Burned out...literally

[AirMedic91]

Hi everyone. Im going to apologize beforehand for the length of this post, but Im new here and have a lot of information to convey so as to get across the position I'm in and hopefully get an answer to my question. As I said in my introduction I've been flying a P2 Vision+ for about a year.

In June of 2015 our house caught fire and we lost everything. After a year and a half I'm about ready to start flying again, but so much has changed, and I haven't been in the loop. Ive been building a house and moving between motels and rentals, and buying all new everything.

I was basically happy with the P2 V+ but of course the range and the video back to the iPad I was using wasn't the greatest. I don't have a ton of money to spend on the thing, but Im wanting some input on whether I should go with a P4 or the P4Pro.

I don't fly for work, just for fun. I'm a good enough pilot that I don't feel that I need all the sensors that come with the P4Pro OR the advancements in the camera UNLESS you guys think its worth the price difference. I mean yeah, I love watching the video footage I record while flying and I would like to be able to reach further out with the Lightbridge coming back to my iPad, but we're talking around $500 difference here.

Like I said, Ive been out of the loop as far as the advancements have come out. I don't know what everyone has experienced when it comes to each model. I know there are some people who feel one is better than the other for certain things because of software issues. Basically I just wanna fly around, reach out a little further, and have good signals coming back to my iPad. Oh, and also, I have an older iPad mini 2, which Im not even sure will handle the P4Pro's higher resolution.

So there it is. My dilemma . Any and all advice is welcomed and thank you for allowing me to post in your forum and thanks for reading this long of a post.

P.S. I chose the handle AirMedic cause I am a Flight Nurse for a local trauma hospital. But I don't get to look out the window much. Thanks!

 

[CactusJackSlade]

You might consider a Mavic... can't beat the price for what you get. I've gone through the whole deal... built my own quads big ones, racer quads etc, I've had the P1, P2, P3P... now on P4P.

I also have a Mavic (well, until today) It IMO is the best combination of a good enough camera and small portability (which I really have come to like more and more. I was grabbing my Mavic while the P4P sat around until I needed the better video/photo quality.

Do you need sensors?... well, I wish I had been flying my P4 today with the rear facing sensors, maybe I would not have lost my bird. I am a good pilot (35+ rears R/C, 6 years on quads)... but today I got too comfortable in an area I fly a lot... I was shooting the huge flow of water on the American river near my house.... and even though I know the area well, I backed into a tree branch and watched as my Mavic flipped over, splash then go brown... then black. No chance of recovery as the river is flowing at 82,000 cfs :-(

Even though I could just fly my P4P I immediatly went and ordered anothe Mavic... seems to be the bird I cannot be without ;-) Food for thought.

 

[Gundy]

Another big plus for Mavic is prices for accessories due to smaller size. You can't beat that $89 battery.

Most of the other stuff such as case, ND filters, etc... tend to be cheaper as well compare to Phantoms'.

 

[Alex Baxter]

My two cents worth..
When buying technology, I try and get one generation old, so to speak, so the previous generation, the prices drop and the bugs are ironed out, in this case the P4. Having said that I've got a P3P (having used the above theory) but when the Mavic came out I jumped to buy one, portability being a big 'thing' for me. I've still got the P3, it's my home drone..
Would you consider a P3P, the camera is very nearly as good as the P4, and there's a lot of good slightly second-hand ones about, for not too much dosh.

 

[Phantom NSX]

If you don't need all the pilot tech of the p4 and just want a solid bird with great camera you can't beat the price of the p3 4K IMO ...could get one of those and a Case and a couple extra batteries and still be cheaper then a p4.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[Ryan Hanscom]

I got a p3 pro with extra battery and other goodies for $540. Its luke new and I have had many good flights with it.

Sent from my VS995 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[CactusJackSlade]

P3P is indeed a great machine if you don't need sensors...

 

[AirMedic91]

Thank you all for the guidance and input. I was considering possibly getting a P3 but wasn't sure if the Lightbridge technology was the same as that included with the P4 models. Seems I read somewhere someone said (not here) that the Lightbridge included with the P3 models was not the tried and true version you can buy separately.

I would be completely happy with a P3P or a P34K either one. As long as they have as good of a signal back to the remote for video and a decent flight time, that would suit me just fine. And I appreciate the pointing to the Mavic line of Quads, I might get one of those for travel. You guys have been awesome and I appreciate all the advice.

 

[AirMedic91]

Ok, I've found a P3Pro for 799, but want to make sure I can use my iPad 2 mini with it and whether there are any issues with that particular model anyone has identified. Also, is that a good price? And should I go through DJI like I have read by some people, or are there better deals to be found elsewhere? Thanks again, and sorry if I should have posted this maybe in the P3 forum but I wanted to get you guys opinion. Hopeful!

 

[Ryan Hanscom]

I use an iPad 2 mini with mine. The only downfall is that you cannot change your home point on the fly sonce it does not have built in GPS. Also your map wont be accurate because it doesn't have an internet connection so when I get to the site I usually fire up my phone and tether the ipad to it zoom in on the map and zoom out a bit just so it gets cached and then disconnect internet and fly. As far as lightbridge the pro has it. I have heard its not as good as the p4 but its way better than the p3 standard. I have flown my over a mile away with absolutely no issues but I also don't like to fly it far anyway because you need to be able to keep sight of it to satisfy the FAA gods and for safety anyways. Plus my flying style is just getting great shots close to where I am.

Sent from my VS995 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[AirMedic91]

Thanks Ryan, I'm the same way while I don't like to fly it farther than I can see there are some places where I used to go fly where the video connection was hampered by a lot of trees and surroundings.

Why are the Lightbridge versions different? Is there any way to do anything about that? Is it worth the extra $$$ to get a P4 for the better LB? I just found my old P2V+, it actually survived the fire. Someone put it in a box. But I don't have a battery or a remote to test it. Shame. Anyways thanks for the help.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

The range on the P3P is just fine... my brother went 3 miles the other day.... (open desert, away from town).

 

[blackcrusader]

I bought a Phantom3 Standard and the Argtek Antenna kit. For me was better than a P4 only because I am new to the hobby and this is my crash and learn drone. Should I really need to do more I might go the P4 Pro but that will not be for a long time.

I too fly for a hobby and also because I can use the drone to inspect my roads bridges and travel areas as I live in a place that gets earthquakes and extreme heavy rains and typhoons.

You can easily do 20 minute flight times in good weather conditions.