New Solo for Christmas, what to do...?

[Didsomeonesaydonuts]

Just received a 3dr Solo for Christmas. Was super excited until I started studying up on it, now wondering if it's the drone for me and if I should open it to practice with or sell it new and unopened?

It looks I received the black friday special that B&H was selling which included the backpack, extra batteries and a ton of extras but not the gimbal. I do own a GoPro 3 plus silver but I'm reading that it doesn't play that nicely with this drone. That all being said by the time I buy a gimbal and a new gopro I'm looking at spending an extra $400-500 to get this flying and producing quality results.

The reason I wanted a drone was to learn to fly past a basis level (owned a few $100'ish drones in the past) and use the drone for work related projects (I'm a professional photographer and moving into video). I'm now wondering if I'm not better off with a Mavic Pro as a starter that will at least provided me with results that I can publish?

What I'm wondering is whether the drone is worth the same for sale opened and updated as it is unopened? Usually I can see that not as not being the case but do people usually want a drone that been tested out of the package or doesn't it not matter?

Would love to open this and fly it but also would like to get the most out of it as possible when selling so I can put that towards a new Mavic.

Any thoughts?

 

[allen_993]

IMO...the Solo does indeed require quite bit of "tinkering" to eventually get excellent video and stable/safe flight. If you want an out of the box video producing drone, Mavic is probably your best bet.

To me, an unopened box is more valuable than an opened/tested/updated one. The update process; while not difficult, has caused many people problems because some people do not follow detailed instructions as well as others, and they things messed up...artist types vs engineering types. Personally, I would want a Solo that has been "untouched" in regards to any updating, so I can do it myself from scratch.

This is just my opinion, hope it helps.

 

[pyrate]

Wow, glad I don't buy you gifts LOL

 

[allen_993]

Wow, glad I don't buy you gifts LOL

funny...my wife says the exact same thing...

 

[Didsomeonesaydonuts]

Wow, glad I don't buy you gifts LOL

I know it must make me sound spoiled but I'm just trying to make a practical decision. Trust me I wish I could just buy the Mavic Pro and have the solo just as a toy...

 

[TonySloth]

I honestly think the solo is better. I have both, the Mavik is cool but it's also more of a toy in my opinion. If you want something for professional use the solo has more abilities to do so. I prefer my gopro 4 black, however the gopro 3+ black works perfectly fine. I don't see a need for you to buy another gopro. The gimbal is something I think every solo owner should have. I can sell you a new one or you could just keep searching online until you find one for a good price.

 

[Didsomeonesaydonuts]

It’s the GoPro silver 3 plus that I have. Not the black. Do you still feel the same about that camera?
Also what price would you sell a gimbal for?

 

[TonySloth]

I use a 3 silver and 3 black, not the plus models, pretty often. They have a couple drawbacks. You can't change the camera settings when flying and you start the recording or take the pictures before launching. They still work very well, I would just stick with it for now and if camera control becomes a necessity I would upgrade then. The other cameras make it easier but most people don't change the settings mid flight and recording the entire flight is what most people do anyways. Without the gimbal you can't control any camera you just get live feed, so that would be a more important purchase.

The gimbals I could find right now are going for $380-$600 so i could let it go for $250.

 

[Maddog]

It’s the GoPro silver 3 plus that I have. Not the black. Do you still feel the same about that camera?
Also what price would you sell a gimbal for?

Check the classifieds here. There is a member who refurbishes and sells gimbals.

 

[TonySloth]

Yeah that's a good idea, if you could find a used one that is functional for a low price that would be a good option. The solo really isn't the same thing without the gimbal. The camera is no where near as important. Another option is checking the solo mod group they manage to get the smart shots with non gopro cameras with the storm32 controller board. It will save you some cash but you will have to spend a few hours doing some diy to get it going.

 

[Jordan Flynn]

i have a solo with gimbal and hero 4 black, and i find that gopro footage is not the best for aerial imaging, especially with wide angle fish eye, and with linear fov on hero 4 black it has some pixel noise which can be annoying at times. so if you are thinking of doing drone videography professionally at a high level and your budget is the solo level i recommend a phantom 3 standard, very similar to the solo with specs but the camera compared to the gopro is far better for aerial imaging and you dont need to go and buy an extra gimbal. so i think you should sell the solo un opened and get the phantom 3 standard instead.

 

[TonySloth]

i have a solo with gimbal and hero 4 black, and i find that gopro footage is not the best for aerial imaging, especially with wide angle fish eye, and with linear fov on hero 4 black it has some pixel noise which can be annoying at times. so if you are thinking of doing drone videography professionally at a high level and your budget is the solo level i recommend a phantom 3 standard, very similar to the solo with specs but the camera compared to the gopro is far better for aerial imaging and you dont need to go and buy an extra gimbal. so i think you should sell the solo un opened and get the phantom 3 standard instead.

This has some valid points but with any photography the cameras settings are very important. I never have had any noise in my aerial photography with solo, I use nv filters usually to control the shutter speed, I could link you a filter kit sold on Amazon for about $15 (these filters are necessary for every drone in my opinion). As far as the fisheye lens, that is purely preference. Most people using action cameras for either drones or action shots prefer the wide angle fisheye lens. Also with any serious photography lens choices are important and gopro had a lot of them. I have 2 of mine set up with non fisheye rectilinear lenses, one is a 3.97mm and the other is 5.4mm these definitely help make the footage better than the phantom 3. The biggest issue is that the phantom 3 does not have the smart shots the solo has, this makes solo way better. Like the Mavik(I know its mavic) is awesome but more a toy, so is the phantom 3. The phantom 4 is another story, but costs a lot, is completely proprietary, and dji controls where you could fly it. I don't think you can get a drone that has as many features, as much support, and for the price. You can get the gimbal, gopro, and a battery cheaper than a couple phantom batteries. No masters what drone you have this hobby will have you spending money. No other drone will do it as cheap and with as good quality as solo will.

 

[Ledesma45]

Yeap, solo would be a good and yr cheapest option, or else spend $1,500 for a P.O.S. white drone.

 

[PaulClement]

Get the mavic. I do have a solo and I like it but the mavic is so much portable and the video results are like night and day

 

[TonySloth]

Get the mavic. I do have a solo and I like it but the mavic is so much portable and the video results are like night and day

I have both and can't really agree here. The mavic is fun and super portable but it feels more like a disposable toy. It's camera is good but there isn't much for upgrades so it is what it is. Batteries are ridiculously priced, the camera is nothing more than a drone that you can't use for anything else, and it's proprietary. Don't get me wrong I like the mavic, I use it to have others learn on, just have fun putting around, it is extremely slow, everything for it is overly expensive, and if you want it solely for video it doesn't have the same options. I like it but it's in a different class(lower class) the phantom 4 is the better option, but has the same battery issues, looks like a toy(doesn't feel like one like the mavic though), and costs a whole lot more. Not too mention camera upgrades on the ph4 are more expensive than the drone. The solo would definitely have better footage if you matched dollar for dollar. Batteries, props, upgrades, and add on items are all cheaper with the solo, the OP was not wanting to invest a lot in this hobby from the sound of it and that makes dji products the worst option for him by far.

 

[Charles Lamoureux]

I own both the SOLO and MAVIC. I am videographer and used MAVIC and Phantom 3 Pro for my film. SOLO has better smart shots for filming scenes, its more flexible in that department but GOPRO video quality is no better than any of the aforementioned DJI products. ALso the SOLO even with the proprietary gimbal may cause you some headaches with vibrations but can easily be corrected post with specialized video editing software. Personally out of the box without potential headaches get a DJI product, MAVIC performs well enough but P4Pro is the best , of course we won’ t mention the Inspire 2 which is top of the bunch. I love my MAVIC and I know I will get vibration free video everytime , the SOLO needs tinkering to get it to match or if you are lucky with gimbal without issues. Dont’t get me wrong, I love the SOLO it has the best smart shots around, some people own DJI products and never flown a SOLO have no idea what they are missing for film work at this price level. Remember SOLO is also WIFI and has limited range, Mavic has amazing range but for film work you don’t need it.

 

[danmata]

This drone is amazing, and you can find extra batteries super cheap also the gimbal. Man this drone is way better than the mavic if you van get a gopro hero 4 black and the gimbal. Way better than the phantom3. So for just a bit extra koney you will get a great bang for your buck.

 

[rmasci]

I'll sell you a gimbal and Gopro Hero 4 Silver for $250. However... For what you have now, gopro 3 silver, you could probably spend only about $50 - $100 and get a Storm32 gimbal (Depending...) there is a 3DR Solo group on facebook Security Check Required Read through their posts. It is a bit of a DYI but I don't think its very hard. Storm32 can do everything the 3DR gimbal can do except control your camera -- but with a Gopro 3 Silver the 3DR gimbal can't control it anyway. So again it's possible for you... Now down the road, get a better GPS, upgrade to the Pixhawk 2.1 (green cube). You can upgrade as you go...

 

[rmasci]

This is my honest opinion of the drone. If you're new to flying quadcopters, I would suggest you keep the Solo in the box, get a small toy drone for $30 and learn to fly in general. I crashed the hell out of a JJRC H31 for a few months until I learned how to fly. Even though I have three solos, I still fly the toy quadcopters for fun. Once you feel you've got the brushed motor quads flying where you want them to go, then consider moving up to the Solo, sell it and get a different drone. Make sense -- better to crash and burn a $30 drone than it is a Mavic, Phantom or Solo.

The Solo has settings that will allow you to advance as your skills get better. In full acro mode this thing is scary fast, will do flips etc, but it also has settings to make it docile enough for beginners. You can get some incredible video with it -- this is one of my better video's, although there are parts I would have done differently in post.

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. This was filmed with the Silver that I offered above, don't remember which gimbal I shot it with...

3DR may be out of the picture, but the Solo community is not dead! The Solo is very upgradeable, very easy to work on in comparison to a DJI. If you're one of those guys that love to do DYI things... then the Solo is for you. Armed only with a screwdriver you can change out the motor pods in 5 minutes, or disassemble the whole thing in 40 minutes. People are also working on upgrades -- right now you can get a new pixhawk 2.1 flight controller (Green Cube), gimbals that work with different cameras, retractable landing gear, better GPS / Glonas, optical flow, crash avoidance, or even transplant the Solo electronics into larger professional grade frames. Solex (3rd party android app) will give you added smartshots, and much better ability to load in OpenSolo. 3DR open sourced it's firmware -- and the open source community has continued development and added improvements to the flight characteristics of the Solo. There is also work being done on getting new batteries, motor pods, and a bunch of other things.

 

[RiverPilot]

My advice to you would be give it some real thought on what you plan on doing with it. I do believe this is a better quality product then DJI after you tune it. It is important to note a lot of us in this forum got in on the SOLO's when they were 1/4 the price of DJI birds. I got mine last xmas with your entire setup and a gimble for 450. I then purchased another bird this summer for 200 bucks and 5 bats for 75 bucks.

Yes I have an entire filming arsenal for about the price of one phantom 4. My brother has the phantom 4 and it does a great job but lacks the smart shots. (Critical Feature!!) I also like the fact I am not forced to upgrade every time I turn it on as well I am not limited where I can fly. For example I was invited to an outdoor wedding this summer that was about 3/4 mile away from a small bo dunk air port. The photographer the wedding party hired had a phantom 4 but was unable to fly due to airport restrictions/app functionality. I called the air port asked permission to fly told them I was going to be flying @ 100' - 250' and they kinda laughed and said please feel free to film your wedding. I setup my zip line smart shots and the wedding party was able to see my pre-programmed flight path ahead of the actual shot so when we said "action" they could then walk and work to the video. The photographer looking over my shoulder was going to buy one that night I just brought my solo in case they wanted a film shot of the outdoor venue I had no idea they already thought of it and planned out areal shots and purposely hired a drone photographer. Turned out I was a hero for the night. **Please note I am not a good drone pilot like all the folks in this forum. I would say I am a C- pilot on my best day. I have a similar story on a North Shore/lake superior. My wife who usually eye roles my nerd hobby now has a completely different perspective.