Been into RC for years, my son and I are getting into the Drones now. I read alot about how DJI customer support is not good, which makes us want to explore alternative companies and products. I have read many, many blogs about DJI products, but what other quality Drones are out there? That has comparable or even better battery time, and control distance and still a reputable and quality product as Phantom 3 and Inspire1 ??? Thank you in advance for any advice and opinions on this
The short story is that there is nothing close in terms of quality and performance in that price range! The customer service story is a LONG story...some of it has to do with DJI (which has gotten better and is still improving), but a lot of the rest of it has to do with the Phantoms being the first real consumer drones ever made. People are expecting Amazon/Apple type of service on a flying machine which many fly without experience, so it brings up a lot of tough questions. I see people complaining because they took the bird on a long trip and their gimbal clamp came off while packed in a case - they want DJI to fix the gimbal. No drone company is going to hold your hand and make certain you are always flying. This hobby still requires technical knowledge and a lot of self education. You can mitigate a lot of problems with a purchase from Amazon (no questions asked usually for returns in the first month) or from B&H Photo with the extended SquareTrade warranty. However, keep in mind the "true defect" incidence of the P3's is extremely low. Are you really ready to start with a fancy model? That is, do you want to buy and crash some small toy models first to get the hang of piloting? What is your end game...in terms of what you really want to do with the drone? If it's video and stills the Phantom Advanced offers perhaps the most value for the money spent. I have a Pro and I never use the 4K.
That being said, Blade (Horizon Hobby) is well known for their excellent support, and I can say from personal experience that it's top notch. Their offering on this playing field is the Chroma, which IMO looks like a perfectly decent drone, but falls a bit short of the Phantom in terms of features, integration, and ease of use (that being said without ever having flown a Phantom or a Chroma, just going by what I read). So you have a decision to make. If you want a good, solid drone that might not be quite state of the art but is backed by a company with a reputation for excellent support, the Chroma might be a good choice. If you want the state of the art and best value for the money and are willing to accept a lower grade of support, you can't top the DJI stuff.
If you're careful about using the P3, why would you crash it? Is the P3 that difficult to operate? I was told that it's pretty darn easy to fly. Also, although you have never used the 4k, doesn't the cam have the technology to reduce down to the lower resolution?
Yes - the 4K can do 1080 - in fact, that's what I use (1080/60). If you have the $$, the Pro is definitely an upgraded craft but some people have a tighter budget - which is why I mentioned the P3A. "Pretty darn easy" and "millions of flights with no crashes" are two different things. These things have gotten more and more reliable. Two generations ago it was almost expected that you'd crash on almost any outing (example - my Dualsky Hornet). Then came the Phantom 1 and many had dozens - even 100 or more - flights without incident. Others did have problems (it's always the odds). I think your statement is an indication of the "glass 1/2 full or empty" state of the industry right now. Those who have been in it a couple years marvel at the relative reliability. Those who have not often express surprise that one might expect to crash or lose their machines. It is what it is - a risky proposition. Every time you fly you run the risk of loss - the majority of the time this is due to oversight or lack of "emergency" training on the pilot, but sometimes it's just the odds working against you. As one illustration - a NOVA special on multi-million dollar military drones showed the pilot losing GPS signals when the machine did a turn. If multi-million dollar machines can malfunction regularly, imagine what a machine that costs a couple hundred dollars can do. However - you are correct that if you are careful you have a much better chance of getting a higher number of flights before an incident occurs. The old adage still applies - never fly anything you can't afford to lose. Gravity is working against you.
I like to look ahead. Of course, 4k isn't quite there yet due to pricing but you see it more affordable these days. I had a 60" DLP and upgraded to a smart TV last year and now the 4k is all over the place. I was interested in the P3 vs what some recommend to get a cheap drone since I didn't want to spend $s on something I was going to use & eventually just put in the closet at some point knowing I was probably going to upgrade. If the drone is a few hundred feet in the air and all signal's lost, what kind of "emergency" training can a pilot do? Run underneath it & try to catch it prior to crashing (jkg)? Like you said, it is what it is. Do you have any idea what upgrades DJI has in the future? I'm wondering if it loses signal if it can automatically just takes over & lands on it's own. It would be great if the batteries can get lighter. I think Tesla should get in this business.
There is a lot of advice about cameras etc here but you may not be worried about that. I bought an QR x350PRO. It is well made but has a bad reputation because the earlier model had lots of problems. Mostly solved their problems now and the new Pro is much cheaper than DJI. You wont get much help if you have a fault with any of them so be prepared to bite the bullet if a replacement part is needed. Send the faulty bit back or send a photo with your complaint later and, mostly, you will have a replacement sent. Good luck. Oh and dont buy the full kit because you may change your mind later. Just start off with the bare basics.
Hi Art. There is a choice whether you buy the full kit, which includes gimble and "I"look camera together with First Person View (FPV) transmitter and receiver, OR just the QR X350Pro with transmitter which is basically Ready To Fly (RTF). The latter is much cheaper and the FPV bits can be purchased later.
Actually they do have "return to home" if they lose signal - but still reliability is only at a certain level. In the end you are flying using $10 motors and hobby grade components.... A P3 is the choice if you want to do aerial photog and video now or soon. In terms of upgrades, what you see is likely what you get until a new model comes out. Sure, there will be software upgrades and some 3rd party add-ons and apps - but, basically, you should buy what you intend to fly now. While I understand 4K is available in the TVs - my point is that the processing and uploading of 4K - especially from a cam with a small sensor - is somewhat useless especially since 98% + (proven by web stats) of people are watching it on devices with much less resolution. Most people do not have computers capable of easily processing (editing) it....so that's the basis of my statement. By the time a big percentage of people have both the screens and the computers to make use of it, the Phantom 5 will likely be available! Cheap drones are usually not cheap. They can be a great way to learn how to troubleshoot. Some are great for learning how to pilot. It always comes down to what you want to do with the machine...now or soon. I'm glad that I started with cheap machines...it makes me appreciate the new stuff that much more. At the same time, I felt more accomplished when I got nice shots like this from my Phantom 1 with a Canon hanging on it!
Don't know if this is relevant anymore, but you should keep your eyes on the new Yuneec H. Might have the CGO3+ camera with the same Sony Exmor Sensor as the P3. Also, full 360 obstacle avoidance technology
