Been contemplating a good camera drone...

tomrandall86 · Jan 1, 2018

For quite some time now!

I have a little experience flying some RC helis (medium size and small) and also have an old Parrot AR drone 2.0 which I’ve had a lot of fun with just flying.

I’m very keen with photography, and would love an aerial perspective to expand into, and have so many ideas of what I’d like to capture.

I’m not overly fussy about video; the only videos I shoot are just fun ones of locations that I visit. Still images are where it’s at for me, so I’d like something of good quality.

I’ve had my eyes on the Mavic Pro for a while, watched many videos, lots of examples, reviews etc but then my gaze found the P4P (or advanced) and now I feel a bit torn.

the portability of the Mavic is what really attracted me, as I love hiking in areas such as Wales and the Scottish Highlands. That would create some more problems with the P4P obviously.

I’ve looked at example stills of both drones, and I know the P4P is a step up in camera quality, allowing for larger prints and overall image quality, but is it that much better than the Mavic, in user’s experience?

I have issues with spending money but feeling like I’ve lost out, spending so much time reading and looking at examples!

I must add that the love of hiking isn’t the end game of the decision, but it does play a role in it!

Thank you in advance of any advice guys and gals!

pr099 · Jan 1, 2018

I have the MavPro and it's really pretty good.....The trick is to get the camera settings right and get the light right. It's awful bright at 100 ft. But it will do quite nicely.....

tomrandall86 · Jan 1, 2018

pr099 said:
I have the MavPro and it's really pretty good.....The trick is to get the camera settings right and get the light right. It's awful bright at 100 ft. But it will do quite nicely.....

Thanks for the input! It does look amazing for such a tiny sensor. Essentially I have to weigh up the factors of portability or if I feel I can get away with having the larger quad but superior camera.

Do you have some of your own shots anywhere on the web?

hoping that someone has used or has both as well.

Abrak · Jan 2, 2018

tomrandall86 said:
pr099 said:

I have the MavPro and it's really pretty good.....The trick is to get the camera settings right and get the light right. It's awful bright at 100 ft. But it will do quite nicely.....

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! It does look amazing for such a tiny sensor. Essentially I have to weigh up the factors of portability or if I feel I can get away with having the larger quad but superior camera.

Do you have some of your own shots anywhere on the web?

hoping that someone has used or has both as well.

--
Tom
Olympus OM-D E-M5mkII

M.Zuiko 14-150mmII
M.Zuiko 12-40mm PRO
M.Zuiko 75-300mmII
Samyang 12mm F2.0

My advice definitely is to go with the Mavic Pro first off. You already know what a 'better camera' will bring you but the advantages of a smaller, more portable, less obtrusive drone especially when starting off, are overwhelming. You can get great images and video out of the camera even with a small sensor - it shoots raw. Maybe you will grow with its use to the stage where a better camera would be something that becomes more important - but not something that should concern you starting out...

Some shots from my Mavic Pro and a video...

--

Domain Suspended

rob collins

Explore rob collins’s 956 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

tomrandall86 · Jan 2, 2018

Abrak said:
tomrandall86 said:

pr099 said:

I have the MavPro and it's really pretty good.....The trick is to get the camera settings right and get the light right. It's awful bright at 100 ft. But it will do quite nicely.....

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! It does look amazing for such a tiny sensor. Essentially I have to weigh up the factors of portability or if I feel I can get away with having the larger quad but superior camera.

Do you have some of your own shots anywhere on the web?

hoping that someone has used or has both as well.

--
Tom
Olympus OM-D E-M5mkII

M.Zuiko 14-150mmII
M.Zuiko 12-40mm PRO
M.Zuiko 75-300mmII
Samyang 12mm F2.0

Click to expand...

My advice definitely is to go with the Mavic Pro first off. You already know what a 'better camera' will bring you but the advantages of a smaller, more portable, less obtrusive drone especially when starting off, are overwhelming. You can get great images and video out of the camera even with a small sensor - it shoots raw. Maybe you will grow with its use to the stage where a better camera would be something that becomes more important - but not something that should concern you starting out...

Some shots from my Mavic Pro and a video...

--
http://www.salintara.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robcoll/

This is great stuff! Thanks for sharing!

My concerns literally stem from photography anyway, which is why I was asking I guess. I do so much work in Lightroom and Photoshop so with that in mind RAW processing is not an issue for me; actually I enjoy post process a lot.

Agree with the portability. I know it’s the more sensible option to begin with, and my questions also stem from the fact that it’s taken me a long time to save to a point where I can afford these options.

Thank you for this!

--
Tom
Olympus OM-D E-M5mkII
M.Zuiko 14-150mmII
M.Zuiko 12-40mm PRO
M.Zuiko 75-300mmII
Samyang 12mm F2.0

junk1 · Jan 2, 2018

If you're willing to do so, I think the Mavic and the Phantom 4 will shoot bracketed shots, so you could assemble a HDR image on your computer. I think both also can shoot HDR "in camera"? (but carefully editing them on your computer from raw images should get better results)

Also, maybe you can find a used one for sale on ebay or some other site. I might go that route, but I would prefer if the seller was close enough so I could check it out in person - let's face it, people crash them and who wants to sell for a huge loss...

The Phantom 5 is supposedly coming "soon", so maybe the P4 pro/advanced prices (used) will fall.

You can buy DJI drones refurbished with warrantees too...

Ken Seals · Jan 2, 2018

According to an acquaintance of my mine who was formerly a DJI photographer and employee, the Phantom 4 Pro is clearly superior to a Mavic for stills and video.

tomrandall86 · Jan 7, 2018

Ken Seals said:
According to an acquaintance of my mine who was formerly a DJI photographer and employee, the Phantom 4 Pro is clearly superior to a Mavic for stills and video.

Ken Seals · Jan 7, 2018

tomrandall86 said:
It’s still a tough call to be honest, and am holding off for the time being as a purchase has to be right.

Currently doing more research into where these machines are allowed, as I don’t want to be hiking British mountains and highlands with a UAV that’s not allowed.

3dwag · Jan 8, 2018

Ken Seals said:
tomrandall86 said:

It’s still a tough call to be honest, and am holding off for the time being as a purchase has to be right.

Currently doing more research into where these machines are allowed, as I don’t want to be hiking British mountains and highlands with a UAV that’s not allowed.

Click to expand...

Ken Seals · Jan 8, 2018

3dwag said:
Like the OP, have also been contemplating a new Mavic or P4 in my life.

I can wait, maybe something I’ll do within the next 12 months, and I am wondering if perhaps there will be a Mavic Pro Mark II later this year as well, with improved camera, gyro, &c.

3dwag · Jan 8, 2018

Ken Seals said:
3dwag said:

Like the OP, have also been contemplating a new Mavic or P4 in my life.

I can wait, maybe something I’ll do within the next 12 months, and I am wondering if perhaps there will be a Mavic Pro Mark II later this year as well, with improved camera, gyro, &c.

Click to expand...

junk1 · Jan 9, 2018

People tend to try keeping up with the Joneses though - we define "good enough" differently over time on other words. Today's cameras are all good compared to what we had 10 years ago, but a camera with a tiny sensor will always be inferior to the same generation having a larger sensor.

The thing I dislike is that the Mavic costs not much less than the Phantom 4 advanced (1" sensor) models. Hard to justify spending almost as much for a smaller sensor...and if smaller sensor is OK, then the Spark is tempting (no raw though, and how much does it cost to get a "real controller" in order to get useable R/C control range?

Downside of Phantoms besides size and cost is the need to attach a phone to it, or pay more for the version with the display. Many owners prefer using their phone because there are 3rd party apps which cannot be loaded onto the controller with built in display. I'd probably need a new/better phone.

tomrandall86 · Jan 10, 2018

3dwag said:
Ken Seals said:

tomrandall86 said:

It’s still a tough call to be honest, and am holding off for the time being as a purchase has to be right.

Currently doing more research into where these machines are allowed, as I don’t want to be hiking British mountains and highlands with a UAV that’s not allowed.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

junk1 · Jan 10, 2018

My recollection is the P5 is due soon and might have been delayed, first was slated to be out by now. P5 rumor is that you'll be able to swap a few lenses on it. Can find info via google...

I'd love to find a used P4 at a worthwhile price/discount....preferably locally so I can check it out first (I figure many people buy them w/o any prior experience and crash them, and handle them roughly in general).

P5 would tempt me if they improve the controller. Built in display that allows 3rd party apps to be run on it.

D-JJ-I · Jan 11, 2018

I purchased a drone mainly for still photography, and chose the Mavic because I wanted to take it hiking. I live in Hong Kong, so when i say I hiking I mean day hikes not week-long treks in the jungle, but it's still important for me that I can carry it comfortably for 8-10 hours, in addition to camera, food, litres of water, etc. etc.

I've been very happy with the Mavic over the last 6 months and the size is great - I've seen some people struggle with phantoms etc. in dedicated backbacks whereas the Mavic fits into a normal bag along with the rest of my gear. I really wouldn't want anything much heavier, and the folding Mavic is much more convenient in terms of packing a bag.

The still photography quality is not amazing, even coming from micro four thirds gear, but it's acceptable to me for online viewing. I haven't tried printing yet. The DNG files are easily imported and edited in lightroom. There are rumours of an updated Mavic this year with the 1 inch sensor, so it might be worth holding off, that will give phantom-level image quality but still in a smaller package.

One note though, here in Hong Kong one of the limiting factors is air quality - when the air is hazy (or misty, etc.) there isn't really much point in having the latest and greatest sensor as the haze is the limiting factor in IQ. And as you say, the laws around where you can and can't fly also limit options - personally I'm reluctant to spend more than mavic prices because I'm never quite sure whether drones might be banned outright one day.

I have some photos on flickr here

rurikw · Jan 22, 2018

I'm in a similar situation except that I know I'll get the Mavic rather than the Phantom because I want to take it on bike and kayak trips which effectively rules out anything bigger for me. What doubts I may have about IQ I try to dispel by telling myself that there is panorama stitching and hdr and many of the photos I took with a 5Mp Nikon Coolpix 5000 in 2003-2006 print decently at A4 not to mention my iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S6 (which I bought for the Mavic as the 4S isn't compatible). I hope I'm not deceiving myself.

junk1 · Jan 22, 2018

For aerial photography via my R/C airplane, I bought a 6MP Fuji F20 (same as the F30/F31) in 2007, which by then was an old model (got it new but on closeout for $120). IT worked pretty well...wider lens and more dynamic range would be good though.

One would hope a modem 1/2.3" sensor would be better, right???

I wish they'd use a larger sensor, say 1/1.8".

rurikw · Jan 22, 2018

junk1 said:
For aerial photography via my R/C airplane, I bought a 6MP Fuji F20 (same as the F30/F31) in 2007, which by then was an old model (got it new but on closeout for $120). IT worked pretty well...wider lens and more dynamic range would be good though.

Wow, I suppose you count as a veteran in this young field.

Member said:
One would hope a modem 1/2.3" sensor would be better, right???

Indeed.

Member said:
I wish they'd use a larger sensor, say 1/1.8".

There's rumour about a Mavic Pro mk2 with 1". Not relevant for me as it will be too expensive except it might take down the price of mk1 further. Just saw one being sold for 599€. Gonna jump this spring, already been dreaming for years and not getting younger. Thanks for the affirmation.

junk1 · Jan 23, 2018

B&H Photo had the (1" sensor) Phantom 4 Advanced for around $800 yesterday which is less than people sell them used on ebay....so I surmise it's about to be replaced and/or that sale will be repeated.

I haven't taken an aerial image in 2-3 years....it's a hassle using my plane, and out of 500 images (10-15 minute flight), only a few are "keepers". I bought parts to build a moderately large drone in 2011/2012 (before you could buy a decent one "ready to fly") but lost interest. I would most likely put the camera in continuous mode and shoot blindly (same as I did on my plane), and not have a gimball....lots of drawbacks. but it would be a m43 camera (GF7).

hmm, if I could figure out how to get more range out of my phone wifi connection, I could control the camera via the Panasonic app. Range is short, 20-30 feet is all (I've used it at my bird feeder).

Been contemplating a good camera drone...

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