I have used my solo with the latest releases on iOS. I've had other issues with it, and support is a little sketchy.
Talk me into buying a solo
- Thread starter John91394
- Start date
I have used my solo with the latest releases on iOS. I've had other issues with it, and support is a little sketchy.
Why wouldn't you buy a Solo? Mavic $1,000, DJI P4, $900, (the only two drones that compare with Solo). Solo $300 plus camera ($268 Amazon GoPro silver) total $568, I'm guessing you have an iPhone or Android now. I bought my Solo for $1,800 with everything bag, camera gimbal props etc. I can tell you no matter what you buy it will be outdated in a year or less. If you follow a constant pre-flight check, (making sure everything is a "go" before you fly) and "READ THE MANUAL" you will enjoy your Solo for as long as it is in one piece. I can tell you if you do not take the time to learn about the use of any good drone your chance of pilot error goes way up and simple mistakes can cost $1,000, or more if you hurt someone. So spend $600 get a Solo and learn about the hobby, if you don't like it sell it, or give it away and keep the GoPro, your only out $300. If you buy a Mavic or DJI your out twice as much money. Education is not cheap but you can get the best for less if you take the time to learn.
My Two cents... You can buy a refurb Solo for $199. Gimbal... they fluctuate but you can get one for about $30 - $50. So lets say Solo and Gimbal are $250 combined -- At this point you're ahead of the DJI Phantom 3 -- but I've seen Phantom 3 refurbs for $300 - $400. Purchasing a brand new GoPro 4 Silver... $280, putting your total to $530. I got lucky. I found my GoPro silver for $120, but it has a cracked back screen, but what do I care, I am not looking at the screen when it's 400 feet up. There are other drones like the Xiro Xplorer, Simtoo Dragonfly, they're also in the $400 range brand new.
Why they engineered the Solo to ONLY use a GoPro camera is beyond me. Even when prices for these drones were higher it always was the price of the GoPro that put the Solo over the price of competing drones. What I'd have wanted to see is the gimbal have a removable Hero port connector so that you could put a gopro sized camera like the Firefly 6S in it. OK So what you'd loose is some functionality. The non-gopro camera would not be powered, would not be controlled by the drone, and you'd have to start recording manually, but for $200 less for the camera. Also the gimbal cable includes usb -- it may be possible to control the firefly using usb off of that? Perhaps we should start an effort to build a better gimbal that supports a decent priced camera.
That being said, there is one advantage to the GoPro solution. It is one heck of a good camera, and something you can't do with the DJI is this. You go on a shoot in some really nice area, you can cut footage with that Gopro of your surroundings etc, put it in the gimbal, get some aerial footage, then take more shots with the GoPro when you're finished. All photos / videos are done using one camera, so all your photos will be consistent, and on one SD Card.
Why they engineered the Solo to ONLY use a GoPro camera is beyond me. Even when prices for these drones were higher it always was the price of the GoPro that put the Solo over the price of competing drones. What I'd have wanted to see is the gimbal have a removable Hero port connector so that you could put a gopro sized camera like the Firefly 6S in it. OK So what you'd loose is some functionality. The non-gopro camera would not be powered, would not be controlled by the drone, and you'd have to start recording manually, but for $200 less for the camera. Also the gimbal cable includes usb -- it may be possible to control the firefly using usb off of that? Perhaps we should start an effort to build a better gimbal that supports a decent priced camera.
That being said, there is one advantage to the GoPro solution. It is one heck of a good camera, and something you can't do with the DJI is this. You go on a shoot in some really nice area, you can cut footage with that Gopro of your surroundings etc, put it in the gimbal, get some aerial footage, then take more shots with the GoPro when you're finished. All photos / videos are done using one camera, so all your photos will be consistent, and on one SD Card.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2015
- Messages
- 311
- Reaction score
- 46
- Age
- 73
Great fun to fly, can't get a better video or pic and the best price.
And there tech dept will chat with you and help you fix anything that gets broke as they just helped me to fix a problem with a new out of box Solo
And there tech dept will chat with you and help you fix anything that gets broke as they just helped me to fix a problem with a new out of box Solo
One other thing... No matter what you buy, learn to fly a quadcopter on some cheap toy first. These drones are easy to fly, but if something happens, you loose GPS, auto-return isn't working what have you and you have to manually pilot it back... that knowledge on how to fly a quadcopter will go a long way. I'd buy a JJRC H31 - darn near indestructible drone, then go to Youtube look up Quadcopter 101's lessons on how to fly a quadcopter and practice that first. I still fly my H31 as it's a blast to fly, and my hubsan H501c...
What? The Mavic and P4 are the "only" drones that compare to the Solo? Autel, Yuneec, Go Pro, etc make decent drones as well in my opinion. I'm hoping, for once, they we all can have a civilized conversation about this. To be honest, it's my opinion that other than price the Mavic and P4 are superior to the Solo in several quantifiable ways. Range, flight time, stock GPS, portability, camera (especially if you all are going to keep bringing up the H3), etc. By all accounts Autel kills everyone in customer service and parts are readily accessible and inexpensive. The Yuneec has advanced obstacle avoidance, built in screen, comes with a hard case, etc. I'm not sure how I feel about the Go Pro yet but it comes with a hand held gimbal, uses the Hero 5 or 4, allows for a camera man, comes with a back pack, slightly more portable, most versatile by a long margin, etc.
It's funny, I don't ever use smart shots. I'm not in it for the video but more for the fun of flying. Don't get me wrong, smart shots are cool as hell! I'm just not trying to map a farm, or make a travelogue, or whatever. This reminds me of when I was playing with RC cars and trucks (I still have several gathering dust) and I'd stop at the hobby shop. There'd always be at least one guy wearing a fanny pack, talking about tire choice like he was on his way to the Daytona 500! Hahaha!
Last edited:
Sorry if you did not understand, I bought my Solo when the price was full retail, and now all drones are outdated by the time they are delivered to your door. One's intentioned use and "pucker factor" (the point your face and sphincter contract at the same time) have everything to do with what you buy regardless if it is for the price, flight time, portability etc. I try not to let anything cloud my judgment with RC stuff but fear and common sense. I too have some leftovers both gas and electric from the past, the cars went with the kids.
Sorry, I'm just saying that from a value standpoint, "features/ price " there are other choices besides DJI. In any case, comparing the Mavic $1,000 to the Solo $600 (with a comparable camera) is a bit off when you look at all the features you get for that $400. Smart phone control for quick shots, gesture control for selfies, super portable, 4 mile range with the controller, obstacle avoidance, fast start time, even at clearance prices the batteries, case, blades, etc are cheaper than the Solo. No "necessary mods" like the GPS shield or antennas. Indoor flying capability. I'm not bashing the Solo, just pointing out that you're comparing a Buick to a Cadillac and claiming the Buick is a better car based on price.
Not to mention solo now has a much brighter future
maybe not as RTF as mavic, but with a little skill sky is the limit
maybe not as RTF as mavic, but with a little skill sky is the limit
If one is in it just for the fun of flying, then a $199 Solo without the gimbal installed would be a very economical blast to fly hard. Batteries are half the cost of Mavic batteries.
Nothing old about it
It just got the a leading edge flight controller upgrade, RTK GPS, and Long Range Control
Not to mention a new lease on life with an opensource firmware
We're both wrong, the Solo battery runs around $70 these days and the Mavic $90. I agree that the Solo is a cheap fly only drone. Heck, throw a cheap action cam on there for $50 or so...
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2016
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 1
- Age
- 64
The Solo is a very nice drone, and we'll worth the price. As far as the app, you won't see much more from 3DR, but there is a fantastic app for Solo called Solex for Android devices. The developer is very active, continually updating the app, adding more features than you can get on the 3DR app. Highly recommend the Solex app from the Play Store.
When it comes to IQ solo may not be number one. When it comes to autonomous moves the order in my opinion is Solo number 1, Typhoon H number 2 and DJI a distant third.
quadcopters are still rapidly advancing
Solo is old even in car years
the stock parts seem almost primitive to the latest DJI (1" sensor from the RX100V that does 4K60, sonar & IR sensors, roughly 2x the battery life and 9x the range)
and no I'm not talking about the upper end stuff...the Phantom 4 Pro with display is still cheaper than Solo package plus a Hero4 Black at launch.
Sorry to sound like a broken record but the Mavic is close to the perfect quad. It just needs sensors on the top and back and have Solo smart shots and I would probably never need to fly with anything else again. The handling and flight characteristics are so taut whereas the Solo feels like a boat now. I hope my fellow Solo owners will get to fly one before knocking on them.
you could continue to drop hundreds and thousands of dollar into Solo, but that's a different discussion. Stock for stock, launch for launch, a great deal has happened in the two years since Solo was announced.
PS I do love how easy it is to DIY the Solo...even if I'm not one who likes dropping more money on what was a $1900 package.
Last edited:
Similar threads
New Posts
-
-
Free Music / SFX Resource for Your Videos - Over 2000 Tracks- Latest: Eric Matyas
-
-
-
Members online
No members online now.