Hi All
First post on here, quick hello to everyone :-)
I've been researching the Phantom 3 Standard for a while now, I'm a novice but feel really attracted to this as a hobby/interest like the rest of you. I've read mainly positive reviews but I'm concerned about recent firmware, incidents involving flyaways, lost signals and lack of RTH and finally poor customer service. I'm close to ordering but reaching out to the experts to give opinion. I'm also looking to purchase the DJI Care option (plus spare battery) and would welcome any feedback on this etc.?

Looks like a great forum you have here, look forward to contributing if concensus says buy one!

SimonW (UK based)

DJI Phantoms are great flying cameras.
You get a distorted idea reading online forums which discuss complaints and problems so much as well as some myths that get a life of their own like flyaways and bad service.
Most fliers are out there having a good time and don't fill forums with .. I had a safe easy flight ..  again.
The Phantom is very easy to fly but there is a lot to learn in mastering it.
There are many things that can go wrong and many skip learning how to ensure they don't go wrong and get themselves into trouble because the get too adventurous too early.
Contrary to the popular myths, the Phantom 3 is remarkably free of flyaways and although DJI's service lagged behind during the early days of explosive growth, it's very good now.
Here's a well written piece that should give you a different perspective on the whole flyaway myth.
http://www.droneflyers.com/2016/ ... -on-drone-flyaways/

I agree with labroides ....these are great flying machines.

If you can squeeze out a bit more cash, I would recommend the Phantom 3 Advanced over the Standard....once you get the standard, I suspect you'll very soon be itching for the Advanced .

This is also my first post on here. I have P3P and P4 and both are amazing. Depending on what you are trying to with your P3S (if purchased) I don't thuink that you would be happy with the performance being that the P3S and P34k use wifi while the P3A,P3P and P4 use Lightbridge which has a lot better transmission range. You would be better off getting at least  a P3A. Don't be afraid of DJI products because like any product things go wrong but I have never had any issues with my P3P or P4 and I have hd the P3P for over a year with many flights and know issues.

Flight Raptor Posted at 2016-8-20 19:05
I agree with labroides ....these are great flying machines.

If you can squeeze out a bit more cash, ...

Agreed, I have the P3S and love it. No issues at all. But if I knew then what I know now?? Yes, I would have gotten the Advanced unit for $200 or $300. more.

vtrx37 Posted at 2016-8-20 19:10
This is also my first post on here. I have P3P and P4 and both are amazing. Depending on what you ar ...

Don't agree that the OP would not be happy with a P3S. I have one and it works great. There's thousands of Standard customer out there that like their Phantom very much. Not everyone wants to fly 3 mile (5km) out, and are very happy to go out 1/2 mile (1000m). Now these are FCC numbers I realize, and as the OP is in the UK it would be a bit less.

Agreeing with Flight Raptor above. The Lightbridge gives a very solid signal lock compared to wifi.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-8-21 00:01
DJI Phantoms are great flying cameras.
You get a distorted idea reading online forums which discuss  ...

Thanks labroids, useful info and great link!

Flight Raptor Posted at 2016-8-21 00:05
I agree with labroides ....these are great flying machines.

If you can squeeze out a bit more cash, ...

Thanks Flight Raptor, you might be right! However, as a novice I want to start small and trade up if I enjoy it. The second hand market seems strong so I should be able to sell it if I wanted to go that way. Thanks again.

wmcvey Posted at 2016-8-21 01:05
Don't agree that the OP would not be happy with a P3S. I have one and it works great. There's thous ...

Thanks wmcvey, appreciate your response. I agree that 1000m will be more than enough to enter me into this world and grow my confidence and ability. If I'm wanting the spare battery and DJI Care then it starts to add up (GBP £699) so a good starter and go from there ....... cheers!

SimonW Posted at 2016-8-20 20:25
Thanks wmcvey, appreciate your response. I agree that 1000m will be more than enough to enter me i ...

Your welcome, just wanted to add that please remember that I'm in the US and the Phantom (any model) will default to FCC mode, and you being in the UK your unit will default to CE mode (less power on the RC). Also an extra battery is definitely something to get, but I'm not to big on buying extra warranties.

Hmmm name and location looks coincidentally familiar.  Are you coming to CA this weekend or maybe Monday??

Do yourself a favor and go with Lightbridge over Wifi. World of difference. Lots of issues with Wifi. I'd recommend the Advanced or diving in and get in on the P4's!

For the price of the Advanced, your getting a heck of a nice bird. I have 2 P3 Pros and shoot mp4 files in 4K, but when I edit, I usually convert it to 1080 (too much data!). It still looks awesome on a 65" 4K TV. The Advanced has a nice camera on it too for sure.

Happy Flying!

Barney

Save the insurance money and get the advanced. Just be careful and study before flying and you shouldn't need any insurance.  Don't worry about trying to save money with the cheaper bird. You will get the fever and spend plenty soon enough.  I got my p3a with 2 batteries for about 800 and am up over 1500 with extras already after a month or so. More batteries,  bigger sd card, carry case, car charger, tablet, better antenna system, ND filters, prop balancer. Lol
At least the batteries are getting cheaper.

I've had my Standard since February and couldn't be happier. I'm getting 1 km flights regularly with the DJI Go App. I usually use the Litchi App which leads to longer flights because the program is  uploaded to the aircraft and will complete a mission even if the rc loses contact with the aircraft. 100 percent success rate when I don't do something really stupid. I recently had a crash that was all my fault. It would have happened with any of the Phantoms. It was a lot easier seeing $500 going down than the more expensive models. Lucky I am pretty handy and should be flying again today to the tune of $65. Also, I haven't had any problems with upgrades except for having to try a couple of times for some of them. Read the manual, often. Watch the tutorial vids, often. Spend time on the forums, often. That's how I figured out how to repair my gimbal after my crash. Start slow, often. And , speaking from personal experience, don't get cocky once you start to get  a little success behind you. The P3S has a lot going for it at a great price. Have fun and fly safe.