Probably a bit of both to be honest. I'm no photographer but I quite like the idea of being able to take aerial photos and videos. I'd probably just be a casual flyer so racing / stunts probably won't be the sort of thing I'd be doing, although the ability to pull off the odd trick wouldn't hurt!
Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread
- Thread starter RomanNose
- Start date
Associate
Hubsan 107C is ok. Easy to fly and takes video although not great. Hubsan 107L is a bit more fun to fly in my opinion. Syma X5C is ok for a bit of fun
Associate
Not sure whether to make the jump to FPS or not? My limited quadcopter history is that I've had some of the Hubsans in the past and for the last couple of years myself and 16 year old son have just been flying with the Revell Rayvore, £50 jobby.
My problem is I feel like I'm not improving my skill level/control and wondered if FPS would help with this, I find myself still getting confused with orientation at times and thought FPS would help?
My problem is I feel like I'm not improving my skill level/control and wondered if FPS would help with this, I find myself still getting confused with orientation at times and thought FPS would help?
Soldato
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Associate
If you are considering FPV, I'd advise buying a decent radio even second hand e.g. taranis or QX7. Then you can get a cheap headset e.g. Eachine EV800 and something like a QX90 / QX95 micro fpv. Or just go all in and get an eachine wizzard rtf kit or something similar. Perhaps a little expensive to just try it. Do you know anyone who flies who could let you spectate through some goggles. I reckon once you have seen that you will make a decision pretty quick
Can anyone tell me if the rules for flying are the same regardless of quadcopter size? Am I really going to get into trouble if I'm flying my new Hubsan H107L in my garden or outside the front of my house?
I've seen mention of ministers wanting to change things so that if your quad weighs more than 250g then you have to register it, but I don't see anything that differentiates mini quads to the larger quads in terms of flying rules.
I've seen mention of ministers wanting to change things so that if your quad weighs more than 250g then you have to register it, but I don't see anything that differentiates mini quads to the larger quads in terms of flying rules.
Soldato
The current rules are for everything under 7Kg.
Soldato
As a next stage up, perhaps something like a UDI U818A might be a good step. Not a big investment, still got good blade protection, but can take photos and do a few tricks and flips.
After that, you're looking into drones with GPS / FPV - which is a whole other step both in function and price.
As for aerial photography - everything I've tried (sub £300) - the photos are all awful. It seems whenever a Chinese manufacturer says 1080p what they mean is a 640x480 camera that upscales images - or at least that's what they look like.
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Soldato
Just don't have time to fly my little fpv quad anymore so I'm selling my taranis x9d, Kiss FC and ESC's and cobra motors in the MM.
looking forward to the good weather so I can get out with the P3P.
looking forward to the good weather so I can get out with the P3P.
Soldato
Already posted in the bike forum - the weather's finally warmed up enough to get out on the motorbike and use the Mavic as I originally intended: to accompany bike trips away.
The portability is indeed really good. I have the bag that came with the drone, and that fits the Mavic, two batteries and a case with my ND filters in quite easily. I carried the controller in a separate hard case. I'm pretty polished now a few months into ownership, and it is pretty much a 90 second job to get in the air from the point you get off the bike.
My mate actually did a far better job producing his video - he's just better at it than me:
I've stopped using 4K recording for now - the general consensus appears to be that 2.7K is the sweet spot for maintaining good quality with high resolution. The wide open spaces in Wales were really good to get experience using the lazy cinema mode, although I do still need to dampen down the gimbal sensitivity to create a smoother effect.
Overall, I think the Mavic is capable of doing what I'd hoped it could in my hands. It really doesn't take up much space and is so simple to use. Now I'm getting in to it I'd really love to see the step up in quality of a Phantom 4 Pro, but I'm still learning to fly and film and couldn't yet take advantage of what it could do. The portability of the Mavic is still the key differentiator for me.
The portability is indeed really good. I have the bag that came with the drone, and that fits the Mavic, two batteries and a case with my ND filters in quite easily. I carried the controller in a separate hard case. I'm pretty polished now a few months into ownership, and it is pretty much a 90 second job to get in the air from the point you get off the bike.
My mate actually did a far better job producing his video - he's just better at it than me:
I've stopped using 4K recording for now - the general consensus appears to be that 2.7K is the sweet spot for maintaining good quality with high resolution. The wide open spaces in Wales were really good to get experience using the lazy cinema mode, although I do still need to dampen down the gimbal sensitivity to create a smoother effect.
Overall, I think the Mavic is capable of doing what I'd hoped it could in my hands. It really doesn't take up much space and is so simple to use. Now I'm getting in to it I'd really love to see the step up in quality of a Phantom 4 Pro, but I'm still learning to fly and film and couldn't yet take advantage of what it could do. The portability of the Mavic is still the key differentiator for me.
Caporegime
@CHokKA
Could look at something like an x8c as well from Syma, more of a phantom size and not terribly slow. Can mount a better camera on the bottom for video also.
I had a JJRC H11C originally, got.me into flying nicely (camera is crap)
Now I just fly my 250 racer, love it
Looks like you posted a few above as well
Could look at something like an x8c as well from Syma, more of a phantom size and not terribly slow. Can mount a better camera on the bottom for video also.
I had a JJRC H11C originally, got.me into flying nicely (camera is crap)
Now I just fly my 250 racer, love it
Looks like you posted a few above as well
Associate
Thanks for your response. I don't unfortunately but I guess I could find a local club or something, ring them up and see if I could pop along.
Soldato
Whoops - thanks for that.
Trying out a bit of night photography with the Mavic this evening.
Caporegime
Niiiiiice
What brand? Or is that custom?
What brand? Or is that custom?
Eachine E010
Eachine TX01
Also using a multi protocol chip in my Flysky TH9X to control it.
J
Associate
New Quad
So I picked up two quadcopters to try. I bought myself a Hubsan H107L (£29.50), and for my son I bought a HolyStone Predator HS170, down as a DeeRC Predator on Amazon, for £24.99. They're both awesome little quadcopters! They're practically the same shell and setup, although the HolyStone Predator has better protection for the motors (it has legs that are separate from the motor casing) so that if my boy crashes it, it won't damage the motors. The batteries used for both are the same, and so are the rotors, which is great because I picked up six extra batteries and a little USB charger to charge them all at the same time, and then a pack of spares rotors for my Hubsan not knowing they'd be compatible with the Predator. So now I can fix both if they go wrong, and we can fly both for ages with the extra batteries.
In terms of flight, the Predator is very simple to fly, it works really well and is perfectly suited to beginners. On the lowest speed preset it's manageable for my little boy, although he does fly it into the ceiling a lot! The rotor protection deals with that nicely though! If you change the speed to the medium or high settings, it's really fast and a lot more difficult to control, but great fun to fly. I've had to adjust the trim a few times but it hovers really well. I'm very impressed with it. It's definitely going onto my list of things to buy people for birthdays and Christmas gifts. It's very simple for anyone to get good fun out of.
The Hubsan is a slightly different story. Out the box it didn't fly very well. It actually got to the point where I was envious of how much better the Predator flew. I watched a few Youtube videos and after reading the manual a few times, I started playing with some of the settings and I realised that this tiny quadcopter is very configurable. The settings on the controller are pretty powerful for something that cost under £30. I've now increased the maneuverability within the basic controller settings, and toned down the settings in expert mode and I can fly the Hubsan perfectly now. I also like the gyro reset and also the fact that you can change the stick settings to the other way around if you need to. I don't have the need, but the option being there is great. Also a plus is that the controller only needs four AAA batteries, vs the 6 AA batteries that the Predator controller needs. The little display on the Hubsan controller is very useful when adjusting settings as well. For under £30, it really is the perfect little quad to start out with.
Thanks to those for their suggestions in here. I have so far enjoyed my experience with these little quads and I feel this is only a stepping stone to the larger, more powerful and capable quads that are out there!
In terms of flight, the Predator is very simple to fly, it works really well and is perfectly suited to beginners. On the lowest speed preset it's manageable for my little boy, although he does fly it into the ceiling a lot! The rotor protection deals with that nicely though! If you change the speed to the medium or high settings, it's really fast and a lot more difficult to control, but great fun to fly. I've had to adjust the trim a few times but it hovers really well. I'm very impressed with it. It's definitely going onto my list of things to buy people for birthdays and Christmas gifts. It's very simple for anyone to get good fun out of.
The Hubsan is a slightly different story. Out the box it didn't fly very well. It actually got to the point where I was envious of how much better the Predator flew. I watched a few Youtube videos and after reading the manual a few times, I started playing with some of the settings and I realised that this tiny quadcopter is very configurable. The settings on the controller are pretty powerful for something that cost under £30. I've now increased the maneuverability within the basic controller settings, and toned down the settings in expert mode and I can fly the Hubsan perfectly now. I also like the gyro reset and also the fact that you can change the stick settings to the other way around if you need to. I don't have the need, but the option being there is great. Also a plus is that the controller only needs four AAA batteries, vs the 6 AA batteries that the Predator controller needs. The little display on the Hubsan controller is very useful when adjusting settings as well. For under £30, it really is the perfect little quad to start out with.
Thanks to those for their suggestions in here. I have so far enjoyed my experience with these little quads and I feel this is only a stepping stone to the larger, more powerful and capable quads that are out there!
Quick recap, we had to design an aircraft that incorporated a 1 m^3 balloon, was neutrally buoyant (i.e. frame, electronics and balloon material < 1.05 kg), and that could lift extra weight as well.
So it turns out I didn't have any input on the actual spec of the control system, I was the 3D design guy. In case anyone remembers my post I thought I'd share with you the design we came up with, and if anyone's interested I can give you the spec of the electronics that my colleague came up with?
Anyway, here's the frame:
We now need to get it 3D printed, assemble it, and hope the control system works!
Treated my self as on offer and used my points to get a few more quid off
http://www.banggood.com/X-uav-Mini-...&utm_campaign=tradetracker&utm_content=227736
http://www.banggood.com/X-uav-Mini-...&utm_campaign=tradetracker&utm_content=227736