Why should I invest in a Phantom 3 when the 3DR Solo has a lot more features and options like cable cam, Orbit, Waypoints, Follow me upgradeable software and hardware (opensource), speeds up to 55mph? The Solo does cost more with the full setup (gimbal + Gopro Hero4) and range is not as good as the Phantom 3. 3DR is an American company and they state that they will replace the unit if damages are caused by malfunctions/flyways. I can't decide.

The Solo is also nearly double the price of a Phantom 3 Advanced.

mike@singerscre Posted at 2015-4-20 03:20
The Solo is also nearly double the price of a Phantom 3 Advanced.

Thanks. So price is lower. Should I be comparing the Inspire 1 vs the Solo since they have closer features?

I would think you would compare what ever your interested in

The Solo seems to be closer to a Phantom than the Inspire 1. Whatever the case though, you should buy the quadcopter that has the features you need.

The P3 can also be flown (easier) indoors with its VPS.  I believe 3DR said that they are making a similar system as a later add on for the solo (so that will be additional cost).

In theory the orbit, follow and "cable cam" features can be added to the P3, whether via third parties or if DJI can be pressured into do it themselves.

The upgradability of the solo looks nice, but at the price I have to wonder if in a couple years it would be easier just buying a newer model Phantom / Inspire or whatever, vs what can be upgraded on the solo and how much it will cost (before a new version is required for newer addons).

t.katz@me.com Posted at 2015-4-20 05:33
The P3 can also be flown (easier) indoors with its VPS.  I believe 3DR said that they are making a s ...

How do we know the Phantom is easier to fly than the Solo if it isn't out yet? My concern is future proofing my investment. I see Inspire 1 owners pissed off because they spent $3k+ when they could have purchased a P3. The Solo is separating itself because of the hardware upgrade ability unlike the Inspire 1 and Phantom series which require a whole new unit if i want hardware upgrades. I may pay more now for a Solo but in the long run, I'll be spending more money staying up on the latest hadware/software combo with a phantom or Inspire.

I just mentioned the P3 is (will be) easier indoors due to its visual positioning system, like the I1 has.  3DR already mentioned they will be probably releasing a "lidar" addon to the solo for indoor flight so its probably safe to say upon release the P3 will be easier to fly indoors, then the solo.

The I1 is a different machine then the P3.  The I1 was never meant to replace the Phantom series and its been safe to assume there was going to be a new Phantom with similar technology.  The I1 is at a different level.  Dual remotes, 320 degree camera, hdmi out, etc..

As for upgrading, its really hard to say how the upgrades will be.  You can buy the solo now and spend 2x the price of a P3 Advanced, then later an upgrade option might require the "Solo 2", which might require another $1500 investment before you can even get that piece of hardware.  Meanwhile the P4 might come out with the $1k/$1300 price tag and have the same feature.  Its really hard to say what will happen with the upgradable hardware.  Afterall just look at how the P3 has the VPS system, and the Solo will have it as a future upgrade (after already spending $1900 to get a flyable camera).

But if the features of the solo fit your needs and wants, go for it.  It looks like its going to be a good machine.

fr0gburp3r Posted at 2015-4-20 10:46
How do we know the Phantom is easier to fly than the Solo if it isn't out yet? My concern is future ...

My concern with the Solo is the range. The P3 will have lightbridge and the Solo may have laggy video feed. It's just so frustrating.

t.katz@me.com Posted at 2015-4-20 11:33
I just mentioned the P3 is (will be) easier indoors due to its visual positioning system, like the I ...

Point is that Solo got addonbay where you can add stuff to upgrade it, like lidar or parachute or extrabattery.  Meaning you dont need to buy solo 2 if you want one or two more features. Also camera is upgradeable to GoPro Hero 5 when it is released.

Solo - half the features and twice the price - an unknown quantity from a company with no great record.
And you're stuck with the dinosaur Gopro fisheye lens.
If you think you can "future-proof" your purchase of cutting edge high tech electronics, you're fooling yourself.
Solo is competing with the Phantom 2 series.  
DJI finished that race some time ago and is running a different race now.

tabbe Posted at 2015-4-20 16:50
Point is that Solo got addonbay where you can add stuff to upgrade it, like lidar or parachute or  ...

The parachute will be a nice addon, but will it be able to carry the parachute, extra battery and lidar all at the same time?  Would we have to reconfigure the system to fly indoors vs really high outdoors? (ie swap the chute/battery for the lidar).

And it would be nice to know how much the lidar will be.  If the lidar is $500 and the Hero5 is $500, then adding just those two options might buy you the Phantom 4.

I hope 3DR can come through with their promises in a cost efficient way, I really do.  But at its price, I'm not seeing it right now.  There is also no such thing as future proofing in technology, just building things in a way to sell more features you either didn't have yet at time of release, or should have included but figured you could make more money on and support the claims.   I would be glad if I turn out to be wrong on that one.

t.katz@me.com Posted at 2015-4-20 21:14
The parachute will be a nice addon, but will it be able to carry the parachute, extra battery and  ...

Yes, you could reconfigure Solo for your needs. Swap in lidar for indoor flight and chute for outside. I dont think lidar will cost 500, since there is PuledLight (http://pulsedlight3d.com/) for 85 dollars.  I think parachute is going to cost around the same.

I am quiet certain P4 will have new type of chassis (since this one got issues) and again you are buying batteries, case and car charger.

Oh, and solo is open source that is not bad thing eiher.

tabbe Posted at 2015-4-20 21:41
Yes, you could reconfigure Solo for your needs. Swap in lidar for indoor flight and chute for outs ...

Nice, however the lidar alone would only provide distance, right?  It would still need some sort of optical system (downward facing camera?) in order to hold position indoors without GPS.  Will the solo have that?  Also, doesn't the VPS also work outdoors when flying low?  Hopefully the lidar system wont have to be swapped out since it could probably provide benefit outdoors as well.

tabbe Posted at 2015-4-20 21:41
Yes, you could reconfigure Solo for your needs. Swap in lidar for indoor flight and chute for outs ...

the parachute will never cost under 100 dollar and a parachute system is always heavy, it will reduce flight time to maybe 12 minutes or less. One of the weak points is that you obviously cant use the Gopro3, only the 3+ and 4 models. Also the range is very limited with this model. The concept seems nice, i like the easily replacable motors

t.katz@me.com Posted at 2015-4-20 22:07
Nice, however the lidar alone would only provide distance, right?  It would still need some sort o ...

Lidar can provide distance and shape of ground atleast pulselight-system does.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2015-4-20 18:29
Solo - half the features and twice the price - an unknown quantity from a company with no great reco ...

Half the features compared to what? The P3? It seems the Solo has more features and more flexible. The fisheye on the GoPro can easily be fixed with lens swap.

Yes - half the features that matter.
Look at the range of the P3, the Lightbridge, no wifi, flat field lens on a camera made for aerial photography and for half the price of the 3DR product.
Solo's flight time is already less.  It's going to be even worse after you add extra payload too.
Follow Me etc are gimmicks for the selfie stick crowd and if important for you, will be coming soon enough for the P3 anyway.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2015-4-21 07:55
Yes - half the features that matter.
Look at the range of the P3, the Lightbridge, no wifi, flat fie ...

What matters to a lot of people in this hobby is the ability to take great aerial video and photography. With the follow me, orbit and cable cam, it's a very attractive feature set that the P3 doesn't have. The range is nice on the P3 but who flies that far away to take a video or photo? When I take photography or video, I'm usually on location and not a mile away so I can see the lighting of the scene with my own eyes and make adjustments if necessary to capture at optimum conditions. I also don't have to use a lot of battery life because I don't have to fly very far to the location. If the UAV goes down, I won't have to go very far to search for it if I'm on location. Yes, the range on the P3 can come in handy for hard to reach places  like going across the Grand Canyon but how often does the average UAV owner run into that situation? Both have their advantages.

fr0gburp3r Posted at 2015-4-21 08:16
What matters to a lot of people in this hobby is the ability to take great aerial video and photogr ...

I think the Phantom 3 is a better machine. Once the SDK will release I'm sure we will have developers making those features (poi, cable cam, etc.) available. The vision Plus app for the Phantom 2 is awesome and the developer says he is going to produce another app for the Phantom 3

There are plusses and minuses to both drones. In the end I can't afford $1900 for the SOLO and GoPro 4K camera. The Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K is worth a look as well but it is also slightly more expensive than the Phantom 3 Pro and is not out yet with no firm date (although they said in a month or two).

The autopilot app for p2 already does a bunch of things that the solo does (follow and orbit) and they said they're going to come out with one for the p3.



There's a good example of a third party actually developing something for the Phantom.  

I admit I haven't actually used it yet (on my P2V+), just found it the other day.  Waiting for the rain/wind to subside then going to try it.

mmee1992@yahoo. Posted at 2015-4-21 08:57
I think the Phantom 3 is a better machine. Once the SDK will release I'm sure we will have develop ...

That places a lot of trust in third party developers coming up with those features.

I would rather have the features available at launch and think those features alone are worth the price gap if that's what matters to you.

AirborneNinja Posted at 2015-4-23 13:49
That places a lot of trust in third party developers coming up with those features.

I would rath ...

I would rather place my trust with multiple third party developers than a single first party developer. If you have a smartphone, ask yourself if you use the apps that came with the phone or third party apps the most?

grangerfx@gmail Posted at 2015-4-23 14:10
I would rather place my trust with multiple third party developers than a single first party devel ...

You are comparing apples to oranges now. Phones and drones are two separate markets/technologies and with DJI putting all the control and responsibilities on others to produce features that they use to market for sales, is just wrong to me.  

AirborneNinja Posted at 2015-4-23 15:23
You are comparing apples to oranges now. Phones and drones are two separate markets/technologies a ...

well get off the dji forum then

lauxchet@yahoo. Posted at 2015-4-23 15:34
well get off the dji forum then

Easy buddy. This is a thread about comparing the 2 and I am trying to apply a little devil's advocacy here. Can't let biases cloud the discussions here.

I am simply expressing my opinion about the company and do not mean to offend you.

can someone answer this will the P3 have HDMI out in the remote like the inspire has?

Did they change the name of the 3DR to footstomp?

pidetectives@ya Posted at 2015-4-23 19:56
can someone answer this will the P3 have HDMI out in the remote like the inspire has?

Currently does not, will it? Not sure..
According to Tahoe Ed, you can pair an Inspire remote with the P3 as of the latest inspire remote firmware though you cannot run the Inspire remote and P3 remote together with the P3 as they cannot be paired as two Inspire remotes can be paired with the Inspire..
NOW THAT IS AN APPLE AND AN ORANGE
And here is Ed's post...http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... age%3D1&lang=en

so in other words to do that you would have to buy another inspire remote spent $650 for it to maybe work.

pidetectives@ya Posted at 2015-4-24 03:25
so in other words to do that you would have to buy another inspire remote spent $650 for it to maybe ...

At this time, yes, though Tahoe Ed indicated there has been discussion at DJI to incorporate this at some point but no confirmation and no date committed..

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-4-24 04:34
At this time, yes, though Tahoe Ed indicated there has been discussion at DJI to incorporate this  ...

so maybe they can make a module that can be removed from the back of the remote and plug the other that has HDMI

fr0gburp3r Posted at 2015-4-20 10:46
How do we know the Phantom is easier to fly than the Solo if it isn't out yet? My concern is future ...

You really can't "future-proof" in a hobby/business that is still very much in the "Moore's Law" phase. If you are in business, you have to consider obsolescence as the price of doing business....if it is a hobby...then you have to buy what you can afford and have fun with it....knowing, full well that in less than a year there will be a better, shinier toy. My biggest gripe with 3DR SOLO is the "budget-airline" approach to setting a base cost. Sure you can pick one up a $1K or so....but to do anything meaningful with it...you have to buy all the extras. Plus there is a bit of a leap-of-faith in the SOLO's abilities. They plan to add this feature...then that feature....they talk about the hopes and dreams of the future. Well, by that time, something much better will come along. I'm not really knocking the SOLO...I really hope it lives up to its promise.....and, if I still had a GoPro, I'd probably buy it.

AirborneNinja Posted at 2015-4-23 13:49
That places a lot of trust in third party developers coming up with those features.

I would rath ...

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3/feature
At the bottom of this page it claims to have all of those features.

Am I wrong?

Jerdel Posted at 2015-4-23 19:59
Did they change the name of the 3DR to footstomp?

Pretty immature just because you saw one video from NAB. This drone is in Beta stage meaning it's still a prototype.

I'm confident the Solo will be a good product considering it will be in every Best Buy and a lot of other retail stores. It's has some very attractive features. And when the Blackmagic Micro comes out along with a gimbal for the solo this will be the setup to use.

I'm sure 3DR has something else up their sleeves too compete with the Inspire as well. 3DR is a great company and they're passionate about their products. I will support a company like that because they care about their customers.

blake248@airhat Posted at 2015-4-24 07:22
http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3/feature
At the bottom of this page it claims to have all of t ...

Yes it has them listed at the bottom, but they are all under SDK which means they are only available if someone creates them, someone other than DJI. which is why I said what I did.

durrr Posted at 2015-4-24 08:45
Pretty immature just because you saw one video from NAB. This drone is in Beta stage meaning it's s ...

Amen brother lol

AirborneNinja Posted at 2015-4-23 18:48
Easy buddy. This is a thread about comparing the 2 and I am trying to apply a little devil's advoc ...

just dont understand why if you dont like a company and it doesnt seem like you have  interest in the p3 why would you hang out on there forum?

double post