April 9, 2013
NAB Video: DJI Phantom for Flying GoPro Cameras
The DJI Phantom is DJI's first consumer product, a small helicopter unit designed for GoPro cameras, guided by GPS (from space!) for capturing aerial photography at an accessible consumer level. Hit the jump for the video coverage from our floor partners at FreshDV:
Video is no longer available: vimeo.com/63681479
The Phantom comes in at just $679 for a total package. To all you GoPro heros out there -- does this pique your interest? Let us know in the comments.
Your Comment
26 Comments
does it come with the gimbal head now for $679?
April 9, 2013 at 3:28PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
wow! speaks with satellites in space, I wonder what they talk about?
April 9, 2013 at 3:33PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Space stuff I guess
April 9, 2013 at 9:06PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
UFO invasion
April 9, 2013 at 11:41PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Not actually speaks to, just listens...just like my heavy lift APM system...cost me about $400 and a fair bit of build time :)
April 17, 2013 at 10:34PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
In space!
April 9, 2013 at 4:18PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Built for GoPro.......
GoPro started in 2004 and the owner is now a billionaire. Good market for them. The Phantom is a nice way to get aerial shots with a GoPro. The only issue that everyone has with it is Jello, especially when the GPS is on. So you have to tinker and tinker with the Phantom to get the jello to stop.
There is a copter with no jello. But it's not a quad. Aerial footage in the YouTube channel CineChopper doesn't have any jello. Their copter has 8 blades.
Make sure you click on 1080p quality for the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Hpu6khEy4
April 9, 2013 at 8:33PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Jello in quadrocopters equpped with Go Pro is easily fixable with wire rope isolator. Check Youtube for it.
April 10, 2013 at 12:42AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Link please.
April 10, 2013 at 9:09AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPZJgDOzicY
April 10, 2013 at 11:54AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
It is better but I still see jello. DJI has to fix the problem at the factory. There has to be a way to make only soft connection between the Phantom and the GoPro carriage.
April 10, 2013 at 5:46PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
they appear to have a soft "gimble-esque" mount, but I suspect its an optional item, you can see it in the video around the 54 sec mark
April 10, 2013 at 11:54PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
zenmuse gimble for phantom also shown here: http://youtu.be/8wRh9MZlKgE?t=53s
April 11, 2013 at 12:01AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
OK, found more info, apparently its an additional $700 for the DJI phantom made gimble
Details from a DJI Rep:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9duHPk4B730
April 11, 2013 at 12:05AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
OK, found more info, apparently its an additional $700 for the DJI phantom made gimble
Details from a DJI Rep:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9duHPk4B730
(link before cut off by NFS CSS/Style formatting
April 11, 2013 at 12:06AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
That's a steady cam. I was thinking something much simpler.
April 11, 2013 at 7:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
A lot people stopped at that booth :-)
We've been testing it for a while. Does take some fiddling, but you can get good results.
April 9, 2013 at 8:51PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Lots of testing with it here too. Best results were with GPS off and properly balanced props. Also just added a Gimbal and am starting tests with that. Initial tests are inconclusive, it holds the horizon, but it has been windy out here in Chicago and it is hard to get jitter free footage.
Best advice is balance your props! Jello all but disappears. Doesn't make up for bad piloting, but makes to footage more usable.
Overall, I look at this device as a great inexpensive learning tool. With a bit of tweaking it can create usable footage, but if you are interested in getting into drone based cinematography think of the Phantom as learning tool that won't break the bank when you inevitably crash it. Which will happen often, though so far I have only broken 1 prop.
April 10, 2013 at 9:24AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I've heard affixing velcro to the Phantom and the GoPro carriage with a soft jell adhesive works.
April 10, 2013 at 5:52PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yeah....it doesn't "talk" to the satellites in space. Thanks....I receives only.
April 10, 2013 at 10:58PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Want a truly dodgy $20 solution for "aerial" shots with a GoPro?
This might work (emphasis on "might"): http://airswimmers.com/
April 11, 2013 at 5:09PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Just got my Phantom on Amazon today and was surprised when they knocked another 20% off for taking a simple survey, check it out http://amzn.to/117mz4W. Awesome!
April 14, 2013 at 9:31AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
$679 WITHOUT a camera is way to expensive, sorry, this won't fly with me (pun intended...)!
April 17, 2013 at 1:20PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I watched a bunch of videos shot with the Phantom and I was not impressed at all. Even those users who balanced the propellers properly weren't getting results that I could imagine using for anything else than a "Bourne Identity-style" shaky camera film.
Maybe with the fancy gimbal this becomes a useful tool - but then the price is doubled, which is not a bargain anymore for a drone that can only carry a GoPro...
April 19, 2013 at 8:49AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
激安市場
August 23, 2013 at 6:30PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Woow thats another great innovation from DJI once more. I thing i like most about this newer version is its Gimbal technology.It saves my day.I got mine on http://gsmcurve.com/quadcopters/ for $1395.Thats an amazing piece of technology which i always envied but now got it.Enjoying briliiant Hd videos and photos by a click of a button.You can also watch what the camera is taking it real time.Am so amazed by this ……
May 11, 2014 at 12:48PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM