Hey all,
I've been flying a Mavic Pro for a couple of years and have started looking to upgrade.
I've come across an Inspire 1 with x5 camera for a nearly unbelievably good price. It's a 6 hr drive away but worth it to me if it's for real.
The seller days that it was an impulse buy a few years ago and it's never been flown, photos seem consistent with this.
Is there anything I can do now or at the time of purchase to figure out of the drone has been activated with DJI and if it is DJI Care eligible?
Thank you,
John
It very much depend on what job/work you are after for making the right choise.
Overal i1 and
i2 are ment for dual operator use.
If you are not going for interchangable lenses or dual operator work then consider buying mavic 2 pro.
I personaly am still flying with i1 and x5r (raw), this is because I need raw video in 4K, this is the minimum to take a part in a tv/film production in my country.
Equiping
i2 for my job with all the needed stuff like raw license and SSD's is cracking the roof for me with almost 10000 euro total (for the bird, second controller, x5s, dng license, 480gb SSD as well batteries (atleast 5 pairs), chargers and etc., and that's the minimum! Depend on the job type there should be more batteries and SSD's. The only option for upgrade is to go for x7, which will add 5000 euro for the camera and lenses.
If you think the x5 camera is good enough for what you're planning to do then the only thing you should be aware is the batteries for i1, they have become hard to be found.
If you have the money then you should consider going for
i2 and x5s (around 5000 euro). Yes, you will definitely pay more but the investment is much worthy because:
i2 have almost double flight time than i1pro
x5s is better than x5 (a little bigger sensor and it can shoot 60fps in UHD)
later can upgrade to RAW license and buy SSD's
there are still batteries out there for the
i2
i2 have obstacle avoidance
i2 is not outdated and still supported
dji go4 app is better than dji go (inspire 1 works with dji go app where some new features are missing)
overal the feeling for upgrade will be fulfiled
X5 camera for i1 is not a big deal, records video in h264 format and the only good thing over the x3 camera is that it supports different lenses. But it's definitely better than MavicPro camera in any way.
You can use x5 on dji osmo handle ( another dji's hole where you can toss a lot of money for accessories).
If you haven't used camera with interchangable lenses it will take some time till you learn how to use and select them wisely for the perfect shot. I1 with x5 is actually the cheapest start for learning to shoot with different lenses.
In short,
In my opinion if you're not going to use that professionally and don't need interchangable lenses then go and buy mavic 2 pro, if you need to learn using different lenses then go for the i1 but first find a shop near you that still sells tb48 batteries otherwise the i1 will gather dust at home.
I2 bundle is ment for professionall work if there is RAW or Prores, otherwise it's just a big overpriced bird for recreational.
For the second hand i1, check in airdata.com how many hours on the bird (100 hours is not bad), check the life of the batteries (over 75% battery life will do the job), get new props for it.
Good luck!