The recently released Autel Evo II with its 1 inch sensor, 6K video capability, amazing range and battery life is promising — if you can get your hands on one. The following summer, DJI released their Ground Station Pro software which essentially gave everyone free acquisition software and opened up a new world of opportunity for making money with aerial mapping. For small businesses in aerial mapping, all that was needed was access to a high-quality photogrammetry processing software like Pix4Dmapper (which costs $350/month). The Phantom 4 Pro intelligent flight modes make flying and producing meaningful aerial imagery so much easier. Here, we review the Phantom 4 Pro including the new Phantom 4 Pro v2.0 intelligent flight modes, specifications and features. The Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 features an OcuSync HD transmission system, which supports automatic dual-frequency band switching and connects to DJI Goggles RE wirelessly.
Compared to DJI Phantom 4 RTK, the WingtraOne is an upgrade that can handle much larger projects and produce significantly better image and accuracy results. While it is more of an investment, it is a powerful solution that can boil a project that used to take days down to hours. Wingtra focuses a good percent of its efforts on research and development to keep its WingtraOne at the front edge of what is possible for professional survey and mapping solutions. The size and weight of the controller balances well with tablets which, of course, provide a larger view of the DJI Go 4 app that’s used to adjust settings and to control the Phantom’s camera. The controller also provides several direct access buttons and customizable buttons, so the camera and certain drone settings can be quickly adjusted without the need to use the app.
Still, for however polished the experience is, it might be too much of a good thing for absolute beginners. I must repeat myself, the Phantom 4 is a fantastic drone, you will not be disappointed or ripped off for purchasing it. You can, however, get a better bang for the buck by considering the Phantom 3 for less camera intensive needs or the Mavic Pro for more portable needs.
We may receive affiliate compensation in connection with your purchase of products via links on this page. Even though we may receive compensation, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on each product. Let’s see, we’ve seen the Phantom 3 for as little as $399, but the 4K models have been $750 or more. The Phantom 4 Advanced starts at $1350 and the Phantom 4 Pro at $1450.
More than anything, the fact that this is a full 1-inch sensor sets the Pro in a league of its own for drones under $2000. Back to basics, the Phantom 4 Pro is equipped with obstacle avoidance sensors on four sides and on the bottom. Thanks to this, it is not as pleasant to fly the machine close to the ground, or close to yourself, the remote beeps at you, a lot. One of the best and most underrated features of the Phantom 4 Pro is the capabilities of the camera.
The dji drones RTK case is about the size of a small carry-on suitcase. Light and compact, it’s easy to manage and contains all that you need for your flight. Even though the case is made from foam, it works quite well and has a nice product feel. James Abbott is a professional portrait and landscape photographer, and a freelance photography journalist producing words and pictures for the best photography magazines in the UK. James is also a qualified college lecturer and has taught photography and Photoshop to a wide range of age groups and situations including one-to-one, group and distance learning.
In fact, I’m considering purchasing an cheaper model Phantom 3 quadcopterfor this reason alone. Anything higher than ISO 100 and the quality quickly degrades, and this is especially apparent when you start zooming in. The ability to take sharp photos under these conditions is certainly impressive, but despite this, I was expecting a little more of the RAW files. In this way, photographers who wish to use the dji mini 2 fly more combo to take portrait photos of their subjects from interesting angles may find it difficult to bring visual attention to the subject. Personally, I’m not a fan of the GoPro’s field of view which is verging on fish-eye.
With Tap Fly, you need only tap your device screen to change directions without fear of obstacles. The Phantom 4 connects to GPS and GLONASS through its Intelligent Flight Positioning system for precise positioning. You can effortlessly return to wherever you had been shooting with help from Automatic Flight Logs. Beginner mode will keep you from flying beyond your rudimentary skills; adjustable maximum height and distance let you get the most of your skills as you develop.
This hardware and software kit includes a GeoCue calibrated Phantom 4 RTK and True View EVO post-procressing software. It enables a full photogrammetric workflow in PPK mode using the customer’s L1/L2 base station. When bundled with True View EVO and our recommended add-ons, the P4 RTK provides the highest accuracy method of performing photogrammetric drone surveying with a DJI platform. A new RTK module is integrated directly into the Phantom 4 RTK, providing real-time, centimeter-level positioning data for improved absolute accuracy on image metadata. If you have a very limited budget and have never worked with drones before, Phantom 4 RTK is a good solution for a small-scale project that does not demand high-precision accuracy.
A “W” indicates that the camera was tested under various weather conditions. I know of no other drone on the market even close to this price range that offers a mechanical shutter. On a shadowless day, you avoid noise in your final Pix4Dmapper model and will produce a clearer, often more accurate surface model and orthomosaic for your client. Pilots with experience using 3rd party apps on DJI drones can access the world’s leading drone app ecosystem for their Phantom 4 RTK with the SDK Remote Controller. Users can plug in a compatible Android or iOS device and install any compatible DJI Mobile SDK-enabled app to harness the full power of their Phantom 4 RTK.