DJI Phantom quadcopter review for use with GoPro

Hello, residents of Habr. A few days ago, I was posting a review of GoPro Hero 3 Black Edition and the story of Woodman Lans. As it turned out, many people liked this article and this video, so I decided not to stop. We took a test for the GoPro quadcopter called DJI Phantom, which I haven’t yet seen in Russian-language runet.


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Technical characteristics of the device:

Length: 350 mm (diagonal between the axes of the motors), total - 390 mm
Width: 350 mm (diagonal between the axes of the motors), total - 390 mm
Height: 90 mm, with chassis - 170 mm
Body: Plastic
Speed: 10 m / s
Weight: 610 g without battery, weight of battery - 170 g
Battery life: 10-15 minutes
Power: Li-Po 11.1V 2200 mAh 3S 20C battery
Radio control: 2.4GHz
Transmitter: 6 channel
Signal radius: 300 meters
Camera features: GoPro camera mount
Charging time: 3 hours
Load: 400-500 grams.
Sensors: GPS, accelerometer, compass

What GoPro cameras do DJI mount compatible with?

GoPro HD Helmet Hero
GoPro HD Hero 2
GoPro HD Hero 3
GoPro HD Hero 960
GoPro HD Motosport Hero
GoPro HD Naked Hero
GoPro HD Surf Hero

Equipment

Charger, remote control, mount for GoPro cameras, quadrocopter.

Thoughts about ...

DJI itself is on sale in RTF (Ready-to-Fly) state, but, unfortunately, I had to calibrate the compass through a PC before launching it. The control itself was not given immediately, and the first launch was hit hard by the ceiling, but when you figure it out, it remains to enjoy. By the way, DJI is quite a strong device, during experiments and takeoffs, he once fell from 20 meters with screws down and nothing happened to him, oddly enough.

In general, the Phantom is not a toy and you shouldn’t compare it, for example, with ARDrone. With the help of DJI you can carry out complex technical work. Recently, we ordered a movie and it was necessary to shoot a car from the air. We rented a helicopter and fixed GoPro to it. I think that the rental price is roughly comparable to the purchase of a DJI, so this is an indispensable thing in such work. It's a pity that the helicopter is only 15 minutes long, but I think more capacious batteries are being sold.

Another example of use is the osmatr of the state of cultural monuments. Why order a crane for this if you can run a similar quadrocopter in summer windless weather?

In general, a powerful and cool thing and I liked it a lot more than ARDrone 2.0: it is more maneuverable and faster, and you don’t need to buy an iPhone for that. This is a professional device designed for work in industry, agriculture, aerial photography, etc. Such drones as DJI are very different from amateur toys like ARDrone. They work in the pouring rain, and in the cold, and in the heat. In addition, such an important function as a return to the home point on GPS is unlikely to allow losing the device.

The price of DJI Phantom in Russia is about 30,000 rubles (in the USA it is $ 679). A lot of it? I think so, but on the basis of the functionality, it is quite a normal and reasonable price, and if you take into account that this thing will not be your toy, it will help you in your work very cheaply.

Update: More information and thoughts added to the article.