Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
The DJI Phantom line of drones are probably the most recognised drones around the world. But reports and circumstantial evidence suggests that the DJI Phantom’s time has come to an end. DJI representatives have even suggested the same, although DJI has officially denied this.
The websites of large retailers from around the world are reporting that they are out of stock of the current model Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. B&H lists the product as being discontinued.
There have been a few reports across Facebook groups, YouTube videos, and various forums across the web on sharpness issues with DJI’s new Mavic 2 Pro. Despite housing a camera branding the Hasselblad name, people aren’t happy. But are things really as bad as they might appear?
Tom David from Tom’s Tech Time puts the new Mavic 2 Pro head to head against the Phantom 4 Pro to see how the two compare. Surely the new Mavic 2 Pro with a Hasselblad camera should beat the pants off the two-and-a-half-year-old Phantom 4 Pro, right? You’d think so.
People have been hoping for an update to DJI’s Phantom line for a little while now. Many thought the next announcement we’d see would be a Phantom 5, but it turns out that it’s not. It’s the Phantom 4 Pro v2.0. It packs all of the features of the old Phantom 4 Pro, but with a couple of nice updates.
The P4P V2 is more of an incremental upgrade than a replacement model, but it boasts improved image quality, reduced noise output and 6-camera navigation with new infrared obstacle sensors. There’s also a new remote option with integrated display.
Fireworks can be spectacular to watch, and they make a beautiful photographic subject. But have you ever seen it from above? What about in reverse? Filmmaker Zui Tao took his drone up to the sky and filmed fireworks from a perspective we don’t get to see when we watch from the ground. For extra trippy effect, he played the video in reverse, and the result is truly captivating.
Well, we knew it wouldn’t be long before the comparisons started coming. And what better excuse than a new drone for another Casey McKinnon collaboration? While much of that collaboration is over on Peter’s channel, He did take time to help Casey out with this pretty decent review of the new DJI Mavic Air which also compares it to the Spark, Mavic Pro, and Phantom 4 Pro.
While you can use a drone to take shots and videos (either from the sky or from the ground), there are some alternative uses for it as well. Lauri and Anni Vuohensilta, the couple you may know from the Hydraulic Press Channel, used their DJI Phantom Pro 4 to dry the laundry.
On their other channel Beyond the Press, they published a video demonstrating how the airflow from the hovering DJI Phantom Pro 4 dries the laundry. In the end, they even tape wet boxers to the drone – but it turns out not to be the best idea.
DJI has recently released Spark, their smallest and cheapest drone yet. With the price of $500, you may wonder how it compares to DJI’s more powerful models like Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic Pro. In this video from Billy Kyle, you’ll get to see how the “selfie drone” stands against the Phantom and Mavic in terms of video quality and customization of features.
Since the Spark can’t shoot 4K, all three test videos were recorded in 1080p at 30 fps. All three drones used the same settings: the exposure set to “automatic” and white balance set to “sunny.” You can see the footage of each drone first, and then they’re lined side by side so you can compare them.
Shooting quality aerial video is the main reason that most people get a drone like the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. So, when your footage doesn’t look that great, it’s a bit of a disappointment. Often, though, the problem is simply down to not understanding how your drone works, and the different flight modes it offers.
In this video, drone enthusiast Billy Kyle takes us to drone flight school to teach us all about the twelve intelligent flight modes offered by the Phantom 4 Pro. If you have a Phantom 4, Mavic Pro or earlier drone, it’s still worth having a watch. Even though all of the flight modes might not be available to you, the ones you do have access to are probably mentioned. It also serves as a good reference for what it can do if you’re considering buying, too.
DJI already had 2016 going for it drone-wise. Their Mavic Pro smashed the competition from GoPro and is possibly what everyone is getting for Christmas, but now, they are making another push with two new drones: a pro Inspire 2 and an update to the popular Phantom line: Phantom 4 Pro.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
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JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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