are you thoughts on the Phantom 3 vs others in its class?
Art, I'm new to this site and to owning a trainer drone. I appreciate the reports and books that Craig and others have put on this site. I appreciate what appears to me to be pretty objective reviews and feedback. My goal is to fly my UDI until I'm pretty confident in controlling it, then will likely move up to a DJI in the next 3-6 months. In the mean time, I have 5 batteries for the UDI that last about 8 minutes apiece. That's a pretty good time for learning, as I can make a video of the flight, the review it, and try to adjust. I typically fly 1 - 3 batteries then put it up for the day. Just my unsolicited, unpaid input.
You should download our free ebook on the Phantoms and start from there. This will introduce you to the hobby in general as well as the purpose of the Phantom(aerial photography). Here is the link - it's free in many formats. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/587155 If you want a more general intro to flying quadcopters, our beginners book does that - but it cost a few bucks. http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Quadcopters-Drones-ebook/dp/B00DBJQKD8/
Thanks for the input Tex. What UDI model do you have? I googled one & think they have one at Sams but for about $200. I was told that Phantom 3 is for beginners but would be best to learn the basics of how to use the controls. I am hesitant to buy something for $200+ and use it for a few months knowing that I'll be spending another $700+ on an upgrade. I'm one to try & minimize the cost as much as possible with maximum benefit & was told the P3 is fairly easy to operate (even for beginners). Are the Phantoms really easy to operate or was that a sales pitch? Some of the vids I review stress the ease of operating these. I'm Just trying to decide on the best option.
Thanks webman! In your opinion, are the P3's easy to fly for beginners? I did review the ebook & the guy basically said if you're a beginner, just learn the mechanics of operating the P3 first prior to doing anything big.
UDI 818A. Total with extra batteries, props and chargers is ~ $160. It's very robust, has a few kinks (like the return home button actually initiates a flip), but is pretty good for learning. In a grass lot, killing power from 50' , it just drops down quickly but not destructively. It's an inexpensive trainer, and I'm impressed with how rugged it is so far for the $.
There was a review on the P2 I noticed yesterday, it looked like the home page of this forum. Is there one for the P3 advanced?
For the pure joy of flying the Phantoms are a poor choice. Here's an older vid from Simplecopter, nothing fancy . Made with hobby plywood and cheap square dowels. Just 3 motors and ESCs help keep costs to a minimum. Cheap to build and to repair. Tris also make wonderful aerial platforms. This from David Windestål master tri designer and pilot. Note he does NOT use a gimbal on his camera. David has many cool aerial vids on his page.
