Drones & Opinions

[BigGreek]

Looking to buy a Drone....

Looking to attach a Go Pro 3+ Black edition. This will be my first drone, while I've been wanting one for a while. There are a few things holding me back. Number one on that list is recording time, with the max time of 30 min for the hefty price tags seems to hold me back. Obviously if there is an option to buy extra battery's I would consider bc I have 4 extra batteries for my Go Pro alone. I have seen that the DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter is one of the better models but with a price tag of 648 I don't id buy it. So does any have any feedback.

 

[Reize]

I got a DJI Phantom 3, flew it like twice, still sitting in the box. Havent found a really good use for it other than just flying it around for fun.

Couldve saved a couple hundred and bought a recreational drone instead.

But I'm probably gonna use it for future videography efforts in my portfolio I guess.

 

[SalvageSV]

You can go the DIY route. Look at Hobby King fir affordable options. A standard X-Plane quad with Arducopter controller and generic remote would run less than $300.

 

[BigGreek]

I've also heard they have drones that can follow you as well, was looking for something like that to follow me while riding or playing sports.

 

[SalvageSV]

I've also heard they have drones that can follow you as well, was looking for something like that to follow me while riding or playing sports.

Yes, many can. Some use shape recognition or a GPS module connected to a ground station.

 

[RoadSprock]

I'd be worried that it dies and you don't notice until you can't find it. That and power lines etc!

 

[HDMOTO]

Looking to buy a Drone....

Looking to attach a Go Pro 3+ Black edition. This will be my first drone, while I've been wanting one for a while. There are a few things holding me back. Number one on that list is recording time, with the max time of 30 min for the hefty price tags seems to hold me back. Obviously if there is an option to buy extra battery's I would consider bc I have 4 extra batteries for my Go Pro alone. I have seen that the DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter is one of the better models but with a price tag of 648 I don't id buy it. So does any have any feedback.

I have a phantom 2. Have had it for about a year and a half. It's great to get some unique perspectives of anything. The biggest problem for me is the size of the backpack I have to fit it in with all the accessories, (screen, batteries, spare parts etc)
The battery life isn't an issue as you never need to fly for more than 20 mins anyway and I have 3 batteries for extra time.
It's pretty safe to fly as long as you know what it can do and keep eye on battery life.
I have a FPV setup with the on screen display showing altitude, direction, GoPro status, battery life etc.
They are awesome, just not so easy to take places, I need a different backpack for riding my motorcycle and taking it with me.
(The intro of my YouTube videos is filmed from my old street in Melbourne looking toward the city)

 

[Jon_okc]

I've also heard they have drones that can follow you as well, was looking for something like that to follow me while riding or playing sports.

I have a friends who play with quite a few drones for a hobby. I asked him about the models that can follow you and his response was "they're only really good if you're going slow, and not near anything that can obstruct the view."

so I imagine riding a motorcycle and having a drone auto-follow might not pan out too well