Hey. I'm 44 years old and work as an engineer and computer nerd. I have always wanted to buy a quad but paying the mortage was more important. Prices have come down and I can get a Phantom 3.  I've read online for a couple of months and do notice the differences between the standard and pro. As well as a jump in price, sometimes almost double when talking about a kit. I've had my share of small helicopters and such and want to enjoy a more quality and FUN experience. I am a new pilot and I do take this serious. I want to be able to learn to fly and get confident more and more as I fly more and more. I just don't want to buy a "starter" quad and then another, and then another. The cost would be too much, so I'm trying to find a good quality quad that is forgiving with new pilots, have those safety features that new pilots don't know are needed also. Of course there are who knows how many other quads out there now, but seeing DJI is at the top I figured I would at least start here. I do see other brands for half the price and same specs and flying "seems" easy and reviews seem good, but I know companies actually hire people to make reviews, etc. Been a consumer too long to not think that. Would someone who is a pro at this recommend the Phantom 3? Standard or Pro? I am looking for good quality video, but does not need to be professional quality video. HD of course. Thanks for reading.

Mike

The P3 S is wifi only and has a lot less range and not as good a camera as the other two P3 models.  I have a P3 Pro but I think you would enjoy the P3 Advanced just as well.  The Advanced is basically the same as the Pro but you just can't do the 4K video  but you can use 2.7 video which I wish I had access to.  Then you can actually crop that in post to get a true 1080p if you want.

Then use the extra money you saved (P3A compared to P3 Pro) and put that money towards a nice iPad Air2! for your device.

My computer cannot handle the 4K video editing now so I do everything in 1080p 60 fps.  New computer soon so that will change.

Good Luck!

The Standard would be a good model with HD quality. DJI just lowered the price $100 on it. It does not have the range or some special features of the others, but will do almost all the same things. They are extremely easy to fly in GPS mode and fly very stable even in wind. DJI is the leader when it comes to quad camera ships so you can't go wrong. Many hobby shops will try to sell you a Blade for some reason. They will also tell you that trying to contact DJI for support will be tough which is not even close to true. Very little to go up from on DJI unless you want bigger or better camera. Go buy one and start having fun!

I've flown helicopters since the early 70's. I'm 62 now and switching to my P3P was a no brainer. It was so natural and so easy to fly.  Never had a camera on board so this was new to me. I tried some short video at 1080p at 60 fpm. Very smooth. May try some 4k later. Hope to make some nice videos next spring/summer. Good luck in your choice.

I ended up purchasing the Phantom 3 Advance as I don't feel like 4k will be a standard for a little while.  My videos at 1080p 60 frames per second seem awesome.  I think it is pretty user friendly once you do a little research on it.  Out of the box it was lacking a lot of instruction, but don't stress, you can find plenty around here.  I think, and others, correct me if I am wrong, but as long as you can nail the landings, it should be smoooth sailing with an advance or professional model.  I am really liking mine.

I am 66 and had a Phantom 2 Vision, then a Inspire 1 and down graded to the P3A. I love the P3A. It is not 4K but I never used 4K on my Inspire because my computer was too slow to edit and view. 1080P works just fine for me. My P3A is a hobby not a profession. Have fun, Fly Safe!

I would echo the same sentiments as Sir Edward K, get an advanced and an iPad Air 2 with the change. You might also consider buying the hard shell backpack to carry it in, one or two extra batteries, get the device holder for the Inspire 1, as the standard holder does not deal with the iPad very well. Then read the threads here for a while to learn of the pitfalls, then go out and fly safe.

Geebax Posted at 2015-10-17 20:15
I would echo the same sentiments as Sir Edward K, get an advanced and an iPad Air 2 with the change. ...

Thanks for all the suggestions. I already have an iPad 2 Air, so I can use that for flying. I think my best bet would be the P3A. Now that prices have dropped and hopefully firmware has gotten stable, might be the time to buy. Winter is coming where I live, so maybe I can grab a package deal. I see Amazon selling these, are they an authorized dealer and a preferred vendor?

Go for the Phantom 3 Advanced.  The latest firmware update (although buggy for me - causing a crash) bumps the camera from 1080p to a 2.7K camera which is close enough to 4K for me to justify the price difference.  I got the P3A for $850 on a deal a little while back.  The money you save can be put towards a decent tablet (Nexus 7 2013 works beautifully) and an extra battery or two.  Defnitely worth the trade off in difference from 2.7K to 4K.  (oh yeah, and slightly slower charge times with the P3A)

BTW, I'm 41 and a IT/Security Professional.

~SB

Phantom 3 Professional 4K video is simply stupendous, and actually verging upon awesome. . . ;-)
Future proof your investment,.
It's only money. Hehe
You already have the Air 2, go all the way.

RedHotPoker

As far as I'm concerned the only real choice is between the Advanced and the Pro. If you buy the Standard you almost certainly will have to upgrade soon. I bought the Pro to be "future proof" and be able to record 4k video. Same as others I now have the problem that at least for the time being I can't record in 4k as my laptop simply can't cope with it. I'll need to upgrade my computer before I'll be able to process it. At least for now I'm effectively using it as a Advanced. Still gives me HD video, just not 4k.
If your computer hardware can handle 4k (or you plan to upgrade within a reasonable timeframe) I would go for the Pro, otherwise the Advanced.

Ok, I am going to have to say there is another difference now.  It appears the lightbridge is the same on the Pro and the Advanced but it is downscaled inside the advanced so that the bitstream is not as high.  I get this from reading the discussion on Private Pilots quoting DJI compare sheet.  Where it will really make the difference I guess is if you want to use HDMI out to goggles or Highres stand alone viewer.   Never noticed this before but here it is:

agrewe Posted at 2015-10-18 14:39
As far as I'm concerned the only real choice is between the Advanced and the Pro. If you buy the Sta ...

"If you buy the Standard you almost certainly will have to upgrade soon."

What is your justification for that statement, just out of curiosity?

tdrussell1 Posted at 2015-10-20 15:52
"If you buy the Standard you almost certainly will have to upgrade soon."

What is your justificat ...

Because of the various limitations the Standard brings with it (not so much distance, but a lot of the other features). Once you've got a little bit of experience I'm convinced almost everyone will feel restricted and hindered by them.

I believe I will eventually go with an ADVANCED series. I can't believe some of the Youtube videos I've seen where I would watch someone that never has ever flown before takes flight within a few hours of receiving the drone and is flying with no problems. Does this drone actually hover that good and stable with good weather via GPS? I live in South NJ, USA...in the pinelands area so I have lots of pine trees around but I do have large acres and acres of open area with nothing in site for files for safe, responsible flying. I do have to find out what the laws are for flying near a military base. I live close to a few high profile military bases and don't want my drone shot down.  I'm debating weather to piece together a set or buy a package deal. I actually bought a cheap small Chinese hand drone that is fairly hard to fly to get use to the "feel" of a quad copter and the heading. Without owning a quad copter I can sense in my mind that is a large problem for new pilots, knowing where the front of the drone is at all times...if you don't easily crash into walls since this model has no sensors to protect it. And I do have a highly capable computer for 4k video editing. All Intel i7 and Xeon processors with high end video cards. Work/game machine really. Built a couple machines myself. Since winter is coming, I don't know if I should wait until season is over or buy now. The ADVANCED model is in my price range, so even if I waited and they came out with a new Phantom model I probably wouldn't be able to afford it. Certainly not the inspire line. There is gap between the Phantom 3 ADV and the Inspire, right?
Thanks!

i got the pro, but if i could go back ,i think I would get the advance..

Smart move. The DJI Phantom is a sweetheart and unbelivably stable. You just have to decide on the camera quality. For the few extra dollars I would for for the "Pro" That is what I have and I am very satisfied with all of the aspects the Phantom 3 Pro. You will have a better resale value if you decide to move up and replace the Phantom.

Hi, i am 58 did research in electronics and had no flying experience at all. I bought P3A and I am very satisfied. P3P has 4K video, but photos are the same.  Keeep in mind the video resolution is not the only thing. The respective fps is very important too. Sometimes full hd with 60 fps looks better than 4k with quick movements where the 25 sometimes cannot "catch" the camera movement.
My advice :  Get P3A and one or two batteries plus backpack for the saved money. Good light and safe landing to everyone