DJI Phantom 4
|When you’re out shopping for a new drone, finding the best one is hard to do, because there are so many different ones out there, and they all claim to be the “best.” What classifies a drone as being the best, anyways? During our research, we discovered the DJI Phantom 4 and in all honesty, we would look at this one as one of the best drones currently available.
Designed for Amazing Aerial Photography and Cinematology
The DJI Phantom 4 was designed for high-quality aerial photography and cinematography, so if you’re after capturing some great aerial footage, this drone would be a great choice. This is one of the easier flying camera drones available for under $2,000.
Entry-Level
The Phantom 4 has been designed for professional high-resolution aerial film making and photography. This drone comes with a nice 4K camera, controller, gimbal, and even integrated software. As soon as you take it out of the box, it’s ready to go.
The Phantom 4 also has dual-mode GPS+GLONASS receivers – these are for autopilot redundancy. This drone has a vision navigation system, which is a unique system that makes it easy to navigate low to the ground and inside buildings.
Pros
Easy to use
Excellent flight range
Amazing endurance
One of the smallest portable aerial video platforms available
Live HD video streaming
Automatic collision avoidance
Cons
This drone is sensitive to rain
Big Improvement
If you look at the Phantom 4 and compare it with the Phantom 3, you’ll find that there are some pretty big improvements.
Obstacle Detection – One of the biggest improvements to the Phantom 4 is the obstacle detection. There’s a new optical sensor unit along with a 3D vision system that makes this device capable of automatically detecting and avoiding obstacles while flying around. If there is an object in the path of the drone, it will either change its course (if it is able to) or come to a full brake. With obstacle detection and collision avoidance, even beginners can use this device. It makes navigating an area easier than ever before.
More Advanced Flight Modes – There’s new advanced camera and flight automation modes, which will make professional filming easier than ever before.
With the new controller software, you have the following camera modes:
Point of Interest
Follow Me
Course Lock
GPS Waypoints
Return to Home
Gesture Mode
ActiveTrack
If you want to follow a fast-moving object automatically, that won’t be a problem with this drone. All you have to do is tap on the Live View option and the camera will automatically focus on the object. As it flies, the vision system will automatically detect multiple objects.
Draw
You can easily draw your flight route on screen. The Phantom 4 will follow that draw route, while keeping proper altitude.
You have two draw modes – Manual mode and Standard mode. With Manual mode, the operator will be in control of the speed and the camera. Through Standard mode, the drone will maintain a constant speed so that the user can focus on the shot.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a good drone that is under $2000, then the DJI Phantom 4 is a viable option. This drone is perfect for beginners and is fully capable of taking amazing aerial shots. When comparing it to the Phantom 3, it is faster (45 mph), weights a little more, more stable and can fly a couple minutes longer (28 minutes).