New Solo Production ?

No it doesn't. The opposite actually. It says the cinematography market doesn't care about 3DR. Not enough to be a worthwhile business anyway. If there isn't enough demand for the product, and they can't make people want it enough to drive up demand, that's where business finds something else to do.

I've been thinking about this and have a question for the group, is the Gopro what serious cinematographers want to use?

Here's my perspective: I shoot a Nikon D800 for my still work. The D800 is a second tier camera and is targeted at the pro market that can't justify the top tier. Believe me, if I could justify a D5 I'd buy it in a second. As it is I went for a full-frame DSLR with excellent resolution and modes that allowed me to be creative. I think about my Gopro as a toy.

I've replaced the stock lens, shoot it in Pro mode and post-processing the output, use filters to control my shutter, and am always looking for more ways to control my images. If I had budget for it I'd want an octo that could lift what I consider to be a "real" camera.

My question is, do serious cinematographers consider GoPro to be a tool they want to use? I honestly don't know the answer to this.
 
i'm not a pro by any stretch
but obviously gopro is only used because...well Solo only accepts GoPro for video work
fisheye and the lack of IS and shutter control automatically means it's a toy
if there's a gimbal for 1"/MFT/APSC sensored camera, the gopro would be dropped immediately for anyone that wants to take their videos seriously
the sony equivalent and heck even the Yi 4K for half of H4 Black's price is a superior product. Hero4 is getting long in the tooth.

i think many of us would wanna fly octo and toss the gopro in the trash...but the cost and licensing concern are major barriers.
 
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just my opinion but 3DR is made of many parts
they could not compete in the consumer market because they blew so many things on the PR side.
They made a rock solid product, backed it up with world class service. But the stumbled over their own two feet when it came to marketing and PR.
Self inflicted wounds
Solo is far from " a rock solid product "
 
Solo is far from " a rock solid product "
Totally agree. It was better one when it came out but technology blew past it since then.
Also, 3dr bet on autodesk to save them. Unless Chris has a turn around plan, autodesk can ditch Solo when the market accept the site scan package. I don't know who told 3dr that GoPro or Sony cam are the cam that meet all survey sector needs
. It seems that 3dr has not learned the GoPro lesson.
 
I plan to fly as long as I can with it, or until something that is actually better than the solo WITH graceful smartshots comes out, and that is my criteria.
Amen to that. The Yuneec curve cable is the closest I've found. There are also some 3rd party apps for DJI that get close. But nothing on par yet.
 
I plan to fly as long as I can with it, or until something that is actually better than the solo WITH graceful smartshots comes out, and that is my criteria. Not obstacle avoidance, etc. Capturing the best, smoothest, repeatable and most beautiful aerial camera moves is what's important to me without needing a 2nd pilot. This $600 bird still outperforms anything else on the market to date in that category, imo. It's all about the software at this point. Hardware is really secondary now and mostly basically the same thing from different manufacturers in different form factors (except flight controller).

So, I picked up Solo on the $599 deal because of its reputation as being just what you say. I opened the box and spent one batt getting used to the sticks. Then for the 2nd flight I decided to put MPCC through its paces. I told myself that as an inexperienced flier if I could pull off complex autopilot shots with ease I would keep the bird.

This was the result of the 2nd batt.
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That was July 2. I decided to keep it. Did I make the right choice?
 
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So, I picked up Solo on the $599 deal because of its reputation as being just what you say. I opened the box and spent one batt getting used to the sticks. Then for the 2nd flight I decided to put MPCC through its paces. I told myself that as an inexperienced flier if I could pull off complex autopilot shots with ease I would keep the bird.

This was the result of the 2nd batt.
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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

That was July 2. I decided to keep it. Did I make the right choice?
Wow. Not bad at all for a first timer (or an old timer).

Tip 1: careful that close to the ground. The barometer isn't perfect. If air pressure changes (for example as a storm approaches), it will trick the barometer into thinking the Solo is higher (or lower) than it is. You could run the same cable cam and run into the ground.

Tip 2:
Experiment a lot with the way cable cam works. Because it generates spline curves between points on the cable, the flight path may arc around into trees or arc down into the ground. So I build the cable, then test it slow first. Then test it faster in the opposite direction, keeping an eye out for issues.
 
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In addition to tip #3, stuck buttons on the controller and fw glitches almost mandate that you program the "A" button or the "B" button as a manual mode. It may or may not allow you to regain control but it's worth the effort just in case.
 
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In addition to tip #3, stuck buttons on the controller and fw glitches almost mandate that you program the "A" button or the "B" button as a manual mode. It may or may not allow you to regain control but it's worth the effort just in case.
Yes. The stuck buttons is an issue I've experienced on one controller (that's been in some dusty desert like conditions - grit got into the buttons) . I just keep an eye on it and use my fingernail to quickly unstick.
 
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that takes a lot of balls to fly solo so close to subjects/ground
it can drift easily....I would keep at least 25ft away from objects....I try not to fly below 60ft
 
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It would be nice if in the code would recognize a depressed button beyond "X" amount of time and annuciate it via the tablet.
 
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Wow. Not bad at all for a first timer (or an old timer).

Tip 1: careful that close to the ground. The barometer isn't perfect. If air pressure changes (for example as a storm approaches), it will trick the barometer into thinking the Solo is higher (or lower) than it is. You could run the same cable cam and run into the ground.

Tip 2:
Experiment a lot with the way cable cam works. Because it generates spline curves between points on the cable, the flight path may arc around into trees or arc down into the ground. So I build the cable, then test it slow first. Then test it faster in the opposite direction, keeping an eye out for issues.

Thank you, Erik. But, complimenting the operator of a Solo flying MPCC is a bit like complimenting a chef on the roast beef. (The cow did all the work.)

** Regarding baro, are you saying that flying low to the ground is not using GPS for maintaining height, but relying on baro? If so, at what height is GPS positioning reliable? (I not understand how the two work together.)

Yes, the shot would have been more tasteful and dramatic at a slower speed. I was flying that at full speed just to see how it dependable the software tracking would be. In fact on a subsequent run of the same cable, Solo jumped the track and kept going in one direction. Tech support said it was probably due to the magnetic interference they were seeing. (I was pretty close to utilities and large earth moving machines, so I can buy that.)

Thanks for your tips.

Assuming that was cable cam and assuming that you want to make smooth video with nice transition then yes.

Looks real good

Actually, Ed, I was motivated to post my inadvertent thread hijack by your comment on the cinematography market... and then by Steve's comment regarding the bar for autonomous camera work set by Solo. I'd bet that if I send my clip to a cinematographer and explain how easily a rank amateur could pull it off, he/she would immediately want Solo on the set.

And that cable could be refined and made even smoother. I had about 20 points on it, and I'm sure it could have been made much smoother with about 1/3 less of them.

Oh, and tip #3. Learn to to/land/fly in manual mode. This is very important for the day your solo has GPS issues.

Thank you, yes, Ed. I haven't flown a smart shot since early July—just working on GPS FLY and manual FLY. I've quickly learned that GPS is not going to serve me well in close at low height... which is my only disappointment. (I had hoped to pull smart shots on close work near buildings in an urban environment.)

In addition to tip #3, stuck buttons on the controller and fw glitches almost mandate that you program the "A" button or the "B" button as a manual mode. It may or may not allow you to regain control but it's worth the effort just in case.

Thank you, Don. I do have A and B set manual, and fly ready to hit pause.

Yes. The stuck buttons is an issue I've experienced on one controller (that's been in some dusty desert like conditions - grit got into the buttons) . I just keep an eye on it and use my fingernail to quickly unstick.

Erik, it's the power button that's sticking for me, and I think it is powering down the controller... and sometimes preventing it from completing the power off cycle. It hasn't happened in mid-flight, but it has happened just as I was getting ready to fly. The pinky trick isn't likely to serve me well if controller powers off when Solo is in the air.

that takes a lot of balls to fly solo so close to subjects/ground
it can drift easily....I would keep at least 25ft away from objects....I try not to fly below 60ft

"Balls?" Well, let's say, since it was my 2nd batt, "naiveté." If I do a high speed MPCC at that height again, we could say, "stupidity." Thanks for the advice. However, I do plan to try to incorporate low height shots as transitions most of my projects. I am learning that I will have to be extremely cautious, not only to protect the investment, but to avoid damaging property and causing injury.

Thank you all for your advice. And again, apologies to kabong57 for the hijack.
 
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Blue- GPS is never used for altitude determination on Solo. It is not accurate enough. So just the barometer.

Curious about the power button sticking. I would think if it stuck at start up, it would be evident soon afterwards, no?

I held mine down for a couple minutes from start and nothing happened.
 
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Blue- GPS is never used for altitude determination on Solo. It is not accurate enough. So just the barometer.

Wow, that one piece of information is so helpful, because I have a lot of use for skimming and throttling up for elevation, but was worried about having to control altitude manually, without any positioning assistance. I really need to RTFM a few more times. Thank you 2x!

Curious about the power button sticking. I would think if it stuck at start up, it would be evident soon afterwards, no?

I held mine down for a couple minutes from start and nothing happened.

What seems to happen with my power button is that after I pull it up with my finger nail it moves back and rests close to the contact point, and then at some point in handling the box it does make contact, initiating the cycle.
 

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