List Price: $1,399.00
Sale Price: $1,199.00
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
I ordered this Quadcopter on Nov. 11 and received it...and the case I bought at the same time, on Friday, the 15th...very speedy service on these items. I had read quite a bit about the DJI Phantom Quads, and once my Vision was on the way, I tried to read all of the info I could get my hands on....I need to say that the "Tutorials" on the DJI Web Site were extremely helpful, very positive and supportive about all phases of the operation of this amazing flying machine.
I need to say here, that I had Zero experience flying any sort of model aircraft, no time using any sort of radio control or really, very little contact with anyone in the RC community...so, I was really a total novice...and fairly apprehensive about learning to "drive" one of these expensive toys....without a major hiccup...! So, why did I buy this Quad?? My main interest is in photography and the current issue of Outdoor Photography features an article on using one of these devices for aerial photos. Who has not wished they could "get a camera way up there!"....or "zoom over the steeple of that church"...or "see what this neighborhood looks like from 300 feet up".? When I read the specs of the Vision camera...14meg, stills or video, jpeg and RAW, intervalometer...a long list..I knew I'd get a lot of use out of it. Just the idea of being able to rotate the Quad while shooting multiple still images for panos was enough to make the final decision for me...!
Anyway...Fri. the boxes started to arrive and finally, I got the opportunity to see the Phantom in 'real life'.. I had watched the "unpacking" tutorial from DJI, so there were no surprises with any of this. I pulled out the main battery and the range extender and started them charging. (Main battery took about an hour...the extender was longer than that...3-4 hours..FYI) I took that time to do the few things required...spin on the props, apply the 'racing stripes', attach the range extender and the iDevice holder to the range extender, check the new carry case...and worry some more..!!
Both weekend days were extremely windy...up to 50+ MPH...well in excess of what any sane person would want to use as beginner training for this fairly complex device. Monday was a different story...temps in the 60's, and only gentle breezes..5-8MPH at most. So......the case with the Phantom and the rest of the gear went into the mini-van...and we headed for a local park. It took only a few minutes to turn on the range extender, let it establish the WiFi link, go to "Settings" on my iPhone...(4s...FYI)...open the DJI 'app', see that it had connected successfully....and head to a convenient bench nearby. There I powered up the battery in the Phantom itself, turned on the Controller power, flipped the S1 switch about 9 times to get it into Compass Configuration mode...did the required rotations with the Phantom and got the correct response from it...good to see the green LED's confirming that all was ready. I checked the iPhone app again that I had pre-loaded a week earlier...removed the lens cap..(very important!)...and Bingo...everything looked great... I placed the Phantom about 20 feet away from the bench....pulled the CSC joysticks to the "Motors On" position, watched the motors come to life...(I had done this at home a few days earlier....so I knew what to expect..!), took a deep breath....(a few spectators had gathered by this time...always good to try something totally new in front of a crowd..!!)...and waited for the Moment of Truth....fingers crossed...heart beat full on.....hoping for the best...
I advanced the left joy stick slowly.....I heard and saw the motors speed up....a bit more stick...and then...smoothly...almost as if I actually knew what I was doing....the Phantom rose into the air...about 6-7 feet at that point...WOW!!....did I say WOW?...!! It worked...just as advertised...so easy, not a single bobble...nothing but the comforting sound of the motors and the sight of the Phantom just hovering in the air....stable...the red and green LEDs under the arms flashing...a picture on my iPhone from the on-board camera....and a host of approving....and amazed comments from the peanut gallery..! The phrase, "That is SO cool!" was heard more than once...! Flushed with my new success, I advanced the left joy stick again...and the Phantom responded by rising another 8-10 feet into the air...it really had such and 'other-worldly' look to it...just floating in the air...steady...only the prop noise giving any hint that it was there... Since the camera was pointed away from us, I moved the left stick to the side and watched the Phantom rotate and at the same time I could see the display on my iPhone show the view from 15 feet up....turning...90 degrees, more....then...our small bunch of observers came into view...more use of the "Cool" word...!
Since things were going so well, I started moving the right hand joy stick...the Phantom mirrored each command...forward...then back...to the left...then back to the right... Quite frankly, I was totally amazed by how easy this had all gone...My confidence level had gone from merely hoping I could get this off the ground and not embarrass myself...to feeling pretty totally in control of this device and the attached camera....which was confirming each and every action of the Phantom itself..Wheeeeeee...!! Since I knew the main battery was good for about 25+ minutes, I flew the Phantom Vision up higher...rotated it....went a few hundred yards away, turned back...lower...this is getting addictive...! When I got it closer, I handed the Controller to my wife...and she had no trouble with the basic controls either...I'd like think that it was my skilled take-off that was the basis for her ability to maneuver the craft...but I know better..!! The next 20 minutes were spent in flying around the general area...flexing my aviation muscles, so to speak....I always kept it in view...although having the visual confirmation on the iPhone screen will allow operation that would be out of sight of the operator...another time maybe...! Pushing the left joy stick forward...caused the Phantom to begin to climb...at about a hundred feet up, it became a tiny dot in the sky....another hundred and it was nearly invisible...the lights of the LED's could not be seen then due to the sunny skies...but...we knew it was there...! It was a strange, but satisfying, feeling to be in control of this "eye in the sky"....close to euphoria...!!
Now I HAVE been around many aircraft....both full size...and models, enough to know that the number of landings should exactly equal the number of take-offs....so this would be my final challenge...although I really had no fear about this going wrong after the 20+ minutes of experience (Old Hand..!)...I had in the air. Bringing the Quad back to the take-off point, I settled it to a point about 5 feet above the grass, pulled back on the left hand joy stick...the Phantom moved down....touched the ground....a second later, I could hear the motors spin down...(I had kept the left joy stick in the full rear...or Power Off..position)...and...accepted the accolades of the crowd....OK...the 4 or 5 people who were there..!!
Final view of all of this?? Incredible to see this machine hover at any place you want...just remove your fingers from the sticks and it STOPS...the few times I was unsure of the orientation of the Panther, I did just that...figured out what I wanted to do next...and then continued. This is unlike an airplane...which continues flying while the pilot searches for his (MY..!!)...next move.. EASY TO FLY?? Yes....very...a super solid, comfortable, controlling experience. I can't wait to put this to photographic uses...having a mobile camera platform that can basically be placed within about a quarter of a mile and up to 400 feet in the air...(more if out of range of an airport...)...and the ability to switch from stills to video...to aim the camera up or down...0 degrees to 60 degrees of motion, able even to format the micro SD card in flight..!! Rotating this Phantom as I trigger the camera for some panos should be amazing....stay tuned...!!
If interested in following this tale...I have just started a Group on Flickr...
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