Hi all first post here. Would like to know why you all have 3DR kit and chose that over DJI's offerings. Hopefully I can be steered one way or the other. I'm leaning towards 3DR.
Why 3DR over DJI?
- Thread starter nuggetz
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Can't speak for anybody else, but for me it was easy. I had a DJI Phantom 2, and really liked it a lot. After reading about the Solo from 3DR, I was sold on the fact that with dedicated computers on board the Solo and controller, it meant that instead of possibly buying a new model when they come out, like DJI, we can just get the updates from 3DR, and be up to par with the latest software. Also, the fact you can control all functions on the GoPro from the controller was a big deciding factor for me. Lastly, for me, the customer support from 3DR is so much better than from DJI. I hope this helps you some, and good luck in whatever you decide.
Better question to answer yours, why are you leaning towards 3DR? What is your intended purpose for either platform?
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Being 100% honest, I bought a basic P2, first flight went well and then almost every single flight after that something happend, nothing terrible, just drifting or disconnects ect, I bought a second hand Iris+ waiting for a repair and loved the Features, so put in an order for the next one in line and waited.
Not the most watertight reason, but its my own
Not the most watertight reason, but its my own
I'll chime in.
First Off. This is my first drone and more so first RC anything! I was all set to purchase the new DJI 3. Till I came across the 3DR Solo online. I already own and love Gopro cameras. I wanted to add a few cool video clips here and there to give my travel and vacation movies more interest. Having 2 Gopro's already and loving the flexibility of there cameras was a big factor. Sure you can purchase a older DJI and use a Gopro. What sold me is the fact that with the Solo I can control the gopro as if it where right in my hand. Nothing else on the market that does that. I also thought the smart modes would give me just what I wanted. I wouldn't have to spend hours flying in hopes to get a good usable shot. Owning the Solo I now realize just how hard it is to fly steady and get a nice shot at the same time. Cable Cam is just awesome! The warranty and return policy was a big part of my decision also.
Now after say 200+min of flight time. I will say what I don't like about the bird. The HDMI cable is much to stiff and both my Gopro's have been damaged due to the socket coming loose. I think the Gimbal will take care of the problem. However its a big disappointment none the less! Not having the Gimbal really sucks. Although im grateful to have the Solo to at least learn to fly and have fun with.
Good luck in your decision
First Off. This is my first drone and more so first RC anything! I was all set to purchase the new DJI 3. Till I came across the 3DR Solo online. I already own and love Gopro cameras. I wanted to add a few cool video clips here and there to give my travel and vacation movies more interest. Having 2 Gopro's already and loving the flexibility of there cameras was a big factor. Sure you can purchase a older DJI and use a Gopro. What sold me is the fact that with the Solo I can control the gopro as if it where right in my hand. Nothing else on the market that does that. I also thought the smart modes would give me just what I wanted. I wouldn't have to spend hours flying in hopes to get a good usable shot. Owning the Solo I now realize just how hard it is to fly steady and get a nice shot at the same time. Cable Cam is just awesome! The warranty and return policy was a big part of my decision also.
Now after say 200+min of flight time. I will say what I don't like about the bird. The HDMI cable is much to stiff and both my Gopro's have been damaged due to the socket coming loose. I think the Gimbal will take care of the problem. However its a big disappointment none the less! Not having the Gimbal really sucks. Although im grateful to have the Solo to at least learn to fly and have fun with.
Good luck in your decision
Not only is this my first forum i'm a part of, but just like @1Lastcast! this is my first RC/Drone anything. One of my main reasons for purchasing the Solo 3DR is because a few months ago I rented a P2. I made a rookie mistake and as embarrassing as it sounds I set the home position under a tree. I know what you're all thinking, not even a toddler would do something so stupid. But I didn't realize the phantom would fly home when the battery hit 25%. I thought I had enough time to get the 1 quick shot I needed. Needless to say the drone flew home over a tree, and on it's descend it managed to hit every branch on its way down.
With the 3DR if i ever had a situation like that where my drone was flying home, or moving anywhere I didn't want it moving to, I could simply just press the pause button. My Solo will hover right where it is until I've gotten control and focus of my drone again. A simple button like that in itself was what made me purchase the Solo. There's plenty of other reasons, and will be even more reasons once my gimbal is my hands.
-Happy posting and Good luck on your decision
With the 3DR if i ever had a situation like that where my drone was flying home, or moving anywhere I didn't want it moving to, I could simply just press the pause button. My Solo will hover right where it is until I've gotten control and focus of my drone again. A simple button like that in itself was what made me purchase the Solo. There's plenty of other reasons, and will be even more reasons once my gimbal is my hands.
-Happy posting and Good luck on your decision
Thanks for chiming in guys. Reason I'm leaning towards 3DR is that I like the idea of open source. How open is it really tho? Has 3DR instituted geofencing yet? Lots of Phantom owners got burned and can't even power on their drones in their backyards. Not trying to stir up geofencing debates but what is 3DR's stance on this?
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I'm another one of those "never had a drone or RC model of any kind before" guys. I was looking seriously at any and every make on the market, while reading and learning all I could about their pros, cons and capabilities.
My needs/wants/interests/preferences: 1) Aerial video as close to cinematic quality as possible, 2) GoPro compatible (I already own and love my GoPro, and also want to be able to upgrade the camera in the future without replacing the drone), 3) Out-of-the-box FPV to my iPad Mini Retina (already own one of those too), 4) Full camera control from the ground, 5) Something a novice can use pretty quickly and easily, 6) Decent customer-service reputation for when I need help, and 7) Not looking to break the bank for a professional-level set-up.
Since the Solo was not out at the time I placed my order, my decision was of course based largely on promises made by the company making it, and their reputation.
I have to say that I have zero regrets so far. The main thing I keep hearing about 3DR is that they were late with the release of Solo, and now of course with the gimbal. But I knowingly made the decision to pre-order a not-yet-released product, and knew that was a possibility. I'm in the camp that prefers a delay while they get it right, rather than an on-time piece that's flawed.
I have nothing bad to say about my Solo or 3DR, and I'm pretty particular with my gear. I usually avoid being on the bleeding edge, preferring to wait until others have tested the waters and the bugs are worked out. I had a minor crash early on (my ignorance: didn't know that loss of GPS signal means that the Pause (brake!) button doesn't work, requiring manual control). That crash actually gave me more confidence in the product and the company. Despite hitting tree branches, the Solo came away unscathed, save for one propeller. All the stories about this thing being built like a tank are true. It reeks of quality. And when I uploaded my logs to 3DR, they were not only responsive in telling me what went wrong and guiding me how to avoid a similar future mishap, but they sent me a free set of 4 props as a gift for my trouble.
I'm patiently, excitedly waiting for a gimbal, but I can already see the writing on the wall. The practice I've been doing with cool effects like cable cam (the best thing ever!), selfie and orbit, along with additional effects likely available in future updates, combined with the gimbal, will allow me to create fantastic aeriel cinematography. And that's coming from someone who didn't know enough just 6 months ago to have even considered all that goes into the sweeping movie shots that normally require the combined talents of a trained cameraman and a drone operator, both with years of experience. In the same instant that I found out I'd never be able to manually achieve those shots on my own, I found out that Solo would make that ability unnecessary by doing it for me.
Bottom line — I'm one happy Solo owner.
My needs/wants/interests/preferences: 1) Aerial video as close to cinematic quality as possible, 2) GoPro compatible (I already own and love my GoPro, and also want to be able to upgrade the camera in the future without replacing the drone), 3) Out-of-the-box FPV to my iPad Mini Retina (already own one of those too), 4) Full camera control from the ground, 5) Something a novice can use pretty quickly and easily, 6) Decent customer-service reputation for when I need help, and 7) Not looking to break the bank for a professional-level set-up.
Since the Solo was not out at the time I placed my order, my decision was of course based largely on promises made by the company making it, and their reputation.
I have to say that I have zero regrets so far. The main thing I keep hearing about 3DR is that they were late with the release of Solo, and now of course with the gimbal. But I knowingly made the decision to pre-order a not-yet-released product, and knew that was a possibility. I'm in the camp that prefers a delay while they get it right, rather than an on-time piece that's flawed.
I have nothing bad to say about my Solo or 3DR, and I'm pretty particular with my gear. I usually avoid being on the bleeding edge, preferring to wait until others have tested the waters and the bugs are worked out. I had a minor crash early on (my ignorance: didn't know that loss of GPS signal means that the Pause (brake!) button doesn't work, requiring manual control). That crash actually gave me more confidence in the product and the company. Despite hitting tree branches, the Solo came away unscathed, save for one propeller. All the stories about this thing being built like a tank are true. It reeks of quality. And when I uploaded my logs to 3DR, they were not only responsive in telling me what went wrong and guiding me how to avoid a similar future mishap, but they sent me a free set of 4 props as a gift for my trouble.
I'm patiently, excitedly waiting for a gimbal, but I can already see the writing on the wall. The practice I've been doing with cool effects like cable cam (the best thing ever!), selfie and orbit, along with additional effects likely available in future updates, combined with the gimbal, will allow me to create fantastic aeriel cinematography. And that's coming from someone who didn't know enough just 6 months ago to have even considered all that goes into the sweeping movie shots that normally require the combined talents of a trained cameraman and a drone operator, both with years of experience. In the same instant that I found out I'd never be able to manually achieve those shots on my own, I found out that Solo would make that ability unnecessary by doing it for me.
Bottom line — I'm one happy Solo owner.
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Welcome aboard!
Now I can only speak about the "service" side of things but #2 and #3 are what I've been told by 3Dr reps at NABshow.
#1 service
Have you heard of the the horror story that is DJI service? trust me, I didnt believe it was that bad until I tried it myself with my Ronin. 3Dr maybe newer but they still get things right w/ their customer in the end.
#2 30 day return
Dont like your solo? Return it. Easy as that.
#3 Flyaways are covered by 3Dr
If a drone should fly away and the log shows it was not pilot error, 3Dr will take care of it.
Try that with DJI... yup.... nope.
#4 Open source vs Dji
3Dr uses open source where as DJi.. well i just know its not public.
Some of the more techy members here can chime in on this but I do know its
not easily worked on if at all.
#5 Fast turn around for problems
Many people had problems with their solos especially at launch and 3Dr responded immediately.
Sure it might have been for damage control but they did a great job and some people
who had damaged units found 3Dr replacing their units. But not only that.. but extremely quickly.
My friend send his Inspire 1 to DJI and they've had it for about 7 1/2 weeks now.
#6 Modular
"oooh. but the solo is so expeeeensive."
You're meant to grow with your Solo, new tech comes out you can just replace it.
DJI is like how Madden sports is to videogames. They have annual releases.
I love how if anything on the solo changes you dont have to just throw the solo out, you can
get that part switched out.
I mean the solo itself will be replaced w/ a Solo Mk II but i dont see 3Dr following in the footsteps of DJI.
for now.
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I had a p2 and upgraded to longer range antennas and also had the ground station. I was not happy when dji came out with the p2 vision and now the p3. They could have upgraded our firmware on the p2 but we were forced to buy a newer model. I sold my p2 and opted for the solo. I want a copter that will not be a dinosaur in a few years. Lots of new apps are coming out. Tower app works much better than the dji ground station. I had lots of trouble with dji stock batteries. The p2 does fly great. I am very happy with the solo.
3DR has been in the business for a while with all types of RC's and equipment. They are always on the leading edge of this type of stuff and they know what they are doing.
The support is 1000 times better than DJI will ever be.
Also, all the software they offer for the Solo actually works unlike some of the DJI software.
They will continually provide updates to the firmware and app. I haven't seen not one single update for my P2 in several months and the PC Groundstation never did work right. Tower is awesome!
The ability to go in and tune just about every parameter for flight is awesome.
Best warranty in the industry.
and because this is a great forum with some happy Solo owners despite some of the issues and occasional trolls.
I don't think a person can purchase any quad and not find some issues with it but as long as there is a forum like this, with the people that are in it, along with the support 3DR provides, you'll always be flying.
The support is 1000 times better than DJI will ever be.
Also, all the software they offer for the Solo actually works unlike some of the DJI software.
They will continually provide updates to the firmware and app. I haven't seen not one single update for my P2 in several months and the PC Groundstation never did work right. Tower is awesome!
The ability to go in and tune just about every parameter for flight is awesome.
Best warranty in the industry.
and because this is a great forum with some happy Solo owners despite some of the issues and occasional trolls.
I don't think a person can purchase any quad and not find some issues with it but as long as there is a forum like this, with the people that are in it, along with the support 3DR provides, you'll always be flying.
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I fly an X8+, and chose it for it's lifting power, the PX4, and the flexibility of the platform for user modification. I think a lot has to do with what you want to do with the drone, and how much you want to modify the drone. Drones like the X8+ are very much like flying erector sets--you can do a lot to change them to suit your needs.
What kind of flight time can you get with the X8? With so many things people want to do, and these small companies popping up using drones, increased flight time is going to start being a big factor.
Unloaded my X8+ will go for nearly 20 minutes---enough time for an unloaded drone to bore most humans. Fully loaded with camera, trigger, gimbal, FPV kit, leg extensions, I'm at +/- 14 minutes in calm skies, there are always some winds at altitude. My collective payload is 905 grams, a bit over the suggested payload, but under the absolute max. Balance and wind conditions make a difference in performance, since anything off balance or forcing the drone to work eats power. I shift the battery to counter balance the gimbal load.
The only time I ever push flight duration is in a field trial. If a practical mission can't be accomplished in a reasonable time with a healthy safety margin I split it into two. I don't ever want to risk an unexpected landing.
The only time I ever push flight duration is in a field trial. If a practical mission can't be accomplished in a reasonable time with a healthy safety margin I split it into two. I don't ever want to risk an unexpected landing.
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because 3dr are smart developer and dji always copycats.. almost 4 months my P2 put inside a small coffin and do nothing right now the battery swollen i'm scared to send in the sky.
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