Last October, I listed Drones for Under $2000. A week later, DJI announced a new quadcopter drone, Inspire 1, which was notable, but far above the $2000 price point. This week, DJI announced the third incarnation of it’s original Phantom, which now incorporates some features from Inspire but retains the more affordable price tag of the Phantom line. Here are the broad brush strokes.
Phantom 3 (DJI press release photo)
Phantom 3
Improved camera system supports video and stills. Phantom 3 “pro” supports 4K video resolution.
3-axis gimbal, similar to Phanom 2 Vision
The new gimbal seems to pan, unlike its predecessor on the Phantom 2 Vision+
Digital video downlink sends live video feed to your mobile device on the ground (up to 720p)
Downward-facing visual and ultrasonic sensors allow position hold without GPS (indoors), like the Inspire 1
Improvements in motors and motor control provide better stability and longer battery life.
Phantom 3 vs Inspire 1
Inspire 1 is larger than Phantom and can fly faster
Inspire 1 allows unobstructed 360 degree camera rotation – retracting landing struts will not obstruct the view.
Inspire 1 supports dual pilot operation.
Phantom is theoretically much more durable than Inspire
Phantom costs far less than Inspire
Phantom provides a slightly longer flight time.
Not to be left behind, 3D Robotics will soon release their new quadcopter, currently known as SOLO.
The term “drone” is commonly used in pop media, more common than alternative terminology UAS (unmanned aircraft system) or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). To my mind, a drone implies an automated military device – I prefer the term quadcopter.
As far as you or I are concerned, we serve as the remote pilots while standing on terra firma. We operate a radio transmitter while the copter is equipped with a matching radio receiver. Different radio systems are available and they are not all compatible. For example, some communicate via a 2.4 GHz radio frequency, while others utilize a 5.8 GHz. The differences are not limited to radio frequency alone.
Anything that is labeled as Ready-To-Fly (RTF) will include a radio transmitter that is compatible with the drone. If the product is not advertised as RTF, it may not include a transmitter, which is preferable for anyone who intends to re-use an existing transmitter they already have.
3D Robotics Iris+ … $750
3D Robotics RTF X8 … $1,350
Blade 350 QX – $470
DJI Phantom I … $400
DJI Phantom II Vison+ … $1,300
Gaui … 330X … $400
Gaui … 500X … $1,150
Gaui … 540H / hexcopter (6 rotors) … $600 does not include transmitter
Parrot AR drone … $300
Quantum Nova … $320
Quantum Venture … $400
TurboAce Matrix … $900
HUBSAN X4 H107C-HD
SteadiDrone QU4D … $1700
Walkera QR X350 … $400
Walkera QR 800 … $1,700
Walkera TALI h500 / hexcopter (6 rotors) … $1900
For aerial photography purposes, you need a stable device that is easy to control – consider electric copters only. Gas-powered machines are loud, extremely fast, and potentially very dangerous.
The rotational force of a single-rotor will tend to rotate the entire machine; this is why traditional helicopters have a small tail rotor, to counteract the rotational force. Coaxial dual-rotor designs solve the rotational force problem by spinning two rotors in opposite directions, but this reduces the total lifting force. Multi-rotor copters, with four or more independent rotors, solve the rotational problem by spinning half the rotors in a clockwise rotation and the other rotors in counter-clockwise rotation.
I expect (but have not verified) that all of the copters listed above are capable of lifting a small camera. In the cases of some smaller copters, I had doubts and so did not include those in this list.
Please note that most of these copters will rely upon rechargeable LiPo batteries, for which I offer two tips. A single battery might give you eight minutes of flight or twenty minutes of flight – so do have more than one battery. These batteries are relatively high power devices and there have been stories of such batteries causing fire, sometimes during the charging process. Do use protective LiPo storage bags such as LiPo Safe.
The most commonly used camera for these copters is a GoPro 3 or newer (e.g. Go Pro 3, Go Pro 3+, or GoPro 4). Personally, I have used the Hero 3+ Black Edition; while I find that it captures great video, I am not impressed by the still image JPEGs. Listed here are some of the available small “action cameras”, all of which I expect are primarily intended for video.
CamOne Infinity
Contour+2
ContourROAM3
Drift Ghost-S
Garmin VIRB Elite
Gear-Pro HD Sport Action Camera
GoPro HERO3+
GoPro HERO4
Ion Air Pro 3
JVC GC-XA2
Mobius Action Camera Pro
Polaroid XS100i
Polaroid Cube
Replay XD Prime X
Sony AS20
Sony HS100V
The last component for aerial photography is perhaps the first component to select when building a new system. A motorized/computerized gimbal is necessary for aerial video, to remove the unwanted effects of aircraft movement. The gimbal holds the camera, detects aircraft movement, and automatically moves the camera to counteract the aircraft movement. Without one of these devices, your level horizon will be ruined anytime the copter moves left or right. Gimbals are often designed to match the size and weight of specific cameras. So, if you are thinking of using a specific camera, you need to be sure that you can get a gimbal that accommodates that camera.
