New pilot considering 3dr

undrdg · Mar 16, 2017

Hi everyone.
i was just wondering about the viability of buying a new 3dr. They are extremely well priced at this point, but i am afraid to pull the trigger based on current company status.
I love the open dev platform but am very nervous about support and future upgradability.
what do you guys think?

undrdg

Acroduster · Mar 16, 2017

If you're worried about support, it appears that 3DR, even though they have thrown their hat into the commercial ring, are still readily supporting these craft. Since the commercial bird is essentially the same as the consumer one, I would expect at least a bit more support.

If you're worried about future upgrades, no packaged consumer drone that I have seen to date has the flexibility of this one.

At the price points currently offered, you really don't have much to lose, especially if you have a GoPro between a 3+Silver and a 4 Black. Any other drone with anything near the Solo's abilities will cost you close to 3 times the price.

dmyhill · Mar 16, 2017

If you have a Go Pro, it is very reasonably priced. It seems about half feel the need to upgrade the GPS for about $80, so consider this that. If you are buying a GoPro and the Solo, your total price will be about what a new Phantom 3 sells for at this point.

At that point, review both. You will find plusses and minuses, and that the brand loyalty makes the Ford vs Chevy thing look tame.

undrdg · Mar 16, 2017

i have a few go pro knock offs and a go pro hero sessions 5. which is just the small cube.

dmyhill · Mar 16, 2017

I personally bought the Solo because I was more interested in flying it than taking pictures. Then, I waited around till a Hero 4 Black was available used for dirt cheap. So it is stages.

Also, with Solo, ironically, you aren't getting a dead model. You are, the whole company has bailed from doing anything new, but the community hasn't bailed. There is on going development of mods, software improvements, etc that probably wouldn't happen if there was a latest and greatest 3dr out there.

windluv · Mar 17, 2017

I am a fairly advanced flyer with several years under the belt. I test flew the solo last week and ordered one myself due to the predictable slow flying handling. It was docile, but responsive with good linear input in it's default configuration. I feel this is a great initial drone for my fiancé, and potentially a really good drone for my fpv in the bay and wet lands. I do fly a typhoon h and love it, but the solo price point and its initial impression are too good to pass up.

If you are really new, I cannot stress enough to purchase a smaller indoor drone to fly. I still fly each week my blade 180 qx attempting to do more acrobatics; this really improves my confidence when flying 1/2 mile over the ocean with fpv googles.

Chuck · Mar 17, 2017

undrdg said:
i have a few go pro knock offs and a go pro hero sessions 5. which is just the small cube.

The Hero Session 5 will not work with Solo, and the knock off cameras won't work with the Solo gimbal. They may work with the static mount that comes with Solo, but I am not sure of that. The cameras that are compatible with the Solo gimbal are the GoPro 3+ Black, and the GoPro 4 Black and Silver models. With what the Solo offers, it would be worth it to invest in one of those GoPro's. You can find decent prices online, or even look into a factory refurbished. I wish you luck, and I hope you will be joining the Solo family soon.

Dave K · Mar 18, 2017

windluv said:
I am a fairly advanced flyer with several years under the belt. I test flew the solo last week and ordered one myself due to the predictable slow flying handling. It was docile, but responsive with good linear input in it's default configuration. I feel this is a great initial drone for my fiancé, and potentially a really good drone for my fpv in the bay and wet lands. I do fly a typhoon h and love it, but the solo price point and its initial impression are too good to pass up.

If you are really new, I cannot stress enough to purchase a smaller indoor drone to fly. I still fly each week my blade 180 qx attempting to do more acrobatics; this really improves my confidence when flying 1/2 mile over the ocean with fpv googles.

I agree that with the performance sliders turned all the way down the solo is extremely well behaved. I don't plan on touching those sliders for quite a while.