My newest photo toy - its sky high :)

[Howard 538]

So I got myself a DJI Phantom2 Vision plus, which is a quad copter with a stabilized video camera.  Got the guts to take it up to just over 200 feet today and shot this.  Not the greatest yet, but I am still learning.

 

http://youtu.be/JhWEcAa1gSo

[gleninjersey 2,139]

Wow.  The clarity is pretty amazing!  Very impressive.

[brucin 923]

Nice toy.

[Howard 538]

Now if I could only figure out how to post here so the video box would show not just the link it would be better.

[DargZ 5]

That's wicked cool.  I'd bet you can now get some really cool wedding videos.

[PK90 3,570]

How far will it travel?

[One_crazy_dude 1]

That was really cool. And really high. I enjoyed the video/scenery

[Howard 538]

Legally?  FAA rules say you are not supposed to fly it beyond where you can see it, and you are not supposed to fly it using first person view either where you navigate via the onboard camera you watch on your phone or tablet..  I'm only a novice so I have only gone 200' up but it will actually go about 1,500' up although I think FAA rules want you to stay below 500'.  As for distance out of the box it can go about 1/2 a mile away before you lose connection but there are after-market antennas that get you out about 2 miles.  Check out dji.com for details.

[gleninjersey 2,139]

Fly overs of outdoor shooting would be awesome!

[Heavyopp 167]

That's wicked cool.  I'd bet you can now get some really cool wedding videos.

Can't make money with it --  FAA says so

 

Also huge insurance issues with flying over people --

 

I still want to build one--  with GPS waypoint capabilities...  

[magnawing 5]

Hovering over the parking lot at a clay shoot would get some cool videos too

 

 

This signature is AWESOME!!!

[Howard 538]

Jeremy, this unit is GPS controlled and you can set up to 16 waypoints for auto controlled flight so that you can concentrate on camera work only. FAA has been rules to be full of crap by the courts and many people are using these things to make money, I know two personally that are doing it. You can get business insurance but if used as a hobby homeowners covers your liability or you can join AMA for about $80 a year which includes insurance.

[Vlad G 345]

Fly overs of outdoor shooting would be awesome!

 

Maybe maybe not. I've seen the 3Gun Nation video folks use them in the middle of a match and they were VERY distracting.

[Scorpio64 5,147]

It's amazing how fast technology moves along.  When I worked at Bell Labs in Holmdel (90's) we had an RC club.  One of the guys had a plane with a film camera that took pictures at a set interval.  That was considered  "high tech" at the time.

[Joe P. 4]

nice resolution on that thing, strap a shot timer to it with a wireless relay to an ipad or something to capture scoring ..skynet? 

are they loud?

[Burns 16]

That thing is pretty cool!

[Howard 538]

Not very loud as they are electric not gas powered.  Only negative is the battery technology, its tough to get enough power in a small space.  These new ones get about 25 minutes max flight time per battery, which is double what they got about a year ago.

[louu 399]

Now if I could only figure out how to post here so the video box would show not just the link it would be better.

 

 

You cant use internet explorer, you ha e to use chrome or something like it. Then just copy the youtube link on the verry top of the page ( I think its called the browser) and paste it in the your meseage.

 

AMA is $59 and there is alot fo catches as to what they cover. It pretty much only covers you if your flying at a club and are following all the safety rules.

[Howard 538]

 

 

You cant use internet explorer, you ha e to use chrome or something like it. Then just copy the youtube link on the verry top of the page ( I think its called the browser) and paste it in the your meseage.

 

AMA is $59 and there is alot fo catches as to what they cover. It pretty much only covers you if your flying at a club and are following all the safety rules.

 

Using Chrome, not IE  There are two types of AMA programs one is for clubs but there is another for everywhere else.

 

From their website:

 

Full Membership Program

Costs:

• Age 19-65 - $29
• 65 & over - $24
• Under 19 - Free or $15 with magazine
• Additional family members - $30

Benefits:

• $2,500,000 personal liability insurance coverage
• $25,000 Medical Coverage-AD&D Policy ($10,000 Death Benefit)
• $1,000 Fire, Theft, and Vandalism coverage
• Model Aviation monthly magazine
• Access to members only section of website
• Ability to fly at thousands of AMA chartered club sites with appropriate club membership
• Toll free customer service – 1-800-I-Fly-AMA (435-9262)
• Always comply with the AMA Safety Code.

Park Pilot Program *

Costs:

• $29.95

Benefits:

• $500,000 personal liability insurance coverage
• Park Pilot quarterly magazine
• Access to the members only section of the website
• AMA Park Pilot Partner network to help you get started
• $2.5 million liability coverage is available for owners of AMA-designated Park Flying Sites
• Toll free customer service – 1-800-I-Fly-AMA (435-9262)
• Always comply with the AMA Safety Code.

* Aircraft must not exceed 2 pounds, 60 mph, and may not be  powered with an internal combustion engine

[DirtyDigz 1,811]

Howard, I've been interested in quads for a while and I'd like to see this in action in person; any chance you'd be interested in doing a show and tell at a convenient time in the near future?

[Silence Dogood 468]

Nice job!

[mipafox 438]

Beats the hell out of mirror shoes. Let's get some shower photos!

[Respect2A 0]

Howard, how much did that setup run you?

 

With the drawback being battery technology will improvements mean you have to scrap what you have now and start over or will it be easy to upgrade?

[WJFortier 10]

the clarity is amazing.  so stable too

[Guest]

Can't make money with it --  FAA says so

 

Also huge insurance issues with flying over people --

 

I still want to build one--  with GPS waypoint capabilities...  

What do you mean the faa says you cant make money with it? There are countless people using them to film commercials. I looked into as a side business but never heard anything about the faa preventing someone from using it to earn a living

[ted527 21]

watched the video and thought " damn that things cool i need one"

 

 

then i googled it and got a price..........

[raz-0 1,259]

Now if I could only figure out how to post here so the video box would show not just the link it would be better.

 

like this? 

 

 

go to youtube, click the share link to get the url with http vs. https just paste the url in the reply window (i did it after choosing more option)

[Howard 538]

Prices for DJI Phantons range from about $500 to $1,500, they have lots of more expensive ones too.  You can buy cheaper price and quality from other places.  The video is so stable because it uses a 3D gimbal.  Basically this computer controlled platform moves exactly the opposite way the bird moves so the camera does not move at all.  Its a perfectly stable camera platform.

 

The FAA has not made final rules, and the courts have said they don't actually have authority - but they have made interim rules.  You can't use it for stuff like real estate photography but you can use it for artistic pictures of houses.  You cannot use it to survey a commercial farm to determine how to water crops, but you can use it on your personal farm for the same purpose.  The rulings are arbitrary and will likely not hold up if challenged in court.  I believe Texas has ruled that you can use it for real estate. Those doing real estate work, and there are many, just claim they are charging for their time and video editing services.

 

The unit I have is about $1,250 and comes with the gimbal and camera.  You can buy another unit with a different gimbal and mount your own GoPro.  The quality with the GoPro is a little better but you cannot watch the camera as you are flying without some special add on boards and antenna from a third party.  Mine is a package deal ready to roll, sort of like buying a Dell computer.  There are many places to buy parts and build your own unique crafts, but you may likely spend more and have issues.

 

Dirtydigz - I'll send you a pm.

 

As for battery upgrades, well who knows.  The price of the batteries have dropped once and will probably drop again.  They are Lithium Polymer six cell units so it is fairly new technology.

[Howard 538]

like this? 

 

 

YES!!! How did you do that???

[raz-0 1,259]

YES!!! How did you do that???

 

You relplied while i was editing with more specific instructions after seeing that it worked beyond preview. it's now in that post.