Phantom 2 + Dronexpert RX100 kit + DJI iOSD-mini

[Peter Evans]

Right, I am convinced this is the way to go for me (as soon as Dronexpert has ironed out the niggles). I have looked at the full sized version of the tower and for any doubters have a look at the plant pots in the three little openings above the door. There is no way the FC200 could come close to resolving those.

For me, the killer blow and the justification for the expense was the road sign on the edge of the lawn just outside my Man-Cave window. It reads 'C4' and 'Villeton' and you can see that it does too, even though the sign is towards the edge of the frame. (And, yes, that is the back of our house over on the right )

 

[nhoover]

I really like the quality of the photo. It would be a dream to fly that camera around. Thanks so much for the detailed posts.

When it's windy I am too worried about tipping over on landing so always do a self hand landing. It's surprisingly easy.

 

[chrisverst]

I got a question here since i'm looking for a more professional photo setup and according to this posts i'm not really looking forward spending 825 euro on the droneexpert one.

Is there maybe a way to just screw the rx100 camera to your phantom via gopro mounts and then use the wifi on the camera to remote control it?
or is the wifi gone disturb the phantom's frequency?

Btw peter is a servo motor shuttering the camera button?

Thanks for the awesome test on the rx100 mount sadly the quality on it is definetly not worth the 825 euro!!

 

[Peter Evans]

I got a question here since i'm looking for a more professional photo setup and according to this posts i'm not really looking forward spending 825 euro on the droneexpert one.

Is there maybe a way to just screw the rx100 camera to your phantom via gopro mounts and then use the wifi on the camera to remote control it?
or is the wifi gone disturb the phantom's frequency?

Btw peter is a servo motor shuttering the camera button?

Thanks for the awesome test on the rx100 mount sadly the quality on it is definetly not worth the 825 euro!!

The only question I can answer is the last one. Yes, the shutter button is pressed via a servo motor which is fixed on the top right-hand side. The shutter is activated by the yellow lever you see here

 

[pault]

Right, I am convinced this is the way to go for me (as soon as Dronexpert has ironed out the niggles). I have looked at the full sized version of the tower and for any doubters have a look at the plant pots in the three little openings above the door. There is no way the FC200 could come close to resolving those.

For me, the killer blow and the justification for the expense was the road sign on the edge of the lawn just outside my Man-Cave window. It reads 'C4' and 'Villeton' and you can see that it does too, even though the sign is towards the edge of the frame. (And, yes, that is the back of our house over on the right )

You jammy s*d - you do not have to go very far to find something photogenic to practice on !

Not just photogenic but also good for practicing rotation and getting into position, not to mention the light etc.

I suppose we should not be surprised to see edge to edge sharpness but it is so refreshing nevertheless. Nowadays I do most of my surfing on a tablet and this is one of the reasons I think why I have become so disillusioned with the FC200. I see a post over on the Vision forum from a user who proudly posts his shot but it takes an instant to open thumb and forefinger to zoom into the image and see all the noise and invariably softness on one side. I know that it has been said over and over but it is so frustrating that my low end phone produces images better than my Vision (and my FC200 is quite a good one).

 

[Peter Evans]

I suppose we should not be surprised to see edge to edge sharpness but it is so refreshing nevertheless.

Yes, especially from something so small and light that you can fit it underneath a Phantom (just).

I do give full marks to Dronexpert for coming up with the idea, but their execution, finish and attention to detail just doesn't fit the price point they have. As Shrimpy more or less said, for that price you expect something slick, classy and strong, something that you're pleased to own, and something that's going to withstand professional use; after all it's professionals that they're marketing to. What I've been sent looks like it was put together in a garden shed from old scraps of sheet plastic that somebody found on a shelf.

 

[pault]

It is such a pity that everyone loves video so much. If the same number of people who have bought a gimbal wanted to fly a still (primarily) camera then I am sure DE or someone else would come up with the goods. As it stands, it just appears to be a handful of us.

I can understand the preoccupation with video as it is so easy to post to YouTube so family and friends can see what you have taken and some of the videos on YouTube I have seen with the RP gimbal look really good. It is just down to personal preference, if it was possible I would like to have the best of both worlds but on balance I would derive more lasting satisfaction with one well lit, well composed and nicely printed photograph hanging next to the loo than with a video on YouTube

Edit: thinking more about why people seem to prefer video it could also be that it is an enjoyable voyage of discovery. For years we have all seen TV and now it is possible to produce something that even just a few years ago was unthinkable. Using only simple video editing software you can make something attractive to look at complete with a soundtrack. Some effects that can be obtained with a flying camera look really good such as the 'tree climbing' a guy in Finland used with great success a few months ago in a snowy winter wonderland and slow panning whilst moving which Shrimpy seems to have mastered. All in all, aerial photography offers something to everyone - I just wish there were more of us who like taking stills

 

[Peter Evans]

Wow, look at the legs on THAT! :lol:

I don't know how strong they'll be yet !

Component parts

Hollow tube from broken weed-sprayer, cut into two 25 cm sections.
Four drip heads used in a flower bed watering system, with the drip nozzles ground off
The ends of four plastic spigots that came with some useless solar lamps for the garden
Superglue

The legs are a clip-fit, each secured with one screw for security, and are easily demountable

________________________________________________

No reply yet from Dronexpert; they can have until this time tomorrow.

 

[pault]

You should get a job with Droneexpert - you should fit in nicely

 

[stereojet]

Nice...

Get them patented quick.

 

[Peter Evans]

Nice...
Get them patented quick.

Well, as it happens, 'Look at the Legs on That!' is now a registered trademark and my next step is to make contact with 'Dragon's Den'

Actually, the 'Mail on Sunday' once asked me to go to Antibes to photograph Duncan Bannatyne; despite that, I doubt he'll think it's worth giving me some of his children's inheritance to develop this into a global brand :lol:

 

[Peter Evans]

VIDEO

I just couldn't wait to see whether video would be sufficiently stable using this camera on this platform so, despite the fact that we still have very windy conditions here, I went out today and took a short flight with the RX100 running in video mode. No video stabilisation has been applied by me or by YouTube. Stabilisation on the camera was set to 'Active' mode.

I apologise for all the yawing, I was trying to find the best angle to fly with respect to the wind so as to try and keep the rig level. As you see that was with only partial success.

Here is a low-res YouTube version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JobERKa2HdY

A higher res version can be found here :
http://www.peter-evans-photographer.com/p917979095/h2828ba2b#h2828ba2b

The forecast for Saturday is for winds of only 4 km/h instead of the current 40 km/h gusts, so I'll have a go at doing something properly at the weekend.

 

[stereojet]

Looks surprisingly steady and amazing quality.

Keeping level tough in that wind, but pretty nice.

 

[Mactab]

Hi Peter,
Nice stuff. Just wondering whether you got any feedback / explanation from dronexpert or is it still an ongoing conversation?

 

[Peter Evans]

Just wondering whether you got any feedback / explanation from dronexpert or is it still an ongoing conversation?

Nothing from them yet, Paul. If I've had no reply by lunchtime, I'll phone them this afternoon.

 

[Peter Evans]

It's pouring with rain here today so I've been playing with the Sony RX100. Having been an 'info in the viewfinder' man for all my photographic life, I'm not used to using a camera's LCD screen for displaying shooting information prior to me taking the shot. However, this morning, I've found a display option on the RX100 which enables me to see clearly the shutter speed and aperture settings when I'm looking at the Dronexpert monitor's screen. Here, at the bottom right of the screen, you can easily see the two vertical white bars showing that the camera is set to 1/500th at f4. At the top right, you can also see the camera's battery level indicator. I like that

 

[pault]

Hi Peter,
Nice stuff. Just wondering whether you got any feedback / explanation from dronexpert or is it still an ongoing conversation?

I am in email contact with them regarding my potential order and they cryptically replied "we are always improving our product". As soon as Peter has resolved his situation i will try to pin them down about the plastic/cf they are going to use in future but at the moment i am hanging back.

Liked the video - i did not realise how much YouTube downgrades the footage

 

[Peter Evans]

How is moving from carbon-fibre to plastic an improvement of the product?!

I can't believe that Dronexpert haven't realised how much potential damage these negative comments are doing to their business!

At the end of next week, after my video expedition on Saturday and subsequent editing, I'll be writing a review on this kit for my Blog and I'll also be posting a review on YouTube.

Dronexpert seem not able to grasp the principles of marketing and the value of good customer relations in this Interweb / Facetube age, ESPECIALLY for small businesses which, after all, need all the good publicity they can get.

 

[Peter Evans]

Well I'll be buggered! Just after submitting the above post, I received an email from Studiosport to whom I have sent copies of the emails I've been sending to Dronexpert; they said - and this is a direct copy and paste, so they even bothered to do it in English:
________________________________________________

Dear Peter,

I am very sorry to hear about your bad experience.

Indeed, our product sheet was not up to date with the latest version released (carbon vs plastic).
The gimbal is produced in very small quantities by Drone Expert, nothing industrial. Its main asset is to fulfill the specific demand for RX100 users. I beleive there is no other gimabl on the market that is designed for RX100 cameras (apart from some "homemade" gimbals).

I totally understand your disapointment. To make up for it, I offer you 3 options:

we offer you a credit for the amount of 925€
we offer you a refund of > 925€
we ask drone expert to replace the gimbal and we send you a new one

Just let me know which option fits you the best.

Looking forward to reading you,

Cordialement,

Ronan
http://www.studioSPORT.fr
_________________________________________________________

Now, in my book, that is the sort of service that warrants praise

 

[stereojet]

Great service from Studiosport.

Have Dronexpert not responded yet Peter?