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choosing the right still photo drone

I was shooting comparative shots one day with the 12mm, 17m and 25mm. All same subject from same perspective, camera settings etc. That's when the 17mm surprised me. Color was richer and detail better. Again. all camera settings were the same. It was sunny at around 4pm so the light remained constant too.
 
You will like the 17mm oly. I had one and thought it actually shot better than the 12mm that everyone seems to favor. It is a tiny bit narrower FOV bit I thought it had better detail and even the color was better. Not to mention it was $150 less than the 12.
Thanks I'll keep that in mind!
 
Thanks I'll keep that in mind!
I think I'm going to go with the Inspire 2 with X5S, mainly because if the increased flight time. I want to get many years of use out of my purchase. The added resolution is a bonus, as is the 2nd camera for piloting the drone with a 45mm lense attached. I took a good look at DSLR carrying drone, like the Spreadwings, but the sheer size and setup/breakdown time were too problematic. As a professional nature photographer who shoots more than just Aerial photos, I can't commit over half the trunk space in my SUV to a drone. Plus, being able to hike into a destination with a drone in a backpack is useful, which you can do with an Inspire.
 
I think I'm going to go with the Inspire 2 with X5S, mainly because if the increased flight time. I want to get many years of use out of my purchase. The added resolution is a bonus, as is the 2nd camera for piloting the drone with a 45mm lense attached. I took a good look at DSLR carrying drone, like the Spreadwings, but the sheer size and setup/breakdown time were too problematic. As a professional nature photographer who shoots more than just Aerial photos, I can't commit over half the trunk space in my SUV to a drone. Plus, being able to hike into a destination with a drone in a backpack is useful, which you can do with an Inspire.


As a professional photographer that came from big dslr carrying drones I can vouch for not doing it. Get an Inspire 2. I fly an Inspire 1 w/z3 and shoot night commercial work. 1 sec exposures at 200iso are awesome and consistently tack sharp. I will upgrade to I2 ( or wait for I3 ) at some point but right now the Z3 is getting me what I need.
 
I think I'm going to go with the Inspire 2 with X5S, mainly because if the increased flight time. I want to get many years of use out of my purchase. The added resolution is a bonus, as is the 2nd camera for piloting the drone with a 45mm lense attached. I took a good look at DSLR carrying drone, like the Spreadwings, but the sheer size and setup/breakdown time were too problematic. As a professional nature photographer who shoots more than just Aerial photos, I can't commit over half the trunk space in my SUV to a drone. Plus, being able to hike into a destination with a drone in a backpack is useful, which you can do with an Inspire.
I think you are making the right decision here. As a commercial photographer with a bit over a year's experience using the I1P with X5 I'm planning to upgrade to I2 with X5S shortly. The I1P/X5 was a wonderful step up from P3P in terms of still image quality and lens flexibility, and can definitely be used to produce commercial quality stills. But the I1 has always felt just a bit clunky to me in the air, and it does not hold position while hovering as well as my Mavic or my friend's I2. Having flown his I2 a bit I am convinced that it is a much better platform for photography as well as videography. I can't imagine someone buying a new I1 these days vs the I2. As a prior poster said, if you get the bare bones I2, X5S without lens, and then some Olympus lenses, you can get started with a very decent I2-based still photography platform for not that much more than a new I1P with X5. And then when you get seduced by the sheer wonder of shooting high quality video, you can buy all the upgrades that make the I2/X5S such a killer video rig too! ;-)
 
I think I'm going to go with the Inspire 2 with X5S, mainly because if the increased flight time. I want to get many years of use out of my purchase. The added resolution is a bonus, as is the 2nd camera for piloting the drone with a 45mm lense attached. I took a good look at DSLR carrying drone, like the Spreadwings, but the sheer size and setup/breakdown time were too problematic. As a professional nature photographer who shoots more than just Aerial photos, I can't commit over half the trunk space in my SUV to a drone. Plus, being able to hike into a destination with a drone in a backpack is useful, which you can do with an Inspire.

Great choice. I think you will be VERY happy with this set up. We have been carrying DSLR cameras on drones for years and the Inspire 2 was the first time we felt very good about the image quality we could get and be able to leave the giant DSLR carrying rugs behind. We still fly those in some cases but are definitely go to the Inspire 2 when we can. It's s great system.

We stock everything and would love to help you get set up with this.
 
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I think you are making the right decision here. As a commercial photographer with a bit over a year's experience using the I1P with X5 I'm planning to upgrade to I2 with X5S shortly. The I1P/X5 was a wonderful step up from P3P in terms of still image quality and lens flexibility, and can definitely be used to produce commercial quality stills. But the I1 has always felt just a bit clunky to me in the air, and it does not hold position while hovering as well as my Mavic or my friend's I2. Having flown his I2 a bit I am convinced that it is a much better platform for photography as well as videography. I can't imagine someone buying a new I1 these days vs the I2. As a prior poster said, if you get the bare bones I2, X5S without lens, and then some Olympus lenses, you can get started with a very decent I2-based still photography platform for not that much more than a new I1P with X5. And then when you get seduced by the sheer wonder of shooting high quality video, you can buy all the upgrades that make the I2/X5S such a killer video rig too! ;-)

Well stated.

We were the ones suggesting the base copter and X5S with no lens. Really makes this system easier to get into and many people find themselves turning to their other lenses for most shots. Leaving the lens off the X5S saves $500.
 
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As a professional photographer that came from big dslr carrying drones I can vouch for not doing it. Get an Inspire 2. I fly an Inspire 1 w/z3 and shoot night commercial work. 1 sec exposures at 200iso are awesome and consistently tack sharp. I will upgrade to I2 ( or wait for I3 ) at some point but right now the Z3 is getting me what I need.

Awesome. If you get a minute we'd love to see a couple long exposure Z3 shots.

With the I2 and Mavic you get the added benefit of tripod mode for this type of shots.

You can't use the Z3 on the I2, but the OP will have plenty of choices with the X5S. The I2 could really use a good zoom option.
 
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I was shooting comparative shots one day with the 12mm, 17m and 25mm. All same subject from same perspective, camera settings etc. That's when the 17mm surprised me. Color was richer and detail better. Again. all camera settings were the same. It was sunny at around 4pm so the light remained constant too.

We recommend that lens a lot too. It's a good one!
 
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Would anyone be willing to share an unedited RAW photo file captured by the X5S, so I can really see if the image quality meets my standards? A 100 ISO shot would be best. Thanks!
 
Are you considering stocking any of the Olympus lenses?

Currently we are not considering it. There are many large camera retailers online and we generally turn to those places even for our own lens purchases. it might be something that we would consider - maybe just the handful of lenses supported by the DJI cameras.

Thanks!
 
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Would anyone be willing to share an unedited RAW photo file captured by the X5S, so I can really see if the image quality meets my standards? A 100 ISO shot would be best. Thanks!

I will get someone on it. This is the reason I created this thread the other day :) -> Inspire 2 Sample Images & Video. Would be very helpful to have a wide variety of different images for people to play around with if they wish.
 
As far as I know, right now it is impossible to buy I1 anywhere. DJI considers this model to be obsolete. I currently own I2 and use it for for making professional promo videos. As for your first question, it is impossible to connect a X5S camera and gimbal of I2 to an I1.
In an Inspire 2 DJI offered absolutely new image processing engine and this drone has much better noise control.Sensors were also enhanced. Regarding the color, it gets more depth.
As for the GPS position, Inspire 2 holds it much better than its prodecessor I1. Besides, the latest Inspire has a tripod mode. In any case, I am completely satisfied with this drone, I bought Inspire 2 and the additional batteries to this drone from www.aeromotus.com. At that moment, this store offered the lowest price. This drone isn't cheap and before buying, you should weigh all pros and cons whether you really need it, but it is definitely worth its money.
 

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