The Phantom 3 Advanced Real World Imaging Review

Reflex Films · Jul 31, 2015

Hi All,

Long time lurker - first time poster.

I have been flying an F450 for a couple of years and recently got a P3 Advanced.

I went to a lot of effort to put together a real world imaging review - after about 5 drafts i finally came up with
something i am half happy with.
Many of you will already know this stuff - but I had some fun creating some different shots to put into the review.

If you are thinking about buying a DJI Phantom but you cant decide if its right for you, or whether you need the 4K Or 1080p version

This practical and detailed review gets stuck into the nitty gritty details and features from a real video production professional.

How long does it fly?
Do i need a spare battery?
How much wind can it handle?
What is the controller like to use?
Are the photos any good? Does it shoot raw?
How grade-able are the photos?

Why would i need 4k if nobody can broadcast it?
Is the 1080p any good ? Does the image have any issues?

Is it good value for money?

All these questions and more will be answered in a high production value review.

Zerone · Jul 31, 2015

First and foremost I think your video and mini review is really good, however you appear to have dismissed the Pro model on the basis that nobody can broadcast 4K video. You don't mention that when 4K video is output in 1080p it is superior to a standard 1080p original video, due to the chroma sub-sampling. I would appreciate your view on the explanation in the following video.

Reflex Films · Jul 31, 2015

thanks for your comments and question

i have been shooting 4k on a gh4 for over a year now. (almost on a daily basis)

4k does make for better 1080. but i have found its not dramatically better. only pixel peeper better. the margin gets even smaller once web compression has ocurred.

for me it wasnt worth the 30% price premium.

Reflex Films · Aug 1, 2015

For those that don't know... The pro gives you 4K and a faster charger over the advanced.

4 k is super handy for pulling 8 mp still from any frame of video.

It would be super interesting if dji offered a camera upgrade option for p3 advanced owners down the track. Especially if they can increase the data rate for 4 k. I would certainly consider it!

Zerone · Aug 1, 2015

I don't do any video for the web, but I also use a Panasonic GH4 for its 4K output. Now that I'm retired, I enjoy making stop motion animation mostly in clay, but needed good backgrounds for the green screen effects. The GH4 with Nebula 4000 Gimbal was great for ground backgrounds, but I needed aerial stuff too. That's why I use the P3P 4K. To look realistic, backgrounds both motion and screenshots need the best resolution I can get because of all the additional editing and processing I put it through.

However, I had so much fun with the P3P that I'm starting to learn about aerial video, a whole new ballgame. Although, flying it is easy, positioning takes quite a bit of pre-planning for me as a novice. I don't do any commercial work, just fun stuff and I get to collect a lot of cool play gear.

I use:-
Panasonic GH4
Nebula 4000 Gimbal
Canon Lenses
Nikon S9600 (Probably one of the best Zoom 4K cameras I ever come accross for about £100)
Toshiba P50T 4K Laptop + 28" External monitor.
and a couple of 12v LED Flood/Spot lights. (Nothing special)

Basic Software:-
Dragonframe (Stop motion)
Movavi (For green screen editing)
Power Director (For 4K power editing)
all powered by Dolce Gusta coffee and Digestive biscuits.

I just hope that Win10 doesn't mess everything up.

Bryce · Aug 2, 2015

8 core, 64 RAM and 5000 series quadro and I still don't like waiting for the original 4k to render.... I think the battery charger alone is worth it though... and still just shoot in 1080 60 fps, unless I need the 4k to 'zoom in' on subject matter.

I need a fast computer.. this 264 is killing me. wish it was .mov or something... my computer opens up those files quickly.

Zerone · Aug 2, 2015

[QUOTE="
I need a fast computer...[/QUOTE]

Actually you need a lot more computers. An estimate of the number, quality and complexity of individual frames in the Disney 3D film "Frozen", if processed on a single home computer would have taken over 3,000 years to render.

That would have given you plenty of time to fly your Phantom between each frame.

Goldni · Aug 3, 2015

Newby here as well. I was very discouraged from the first video footage I took from my first flight (P3- A), but silly me..when I pulled the mini SD card from my copter and viewed the videos raw...wow! Beautiful! No one really told me that! For the first few days I thought I was stuck with "director" on the dji app!