I have recently decided to get into the aerial photography game.  Initially this will be a hobby but I plan to do it commercially once it's legally permitted.  All my research has pointed to the Inspire as the way to go, but I can't help but be frightenend by the fair share of horror stories especially regarding customer service.   I'm alrigtht with spending 3k on a quality drone, but not alright if the customer service/tech support is as horrible as it seems.  I'm really starting to lean towards the phantom 3 again.  It may not be the drone I'm looking for, but for the price it's a bit easier to swallow.  There also seems to be more/faster options when it comes to getting anything repaired.   I feel like the phantom will be plenty sufficient for the time being and hopefully issues regarding the inspire and DJI support will improve in the future and I can revisit it at a later time.  

What do you phantom owners think about my line of reasoning here?  

FWIW I am in a similar boat. Have been shooting photography and video for years. Had some experience with the P1 a few years back and now with the prices and quality what they are it was time for me to have my own unit.

I decided on the Phantom 3 Pro. Its virtually the same camera as the Inspire so I am not sacrificing the end product. It offers a great entry level price and I am guessing when the final features are implemented it will be a very capable drone. It flies great, very agile, I have had 0 problems with mine as of yet (knock on wood) Plus the fact that the software the P3 uses is the same as the inspire minus a few features and options not present. My thought process was this, I can get the shots I want just as well with the P3 as I could with the I1 and at the time train myself to be a better pilot with a less expensive drone. Then in 6-12 months if I feel Im ready to provide services professionally (and the FAA comes around) I could sell th P3 and upgrade with very little learning curve.

To me the real practical reasons to go to the Inspire 1 is:

• Ability for 2 operators to control flight and camera movement seperately
• Much more robust flight design. Seeing one and flying one in person before I bought the P3 made it seem to me that the Inspire would handle the airways with a bit more grace and stability then its smaller cousin the P3
• The I1 is a more serviceable craft. What I mean is the the P3 to me is basically an iMac. Its great for what it does but go to try and upgrade or service for parts and your stuck with big bills and limited choices. The Inspire is built closer to a real pro rig which means accessing the parts needed to repair or upgrade are far easier.
  

I would also ask if you have a local dealer near you. I do and they are great. If I need anything they are there to help. I have found little need to go directly to DJI at the moment.

Side story: My retired father-in-law got so excited about my purchase he bought a P3 pro too. CRASHED it this weekend into a tree! It still flies but camera broke off and the mounting plate is cracked. Our shop was able to repair the severed cable and I am getting a new plate printed at a local 3D print shop. So in the end, not so bad, however if the gimbal or camera broke, its $700 to replace. If the drone broke my shop told me the the Motherboards are about $600. There are NO parts availbale yet for any of the P3s so if the body broke or we lost a motor or had to replace the PCB board it would be a few months before we would get it back in the air. Fortunately none of that happened but a learning experience none-the-less.

Hope that helps you!

I am fortunate enough to own both. I absolutely love the Inspire 1. It is such a joy to fly. It is very fast and has the added advantage of having the two transmitter option. However, having said that, I am absolutely delighted with the Phantom 3 Professional. Video quality is superb. It flies very well and the Lightbridge link makes all the difference from the Phantom 2.

The Inspire 1 may have different cameras etc available at some point. However, right now, given the huge difference in price, I would seriously recommend the Phantom 3.

Thank you both.  Very helpful!

Inspire gives you the ability to pan & tilt the camera from a second operator.  This means the pilot can fly while the camera operator keeps the subject in frame.

Phantom 3 does not have dual control capability.  So the pilot must control of camera pan while flying.  (Much more difficult.)

The Inspire is a more professional tool for shooting video. (With professional features.)   The Phantom 3 is more of a hobby toy that happens to carry a nice camera.

good info to have