Help a dji noob please..

[Swifteagle]

Hi everyone...

I was hoping for a little bit of help please. To be honest I have been opposed to getting a dji product as I have been a diy sort of guy. Also paying 200 dollars for a battery is crazy. But I can't deny that the p3 , p4 are just super convinient.

I narrowed down my choice to a phantom 3 advance. The p4 is very nice, but it seems for the price the advance is not too far behind... I live with 2.7k video.

Some questions:

1. With light bridge can I record and continue to get feed at the same time?

2. Do fly aways still happen with the p3 models?

3. Is there a way to prevent cracks on the arm mounts?

4. Is the advance a good choice? Lol.

I can get the advance for $599 USD and the pro for $749.25 USD.


I look forward to hearing your points of views and hopefully get some help with the questions I have.

Thank you very much in 'advance'..lol

 

[flpholt]

1 yes
2 no
3 rare add mounts
4 yes
cant go wrong with advance if you don't need 4k get advanced and extra battery

 

[HWCM]

I was a DIY guy for years. Opposed to DJI because of all the complaints I have read. Flyaways etc. Then...a friend bought one and I got to see it in person. It flew so perfect and the DJI GO app was awesome! Then...the P3 went on sale for almost half price when the P4 came out. So I bought one. It is the most fun I have had flying ever. Do it you will not regret it.
Dont worry about what you read. You will only see the bad stuff. Get one and read all the owners material and ask questions.

 

[phantomi]

Good answers. P3 Advance is still the best bang for the $. Be sure to know what you're doing before take off.

 

[Swifteagle]

Awesome guys... thank you for the answers..

I am an experienced 250 fpv racing pilot and have had apm and multiwii 450 setups .... what I like about dji is teh convenience of not worrying about pids and gimbal pids.

Now the question is, is it worthwhile spending the extra cash for the 4?

I think battery prices are insane, but at leas it seems I can pick up p3 batteries for $110 compared to $260 for the p4.

I have heard that an app called litchi makes a world of difference.

Just want to make sure I buy the right model from the start... looking for more bang for the buck. So hoping I don't regret the advance.

Few more questions:

5. Is the charging really slow on the advance vs pro because of the wattage on the chargers?

6.Is there still altitude restrictions to 400ft (120m) from take off position?

Thank you all for the help you have given me, very much appreciated!

 

[HWCM]

Skip the P4 and get the P3 Advanced or Pro. Get the advanced if you do not care about 4K, most devices can not play it anyway and you probably will end up recording in 2.7K like a lot of pro users do. I say get the P3 Adv and with the money you save over the Pro and P4, buy some extra batteries and a nice hard shell carrying case. (Banggood has them on sale sometimes for $40 ,down from $100)
Side note, APM went all to **** didn't it? After that last update I couln not keep any of my APM quads in the air. They just kept screwing up. I too got tired of messing with settings and PIDs.
I used PIxhawk too. It was a little better, but I started getting frustrated with it too.
Now with the Phantom, it is a whole new world. As long as you do not hit something, it will be the best flying you have done. With my 5.8ghz systems I could go a half mile or so before the video signal would break up. With the Phantom I have gone over two miles and still had signal, the battery is why I had to turn around. I am using panel antennas. But windsurfers work awesome too.
If you get out and start flying and see that your range is not the advertised 3 miles, do not worry, it is not going to be. Especially in a wifi congested area. Get some $5 windsurfers and it will triple.
Have fun.

 

[phantomi]

IMO P3A is best bang for the $ than a P4 and the recharging time don't bother me. There is no restriction of altitude except the signal range, your guts and the sensible decisions we must take.

 

[JasonJett]

5. spend the extra cash...only $150 for pro. I have also heard that the downlink for lightbridge is different for the pro vs adv. Then you get the faster charger too if that is the case.

6. At the moment with latest firmware my dji pro3 goes to 500m or around $1600 ft

 

[phantomi]

And yes, Litchi deserves an attention.

 

[HWCM]

Antenna Range Booster Amplifier Signal Windsurfer For DJI Phantom 3 Inspire 1

 

[HWCM]

The charging times differ by 30-40 minutes. But honestly you wont notice. Have a couple extra batteries, fly them, then when you are done go home and charge them to be ready for the next day. No one really stands around and watches their batteries charge and times it. You can only charge one at a time anyway.
The 400ft restriction you are referring to is the FAAs suggested safe flying height. You can go up to 1640ft before the software stops you.

 

[HWCM]

If you can get the PRO for $150 more than the advanced, I guess that would be the way to go, although I do not see the point. Having used both. I went with the Advanced because I don't film professionally and 4K is unusable for anything other than saying that you have it. 1 out of 10 devices might be able to handle the bit rate. But for what? To see some building or trees you recorded?

 

[Swifteagle]

Skip the P4 and get the P3 Advanced or Pro. Get the advanced if you do not care about 4K, most devices can not play it anyway and you probably will end up recording in 2.7K like a lot of pro users do. I say get the P3 Adv and with the money you save over the Pro and P4, buy some extra batteries and a nice hard shell carrying case. (Banggood has them on sale sometimes for $40 ,down from $100)
Side note, APM went all to **** didn't it? After that last update I couln not keep any of my APM quads in the air. They just kept screwing up. I too got tired of messing with settings and PIDs.
I used PIxhawk too. It was a little better, but I started getting frustrated with it too.
Now with the Phantom, it is a whole new world. As long as you do not hit something, it will be the best flying you have done. With my 5.8ghz systems I could go a half mile or so before the video signal would break up. With the Phantom I have gone over two miles and still had signal, the battery is why I had to turn around. I am using panel antennas. But windsurfers work awesome too.
If you get out and start flying and see that your range is not the advertised 3 miles, do not worry, it is not going to be. Especially in a wifi congested area. Get some $5 windsurfers and it will triple.
Have fun.

Where do you buy those windsurfers, banggood? Do I put windsurfers antennas?

Is light bridge affected by wifi?

Thanks...

 

[Swifteagle]

Antenna Range Booster Amplifier Signal Windsurfer For DJI Phantom 3 Inspire 1

Awesome thanks!

 

[Meta4]

3. Is there a way to prevent cracks on the arm mounts?

The simplest way is to buy a Phantom that isn't going to crack and just fly it.
Cracking was an issue way back with some bad plastic or moulding and it's hardly ever heard of nowdays.
Most Phantoms never developed any cracks anyway.

Now the question is, is it worthwhile spending the extra cash for the 4?
5. Is the charging really slow on the advance vs pro because of the wattage on the chargers?
6.Is there still altitude restrictions to 400ft (120m) from take off position?

Only you can decide if the P4 offers enough for you to want to pay the extra $$.
Many feel that the P4 only offers a little extra and not enough for them to justify paying.
5. Charging takes a little longer with the cheaper charger. Think a bit over an hour versus a bit less - no big deal.
6. There has never been any altitude restriction above your take off point.
Any restrictions are related to the height you are above the ground below the aircraft.

 

[Swifteagle]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the help... I ended up just ordering the professional version as it was $130 difference.... Ended up getting it for $749.25 which seems decent! Hobbyking sent me 25% off promo code, so thought I take advantage.

I bought some propellers, 3 pairs.. planing not to go crashing. But just curious, do you guys use after market propellers? If so, what are they?

Thanks

 

[SnoozeDoggyDog]

I was a DIY guy for years. Opposed to DJI because of all the complaints I have read. Flyaways etc. Then...a friend bought one and I got to see it in person. It flew so perfect and the DJI GO app was awesome! Then...the P3 went on sale for almost half price when the P4 came out. So I bought one. It is the most fun I have had flying ever. Do it you will not regret it.
Dont worry about what you read. You will only see the bad stuff. Get one and read all the owners material and ask questions.

What he said!

 

[phantomi]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the help... I ended up just ordering the professional version as it was $130 difference.... Ended up getting it for $749.25 which seems decent! Hobbyking sent me 25% off promo code, so thought I take advantage.

I bought some propellers, 3 pairs.. planing not to go crashing. But just curious, do you guys use after market propellers? If so, what are they?

Thanks

Great buy. No aftermarket propellers, just OEM. And don't overtight. Spin in them and then a slight tight to be sure they have go all the way.

 

[Vertigo]

I was in the same boat. Ive built countless multirotors from 250 FPV racers to octacopter with pixhawk. As much as I hate to admit it (Ive laughed at naza users for years!), to get something in the air and shoot good video with no fuzz, its hard to beat the P3.

Still, its not all roses; I absolutely hate the Apple like walled garden approach, like DJI actively trying to lock out 3rd party batteries.

And when it comes to flight controller reliability, DJI can still learn a thing or two from pixhawk. Like me, you're probably used to its ability of using 2 magnetometers, or even 2 GPS receivers, and have no problems if one fails. Or capabilities like inflight compass calibration. You might expect RTH and GPS navigation to work (crudely) with no valid magnetometer data, using GPS and dead reckoning. Pixhawk does all that and so much more. With DJI, well, forget all that, its pretty clear the phantom doesnt do any of that, and if its sole compass fails, you're in trouble. By some accounts even when switching to attitude mode.

I miss my 433 MHz mavlink telemetry link with virtually unlimited range. Im also still not fully convinced of lightbridge, and prefer my analog FPV setups. Yes, LB is much higher resolution, and its range is respectable, but I really miss my zero latency FPV and just having some snow and noise when S/N drops, rather than image breaking up, being delayed or disappearing completely. I may mount a 5.8 GHz analog micro FPV setup.

 

[Swifteagle]

Compare the Phantom Series | DJI

under Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level it says:
6000 m (Default altitude limit: 120 m above takeoff point).... So there is a setting where the 120m can be removed? just in case flying close to a mountain...Here in Australia 120m the highest you can go legally anyway.