I packed my Phantom 2 for a recent holiday to Fiji.  H3-3D with GoPro 3+black.  Glad I did!

Phew, that was close But great shots there. Stunning place.

Did you hand-launch and hand-catch?

insitb@singnet. Posted at 2014-10-26 11:25
Phew, that was close  But great shots there. Stunning place.

Did you hand-launch and hand-catch? ...

Yeah... it actually did "just"  make it past the cable.  I launched off the yacht's canopy and hand caught.

I'm off to Maldives this December and have a similar clip in mind. I figure it won't be easy to keep my orientation by LOS alone. I'll probably just get as much raw footage as possible and then whittle it down until only the best parts are left.

Been looking for a tutorial, something like Quad Photography for Dummies. Do you know of anything along these lines?

insitb@singnet. Posted at 2014-10-26 11:56
I'm off to Maldives this December and have a similar clip in mind. I figure it won't be easy to keep ...

FPV will make a massive difference.  My setup only cost me around USD$250, if you're not scared of wiring it up.  Being able to compose the frame is most of the struggle.

I don't know if you have a Vision or H3-GoPro, but there are some good Phantom channels:

MicBersma https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzAm8fdjvx0bLQpWZynRKosixpXrECSbV

TomsTechTime https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5a8HFtpX81VFkC_pgUyMFtv-lVW7Om7J

One thing I didn't mention is that I 3D printed a small lens hood for the GoPro.  This adds some contrast to the images, but also can shade the lens from prop shadows, which can cause banding on the video.

Cheers Alistair,

Yup, I know both of those channels, devoured just about all Phantom videos before ordering mine. It's the Phantom 2 Vision Plus, by the way.

My main issue is the glare on my mobile, which makes it hard to see any detail in the frame. So yeah, I may well go the FPV route.

I tend to keep the props out of view by mostly flying slowly, as well as flying backwards and then reversing the shot. It also helps to keep shoot when the sun is low, which is the best light I find.

Nice flying and editing!  

Nothing like water shots.  I had a blast shooting lots of water shots this summer!  Here's one of my vids...

Nice dude ☺

One question,  does anyone use these auto inflateable things when flying over water? I know I've seen a kind that lift 3kg, but some people have 2st water bouy.

Yes, I attached a Getterback high up on the skid. I'm really not sure what to do with the copter after I winch her back up because in most cases sea water = a total write-off. In fresh water you could possibly fly again.

But with the Getterback I guess I'll at least have the footage back. Plus, I'm also going to try my bestest to bring her back to life, if not to fly her again, but then to salvage spare parts.

Then again, it's 100 feet max. Most coral reef and beach locations tend to be less then that, but once you venture out, even the Getterback won't getterback.

I was looking at waterproofing and researched so many different solutions and despite their claims, Im not convinced with some of the spray on treatments or the send away stuff (no names).
I think the best way would be something like the mariner quadcopter, a sealed shell with breathable membrane...........
Looking at ways to make this a reality with the snorkel mod and treating the current shell with some form of waterproofing, but the operating temps are still being collated at present.

Id be happy with rainproof....

There's a current SAR model that's been treated and is very resilient to weather, its used for mountain rescue with Flir cameras and other goodies, but trying to get close to it is near on impossible.  Still being tested and evaluated so its like a ww2 secret.... but it looks like a Phantom to me.....