After flying Phantoms for a few years, it's become evident that I need some of the redundancy features and the cinematic quality of the Inspire to grow my business. Inspire 2 with Zenmuse X5S arrives on Wednesday. I've got a few questions, and I would appreciate any tips from those who have made a similar transition.

- The 30 minute flight time. Are both batteries used to achieve that flight time or is one drained and the other used as backup?

- The camera. Is it worth adding the zoom lens? Anyone have experience with it? This would be really helpful at weddings so that I can stay further back while getting a good shot. Can you zoom from the remote / app?

- Single operator. I'm excited about getting a second remote to have a dedicated camera operator, but for some of my real estate jobs, it doesn't make sense to have 2 operators. How much of a challenge will it be to fly / shoot with just me? Is it as easy as it is with the Phantom 4?

What else do I need to know? Thanks for the input. I'm excited to move from the Phantom 4 board to this one.

All good questions. I'll stayed tuned for the answers.

Flight time is 27 minutes with the X4S and 25 minutes with the X5S so you will be getting several minutes less than with a Phantom 4. The batteries should be paired (mine seem to pair automatically when first used) and drain equally. So when you're at 50% both batteries will be at 50% (give or take a percent).

I have not purchased a zoom lens for mine yet but will definitely get one. My thought is to get "closer" shots to certain landscape or structures without actually getting physically closer. If you get a lens with motorized zoom you can control it from the app.

I fly both single and dual. Obviously dual mode is preferred for complex shots but it is more than capable as a single operator rig. The I2 doesn't have all of the autonomous flight of the P4P (my other bird) but the ones that it does have work well for single operations.

Only other thing that comes to mind is the collision avoidance. The P4P has the side sensors (in tripod and beginner mode only) and the I2 does not. The I2 has an upward sensor and the P4P does not. I have not tested the upward sensor (not even sure of a safe way to do that).

You'll find the Inspire 2 a fantastically responsive beast in comparison to the P4, it flys so effortlessly (watch your speed ;) ).

Battery time with the X5S is more in the region of 20-22 mins, than 30mins, and uses both batteries equally as a pair.
Zoom lens? Guess it's worth adding (I don't have one, preferring the primes). And yes you can zoom using a slider on the App depending on which zoom you purchase.
2 ops is great, but it's very capable on its own by using the spotlight pro mode. Spotlight pro will mean you can do some wonderful tracking moves on real estate on your own.

Thanks, for the response, Nick. I'm excited for Wednesday. Where to fly first...

Another good reason to get a zoom lens is for track-in and track-out zoom.  Imagine a scene where you're rotating the camera, pitching it and zooming in, as the drone decends and flys away?  Crazy angles and dramatic effect, especially when shooting in mountains and hilly areas and over cities.

I bought a Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens and when my Inspire 2 is back from DJI I will get the 45 mm. Since the 25 mm, I never used the 15 mm. I don't like that kind of wide angle lenses. The 25 mm is like a 50 mm, so that is more like the human eyes perspective. I am looking forward to using the 45 mm. I will not going to buy a zoom lens, because I don't like loosing quality over the possibility of zooming.

9-18mm
12mm
15mm
25mm
45mm

I find the 45 is great for tracking video at a height or for photos and video with detail. The 25 as a close personal all rounder. the 12 as a general wide but I do find using the DJI more 15 as there is less flare although I don't find it as sharp. The 9-18 is essential for large venues where your flight distance is restricted - I fly legally so this is often an issue.

I haven't got any powered zoom lenses yet but I do have a few sets of batteries so I just interchange with what I have. The 14-42 does look good so I guess that will be next but as above quality is upmost.

For weddings I'd say 25mm

R

As a single operator you can use Spotlight Pro or Active Track. Both can work really well but do have limitations. For venue shots I find them great but I do do miss the POI and Waypoints that are yet to be implemented.

I work as a single Op but am getting on well with the I2. The footage you can pull from shooting RAW is pleasing to say the least. Compared to the I1 or P4 its like silk but takes a mission to process.

If you have the I2 my advice is to get the 480SSD. You may be broke but will at least have a smile on your face