Hey everyone,

I am looking to pick up a quadcopter in about a year when I return from my deployment. It's purpose will be to extend my existing photography business and a fun toy to complete personal projects.

My question for this discussion is, will the Inspire 1 be worth getting in a year or should I get the next generation/model? It seems since the Inspire is so new still (BETA testing) that in a year it will be the perfect platform with all the issues worked out and lots of support/aftermarket products. Does everyone agree with this?

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts

There is not a definite answer if there will even be an Inspire 2. However there will be a ton of upgrades for the camera and firmware.. I would buy the Inspire 1 especially since the firmware came out

mountmotor Posted at 2015-4-18 11:04
There is not a definite answer if there will even be an Inspire 2. However there will be a ton of up ...

Thanks for the reply!

I am not so worried about the next generation as much as I am the current issues and lack of support. This forum is amazing so far though the amount of support given on here vs the s900/s1000 is amazing. After watching ever video I can find that has been decently color graded and edited, these 4k Cameras seem to perform very well.

I really hope that there is a lot of third party support for this platform and the follow me, cable cam, selfie features along with Waypoints become available throughout this year.

(I have a tendency for getting the latest and greatest only because I am a tech junky haha, kind of why I am asking)

The only constant is Change...It only took a couple of months between the Inspire 1 launch and first deliveries  mid January and now we have the Phantom 3 and 3DR Solo...It will probably be a whole new ball game once you get back from deployment...BTW...Not sure if your are American, Canadian, Australian or British...Thank You your Service...It is not forgotten and is greatly appreciated...

a year from now? you got 3 options. buy the i1 used, i would think by then it would be less then 2 grand, maybe 1500 and i would suspect batteries would be at least half price also. parts would also be cheaper and the firmware should be more complete by then. twice the copter half the price sounds good

option 2 buy the i2 which will probably be close to releasing

option 3 dont buy anything dji because at any time or place  their firmware updates.. that you almost can't avoid can shut your toy down with their no fly zones. buy a competitors copy that doesn't have no fly zones.

personally i have a i1 with 1 remote and 4 batteries. i got it for 1 event this summer. after speaking with tech support and going through just 2 firmware updates the i1 to me, at over 3g investment is to too much of a liability. this thing can go down at any time and there is a chance dji will do nothing to replace your gear even if it's not your fault, if you can get a hold of them.

as soon as my event is over im selling my inspire in hopes i can break even. a year from now at 1500 and it's more proven is more realistic. 2000 bucks in the air.. uunless your made of money... every time cross your figures your not another youtube forum sob story how your inspire flew away on it's own, landed in water out of control got hit by some bird... god the birds really really hate the inspire... with a passion.

Can you buy it now and take it with you on your deployment? I am sure you will be able to get amazing shot of anyplace you go... P,us it might keep your mind busy and away from the rest of your deployment when you need some distraction

thetravguy Posted at 2015-4-19 04:21
a year from now? you got 3 options. buy the i1 used, i would think by then it would be less then 2 g ...

The thing is I don't know of any competitors out there. All the industry/hobby standards seem to be DJI, Inspire 1, Phantom, DJI s900/1000/1000+. I don't see any better options out there for around the same money as those.

If the 3DR Solo has BalckMagic Cinema Micro support with the 4k model then maybe. Could you inform me on some options?

joekeantang@gma Posted at 2015-4-19 06:18
Can you buy it now and take it with you on your deployment? I am sure you will be able to get amazin ...

I would love to have it out here but I don't think a military base would be too keen on having it flying around, even if photography is allowed.

The only constant is change.

The name I1 suggests there will be more like an I2 some day.

Another area that you might want to get onboard with is the FAAs interest in regulating the use of UAS (drone) based commercial photography. At present the rules are vague but the FAA is clearly in the process of considering what level of regulation they are going to apply to the commercial use of UAS so you would be ahead of the curve to start following the issue now.
A year is a very long time in this industry so you would do well to get yourself a small quadcopter and practice flying while DJI and their competition fight it out.

maybe when you have been there for a while maybe then they like you that much that they will let you have an inspire 1! where are you getting deploy to?

jaharrell@aol.c Posted at 2015-4-19 20:47
Another area that you might want to get onboard with is the FAAs interest in regulating the use of U ...

I am actively following the FAA issues and learning as much as I can about them. I have my Private Pilot Rotary license already with intentions of getting my commercial, but I would really hate to have to have that just to fly a RC Quadcopter around and use it for commercial use. That is just ridiculous. Yes they "own" the air but come on, you can't require someone to get a commercial license in an acual aircraft, which has no practical carry over into RC, just to fly it and make some money.

I have experience flying these already, just need to know what is the right platform for me. I don't have the technical knowledge to piece together and tune my own setup, nor do I want to spend that kind of money right off the bat. I hope these no fly zone restrictions don't kill this industry and DJI platforms.

AirborneNinja Posted at 2015-4-20 07:27
I am actively following the FAA issues and learning as much as I can about them. I have my Private ...

I agree that requiring a pilot’s license is a bit over the top but whether its prudence or empire building the FAA seems destined to insert it’s self into the mix. I have written to the guy at the Riverside, CA FSDO who has been charged with the responsibility for UAV matters but thus far I have not heard back from him. If I do I’ll let you know what he says.