Hi

I have got my Phantom 3 Pro for two years now and no crush and still flies beautifully. I have four batteries and a suitcase bag with roller and extras, Density filters and so on... Worth well over £1500.

Is it worth the upgrade to 4 Pro? I don't need the obstacle avoidance as I fly FPV all the time with line of sight (with an assistant). What matters is the quality of the footage. Can you justify to step up? Photo quality is also important.

Eventually, I would like to grab a Inspire or others in pro line...

Many thanks!   

A photograph taken by me with Phantom 3 Pro in 2016.

I've had my Phantom 3 4K for 2 years now.  Now that I have the Phantom 4 Pro i can see the difference.  I don't know the quality of the Phantom 3 Pro,  but comparing both of mine, the 4 is way better quality than my 3.  I still fly both, actually my 4 is now in the hands of the capable DJI Repair guys.  It fell out of the sky for no reason, and as of now I have no idea what happened.  It was under warranty, so all repairs at no charge to me.  I have flown my 3 at unbelievable 44 mph, but my Phantom 4 Pro doesn' t go above 29mph, don't know why, and I don't want to find out.  The video quality is superior to the 3 though.

If photography is your interest, the P4 pro is easily justified.
You get a sensor that's 4x bigger, a mechanical shutter and a real aperture so you don't have to shoot wide open.
On top of all that you get a fantastic drone.  
Easy choice.

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-24 15:35
If photography is your interest, the P4 pro is easily justified.
You get a sensor that's 4x bigger, a mechanical shutter and a real aperture so you don't have to shoot wide open.
On top of all that you get a fantastic drone.  

How about the video? I have been watching various videos on P4 Pro, so far I am not blown away with it. :/   

Sky Flyer Posted at 2018-1-24 15:27
I've had my Phantom 3 4K for 2 years now.  Now that I have the Phantom 4 Pro i can see the difference.  I don't know the quality of the Phantom 3 Pro,  but comparing both of mine, the 4 is way better quality than my 3.  I still fly both, actually my 4 is now in the hands of the capable DJI Repair guys.  It fell out of the sky for no reason, and as of now I have no idea what happened.  It was under warranty, so all repairs at no charge to me.  I have flown my 3 at unbelievable 44 mph, but my Phantom 4 Pro doesn' t go above 29mph, don't know why, and I don't want to find out.  The video quality is superior to the 3 though.

Hmmmmm, thanks. So 50/50 then. I am lucky to have a good machine, many P3s also fell out of the sky (I read here). Also no reason. Hence the reason I keep mine still. Video quality much better!? Okay thanks!  

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-24 15:38
How about the video? I have been watching various videos on P4 Pro, so far I am not blown away with it. :/

Any turkey can take poor photos and video with the best equipment.
And Youtube compresses video video beyond the original quality.
The camera is way better than the P3 series whether you shoot video or stills.
I'd say it's outstanding ... and so do my clients.

Sky Flyer Posted at 2018-1-24 15:27
I've had my Phantom 3 4K for 2 years now.  Now that I have the Phantom 4 Pro i can see the difference.  I don't know the quality of the Phantom 3 Pro,  but comparing both of mine, the 4 is way better quality than my 3.  I still fly both, actually my 4 is now in the hands of the capable DJI Repair guys.  It fell out of the sky for no reason, and as of now I have no idea what happened.  It was under warranty, so all repairs at no charge to me.  I have flown my 3 at unbelievable 44 mph, but my Phantom 4 Pro doesn' t go above 29mph, don't know why, and I don't want to find out.  The video quality is superior to the 3 though.

my Phantom 4 Pro doesn' t go above 29mph, don't know why.
Switch off Obstacle Avoidance and you'll get 36 mph.
Switch to Sport mode and you get 45 mph.

I will try that when i get my P4Pro back.  It's being shipped back to me after it fell out of the sky for no reason.   

Sky Flyer Posted at 2018-1-24 21:37
I will try that when i get my P4Pro back.  It's being shipped back to me after it fell out of the sky for no reason.

There is never, No Reason. Haha



RedHotPoker

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-24 18:32
Any turkey can take poor photos and video with the best equipment.
And Youtube compresses video video beyond the original quality.
The camera is way better than the P3 series whether you shoot video or stills.

....well, that is true but any turkey cannot modify a raw data to make it better than originally it is. I was browsing though Inspire Forum last night, I came across a video which was shot both on Inspire 2 and Phantom 4Pro and the footage reveals the difference whether youtube downgrades or not. :/  

Is there a sample of comparison video you may show me otherwise please?

Here is the video I mentioned : https://forum.dji.com/thread-118674-1-1.html

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-24 18:35
my Phantom 4 Pro doesn' t go above 29mph, don't know why.
Switch off Obstacle Avoidance and you'll get 36 mph.
Switch to Sport mode and you get 45 mph.

.........why not try a racing drone if speed needed? I never understood people they want to fly so fast....

Sky Flyer Posted at 2018-1-24 21:37
I will try that when i get my P4Pro back.  It's being shipped back to me after it fell out of the sky for no reason.

.........why not try a racing drone? That itself may cause a problem of you crashing unwillingly and no reasons.   

Who said i wanted to go fast?  I just said that i reached 44mpg with my Phantom 3 4k, but i have never gone more than 29mph with my Phantom 4 Pro.  

Sky Flyer Posted at 2018-1-25 09:02
Who said i wanted to go fast?  I just said that i reached 44mpg with my Phantom 3 4k, but i have never gone more than 29mph with my Phantom 4 Pro.

My mistake. Sounded like you wish you could.

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-25 08:08
.........why not try a racing drone if speed needed? I never understood people they want to fly so fast....

If you fly in a windy environment, you want your Phantom to have the ability to work against the wind and make it back again.

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-25 08:06
....well, that is true but any turkey cannot modify a raw data to make it better than originally it is. I was browsing though Inspire Forum last night, I came across a video which was shot both on Inspire 2 and Phantom 4Pro and the footage reveals the difference whether youtube downgrades or not. :/  

Is there a sample of comparison video you may show me otherwise please?

I came across a video which was shot both on Inspire 2 and Phantom 4Pro and the footage reveals the difference.
And you can tell which scenes were shot with each drone or which of 3 possible cameras is used on the Inspire?
All I could see was some scenes shot with better light or exposure than others.

P4P defiantly if you are looking for better quality. If you don't really need the small step up, just go for the Inspire, save ur $$

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-25 13:39
If you fly in a windy environment, you want your Phantom to have the ability to work against the wind and make it back again.

So we need the torque to push. My P3P struggles with anything above 18mph, I never pushed it anything more than that, the video is jerky anyways. Thanks!

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-25 13:58
I came across a video which was shot both on Inspire 2 and Phantom 4Pro and the footage reveals the difference.
And you can tell which scenes were shot with each drone or which of 3 possible cameras is used on the Inspire?
All I could see was some scenes shot with better light or exposure than others.

With all the respect, I watched it on a 80 inches HD projector screen (all detailed well) and you can see there are some soft footage within the scene (I don't know if modified and added in there or not) but I assumed it was the P4P.

Is there any where I could see a raw footage of P4P, do anyone have any link for me please.

I do trust your expertise, please don't get me wrong. But DJI has many fairies which are promoting their products. I just want to make sure that it is not a marketing tell, tell but all for real. Remember the promos when P3P came out. I watched another one last night about Mavic Air vs Mavic pro and Spark, as it is a new baby Mavic Air, all of a sudden it is the one. Quality is always marginal. So much better is a big myth for my belief. Don't hang me for it, I am just being honest.

Thanks!

eman_vg Posted at 2018-1-25 16:22
P4P defiantly if you are looking for better quality. If you don't really need the small step up, just go for the Inspire, save ur $$

Well, there is another baby out there Matrice M200, 2 kg and yet accepts all the cameras of the Inspire range and even more. It is very expensive but it is definitely the beast. Check it out, if you haven't seen it.

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-26 01:42
With all the respect, I watched it on a 80 inches HD projector screen (all detailed well) and you can see there are some soft footage within the scene (I don't know if modified and added in there or not) but I assumed it was the P4P.

Is there any where I could see a raw footage of P4P, do anyone have any link for me please.

I do trust your expertise, please don't get me wrong. But DJI has many fairies which are promoting their products. I just want to make sure that it is not a marketing tell, tell but all for real.  ...  Quality is always marginal. So much better is a big myth for my belief. Don't hang me for it, I am just being honest.
If you can't tell that a 4x bigger sensor, real diaphragm aperture, improved dynamic range and mechanical shutter makes a huge difference photographically, there's not much point discussing things.
I hardly use the video function so can't show you a good example video.
But when I do shoot video, it's as good as the stills - very, very good.

PS  The matrice 200 weighs 4.5 - 5kg depending on which batteries you use.

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-26 03:49
I do trust your expertise, please don't get me wrong. But DJI has many fairies which are promoting their products. I just want to make sure that it is not a marketing tell, tell but all for real.  ...  Quality is always marginal. So much better is a big myth for my belief. Don't hang me for it, I am just being honest.
If you can't tell that a 4x bigger sensor, real diaphragm aperture, improved dynamic range and mechanical shutter makes a huge difference photographically, there's not much point discussing things.
I hardly use the video function so can't show you a good example video.

Thanks for the P4P. Any photograph to compare at least? Don't have to be yours, or if you know any link to a video?

For the Matrice, on a youtube review indicated the weight as 2kg, it could well be a mistake. You are right, it cannot be of that of a small amount considering the extras. Cheers.

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-26 04:35
Thanks for the P4P. Any photograph to compare at least? Don't have to be yours, or if you know any link to a video?

For the Matrice, on a youtube review indicated the weight as 2kg, it could well be a mistake. You are right, it cannot be of that of a small amount considering the extras. Cheers.

Nothing fancy but try this as a basic P4 pro image:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/8wnyqswu1bz7bfa/DJI_0104a%281%29.jpg?dl=0

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-26 07:00
Nothing fancy but try this as a basic P4 pro image:  [view_image]https://www.dropbox.com/s/8wnyqswu1bz7bfa/DJI_0104a%281%29.jpg?dl=0

Thanks very much. Was this jpg? Cool photo.

I went in 100% into the photograph (you probably hate me for this) it seems heavily sharpened. Please see attached photo as I created a gif file of both images (one original, other sharpen) This could be the software of course on your photo (as preset). :/

Sadly, gif file doesn't animate here. You may be able to compare them here side by side. About the mechanical shutter here is a food for thought:
And here a video shot at 1/8000 second, great when still but when the drone is moving jittery. Not sure mechanical shutter suits the video shooting. :/

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-26 16:43
Sadly, gif file doesn't animate here. You may be able to compare them here side by side. About the mechanical shutter here is a food for thought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmjeCchGRQo
And here a video shot at 1/8000 second, great when still but when the drone is moving jittery. Not sure mechanical shutter suits the video shooting. :/

Not sure mechanical shutter suits the video shooting.
It doesn't - and that's why the P4 pro doesn't use mechanical shutter for video.

Labroides Posted at 2018-1-26 18:43
Not sure mechanical shutter suits the video shooting.
It doesn't - and that's why the P4 pro doesn't use mechanical shutter for video.

Well, I placed the P3 for sale on Facebook (closed group) if sells for the price I am asking I let it go and upgrade to P4 or P5 when comes out, surely there will more features then. Or save a bit more and go for the Matrice/Inspire.

Thanks for your help Labroides and others.

Here is a link for the p3 if works https://www.facebook.com/groups/ ... neric&ref=notif

Antonov Posted at 2018-1-31 06:25
Well, I placed the P3 for sale on Facebook (closed group) if sells for the price I am asking I let it go and upgrade to P4 or P5 when comes out, surely there will more features then. Or save a bit more and go for the Matrice/Inspire.  

Thanks for your help Labroides and others.

I hope the price I quoted is not too much or little, I have four batteries and a Lowepro bag and other extras (nd64 filter, guards, blades etc.