Drones for photos and videos

[MR.Ty]

I've been coming across more and more advertisements for drones/quad-copters and they have really been peaking my interest lately. If you have any experience with them please post up. :thumb:

So far the ones that have really interested me are the Lilly Drone and this Solo Smart Drone

 

[JKAnimal]

Lilly drone looks badass!!

 

[Spudcannons]

I've been coming across more and more advertisements for drones/quad-copters and they have really been peaking my interest lately. If you have any experience with them please post up. :thumb:

So far the ones that have really interested me are the Lilly Drone and this Solo Smart Drone

I've been currious too. They look sweet but seem to have the drawback of about 20 min max battery life under ideal conditions. But the auto follow thing is really awesome.

 

[MR.Ty]

I've been currious too. They look sweet but seem to have the drawback of about 20 min max battery life under ideal conditions. But the auto follow thing is really awesome.

The auto follow would be great if it had object avoidance. I like the pre-set flight path of the Solo drone so you as the operator can set.

 

[MTG]

That Lilly drone looks cool. Nice price point too. Kids would have fun with it.

 

[Petromotion]

I'm waiting for the Lilly drone to have collision avoidance before I get one.

 

[Havoc40]

I started getting into aerial photography with quadcopters last year (fun little hobby). I don't have any of the ones mentioned...but I'll share a little of what I've learned.

I initially jumped right into something I could use with my GoPro. I bought an RC Logger Extreme, which is an awesome little quad for the money. It's also very powerful and relatively easy to break parts just starting off. Fortunately, you can get replacement parts easily and cheap. After I rebuilt this thing like 4 times and now have enough parts to build another, I decided I probably need to learn how to fly one first...imagine that! :blush: So now that I've accepted my lack of skill with these little bastards...I walked into the local hobby store and bought a Blade Nano QX. After a little while I got the hang of it and its been a blast messing with the dog around the house.

Now that I can at least fly, I've been able to get great footage with the RC Logger. I now want a gimble and ability to carry heavier cameras. I'm in the process of building an octocopter with my newly aquired rc helicopter building knowledge. The hardest part of the learning curve with these is the complicated controllers and software.

 

[el_chupo_]

My experiences trend with Havoc40. I found a deal on a DJI Phantom, and ordered it, and called up a buddy that is big into RC planes and heli/quads. He told me to play with a little one, so I ordered a $40 one of Amazon. Arrived at the house with one bad motor, so I returned it and he had me stop by his house and gave me his Blade Nano, and a Spektrum DX6 to play with to learn to fly. Even though the Phantom is basically "Easy mode" because of its hardware/software, I learned to fly the little one around the house first. Made a big difference in how comfortable I am outside with the Phantom.

The Lily does look really cool, but the lack of control from user, and the lack of obstacle avoidance will take some time to get (mentally) used to, just seems far to limited.

 

[JK_Epidimick]

I started getting into aerial photography with quadcopters last year (fun little hobby). I don't have any of the ones mentioned...but I'll share a little of what I've learned.

I initially jumped right into something I could use with my GoPro. I bought an RC Logger Extreme, which is an awesome little quad for the money. It's also very powerful and relatively easy to break parts just starting off. Fortunately, you can get replacement parts easily and cheap. After I rebuilt this thing like 4 times and now have enough parts to build another, I decided I probably need to learn how to fly one first...imagine that! :blush: So now that I've accepted my lack of skill with these little bastards...I walked into the local hobby store and bought a Blade Nano QX. After a little while I got the hang of it and its been a blast messing with the dog around the house.

Now that I can at least fly, I've been able to get great footage with the RC Logger. I now want a gimble and ability to carry heavier cameras. I'm in the process of building an octocopter with my newly aquired rc helicopter building knowledge. The hardest part of the learning curve with these is the complicated controllers and software.

I'm looking into some and have been looking at the dji but at 1k with out gimbal is just a little much right now. How long and far can you fly your logger extreme?

 

[Havoc40]

I'm looking into some and have been looking at the dji but at 1k with out gimbal is just a little much right now. How long and far can you fly your logger extreme?

I have yet to fly out of range. Probably because I'm a chicken shit when it's flying around with a $400 camera lol. With the extra weight and the larger props...I can usually fly about 15min with their larger batteries. Camera footage isn't as pretty compared to a gimble on a dji or the like. But it's been a good learning experience. Teaches you how to keep orientation and things like that without spending big $$. Flying around without a camera is also a lot more fun than a dedicated camera rig. I'd definitely recommend it for somebody wanting an entry level quad that's small and sort of dual purpose.

ETA: you waste more battery when you're flying around without the camera. Amperage goes up with more throttle/steering. Taking it easy with the camera actually saves battery.