Hello,
I am new to the forum and to the DJI product line.  I have been flying/practicing with a Hubsan H107D for about 6 months now.  I intend to purchase a Phantom quadcopter within the next several months, but I am not certain which version to purchase.  Everytime I think that I have weighed all of the pros and cons for one version, I will come up with another scenario where the other model would be a better purchase.   I like the idea of the Phantom Vision II+ with everything in one package.  But then I am concerned about the lack of growth/flexibility if I want to do some different type of videography.   So then I think I should go with the Phantom I with a gimball set-up and then purchase a GoPro Hero 4.   If I go that route then I would have the flexibility to change different types of cameras for different types of scenarios.  I would also like to be able to have a set-up where my wife would be able to join in this hobby with me, where I would get the quadcopter and have a controller for the quadcopter and then a seperate controller for the gimball and camera set-up.   But I do not think that there is a Phantom set-up for this?  I would like to be able to various nature settings, from Mountain scenes, to Waterfalls, to cattle herds etc. etc...  I would like to become proficient enough where I could work with various businesses and create a video presentation of say a scenic train business in southern Ohio to an agriculture business and create a video of the process of wheat harvest in Kansas etc. etc....  I am 55 years old and would like to start off with this as a hobby until I fully retire in 5 to 10 years and then do some side creations for suppliment income and enjoyment.  I am retired from a 20 year military career and my wife is a public school teacher in elementary education with over 17 years of experience.   We have raised our three sons and so we like to do various outdoor activities together, i.e. camping in our motorhome, backpacking, trailrides in our jeep cherokee, biking etc. etc....

    Soooooooo......   with all of this background information, has anyone been at this juncture in their entrance into the DJI quadcopter product?  Would some folks please give me some advice to help me make a good initial purchase decision for the type of applications that I have described?

    Thank you in advance for your assistance.

      Very Respectfully,

         MetroScribe

Metro,
The DJI Inspire has a two monitor set-up, one for the controller, the other for the camera, that sounds like exactly what you want if you want and need it today. The price is probably $3,300.00 or so, you can check it on line and you can have it now.
There are a couple of apps that are promising to have something similar for the Phantom though i do not think they are viable at the moment, you could do some checking around as the SDK (fancy acronym for DJI releasing their code to software developers to write apps for Apple and Android devices that interact with the Phantom) has been released and apps are just starting to surface so likely in the next few months there will be more choices with this or similar flexibility with the Phantom at a lower price point and a few other features not as rich as the Inspire...but only you know what your needs are!!
You will need to do the side by side comparisons between the two as there are options for 3rd party cameras and Gimbals on the Phantoms but not on the Inspire, the Inspire has the dual display today and a higher res camera and so on...Whew!
good luck with your quest and have fun with it whatever you choose.

Hello Metroscribe, as Northofthe49th says, for today about the only thing that fits your requirements is the DJI Inspire 1.
However this is a very fast moving industry and if you are looking to buy in a few months then there will be other options available, rumours of the imminent Phantom 3 launch are around at the moment.

I would say that the Yuneec Q500 Typhoon would fit the bill here.
That's my next quadcopter.

I agree with what North and John both have said and think that is the best advise. Some options for your concerns today could be;  You can get the Phantom 2 Vision Plus and get the quick release mount for the camera and attach other cameras to it.
A option for a 2 man team when flying is somthing me and my daughter have done. My daughter has been in photography at her high school for 4 years now and will continue with it when she is in college next year so she has a much better eye when it comes to taking pictures then me so i have set it up just in the past few days so that she works the camera using a 10" tablet (soon to be ipad) on a tripod or somtimes she sits down and just holds it. She can control the camera up and down, shes changes the setting for the camera to take the best pictures depending on the light and she just tells me where to fly and what shots she is looking for. I have trackimo on my phantom so i mount my phone to the controller and have trackimo refreshing every min on a map like google maps so i can keep track of where im at if i loose LoS. (Line of Site).
There are still pros and cons to it all and if you price everything out it may still be better to look at the inspire but the best advise still is to take a look at what is available when your ready, a lot changes can happen in a short time around here and if rumors are true there will be big changes in 2 weeks.

Stock,
That is a cool option and certainly affordable with some flexibility for a tandem.
Metro,
As for interchangeable Gimbals, check out: http://droneexpert.nl. and dronecamps.com as a couple that advertise a real cool interchangeable plate to go from the stock P2V+ v3.0 camera to a GoPro in seconds or no Camera for when you just want to zip around!

As for what is to come, yes the rumors sound exciting though just still rumors and pretty sure DJI is going to up the ante shortly with something in between the P2 series and the Inspire as there is too large a gap between them now IMHO!

That said, like with the announced Hubsan X4 Pro, it and anything DJI or anyone else announces has to prove itself in the air first before I will consider a change.

What to see new Phantom 3 ~ out in April ?

watertowers@hot Posted at 2015-3-29 23:29
What to see new Phantom 3 ~ out in April ?

https://youtu.be/uDDJ9WgmPoY

Well, nothing to see until it is announced but further rumors can also be found here:
http://youtu.be/oWEcJH7bIW0

And for the OP, your questions and timing appear to be perfect, if I were you at this point, I would keep my wallet in my pocket for about two to three weeks, I think the wait will be worth it as anything new usually puts pressure on current model prices as well! I think you are in a win win position either way!

watertowers@hot Posted at 2015-3-29 23:29
What to see new Phantom 3 ~ out in April ?

https://youtu.be/uDDJ9WgmPoY

All he says is 'I'm going to say no more than that' all the time???????????????????????

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-3-29 23:44
Well, nothing to see until it is announced but further rumors can also be found here:
http://yout ...

That's a bit better.

stock12to32 Posted at 2015-3-29 20:16
I agree with what North and John both have said and think that is the best advise. Some options for  ...

stock12to32,

     Thank you for your reply.  That sounds like a very nice hobby for you and your daughter to enjoy together.  What a great thing for a Dad and Daughter to do together to make memories that will last a lifetime.
     So do you have the Phantom Vision 2+ with the quick release gimbal?  What cameras do you use?

      Thanks again.

     Very Respectfully,

      MetroScribe

Thank you All for your replies and for sharing your insights.   I am very encouraged and anxious to see what may come about in a few weeks or so.   Either an even better option to fit my multi-faceted equation or a price drop on the current options/quadcopters.
I really wish I could find some hidden mason jars in the backyard with some long lost fortune in them?   Then I would buy a Phantom Vision 2+ and an Inspire.   I really am leaning heavily towards the Phantom Vision 2+.
Thank you again to all who have replied.

Very Respectfully,

MetroScribe

metroscribe Posted at 2015-3-30 12:14
Thank you All for your replies and for sharing your insights.   I am very encouraged and anxious to  ...

Metro,
I am really quite happy with the Phantom 2 Vision+, i have been flying the nads off it and very stable.
IMHO, you might like a GoPro option so do some more research as you indicated a Videography/Photography requirement if i recall...The P2V+ camera is pretty good and i do not own a GoPro but have seen lots of video from friends on mountain dirt trail rides and they are pretty sweet!!

metroscribe Posted at 2015-3-30 12:09
stock12to32,

     Thank you for your reply.  That sounds like a very nice hobby for you and your  ...

I agree, Im loving it. I was looking for something we could do together when I found the phantom and it has turned out to be great. She is growing up so fast.    I have been trying to get my son out with us as much as possible to. He fly's the Syma  X5C around when I can get him off his computer.

I do not have the quick release yet but it is on my "Wish List". I dont have a gopro either so the cost for everything needed plus the money I have spent in the last 3 months buying my Phantom, modding my controller and going a little to crazy on assessors. I need to wait a bit   Also daughter going to collage soon.
The camera on the Vision Plus is a great camera as well. I may be wrong but from what I have seen on youtube you would have to get a gopro that does 4k video to get enough difference to justify the price. Thats my opinion anyway. The Vision Plus camera highest res for video is 1080p at 30fps or 1080i at 60fps. Image quality is great on the Vision + as well.

stock12to32 Posted at 2015-3-29 20:16
I agree with what North and John both have said and think that is the best advise. Some options for  ...

Hello Stock,

     Would you explain in some detail how you have things set up, where you can use your cell phone on your transmitter/controller and then your daughter has some independent control of the camera.   And this is on the Phantom Vision 2+?  Thanks.

MetroScribe

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-3-30 12:47
Metro,
I am really quite happy with the Phantom 2 Vision+, i have been flying the nads off it and  ...

North,

      I went to a DJI dealer in Columbus Ohio today and was excited and disappointed in the same visit.  The place is pretty much a go between, just moving the DJI product.   They do not service any DJI products.  They do not have any technical staff to help out with any questions or support if something breaks.  They did say that they have sold a few Phantoms and Inspires but if the buyers had any problems where they needed repair they had to box the copter up and send it to some "authorized" repair place in Los Angeles.  The guy had a Phantom Vision 2+ right there in the store and I could have bought it?   But I just could not bring myself to take the leap yet.  In part because of what you guys said about waiting for several weeks to see what comes out of the Las Vegas convention.  And then the other part is that I am leaning pretty heavily on the idea of doing business with that store in Atlanta, I think the name of the place is Atlanta Hobby or Hobbies.   I plan on calling them tomorrow/or today and just get a feel for how easy and supportive they seem to work with customers.
   This place in Columbus had another product that they spoke very highly of, in a way that they believe this company will soon give DJI a run for their money/quality product.   And that company is 3DRobotics.  This guy said they have sold quite a few of these quadcopters in the Columbus area and around the world and that they have a very good customer service department and are very supportive of their customers.   This 3DRobotics company is suppose to be located in Texas, so someone does not have to deal with the shipping delays of dealing with shipments from China.
   Do you have any further thoughts on these discoveries of mine?
Thanks
MetroScribe

wait hubsan x4 pro to release this month it's more develop quad and the RC screen pretty amazing it can support any gopro models with parachute capabilities http://www.hubsan.com/productinfo_14.html this is a huge challenge to dji developer.,,