DJI has been a major innovator in the drone market with its ready-to-go Phantom series. In the unlikely event that front and downward sensors are unable to operate, the aircraft can still hover in place using the rear stereo vision system. The Phantom 4 Pro also is able to fly in complex environments at a flight speed of up to 31 miles per hour while avoiding obstacles in its path.
All cameras go through a rigorous calibration process where radial and tangential lens distortions are measured. The distortion parameters gathered are saved into each image’s metadata, letting post-processing software adjust uniquely for every user. The dji mini 2 fly more combo, released in March 2016, introduces a safer and better quick release propeller system. It also improves usability by adding obstacle avoidance and an ability to track subjects , thanks to its five sensors. Some of its features include GPS, GLONASS, sonar, five separate safety sensors, a camera gimbal, gyroscope, and more. It is slightly bigger and heavier than the Phantom 3 due to a larger battery, but it still maintains a longer flight time and greater top speed.
In daylight flying, as you won’t need to be fiddling around with the ISO, all you need to adjust is the shutter speed to affect your exposure. As the phantom 4’s lens is a fixed f/2.8 aperture, Manual mode basically consists of altering ISO and shutter speed to adjust exposure. There are several shooting modes to choose from on the Phantom 4, including most of those found on your dSLR – burst mode, time lapse, HDR and exposure bracketing. Controls are Auto or Manual, and you can control everything down to applying a custom white balance. The battery charger can charge both the controller and the drone’s battery at the same time, which is a convenient feature. The batteries on the controller and the Phantom 4 take around 90 minutes to charge.
I recorded everything at full auto settings, this is what you will see straight out of the box. Additional video settings include 720p and 1080p up to 120 fps, 2720×1530 up to 60 fps, 4K up to 60 fps and Cinematic 4K up to 50 fps. Overall, the Phantom 4 Pro is a responsive drone, fast and able to go wherever you point it. As long as you remain within line of sight and under 400 feet. That said, if your laws are different than mine, you can soar this machine up to 19,685 feet. This is a service ceiling, you’re probably going to want to be 19,000 feet or higher yourself when you launch – very impressive no matter how you look at it.
Waypoint navigation gives the phantom 4 Pro more uses outside of aerial filming. The Phantom 4 Pro can be mounted with multispectral camera sensors, which have multiple uses including precision agriculture and golf course maintenance. You can read the full Phantom 4 Pro V2 review here which looks at its tremendous features, specifications and answers your frequently asked questions. Simply having aerial imagery is not enough for ag professionals who want to know more.
If any obstacles are found, or there is water on the ground, it will alert the pilot and hover at an appropriate height, helping the aircraft to land more safely. Course Lock is a really great mode which enables you to get terrific fly by shots while remaining focused on a particular area. This helps you with just having to concentrate on the direction the camera is pointed and the speed of the Phantom rather than you having to constantly change the path that the Phantom 4 travels in. This same system also allows it to hover in position without GPS.
It’s a big improvement over Follow Me, available in the Phantom 3, which would follow only the drone’s remote controller. Released in October 2013, it was the first of the Phantom 2 series to be released, and featured significant upgrades over the original Phantom. Upgrades over the original Phantom include auto-return, increased flight speed, increased flight time and controllable range, increased battery capacity, and smart phone or tablet connection capability. It later became compatible with a ground station and iOS or Android devices. It was the first DJI aircraft to be released with the “Intelligent Li-Po battery” which enabled flight times of almost 20 minutes.