Quick Product Review: DJI Phantom 3 Professional Quadcopter Drone with 4K UHD Video Camera

Very Quick

"8GHz for control like on the P2V+, which caused the RC control to drop out way before video Things that got worse compared to previous Phantom models: - Maximum altitude AGL limit cannot be removed in app, although no one needs or should ever go above 400 ft, it still shouldn't be added by force - Constant firmware check / complains about not being up-to-date, even if it works just fine, never had this problem with P2V+ or P2 - Proprietary DJI battery even more expensive than the P2/P2V+ batteries - Motors and battery get really hot during flight - Unable to choose any 2."

"With realistic flight time at around 17 minutes (you want enough time to safely get back to your take off point), you'll want want another battery to extend your time out."

":) The next thing I did was download the app, at which point I discovered a message that I had to update the firmware."

"It has been setting ever since, I have reached out to DJI - No Response Reached out to the Helidirect to a person named Pink, they wanted to know what was the problem and then told to contact DJI it wasn't there problem (in so many words)."

"the moral of this long winded thread is that if I HAD READ THE ENTIRE USER MANUAL as suggested by DJI I would have come across the CSC and the warning from DJI as not to use it in flight as the motors WILL CUT OUT."

"Camera Quality I have not used a GoPro but have seen footage online and it is decent and comparable to something like an iPhone."

Quick

"After getting hooked on the smaller hobby-like quad, feeling comfortable with it's controls (Mode 2, same as the Phantom), and watching YouTube videos on the DJI Phantom for a month, I placed my order and received it 2 working days (in Hawaii!... With realistic flight time at around 17 minutes (you want enough time to safely get back to your take off point), you'll want want another battery to extend your time out... I've seen people who have been flying drones much longer than I have, and they still can't land or take off correctly, even on a flat surface."

":) The next thing I did was download the app, at which point I discovered a message that I had to update the firmware... Once that was done, I explored the interface and set about reading the manuals and getting ready for my "maiden flight... I contacted them again to explain better what the problem was (the manuals could certainly have even more info in them), because I have no idea how the problem occurred."

"I called the company number and spoke with a tech he said they were known in the industry as the number 1 service and supply company for the DJI and many other products... Took 30 photos and flew around the building and in clear view of the droe less than 100' from me I suddenly got the same two messages that I had a battery failure and A system Failure and the drone head for the ground... It has been setting ever since, I have reached out to DJI - No Response Reached out to the Helidirect to a person named Pink, they wanted to know what was the problem and then told to contact DJI it wasn't there problem (in so many words)."

"; firmware updates, understanding how the thing flies, how dji pilot app works and it's freeze up issues and what to do if it happens mid flight etc etc... on the last flight I was feeling so comfortable with it that I started flying real aggressive maneuvers and then it just suddenly cut off engines and fell from about 30 feet straight on to grass... the moral of this long winded thread is that if I HAD READ THE ENTIRE USER MANUAL as suggested by DJI I would have come across the CSC and the warning from DJI as not to use it in flight as the motors WILL CUT OUT."

"It does take some getting used to when combining increase/decrease in altitude, and forward/backward and side to side motions... I was actually worried that it would overshoot the landing and land in the trees, so I took control as it approached. Camera Quality I have not used a GoPro but have seen footage online and it is decent and comparable to something like an iPhone."

Less Quick

"*** Things that are improved over previous Phantoms models: - Camera - Gimbal - App - GPS lock time and number of satellites used to tell position - GPS hold - Position hold using Vision Positioning System (VPS), new on this Phantom model from the previous Phantoms, also used on Inspire 1 - Range - Video preview quality (720p HD) - Flight time (about 22 minutes) - More powerful motors - Much more stable during yaw / spin during hover - Video and RC both use 2... 8GHz for control like on the P2V+, which caused the RC control to drop out way before video Things that got worse compared to previous Phantom models: - Maximum altitude AGL limit cannot be removed in app, although no one needs or should ever go above 400 ft, it still shouldn't be added by force - Constant firmware check / complains about not being up-to-date, even if it works just fine, never had this problem with P2V+ or P2 - Proprietary DJI battery even more expensive than the P2/P2V+ batteries - Motors and battery get really hot during flight - Unable to choose any 2... The tab/phone overheats while decoding video, and their solution was to shut down all other processes on your tablet or keep its processor cool, not really feasible!... If you don't have very new Macbook Pro , leave the video recording at 1080p 60fps max, otherwise you will get very choppy video playback at 4K, unless you are going to post-process it, in which case you will get better resolution once you transcode it into 1080p later... So when you start it up, your baro altitude reads approximately zero ft, if you climb then descend back to zero, the baro altitude reads about 20-40 ft... For those who have problems, either by the firmware update or by problems with their individual Phantom 3, their only suggestions for solutions is "calibrate the IMU (sensors), the gimbal and wait long enough to get good GPS lock", DJI will not acknowledge or confirm any problems, and keeps telling everyone the same thing. If you have an actual problem or anything that needs repair, their turn-around time is horrible, so if you get one, check everything, do not update your firmware, and if anything is wrong return to your vendor in the first few days and avoid warranty repairs, it'll take forever to get it back."

"After getting hooked on the smaller hobby-like quad, feeling comfortable with it's controls (Mode 2, same as the Phantom), and watching YouTube videos on the DJI Phantom for a month, I placed my order and received it 2 working days (in Hawaii!... So much so, that you have to keep reminding yourself not to get too comfortable or confident with the controls... With realistic flight time at around 17 minutes (you want enough time to safely get back to your take off point), you'll want want another battery to extend your time out... Anytime I wasn't sure about something, or if it didn't appear that the unit was working as it should, this is where I found my answers... Tried updating mines for 4 hours, and was ready to give up before I realized that the firmware had been updated on my first try... I have a Samsung Galaxy 5, and have used the DJI Pilot app without any issues... I've seen people who have been flying drones much longer than I have, and they still can't land or take off correctly, even on a flat surface."

"While this is not my first drone I ordered, it is the first to arrive (my others are Kickstarter and Indiegogo units, so they are in development)... :) The next thing I did was download the app, at which point I discovered a message that I had to update the firmware. I downloaded it, read the instructions, but had some confusion about the sounds that would be generated to tell me the status of an update... Once that was done, I explored the interface and set about reading the manuals and getting ready for my "maiden flight... It took me a few hours to read all of the stuff (highly recommended before your first flight)... :) I did not understand that if you start the motors, the take-off icon goes away (and is replaced by land)... I contacted them again to explain better what the problem was (the manuals could certainly have even more info in them), because I have no idea how the problem occurred."

"The first drone after 330 flights had some problems...... All of that being said I needed another drone being I use it for my work... I called the company number and spoke with a tech he said they were known in the industry as the number 1 service and supply company for the DJI and many other products... Took it out to the park next to the job and proceeded to ready the drone through the procedures listed to take off, the copter was out of control... Started to video and the screen was pixelated and would not clear I switched to photos and snapped several photos... Took 30 photos and flew around the building and in clear view of the droe less than 100' from me I suddenly got the same two messages that I had a battery failure and A system Failure and the drone head for the ground... It has been setting ever since, I have reached out to DJI - No Response Reached out to the Helidirect to a person named Pink, they wanted to know what was the problem and then told to contact DJI it wasn't there problem (in so many words)."

"; firmware updates, understanding how the thing flies, how dji pilot app works and it's freeze up issues and what to do if it happens mid flight etc etc. I flew it about ten times that day and it flew just perfect, home return to within 5 feet, ioc just perfect... on the last flight I was feeling so comfortable with it that I started flying real aggressive maneuvers and then it just suddenly cut off engines and fell from about 30 feet straight on to grass... the moral of this long winded thread is that if I HAD READ THE ENTIRE USER MANUAL as suggested by DJI I would have come across the CSC and the warning from DJI as not to use it in flight as the motors WILL CUT OUT... that is a engineering decision that dji made to cut out motors with CSC, it is besides the point whether we agree with that decision or not, maybe a separate button would have been more apt... , which by the way I am not going to, it still flies fantastically and takes great videos, just lop side, LOL. I will use it the way it is and then buy a new one after I ve saved the money because I can always use parts in case of further crashes."

"My fiancee showed me a blogging camera that she wanted for $400 to do outfits of the day, and we already have our iPhone's, a Nikon D3200 and a 1080p Kodak Flip-cam like device... It links up to your phone via the DJI Pilot app, which is excellent by the way... It does take some getting used to when combining increase/decrease in altitude, and forward/backward and side to side motions. I have taken this up at least 350-500ft with no problem and actually had it go out of my site... I was actually worried that it would overshoot the landing and land in the trees, so I took control as it approached. Camera Quality I have not used a GoPro but have seen footage online and it is decent and comparable to something like an iPhone... This is definitely the drone to get if you plan on shooting any aerial footage or even are a first time flyer."

"On my first flight, following firmware upgrade, IMU and compass calibration, I started to fly when, 20 feet off the ground the bird started flying very erratically, so difficult to finally get it to a point where I could catch it, I shut everything down and restarted. Never figured that out, then on about the 3rd flight as I was descending at about 10 feet, the two right side props just stopped, causing the bird to flip and fall on its topside... The two props would not start until I waited 10 minutes and pulled and reinserted the battery. Over the next 2 weeks I had numerous issues, including having the Phantom fly in apparent home lock, when that feature is not supposed to be possible. Besides all that, the app crashes continuously on my Samsung S5, and the 4K video is really not that usable as the latest and fastest tablets cannot run the 4K (just takes too much RAM) and you need at least an I7 or I9 computer to edit the video. Just too many problems, maybe I will return to this unit in a year when they have problems resolved. Oh, and by the way, I just got my Phantom 2 Vision+ back from its 6th trip to DJI, its been going back and forth from DJI for repairs since January."