Dji quad copter with go pro camera

Does anyone have Experience with shooting still shots with

a dji quad copter and a gopro camera? I'm just wondering

what the image quality is like and how large of an

acceptable print you can make. I've gotten a few requests

for this service and would like a pro opinion before I get

one.

<p>I use this combination regularly. The first thing to remember is that not all GoPros are the same - when in doubt, get the Hero 3+ Black. <br /><br />It's not an expensive camera, and it has a fixed focal length lens that's meant mainly for action selfies of dudes on mountain bikes, etc. Which is to say, it's optimized around the nearer field. Earlier production runs of that camera were notably bad at longer distances, but the factory did some tweaking to adjust for longer (landscape, architecture, etc) shots. Just remember that's not their main market, so it's not what the camera is set up for, priority-wise, when it comes to optical quality. <br /><br />If you stick with the factory lens, you'll see pretty pronounced distortion at the edges. GoPro's own software does a pretty respectable job de-fishing that, but you can also take care of it in PS pretty well. Remember that you're going to be getting JPGs right out of the camera, with essentially no control over the exposure. You'll be relying on the camera's software to make sense of the scene - something it won't always do well. You're also dealing with a naked little lens that will be happier if you orient it in a way that avoids sun strike, as that will kill contrast pretty quickly, and you can also get propeller shadows if the sun's just in the wrong place.<br /><br />Definitely shoot in Protune mode, and worry about pushing up contrast, saturation, and sharpness AFTER THE FACT.<br /><br />You want the most important part of your photo to be in the lens's sweet spot as much as possible. That means either shooting a lot as you move your point of view, or it means adding a video downlink to the system so that you can be on the ground getting a real-time look at how the frame is set up. You're not going to be pushing a shutter button (and you do NOT want to enable WiFi on the camera, and use GoPro's little WiFi remote ... that's begging for radio interference with the flight controller). Rather, you're going to be using the camera in intervalometer mode - I usually have it take a shot every 5 seconds. Video out from the camera to your downlink will momentarily black out as each shot is taken (that's a GoPro issue), but that's not a hardship, just something to get used to.<br /><br />You also have to decide if you're going to hard-mount the camera, or use a gimbal. I highly recommend the gimbal. DJI's new H3-3D works very well, and whether you're using the factory transmitter or a fancier one (from Futaba, etc), you'll be glad to have the ability to tilt the camera up and down while it's in flight. Very helpful in terms of getting your subject matter into the best position, lens-wise.<br /><br />Speaking of lenses... one of the reasons I mention the Hero3+ Black is that it's the easiest one to retro fit with a different lens. There are some third parties that make slightly longer focal length lenses with flatter fields. That may or may not appeal to you, but it will definitely make more of the captured image usable, in terms of clarity. <br /><br />As far as prints go ... well, there are a few considerations. That little sensor has a pretty good number of pixels. The + Black version records 12MP in wide mode. Better to just shoot wide and decide yourself, later, how to crop - rather than using one of the medium or narrow crop modes in-camera. If you shoot in good light to keep the shutter speed up and the sensor noise down, you should be able to make very good 8x10s. Subject matter and post production care will have a lot to do with whether you can go bigger than that.<br /><br />If I'm serious about larger prints from drone-style aerials, I use my larger hexacopter - it's rigged to carry a Sony NEX7. Nice big APS-C sensor, quality 20mm lens, and I'm shooting RAW + JPG. But that's an entirely different class of machine and a lot more work to learn about and keep in the air. But if you get into this stuff regularly, I hate to say it: you're going to eventually end up going bigger than the small quad with the GoPro. Still, I use the Phantom with a GoPro for web-style stills very frequently, and if you keep all of the variables in mind, you can get in some very useful shots.<br /><br />Mostly, though, be SAFE. A quad-rotor the size of the Phantom, though not huge, is NOT a toy. You can hurt somebody. So be thoughtful about where, when, and how you fly. Practice a LOT so that quickly solving problems becomes second nature. And be prepared to give up a lot of other interests, because getting a camera up in the air opens up all sorts of new creative opportunities.<br /><br />Lastly, stay tuned to the local, state, and federal legal landscape, when it comes to flying RC machines commercially. It's a very muddled topic, right now. Mostly, just be sensible and stay out of troublesome situations, and you'll be fine. Your customers will be very happy.</p>

<p>Sorry, duped my response. Good luck and have fun!<br /><br />Oh, and be sure you're buying a Phantom 2, not the older v1.</p>

<p>Matt,<br>

Thank you for your informative answer. It is very helpful.</p>

<p>Matt, any thoughts on the Phantom 2 Vision Quadcopter with Integrated FPV Camcorder?<br>

I feel the 3+Black could be used for other things as well.</p>

Gary: I personally prefer the GoPro over the integrated camera from DJI. The "Vision" version certainly is a lot more

approachable for non-nerds who don't want to spend time adding on the extra bits and pieces (gimbal, video TX, external

RX with LCD display, etc), but if you're like me, the flexibility is worth the extra parts buying and screwdriver time.

 

Remember that these systems, especially the more DIY-ish ones like the standard Phantom 2 (vs the Vision) are a lot

less seamless than, say, buying a Nikon body, lens, and flash unit. They're getting better by the month, both in terms of

modular read-to-use accessories and support found through dealers an online forums, but systems like the Vision are

meant specifically to dumb it down. But: the Vision does NOT have a 3D gimbal! So yaw-dimension wiggling in flight isn't

smoothed out, and if you're shooting video, you will quickly start to ache for stability in that dimension.

 

You're in for a learning curve if you go with the standard P2 + H3-3D gimbal, but it's really not that bad. Hundreds of

online tutorials to help you with that dance. You can also pay a retailer a small amount to integrate everything for you,

which can be a nice leg up.