Didn't have enough time to do better editing. Gonna try Vegas pro next time.

That looks really nice,

Yub Nub

Not sure I would have the nerve to do what you did - you can probably fly your better than I can fly mine. However....let me be really honest.

With the exception of the very ending where your Phantom climbs up out of the woods - all the rest of it could have been done with a hand-held gimbal-mounted camera.

As a critic, I would call it "cute." But it seems that if one wants to "show off" the capability of an aerial platform, taking it aerially is the name of the game. The effect when you're actually deep into the woods is pretty much the same as if you were using a Feyu gimbal-mounted GoPro camera.

Recently, at a public gathering (an art festival set up in the streets), I used a painter's pole to get my GoPro 10 - 12 feet up in the air. My phantom would have been awesome, but the organizers (and the local police!) would probably have taken a dim view of me flying a quad over a crowd of people. The painter's pole allowed me a similar perspective without getting off the ground. A hand-held camera - video or still - at normal eye level doesn't seem to add much.

If that's too much honesty for you, my apologies.

aburkefl@gmail. Posted at 2015-6-7 20:09
Not sure I would have the nerve to do what you did - you can probably fly your better than I can fly ...

I think it would have been very difficult to use a gimbal in this environment.  I would have tripped over the foliage. Nice flying.

rjbrown7 Posted at 2015-6-7 20:27
I think it would have been very difficult to use a gimbal in this environment.  I would have tripp ...

I partially agree, but partially disagree. Let me digress...

I've been a dabbler in photography for many years. When digital started getting big, I bought a decent little digital camera. It didn't take very long for it to get tiresome - just not the kind of options I was used to in a single-lens-reflex camera - and the options of changeable lens was, initially, very very limited. Fast forward to today's digital-single-lens-reflex and, for a not outrageous price, you've got a camera that made most older film cameras look clunky - $2,000 can buy an enormously capable DSLR these days.

But then video entered the picture.

A year ago my wife and I took a 10,000 mile auto trip. Drove from Florida to Big Sur to Seattle, gobs of parks and stops, eventually back to the UP of Michigan and down the midwest and SE US back into Florida. I took my Canon D60 and Canon 40D *and* a Sony camcorder. While I did most of the driving, my wife did most of the filming with the camcorder. I could never teach her how to pan more effectively. Unfortunately, while we do have some good video, we have literally hours where the camera moves around so quickly it almost becomes disturbing.

A couple of months ago we went to France. Since most of our video work would probably be while we were NOT driving, I decided on a totally different approach. I left all the DSLR equipment behind and, instead, took my FeiyuTech hand-held gimbal and my Hero 4 Silver GoPro - and some extra batteries for both.

Since the gimbal is electric (triple-axis) you can make a couple of quick button pushes to get it into the mode you want - which was normally straight ahead and level. If you stopped and panned left, right, up or down, the camera will follow - at a very modest pace, almost guaranteed to NOT make you throw up. The beauty of the whole thing was that you didn't have to glue your eyes or attention to the camera - it pretty much took care of itself. Additionally, because you didn't have to glue your eyes to a viewfinder, it can be held up over your head. You can take pictures that made it look like the photographer was as tall as Kareem Abdul Jabbar!

And, in post processing, you can remove the fish-eye effect very easily. I shot mostly in 4K mode. I can't watch the 4K on anything I own. But storage is cheap - I still have all the original footage and processed the video into 1080P and it's blinkin' awesome.

On a really positive note, the guy who shot the video is apparently a far better pilot than I'll probably ever be. There were several shots where he appeared to be moving somewhat quickly. I would probably be afraid to go anywhere near that fast!

Also, in fairness to him and others, there are not thousands upon thousands of Phantom owners/users - it has truly become a case of "different strokes for different folks."

Cheers.

I think it's awesome for a first time flight. Reminds me of star wars lol.

Thanks for the comments guys.  This was my 7th flight ever and I've never flown any RC before.  All of them have been RC cars.

The first shot in my video was the first shot I took that day.  I walked around looking for the longest tightest almost-straight section of trees I could find.  My goal is to get very good at flying so when the time comes to get the awesome shots I'll be more capable.  I know the only way I can increase my skill is by putting myself in uncomfortable situations.  In the forest I was getting 6-7 GPS satellites and was mainly relying on VPS.  As the ground level changed over bumps and fallen trees the quad would try to maintain its level with the objects, going up and down as I pulled it back without any height input on the sticks.
To add to the difficulty I wasn't using prop guards (still need to shorten the screws from the P2 kit, but if it reduces stability then there's no point).

Check out my other videos I made with the director app.  I actually really like using it.  Just wish there were more templates and higher output than 720p.

You are a brave man, or incredibly wealthy and able to replace crashed Phantoms on a whim! One wrong move and your drone is destroyed, not sure if the footage you captured is worth the risk. It's your money, hope you can afford your hobby!

Cool vid, thanks for posting.

S.Nyky Posted at 2015-6-10 04:31
You are a brave man, or incredibly wealthy and able to replace crashed Phantoms on a whim! One wrong ...

I agree.  This is not a proving ground I could afford to practice in.