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      Reviews — DJI

      Why The Phantom 3 Is Still The Best Buy

      Why The Phantom 3 Is Still The Best Buy

      All the hype in the last couple of days has been on the Phantom 4 with its cool new features, but we don’t think that upgrading from your Phantom 3 to a Phantom 4 is worth it at this point. Yes, the phantom 4 is an impressive new drone and is an excellent aircraft to buy if you have never flown a drone before.

      A lot of people feel that they need to get the latest technology as soon as it is launched, but we are going to tell you how great the Phantom 3 actually is and what impressive results you can get out of it which will keep you on par with the Phantom 4. After all it’s all about creating great aerial images in stunning locations. Here are the reasons why we think you should be happy with the Phantom 3:

      • From a film making perspective, very little has changed. The camera still uses the same sensor, the exact same processor and controlling the drone is still mostly done manually. While DJI have made a few minor improvements to the drone, such as a new gimbal and new motors, these changes do not result in better footage. 

      • The Phantom 4 has obstacle avoidance, but if you can already fly a drone, why do you need that feature? DJI implemented the obstacle avoidance feature so that anyone can fly their drone. It is definitely a nice safety backstop, and could potentially prevent some crashes, but is realistically not necessary for skilled experienced pilots.

      •  Batteries and accessories will become cheaper over time for the Phantom 3. This trend has shown itself before, with both the Phantom 1 and Phantom 2. There is also no reason to worry about discontinues spares, as DJI still produce spares for all of their models. 

      • DJI are still backing the Phantom 3. Previously, new models that were launched have replaced the existing models. However, this time DJI have released the Phantom 4 to compliment the existing Phantom 3 range. This tells us that DJI will still continue to promote and sell the Phantom 3, and will continue to release firmware updates to improve the drone's features. 

      • The Price. While the Phantom 4 is expected to sell in South Africa for around R30 000, the Phantom 3 range starts at less than half of that price. The most popular Phantom 3 models, the Advanced and Professional, have both received Price drops following the launch of the Phantom 4. This means that it is now more affordable than ever before to own a professional level drone. 


      Click here to view our DJI Range 

      Introducing The DJI Phantom 4! The Sexiest Drone That DJI Ever Designed

      Introducing The DJI Phantom 4! The Sexiest Drone That DJI Ever Designed

      The exciting new features include:
      - Obstacle avoidance
      - ActiveTrack, allowing the Phantom 4 to follow an object or person just by touching them on the screen
      - TapFly, allows the pilot to touch a destination on the screen, and the drone will fly to it automatically
      - Intelligent RTH
      - 28 minute flight time
      - 5km range
      - Max speed 72km/h
       
      So far, DJI have not given us an official launch date for South Africa, but stock is expected some time in the middle of April. We also do not yet have a South African price yet, but it is estimated to be just over R30 000
       
      The good news is that the Phantom 3 range will still be available for the foreseeable future. DJI have announced that they will not be discontinuing the Phantom 3 range, but will rather be reducing the prices of the Advanced and Professional models. This means that the Phantom 3 is now more affordable than ever! 
       
      If you would like to be put onto a waiting list for the DJI Phantom 4, please contact us on 011 781 1323, or email sales@actiongear.co.za

       

      What To Expect With The New Phantom

      What To Expect With The New Phantom

      By Wouter Du Toit

      DJI have released a video the past week and have their website setup to launch an event today (Tuesday 1st of March).

      If you want to see what is coming, I recommend you tune in today at about 6:40pm on the DJI.com website and see what tech they are bringing to the drone industry. As the leaders in the field, I believe it will surely be of interest.  

      From the first Phantoms to the Phantom 2 with great advances we’ve been fortunate to see how the company has improved on the tech with regards to photography, gimbal stabilisation and flight, and it has brought it all together in a fun and usable way with the Phantom 3 range. It even launched a new Infra Red camera for the Inspire range  to be used to analyse buildings that are on fire to see where the fire’s core is, to analyse water distribution with regards to irrigation and land optimisation. They then launched the DJI OSMO which made the idea of capturing some professionally stabilised 4K video a possibility at a fraction of the cost of renting high-end production equipment.

      The drone casings are mainly made in a white polymer, but this isn’t the only reason the company can be compared to be Apple. When considering Design, usability and the capabilities it offers it’s inline with one of the largest companies in the world.
       
      So what do we know about this event tonight and what can we expect from the DJI team?  
       
      The rumours we have are the following:
      • That the new Phantom is rather shiny instead of the matte white we know.
      • The motors will be enclosed from above so it is more and ‘protected’ and ‘weather-sealed’. 
      • The gimbal has been moved to the inside of the casing which will reduce issues with it. 
      • It will most likely be called the Phantom 4
      • They won’t launch anything for the Inspire range because the Inspire 1 is relatively new on the market. 
      • It won’t be waterproof
      • It won’t have retractable landing gear like that of the Inspire Pro
      • The camera can have a 6K sensor but this is unlikely due to most people not even having 4K televisions yet.
      It seems as though they will focus on the camera mainly. Let’s see tonight!

      Osmo – Steadying the Planet

      Osmo – Steadying the Planet

      By Dave Estment - professional photographer

      It never ceases to amaze me how brilliant new technologies are born, grow very slowly until someone realizes the full potential of the new technology, and then all hell breaks loose. A classic example of this is the combination of two fairly new technologies, which OV&P has adopted in our quest to remain at the cutting edge of our industry.

      Drones have revolutionised the film and photographic industries with their compact sizes, maneuverability and the ability to provide whole new perspectives to audiences, irrespective of the genre or subject matter being shot. What a lot of people may not be aware of is that drones would be completely useless in these roles if they did not have a secret element attached to them to provide dead steady footage and photographs – taking vibration, any destabilising movement and strong winds out of the equation.

      The secret element is a 3 axis, computer controlled gimbal that has complex algorithms and GPS based positioning tech built into it to cancel out the movement caused by the above factors. We love this new technology and it now forms an integral part of our offering. The size and weight of these incredible bits of kit is of paramount importance, particularly on drones, due to the direct relationship between battery life and the total weight of the craft. The smaller and lighter the better, each gram of saved weight contributing to the battery life and therefore airtime achieved by the drone.


      This technology has now found its way back onto the ground in the form of hand-held gimbals to mount various sizes of cameras depending on the application for the shoot. We have added two hand-held gimbals to our arsenal of gear, both manufactured by the same brand we use for our drones, which is global industry leader DJI. The two models are known as the OSMO and the RONIN-M.

      The OSMO uses the same camera we use on our drones which is capable of full 4K video and RAW photographs built onto the same gimbal, providing unbelievably steady footage for action sequences, in a tiny package. We used it in a few scenarios this past week while on location again at Ant’s Nest & Ant’s Hill game reserve, so stay tuned for more on the second promo video we are creating to highlight the stunning horseback safaris that they offer.

      The RONIN-M (OSMO’s big brother) is heavier and designed to work with bigger cameras, providing Hollywood quality, rock steady footage, but the downside is that the operator needs to have strong shoulders as the RONIN gets very heavy after a couple of minutes of high action running and jumping around :) It also comes with a relatively high price tag. By contrast, the OSMO is really light in weight, as well as life changing for enthusiasts and professionals as it is reasonably priced, making it more accessible and enabling world-class footage, which five years ago would have cost a small fortune.

      Thank you DJI.

      DJI Phantom 3 VS Parrot Bebop

      DJI Phantom 3 VS Parrot Bebop

      By Karl Spangenberg

      The use of drones in the film industry has grown quite rapidly within the last three to four years and quite frankly, it is rather pricey. Luckily, however, there are much cheaper alternatives for the average user seeking to utilize such amazing tools for creating those awe inspiring aerial videos and photographs. There are many decisions that you will have to make before deciding on which drone you'll be purchasing. The usual set of questions regarding these machines, beside the price, are generally things like the flight time, durability, reliability and the most important part, the camera

      DJI Phantom 3


      The first drone that would come to mind would likely be the new DJI Phantom 3
      The Phantom 3 is the newest member of the DJI family and does not come as a surprise as to why it has become such a common choice among film-makers and hobbyists alike!

      The new Phantom 3 , just as its first and second generation counterparts, has the same iconic white plastic body that is still just as durable as previous models but has however undergone some rather interesting yet very helpful software upgrades that help you fly the Phantom much easier.

      DJI has now installed a system known as GLONASS which works like a refined GPS on the drone helping it to find more sattelites and find them quicker than ever before!. The best thing that DJI offers with the new Phantom is the option of three different package choices.
      The Phantom 3 standard,advance and the proffesional. Now let's look at the specs :

      The Phantom 3 standard includes the rather well built Zenmuse standard 3-axis gimbal supporting a 12 megapixel sensor capable of shooting at 2.7k resolution on 30 fps and carried at 40kbps
      The Advanced version has a rather better camera being carried. In the case of purchasing a Phantom 3 advance you will find yourself with a rather smashing Sony EXMOR 12.4 megapixel camera also shooting 2.7k resolution at 30 fps also at a 40kbps bitrate

      Now we come to the top of the line Professional version
      Also sporting a Sony EXMOR sensor but has a rather quick 4K resolution 30fps camera with a 60kbps bitrate!

      Now these new Brilliant options from DJI are definitely worth a look if you plan on making very well crafted aerial video or aerial photographs.

      But now there is another alternative aimed at the beginner learning to fly as well as learning to master the flying shot.The introduction of Parrot's new Bebop Drone.

      The bebop is a very surprising machine when you fly it for the first time. It's flying characteristics are extremely good and does give a feeling of confidence to the chap flying it!.

      The Bebop features a very nice 14 megapixel 14mm wide angle fish eye lens that is fitted inside the body of this drone.

      The interesting thing about this camera is the fact that it has a full 180° sensor that can be controlled from the Sky Controller or your android or apple device to set up the right angle for your shot! The camera on this drone uses a highly refined auto leveling system to stabilize all footage you capture as you fly with crisp image projection and zero distortion!

      Coming to the more hardware oriented side of things is where the bebop really starts to shine like the little gem it really is! The bebop features a feather light (almost 400g) fully reinforced ABS molded quadcopter frame and finished off with a very light yet extremely durable EPP (expanded-polypropylene) foam body.
      that protects the parrot p7 dual-core CPU and quad-core GPU with its internal 8GB flash memory built onto a magnesium shelf that essentially acts as a cooling plate that shields all software from electromagnetic interference!

      The difference between the Phantom and the Bebop are not that vast when you put them both side by side and compare them but in this case the two machines that will be compared will be the Phantom 3 professional and the bebop.

      The Phantom has a world famous reputation for being an affordable all-rounder and quite frankly it is the best choice that can be made. It is a very good machine to learn on due it's gimbal and camera being removable and of course the size of it. It's a large drone but it is big enough to handle wind quite nicely. It's GPS system works very well and has all the function buttons marked with nice icons in a very comfortable and easy to operate layout for the user.


      Parrot Bebop


      The Parrot Bebop on the other hand has all of it's function buttons layed out on a app which is a bit too crowded to concentrate on everything that's going on. Some of the functions, like the Emergency button, is well marked and at the middle-top of the tablet on the app. All the other nice features that can be utilized when filming or just when flying for fun require going into different menu's while flying which is not very user friendly.

      The bebop does become a very well tamed machine once the use of the Parrot skycontroller is incorperated and is definitely a neccessity if you plan on filming with the Bebop. It can be flown directly from the Parrot freeflight3 app (which is free) but is much harder to fly by use of the accelerometer on your tablet or smartphone. The one other issue with flying the Bebop from the App itself is that the drone will only fly as far as the WiFi connection will allow between the drone and the apple or android device.

      So coming to a conclusion on both of these machines, The DJI Phantom is mainly aimed at the beginner aiming to utilise this machine for professional filming in years to come with updates available every few months to keep it safe in the air and keeping you worry free when flying that perfect shot.

      The Parrot bebop is most certainly a very well thought out machine and is definitely worth looking at if you are a beginner looking to spend a small fortune to have a machine that is extremely cheap to maintain yet just as easy to fly,but not intended for the professional aerial film use, more for amature use to one-day move on to a larger more professional machine like the phantom.

      Get your DJI Phantom here

      Get your Parrot Bebop here