I see this as an example of where and how to make one more mobile shooter.

From a friend whose son lives on his boat with his wife. I saw it as a nice seascape for one but also an idea

for those whose mobility has faded by some malady. If we use a flying device to photograph for us, is that fair,

or are we getting too far ahead of the technology. Leaving the regulatory questions aside. By the way,the

sailor/shooter here below is a senior commercial pilot with one of the majors and knows all about the drone

business. I really like his clip below. Justifies problem of losing it in the drink too...

 

http://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzPdxvERv3UETGQwLU9wR0tTSUE/view

<p>Oh, it's fair. Just like a tripod is fair. Just another way to put the camera where you want it! Now he just needs to change the parameters on his controller so his pan and pitch movements smooth out some - makes for a more cinematic feel.<br /><br />These tools are indeed a wide-open field of image making for people who can't get their bodies where that camera needs to be. But it still requires an eye for composition, an understanding of light and exposure, and a sense of narrative (especially with video).</p>

I'm reluctant to agree. - While sports shooters wear out shutters, a landscaper wears out strap lugs... Way more marching and waiting than actual shooting.

 

A drone might get 15 flight minutes out of a charge? This means up to 8 landings & battery changes per outing, assuming a mobility impaired person commutes to a parking lot close to a promising subject and wants to pee back at home.

While I haven't operated camera drones I dabbled with various RC vehicles. I doubt the skills to land a drone like a hawk in your left hand come easy. - Personally I'd prefer downing mine in soft grass 2m +x from where I'm standing.

 

How much subject chasing can be done staring at a VAG image of a wide lens? Are drones stable enough to permitt zooming to portrait or longer? Will an operator distracted by doing so remain able to back off from drone approaching idiots for their safety's sake? Are aerial overviews really able to substitute "the real thing"?

How comfy are you risking the loss of gear when you can't make it to an emergency landing spot to pick it up?

- Just my 2 ct.

I think investing into an electric bicycle first and Segway wheelchair later is the better idea to keep shooting landscapes or touristic sights.

I don't have much of a comment. How is this different from shooting remotely on the ground? I don't recommend it

for close-ups for obvious reasons. As an old broken down aviator I think we are integrating drones effectively without

all the sturm and drang previously predicted. It's just another way of taking pictures or videos with it's own limitations

and advantages.

<How is this different from shooting remotely on the ground?>

 

I would argue that really using the dimension of height and height untethered can give a different perspective and change the whole treatment of a subject. I think we may be in a new stage of shooting. Mirror self portraits,then selfies, then selfie sticks and soon a free floating camera on gimbals that can pan, tilt, and do panoramas. So my argument is that it is a continuum, but also offers promising adventure. Can we send it into a cave that is off limits normally? Can we hover over a cliff that is too low for small aircraft. Get over the crowd at a parade- well it is an idea if a real imagineering sort of thing..Matt, .I find that the clip is steadier than I expected, even as Steve is new at this gadget or toy if you like. Can a drone stabilize and manage itself with camera on board? Hoe much are we talking about for this technology. Battery life, why not solar power he asks? Will they become more like flying robot eye balls or carrier pigeons with sensors that are smart and prudent in space?

<p>Gerry: Yes, some of the modern quadcopters equipped with recent generation gimbals can remain amazingly steady in the air. One of my units makes the camera look like it's on a tripod, even in a gusty 20mph breeze. It's remarkable. But if you're rolling video, it's still important to make smooth, deliberate camera movements. So the way that you use controls on the ground to, for example, tilt the camera down (perhaps as a sailboat passes under) makes the difference between a solid camera <em>position</em> with jerky-feeling tilts/pans and a solid camera position with smoother, more cinematic movements. <br /><br />The technology is advancing rapidly, but the laws of physics will always apply. Cinematic-quality steadiness in the air requires a certain amount of inertia, and that establishes the size of the aircraft, its weight, and thus the amount of energy required to keep it aloft and maneuvering. And that dictates power consumption, and this battery size and chemistry. There simply isn't enough energy from a drone-sized solar panel to push enough air around and make one of these fly. So those of us who expect to try multiple flights for difference scenes end up toting around a lot of heavy lithium-ion batteries. So far, that's the best chemistry for the rapid high-current dump needed to spin those rotors as needed. </p>

<p>The only way to use solar panels for long flights would be glider inspired winged aircraft. 4.75m wingspan are enough to keep an almost 13kg bird flying overnight at a speed between 40 and 80km/h with 4.5kg batteries carried.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Get over the crowd at a parade</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Would be way too risky for my own taste. - Get in touch with your liability insurance before you dare such.</p>

No more risky than robotic surgery. Bots are here to stay and I accept that..they clean our carpets now and install heart valves. And cars will make decisions faster than people...So this is a greenlight thing, meaning, why be negative about a wide open future. If we can dream of it we can find a way to use it. If drone craft can zoom in from 15, 000 feet to look at and recognize a face, how long before it becomes a consumer version? For now I am thinking of the train spotter who can't motorgate up the slopes anymore and wants to keep his hobby. That is all I have and I do not own a drone or plan to. B and H sure shows a stack of them in its latest catalog. Are they all for professional applications, I do not know.

No text.

I'm a street photographer recently in a wheelchair, struggling with mobility issues. I say any tools one can use to work around a disability are completely fair.

I think we can safely rule out street photography for regulatory reasons. It is neither safe nor legal to fly over over crowds, and the definition of "crowd" can be pretty broad. Most national parks ban their use as annoying distractions, as well as for safety. The UK and EU are close to requiring licensing, which approaches that required of a private pilot. The US is taking a smorgasbord approach, where every town and county thinks they have a right to ban drone flights (only the FAA has that authority).

 

Even limited to 400-500 feet altitude, a drone can capture some spectacular landscapes, fly over cliffs or well out to sea. I'm afraid those opportunities will shortly vanish.