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Phantom 4 or Inspire?

IMAG0953.jpg 20151018_102630.jpg I have both and you "can't" get an inspire1 through on carry on. My phantom (in it's case) no problem.

I've said many times that the phantom is the best travel quad out. I've launched from balconies and boats and to just be able to hand catch it is great.

That being said my inspire goes with me everywhere. I have to check it in and set up isn't as fast but the control and the handling is worth it. I just bought some rails so I can hand catch it now.

My opinion is go with the inspire.
 
And if you want to, one could upgrade camera to an x5 or x5r (if you have v1 you have to update a few things)

Can't do that on a P4

I have a v1 P3A definitely grab and go(and not much of a difference from a P4...well...) but my I1, although it's a process to set up, it's a blast to fly and such a fantastic flight experience compared to any of the past drones I've owned.

I guess it would depend on your needs. Do you fly as a hobbyist? Or do you plan to fly commercially?
 
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Lots has been much said about the camera difference but, my own personal take on this is that it's more of an ego thing than actual factor. Some of the best work I've ever seen is by this guy:

Elia Locardi

He's waiting for his new P4 now and in the past the P3 has been his favorite for the portability factor. Experienced talent makes equipment work, amateurs rely on automation and for the gear to be the expert.
 
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I often hear it's not the platform you fly, but the piloting and editing skills, that make the end result count more then anything.
 
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I would like to touch on a few things in this thread,

Wind - The inspire does a good job in wind however I have found in high winds, 25+ if you are laterally slipping into the it, for a few seconds be careful when you let go of the stick and expect it to hover by GPS keeping it in place. In my case I found it wanting to go with the wind. I was able to reproduce the issue many times. What I feel is happening is that the copter in a cross wind has to counters it by crabbing. As you do this for a duration of time, Lets just say 15 seconds, something goes on internally where its like the IMU recalculates itself and takes what ever the angle of degree needed to counter the wind, it becomes the new level.

So when you let off on the stick expecting it to stay in place by GPS it does not and takes off in the direction of the wind. Now I also found it very quick fix, once you let off on the sticks and it starts going with the wind, as soon as you counter it again and let off on the sticks, the copter will now lock back up. It was something that freaked me out the first time it happened but as it was running away at 30 mph my first instinct was just fly the craft. I look at the monitor pointed it in our direction and flew it back with no issuers. At this point I was to do some testing. This was where I was able to recreate the situation, I also brought it down, did some ground calibrations, and did two more flights to confirm I could recreate it over and over. Just be careful in high winds, with it wanting to fly away, if you are not expecting it, it can cause issues in your thought process. Like I said its an easy fix.

Second when traveling the I1. I have done it a few time with not issues, I purchased a Pelican Case 1640 for about $230, it came with pluck and pull foam, it can work but recently I bought a different type of foam for about $100 and cut it out. What is nice about the case is the I1 can travel in landing mode and camera attached. Also with everything except for batteries loaded, it weighs in at 49lbs and you can check it with out any additional fees. I then carry the batteries on, 4 total and have not had any issues.

My last point about the P4, is this. In my eyes the 333 exemption, even if you have everything in line and you are legal I think to do business by the book while staying in complete compliance, is very hard to do, and I would bet if you studied all the operation that are being preformed under the exemption, over 90% of them are somehow in question of being totally legal. It not because the operator not being safe or in many cases not trying to be in compliance, its more because of how strict and confusing the limits/conditions are imposed under this exemption that to do an actual operation with out skirting (knowing and unknowingly) the system is very hard.

I feel even if the operator has everything in check, if you open up the FAA rule book and look them over you can find a rule in question, with the conditions and limitations, that could impose a infraction.

If the p4 is under 4.4 lbs ?? (it is on specs) and the senate passes the current re-authorization act, with the micro drone amendment in there, like it is. Then to do commercial work will become much easier over night where almost everybody who would like to do aerial/video production will be able to do business with almost no FAA regulation in the mix. It will make over 80% of the 333 exempted entities, dump it and start using a p4, solo, or any aircraft under the 4.4 lbs range. However this is a very good push for why you would consider a 4p over and inspire 1 with a 3x.

best
 
I've learned all I can from my practice drone and ready to purchase either Inspire or Phantom 4, I love the option of dual remotes but the price and features of the new Phantom 4 are very attractive. Part of my decision will be based on the following: I will be travelling across the country so travelling case ease of set up, handling windy days super important, because I won't be able to pick my flight days.

I'd hate to get the 4 only to regret not going for the Inspire.

Any advise would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Rob
I have the I1x3. I purchased the Inspire because of its handling in the wind. I live in the Arctic and it's rarely calm; windy pretty much all the time. Have flown in winds gusting over 50km. Easy to take off but not so much fun landing - takes a lot of practice & nerve. Carrying it around, set up, break down etc... is going to be more work than a P4. Also note that the Inspire is more than double the price of the P4.
 
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Well put me down for someone who upgraded from an Inspire (X3) to the Phantom 4. I'll go over the key points of why I chose to sell my Inspire after a few flights with the Phantom 4.

Stability in wind - I've had my Inspire in some pretty strong wind to the point where it's on a really high angle just to stay in place... which is impressive to see and fly but unless you're taking photos or static video shots it's not useful for getting good shots. I haven't tried the Phantom 4 in strong wind and I don't expect it to perform as well as the Inspire but I imagine it would be close enough to be usable.

Setup Time - Not even close, 30 seconds from backpack compared to the 5 minutes if I rush on the Inspire

Hand Launch/Landing area - I haven't been comfortable hand launching the Phantom 4 yet as its idle motor speed it crazy high and I'm worried it will try and flip if I hand launch. I may or may not figure it out but having a much smaller landing area really helps where I hike/fly... either way I can easily hand catch the Phantom 4, I'm not going to hand catch an Inspire.

Camera quality - I did a side by side comparison and the Phantom 4 IS better than the Inspire X3. It's real close and not as big as the difference between the GoPro and Inspire X3 but the Phantom 4 definitely is better. Wether it's the 3D noise reduction or the sharper glass?

Weight - Once again not even close... I've hiked 27km with the Inspire + 3 batteries + Osmo handle. The Phantom 4 is a fraction of the weight.

Speed - On paper this seems pretty close or with the Inspire slightly faster... Having flown both I believe the Phantom 4 is much faster than the Inspire with Sport mode... it is crazy fast and crazy fun and since it still uses GPS it's fun to have it swoop up at the end and stop.

Build quality - The Phantom 4 is kinda slippery with its new finish but it feels solid and sturdy. My Inspire has always had a bit of wobble in one of the arms and I've had to blow the dust out of the "guts" of the Inspire a few times, the exposed wires also may rub against other parts and I always had to check to make sure they weren't wearing down. Even the styrofoam case with the Phantom 4 is better built than the Inspire case.

Props in shot - Yes the Phantom 4 occasionally gets the propellors in shot... at the same movements that my Inspire got the landing gear in shot. NOT AN ISSUE

Range - I assume they're similar or the same with distance (I rarely go beyond 1k) but the extra ~10 minutes flight time makes a difference.

Battery - Not even close... almost an extra 10 minutes from my TB48's

360 camera - Okay this one is closer than you guys think. I heavily used the Focus Mode on the App AutoPilot (I think it's great and DJI should have their own). If you've got a dedicated camera operator then the Inspire wins hands down but with Focus Mode you set the camera to point at a spot and no matter where you fly the camera is always locked on that spot. Well... I'm happy to say that ActiveTrack does this too. Maybe not as well but it's close enough. BTW I've seen a lot of guys testing ActiveTrack by using it as an advanced Follow Me. I did a comparison between Follow and ActiveTrack and once you know the limits of the tracking then it's great.

X5/R camera - Here in Australia the X5 camera costs more than what I paid for my Inspire (don't even want to look at the X5R). All the footage I've seen shows marginal improvements over the X3. For me it's the piloting/movements/light which have the biggest impact on footage. Since the Phantom 4 camera is between the X3 and X5 and still allows ND filters it's good.

Collision Avoidance - Where/how I fly I don't have a huge use for it but I'm sure it will come in handy one day.

As sad as I was to sell my Inspire I'm very happy with the Phantom 4 and glad I was able to sell my Inspire for twice the cost of the Phantom 4.

I agree with all the points above from James. Iv owned and loved my Inspire 1. However, I have fallen in love with the Phantom 4, The portability of having it up in the air in 30 seconds is so much easier. I always took care of my Inspire 1, so I never transported with the camera on the gimbal (I know people do this, but I don't). Also the room/weight of carrying around the Inspire and the case can be awkward. The new styrofoam case is really durable and much more smaller foot print. If you get a backpack its going to fit nicely and easily come in and out.

Also I am really impressed by the image quality, the Inspire 1 gets slightly bury around the edges in 4k (not as crisp as it is in the center). The phantom 4 appears really crisp all the way around the picture, like James said, I am not sure what it is, but there is an improvement.

The Battery life is really great with the Phantom 4! makes it easier to go exploring with out running out of battery, only thing now is I need a bigger SD card for all the extra footage hehehe

The other thing is the cost, the Inspire 1 is really expensive and while all care is taken (and I have taken out insurance) it is a lot of money in the air that could potentially have an issue and crash, being in Australia its going to be a lot harder to get fixed.

While I love the look of the Inspire 1 and think the technology is awesome, the more I fly the Phantom 4, the more I think to myself that i'm not going to be really using the Inspire 1 any more. So I will too probably be selling my Inspire 1 as well, it has been good, but the Phantom 4 fits my needs.

If your a professional camera operator and do it for your job or profession - I would say go for the Inspire. If your a hobbyist, enjoy recreational flying, or want to capture nice moments of yourself, family, friends, etc, then the Phantom4 is more suited to you. Remember the Phantom 4 is also 4K so you could get away with doing professional shots with it as well.
 
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gizmodo.com/the-dji-phantom-4-is-the-best-drone-i-ve-ever-crashed-1765742746

Have a read :)
 
I've learned all I can from my practice drone and ready to purchase either Inspire or Phantom 4, I love the option of dual remotes but the price and features of the new Phantom 4 are very attractive. Part of my decision will be based on the following: I will be travelling across the country so travelling case ease of set up, handling windy days super important, because I won't be able to pick my flight days.

I'd hate to get the 4 only to regret not going for the Inspire.

Any advise would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Rob
Own a P3P and an Inspire 1 Pro. The case for both is not much of an issue, IMHO, but the versatility of the Inspire X5 camera is worth any other advantages to the P4. Keep in mind any new aircraft is going to have growing pains and the Inspire 1 has been around a long time.
 
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Own a P3P and an Inspire 1 Pro. The case for both is not much of an issue, IMHO, but the versatility of the Inspire X5 camera is worth any other advantages to the P4. Keep in mind any new aircraft is going to have growing pains and the Inspire 1 has been around a long time.

For me, the only choice is something that has/can use a "normal" lens -- which these days means really 50mm. And for close work I also want something in the telephoto range, ie 90mm. So the Inspire X3 and any of the Phantoms are ruled out. In DJI the economy option is the Inspire X5, or else you must pony up for the S900/S1000 with expensive gimbals, bigger cameras, huge airframes and long set-up times.

I admire what's been achieved in the Phantom range.... and at the price they are are relatively disposable -- having a flyaway Phantom 4 would be a much less sickening feeling than an Inspire 1 Pro.

But considering that before the Inspire Pro came along, pro machines* cost 3 to 30x as much, I'm pretty happy. Constant PITA FW upgrades notwithstanding.

P

*by "pro" what I mean here is rigs with upgradeable changeable payloads. Multi lens capability out of the box. Multiple camera options including now IR.
 
Own a P3P and an Inspire 1 Pro. The case for both is not much of an issue, IMHO, but the versatility of the Inspire X5 camera is worth any other advantages to the P4. Keep in mind any new aircraft is going to have growing pains and the Inspire 1 has been around a long time.

I disagree with your statement about "growing pains" We are up to the 4th iteration of the Phantom, it has evolved and with each new revision it has got better. The inspire is only just over a year old and the Inspire x5 is only 6 months old. The phantom is well and truly ready for action. Tell me any other drone that has dual compass and dual IMU :)
 
I disagree with your statement about "growing pains" We are up to the 4th iteration of the Phantom, it has evolved and with each new revision it has got better. The inspire is only just over a year old and the Inspire x5 is only 6 months old. The phantom is well and truly ready for action. Tell me any other drone that has dual compass and dual IMU :)
Tastes great! Less filling!
 
Has anyone ever tried to carry-on an i1? I know the dimensions aren't conducive of the airlines regulations, but I've seen some questionable bags get through on airlines. Can anyone weigh in?

Inspire case fits just fine in the overhead of anything but a small regional jet. 737+ and you're good.
 
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yeap...... very ture... i have no problem travel around with my i1... maybe i already get used to it lol
 
Well put me down for someone who upgraded from an Inspire (X3) to the Phantom 4. I'll go over the key points of why I chose to sell my Inspire after a few flights with the Phantom 4.

Stability in wind - I've had my Inspire in some pretty strong wind to the point where it's on a really high angle just to stay in place... which is impressive to see and fly but unless you're taking photos or static video shots it's not useful for getting good shots. I haven't tried the Phantom 4 in strong wind and I don't expect it to perform as well as the Inspire but I imagine it would be close enough to be usable.

Setup Time - Not even close, 30 seconds from backpack compared to the 5 minutes if I rush on the Inspire

Hand Launch/Landing area - I haven't been comfortable hand launching the Phantom 4 yet as its idle motor speed it crazy high and I'm worried it will try and flip if I hand launch. I may or may not figure it out but having a much smaller landing area really helps where I hike/fly... either way I can easily hand catch the Phantom 4, I'm not going to hand catch an Inspire.

Camera quality - I did a side by side comparison and the Phantom 4 IS better than the Inspire X3. It's real close and not as big as the difference between the GoPro and Inspire X3 but the Phantom 4 definitely is better. Wether it's the 3D noise reduction or the sharper glass?

Weight - Once again not even close... I've hiked 27km with the Inspire + 3 batteries + Osmo handle. The Phantom 4 is a fraction of the weight.

Speed - On paper this seems pretty close or with the Inspire slightly faster... Having flown both I believe the Phantom 4 is much faster than the Inspire with Sport mode... it is crazy fast and crazy fun and since it still uses GPS it's fun to have it swoop up at the end and stop.

Build quality - The Phantom 4 is kinda slippery with its new finish but it feels solid and sturdy. My Inspire has always had a bit of wobble in one of the arms and I've had to blow the dust out of the "guts" of the Inspire a few times, the exposed wires also may rub against other parts and I always had to check to make sure they weren't wearing down. Even the styrofoam case with the Phantom 4 is better built than the Inspire case.

Props in shot - Yes the Phantom 4 occasionally gets the propellors in shot... at the same movements that my Inspire got the landing gear in shot. NOT AN ISSUE

Range - I assume they're similar or the same with distance (I rarely go beyond 1k) but the extra ~10 minutes flight time makes a difference.

Battery - Not even close... almost an extra 10 minutes from my TB48's

360 camera - Okay this one is closer than you guys think. I heavily used the Focus Mode on the App AutoPilot (I think it's great and DJI should have their own). If you've got a dedicated camera operator then the Inspire wins hands down but with Focus Mode you set the camera to point at a spot and no matter where you fly the camera is always locked on that spot. Well... I'm happy to say that ActiveTrack does this too. Maybe not as well but it's close enough. BTW I've seen a lot of guys testing ActiveTrack by using it as an advanced Follow Me. I did a comparison between Follow and ActiveTrack and once you know the limits of the tracking then it's great.

X5/R camera - Here in Australia the X5 camera costs more than what I paid for my Inspire (don't even want to look at the X5R). All the footage I've seen shows marginal improvements over the X3. For me it's the piloting/movements/light which have the biggest impact on footage. Since the Phantom 4 camera is between the X3 and X5 and still allows ND filters it's good.

Collision Avoidance - Where/how I fly I don't have a huge use for it but I'm sure it will come in handy one day.

As sad as I was to sell my Inspire I'm very happy with the Phantom 4 and glad I was able to sell my Inspire for twice the cost of the Phantom 4.[/QUOTE

Great comparison James, thanks. Can the P4 use the same ND filters as the I1?
 

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