News — Phantom

Written by Warrick Kernes

Buying a drone is not just about searching shop to shop for the best possible deal, this is the foundation of an ongoing partnership. You're not buying a box of cereal here, you're investing in a wonderful piece of technology and you're going to need great advice before your purchase, help with selecting the best accessories for you to get what you want from the drone, and you're certainly going to need post-purchase support when you're learning to fly or if you need servicing, maintenance and repairs once you start using your new drone. 

You're not looking for a drone supplier, you're in need of a drone partner and here are some reasons why we want to be your partner in this journey. 

Quick links: 

1. Best customer service in eCommerce
2. Get 10% Discount off booking your RPL (remote pilots license)
3. Get 25% Discount off drone maintenance or repairs
4. Full Warranty Support as an Approved DJI, Parrot + GoPro Reseller
5. Finance your drone purchase using Mobicred
6. Approved eBucks and Discovery Miles partners
7. Well crafted bundle packages
8. Drone Industry Opinion Leaders
9. Advice on Drone Laws
10. Learn to Fly with us
11. Collection or Free Nationwide Courier Delivery
12. Established 2010 

    1. Best customer service in eCommerce 

Action Gear was selected as the 1st place winners of the Best Customer Service Award in the 2015 South African eCommerce Awards. Runners up included Superbalist, Takealot and Yuppiechef so you can rest assured that you're in good company. 

2. Get 10% Discount off booking your RPL (remote pilots license) 

Action Gear is proudly partnered with the leading drone license schools in South Africa. If you buy your drone from us you will automatically qualify for a 10% discount off your booking fee when signing up to get your RPL with one of our partner schools.

*Valid for purchases from May 2017 onward.

3. Get 25% Discount off drone maintenance or repairs 

We are also partnered with SA's drone repair specialists SkyFix. If you've bought your drone through Action Gear you automatically qualify for a 25% discount off any servicing or repairs with SkyFix. Hopefully you won't need this but if you do it can save you a fair amount. You can use your Order Number as a reference when booking your drone in for repairs.

*Valid for purchases from May 2017 onward.

4. Full Warranty Support as an Approved DJI, Parrot + GoPro Reseller 

Occasionally we see fly-by-night operators selling drones which are grey-imported. While there's a chance to potentially save a few Rands this is not a recommended place to buy your drone as you'll have zero warranty support if something goes wrong. Action Gear is an approved partner of DJI, Parrot, GoPro and more so we back up our sales with 100% warranty support. Unfortunately some people only find out the value of this when it's too late. 

5. Get Finance for your drone purchase using Mobicred 

Action Gear is partnered with Mobicred which is a SA based service which will let you buy your drone on credit. If you would like to do this simply sign up on their site and then come back to us and we'll guide you through the process. 

6. Approved eBucks and Discovery Miles partners 

Do you have some extra eBucks or Discovery Miles laying around? Why not use them to pay for a part or full payment of your drone purchase? Action Gear is very proud to be one of the few stores in South Africa to be partnered with both eBucks and Discovery Miles. 

7. Well crafted bundle packages 

As one of the first companies in SA to sell drones, we're not only interested in giving you the best deals available; we're also interested in supplying you with the right drones and accessories that suit your needs. We've crafted our bundles specifically with this in mind. There are some dealers who sell products in their bundles which outright void your product's warranty 100%. Please be careful of such dealers as you won't be able to get warranty support when you need it down the road. 

8. Drone Industry Opinion Leaders 

The experience mentioned above also means that we are looked to by many people in the drone industry to help shape the future of how drones are to be used in SA. We deal directly with the SACAA to help guide safe and responsible use of drones. 

 9. Advice on Drone Laws 

If you have any questions on the drone operation laws in South Africa or if you need to know which licenses to get (and where from) then we can help. This is a partnership remember so when you buy your drone from us, you gain access to our advice too :) 

10. Learn to Fly with us 

If you want a lesson on flying your drone safely and securely then you're welcome to book an appointment with us and we'll spend an hour or so with you for this.

*Hosted in the Randburg (Johannesburg) area. 

11. Collection or Free Nationwide Courier Delivery 

Whether you're based in Kathu, Alldays, Joburg or Cape Town we'll cover the cost all of the door-to-door courier costs to get it to you on our express courier delivery service.

You can more about the delivery / collection services here.

*Free delivery on all orders over R1000. 

12. Established in 2010 

We've been running strong since 2010! There are only a few drone specialists who have been around so long. If you'd like to read more about the history of Action Gear then click here. 

Still not sure?

If you're still not convinced, then here's another 16 reasons why we think you should buy your drone from us. In closing, here's a few words from Action Gear's Sales Director Dave Davies about the Do's & Don't of purchasing your drone. 

Written by Daryl-Leigh Preuss

We've seen some interesting new product releases from DJI via their Facebook page. Unlike the previous release(s) announcing the Matrice M200 series, Inspire 2 & Phantom 4 Pro range, or even the release of the Mavic we've had to keep our eye on social media for these new additions. Take a look at these new products (listed in order of the most recent): 

DJI Goggles:

See the world through the eyes of a drone using the new DJI Goggles! Amazing views as if you were right there. Turn the camera by turning your head with the option of 720p/60fps and close range 1080p/30fps viewing.

• Type: FPV (First Person View)
• Ultra high quality screens
• Long range
• Low lag wireless connectivity
• Photo and video capture
• Intelligent Flight Mode support
• Immersive experience
• Ergonomic design
• Up to 6 hours operation time
• Compatible with Mavic Pro, Phantom 4 series and Inspire series. 

You can read more about the Goggles here. Get yours at Action Gear!

DJI Tracktenna:

Released roughly 6am 24 April 2017 via DJI Facebook

Signal loss is a common problem when it comes to obstructions and magnetic interference. With the new DJI Tracktenna, it gives you perfect signal strength with boosted gain and automatic repositioning.

• Signal reception is 32 times stronger
• 100 times reduced interference
• Long distance flying can now reach up to 10km
• Compatible with the Cendence remote controller (see below), Matrice 200 Series and Inspire 2

You can see the full specs on the DJI product page.

DJI Cendence:

Released roughly 5am 24 April 2017 via DJI Facebook

With over ten customizable buttons, five analog control channels and antenna interchangability, the new DJI Cendence, along with the DJI Tracktenna, can augment the power of DJI Lightbridge technology increasing overall anti-interference and video downlink quality.

• Multi-drone compatibility
• Flexible and Efficient design
• Customizable buttons
• New LCD display

You can see the full specs on the DJI product page.

DJI Ronin 2:

Released roughly 4am 24 April 2017 via DJI Facebook

Able to support a wider range of cameras, the Ronin 2 can resist high winds and moves smoothly when mounted to a car. A detachable grip allows the Ronin 2 to stand on it's own as well as enhanced intelligence to make professional shots easy. (Panorama; Timelapse; CamAnchor)

• Compatible with cable cams; drones; cranes; Steadicams and more
• Dual battery system
• Effortless transitions between scenes

You can see the full specs on the DJI product page.

If you see anything else being released, feel free to get in touch or tag us on Facebook! You're also welcome to let us know how you feel about these latest releases from DJI in the comment section below & if you're keen to get them.

Written By Daryl-Leigh Preuss

It is always best to keep your drone updated with the latest DJI firmware to ensure your drone is working at it's best. Not only does your drone need the updates but your remote needs them too!

With regards to the DJI Phantom 3 Professional / Advanced and Phantom 4 remote controllers, we would like to ask you to please do the following if you're using one of the above models:

• Please ensure your remote controller is at least 50% charged
• Launch the DJI Go App
• You will see either a doctoral hat or 3 lines icon on the upper right corner of your screen. (The DJI Go App will show a "doctoral hat" but the DJI Go 4 App shows 3 lines instead.)
• Hold the doctoral hat / 3 lines icon for a couple of seconds 
• This will direct you to the download link.
• Now update your firmware to V1.8 (Please do so even if you've updated to V1.8 before, this latest firmware version number has remained the same)

This update will improve your image transmission giving you a better view for safe flying!

If you're curious about other firmware updates or news, select the "firmware" tag below. You can also sign-up to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news. 

By Vhengani Emmanuel Mudzielwana 

Well, well, well – just as you think that DJI had all their surprises for the year out of that father Christmas bag of theirs, they give you the best of things to marvel on.

15th of November marked the release of the long awaited DJI Inspire 2, and of course the unexpected surprise Phantom 4 Pro. This of course gets DJI fans like myself quite excited about the new products – on the back of the delay on the Mavic , munching on the specs of the newly announced 2 products is mind tingling.

SO, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE INSPIRE 2 AND THE INSPIRE 1 V2?

A product that offers so many advancements from the Inspire 1 that you’d think are not of the same range at all – only to find out that they actually do come from the same range.

• 1st – The battery life on this new kid in the block is almost twice that of the Inspire 1, all thanks to the dual battery use on the new Inspire 2.
• 2nd – The range of this awesome thing is the same as that of the Mavic and the Phantom 4 Pro – just in case you are wondering how far theses 3 products can fly, it’s 7km away from your remote controller or ground station, not that it is pretty far considering the fact that you will not be able to see the unit at about 750m distance – if your eyes work pretty well.
• 3rd – The new camera range, first of all – remember those problems you had with the previous Inspire 1 camera range when you fly at night, low performance on low light condition, they claim to have solved that, bear in mind that we don’t have those units as yet – so we cannot at this point in time say they have actually one so. One other biggest thing with the new Z5S camera is the ability to shot videos at 5.2K 30fps - now that is pretty interesting.
• 4th – The all new set of obstacle avoidance systems that now gives you that peace of mind that your drone won’t fly to the wall or tree, maybe the person you are trying to capture without you noticing it or just avoiding your commands altogether. Not only does the sensor work on the front, but a top set is fitted in for you to avoid that roof or obstacles atop your drone when you are flying believe it or not – you know what that means right, the only thing you need to worry about is yourself since you may be the only thing behind the drone, and you can fly the drone indoor with little to no worries at all – just don’t drift to the side.

WHEN WILL IT ARRIVE?

Check out the Inspire 2 & the combo for more information on the product and arrival dates.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PHANTOM 4 AND THE PHANTOM 4 PRO?

Now this is one unit we were not expecting at all, to those of us who have had our eyes on DJI’s secret mission to impress the world, we had very little hope that they’d bring the Phantom 4 Pro in the market, but they actually did.

• The drone is faster than the Phantom 4 with an acclaimed 10Mph faster speed, this time around it keeps its obstacle avoidance system functional, that is a bit improvement. 
• Atop that, the Phantom 4 Pro has 5 side obstacle avoidance system – in case you are wondering what that really means, it means that the drone can now avoid obstacles that may come from either Front, Back, Left, Right, or Below. If that is not impressive to you, then you really don’t have anything that can impress you.
• So much sensor without sacrificing the battery life is an amazing work, the drone has an acclaimed 30minutes flight time, that is quite impressive – well done DJI.
• The camera is claimed to be the biggest from the Phantom range, and like the Inspire 2, the low light problem appears to be improved, we’ll have to wait until we get the product so that we can actually prove its worth ourselves.
• The remote of the Phantom 4 is the best thing that DJI has ever made - this solves a lot of problems faced with the App update problems.

To all DJI fans – save for one of this.

WHEN WILL IT ARRIVE?

Check out the Phantom 4 Pro, and the Pro + for product info and stock arrival updates.

AND HERE'S THE FULL RANGE: