Considering a quadcopter (drone)

[natenaaron]

I am thinking about purchasing a drone. I really don’t like that name but oh well. Right now I am in the research stage. My aim will be video and still pictures which means I need stability. With that in mind I have had a few cheap (Sub 30 dollars) and small copters that I was wholly unsuccessful flying. The issue I had was stability. No amount of adjusting allowed them to even hoover. They would lift off and immediately fly into a wall without me even touching the controller. Adjustments never seemed to do anything. In my research it is clear that the higher the price spent, the more stable and flyable the copter is. Am I right?
At this point, if the wife and wallet agree, the DJI Phantom 3 Standard is what I am aiming for. Aside from that one question already asked, I would like to know if there are folks who own and fly one of these. If so, can you address the two concerns below that have popped up in my reading:
1- Fly off
a. I read a few reviews and ratings that said their copter launched and flew away no matter what it was programmed to do and did not respond to the controller. Is this common?
2- Customer service
a. There was a couple mentions of poor customer service and difficulty getting DJI to honor their warranty.

 

[MidnightMatador]

I have a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone/quadcopter, and it is very usable. It does stabilize very well even in high winds. I live in an area of Texas where there is a lot of wind, and it does not affect the drone --- most of the time. I personally use mine to survey fields, crops, and pastures non-commercially. I have not experienced the "fly off" that you mention, but I have had a few run ins with running out of battery when returning home. Luckily, the quadcopter was not damaged! I also have not had to deal with DJI customer service in the 2 years I have had my drone.

 

[natenaaron]

I have a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone/quadcopter, and it is very usable. It does stabilize very well even in high winds. I live in an area of Texas where there is a lot of wind, and it does not affect the drone --- most of the time. I personally use mine to survey fields, crops, and pastures non-commercially. I have not experienced the "fly off" that you mention, but I have had a few run ins with running out of battery when returning home. Luckily, the quadcopter was not damaged! I also have not had to deal with DJI customer service in the 2 years I have had my drone.

Good to hear. How did you start out? Did you jump right in with one of the camera drones or did you start with a smaller "toy" type?

 

[MidnightMatador]

Good to hear. How did you start out? Did you jump right in with one of the camera drones or did you start with a smaller "toy" type?

I just jumped right in with the Phantom 3. It was easy to learn how to fly it around, just make sure you put the right propellers in the right positions!

 

[natenaaron]

I just jumped right in with the Phantom 3. It was easy to learn how to fly it around, just make sure you put the right propellers in the right positions!

I noticed there were different markings on them but I did not know why. So, why?

 

[MidnightMatador]

I noticed there were different markings on them but I did not know why. So, why?

Two of the propellers are marked with black, and the other two with silver. The propellers spin in different directions in order to stabilize the quadcopter. If you put the black propellers where the silver ones are supposed to go, the drone will flip over directly after takeoff.

 

[tetraodon]

with this surge in drone interest i hope people get more into traditional RC helicopter use. i might repair my old flyer and mess around.

 

[Ad Astra]

Bring back a popular 1960s family game: Rig the drone to drop Lawn Darts, I say.


AA just kidding of course. though i like the idea of chasing coyotes with same

 

[dpm802]

Be sure and research local laws as well ... various municipalities have wildly differing regulations regarding where they can and can't be used, and for what purposes. At the Federal level, every drone needs to be registered.

Try and rent or borrow one before you buy. You may find that after the first few flights, it not as much fun as you think it will be.

 

[natenaaron]

This will be for photography and video purposes mainly but someday I would love one capable of FPV. I have always wanted to be a pilot and take aerial photographs but the cost is prohibitive after you get the license. This will be a way for me to get aerial photos and videos.

 

[Ad Astra]

Going to fly my new GoPro from a kite: easier, cheaper than a drone.

Tough nylon kite, flown from deep-sea fishing rod: set to shoot one still ever 30 seconds ... poor man's aerial photos.


AA

 

[natenaaron]

Going to fly my new GoPro from a kite: easier, cheaper than a drone.

Tough nylon kite, flown from deep-sea fishing rod: set to shoot one still ever 30 seconds ... poor man's aerial photos.


AA

The logistics of what I want to capture and where that is, is not feasible for the poor man's version. Would be fun though. I have an iON that I just might put this use.

 

[macdad]

with this surge in drone interest i hope people get more into traditional RC helicopter use. i might repair my old flyer and mess around.

Do it!! I have been flying RC Helis for about 3 years now! Great hobby and very challenging!

To the op, I am not a quad copter guy, but I know someone that has a DJI. It is very nice and extremely stable. If I were you, I would also buy a small quad for the house and learn how to fly line of sight. Could come in handy.

 

[macdad]

Be sure and research local laws as well ... various municipalities have wildly differing regulations regarding where they can and can't be used, and for what purposes. At the Federal level, every drone needs to be registered.

Try and rent or borrow one before you buy. You may find that after the first few flights, it not as much fun as you think it will be.

This^^^ The FAA has passed some additional restrictions recently. In addition to the new restrictions, there are some licensing/certifications that need to be done in order to utilize these things commercially. If you plan on doing aerial photography and selling the photos, make sure you have your bases covered. You don't want to lose your equipment and or receive fines.

There also seems to be a need for surveying of farmers' fields. That has some potential from a business standpoint.

 

[natenaaron]

This^^^ The FAA has passed some additional restrictions recently. In addition to the new restrictions, there are some licensing/certifications that need to be done in order to utilize these things commercially. If you plan on doing aerial photography and selling the photos, make sure you have your bases covered. You don't want to lose your equipment and or receive fines.

There also seems to be a need for surveying of farmers' fields. That has some potential from a business standpoint.

I have been doing a lot of reading about this and let me tell you something. The FAA rules and regulations are MUCH more readable and understandable than the National Part Service is. The NPS just needed to say "no UAS flying in park boundaries until we figure this out, and we are not in a hurry to figure it out." Instead it goes on forever in total lawyer speak.

Why fields?

 

[macdad]

I have been doing a lot of reading about this and let me tell you something. The FAA rules and regulations are MUCH more readable and understandable than the National Part Service is. The NPS just needed to say "no UAS flying in park boundaries until we figure this out, and we are not in a hurry to figure it out." Instead it goes on forever in total lawyer speak.

Why fields?

Yeah, there is a bit of "interpretation" in the FAA rules, but it is pretty easy to read for the most part.

I don't totally understand everything regarding farmers fields. However, I do know that they like to see where standing water is, or any potential problems are. The traditional way is to walk or drive through the fields to check it out. Aerial surveying can save them a lot of time. Especially if you do it real time. I believe they can also use thermography to see certain things. Of course, that drives some different and potentially more expensive hardware.

Maybe I will do some more research. It would be a nice side job to pay for all the shave crap I buy!

 

[Legion]

The Phantom 3 is pretty good, and very affordable now. Most people dont need 4k video, and the 3 is still 2.7k.

Now on the other hand, if you decide to increase your budget... I have a couple of friends who own the new DJI Mavic, and those little things are awesome!

When the price comes down some I might think about getting the Phantom 4 Professional. Having a 1" sensor will really help the image quality for stills....

I don't really need one... but...

 

[MidnightMatador]

Yeah, there is a bit of "interpretation" in the FAA rules, but it is pretty easy to read for the most part.

I don't totally understand everything regarding farmers fields. However, I do know that they like to see where standing water is, or any potential problems are. The traditional way is to walk or drive through the fields to check it out. Aerial surveying can save them a lot of time. Especially if you do it real time. I believe they can also use thermography to see certain things. Of course, that drives some different and potentially more expensive hardware.

Maybe I will do some more research. It would be a nice side job to pay for all the shave crap I buy!

As a son of a farmer, and a future farmer (current college student), I use a Phantom 3 drone to survey crops such as wheat and sorghum (that's what we grow). What you said is very accurate with what I do. Mainly, the drone saves time by searching for "stress zones" in fields. Before drones, this meant either surveying by walking or driving, both of which can take a lot of time. By using a drone, I am able to see where a crop is stressing and how I can best address it, and by stressing, I mean stress caused by pests, heat, water, or even soil parameters. With a drone, I can survey our few thousand acres within a few days.