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dlew21
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I will be the first to admit I am a DJI fanboy.   I have everything they have ever sold.  Ok not everything but here goes - Phantom 2/ Phantom 3 Pro, 2 Inspire 1's fitted for I1Pro's hence 2 X5's and a Ronin.. Oh yah thumb controllers and the DJI focus and a few other things I've left out.   How did I get here?

Concept vs. Reality: An Opinion Piece

There once was a dream of the perfect, no frills, smooth shooting drone.  As a veteran of the actual film industry this was a dream scenario.
I ran out and got the phantom 2 thinking if I set everything up the right way I would easily be able to use this footage in my everyday work.  
For awhile I could, but I had a dirty little secret, and so did/does DJI.  We both are hoping nobody notices that the cameras are off the mark.  We have both
been editing what we put out in to the world so it doesn't show the broken images/telemetry/horizons.   In one of the boldest moves I've seen from a company, DJI came out
with the Phantom 3 (Pro) AND the Inspire 1, only months apart.   The bold.....Both cameras were exactly the same.  Even bolder yet, both cameras were released with major issues in the lenses.  At the time of the releases (of both) the word from DJI (talking to reps on the phone and on forums) was that nothing was wrong with these cameras at all.
I wanted to believe this as well.  After endless alterations to my drones, it was clear to me.  I wasn't going to fix every horizon or distortion, after-all this wasn't a DSLR....
Like most, I edited out problems.  I used software to correct the inability of the Inspire 1 and the P3pro..  I actually don't know what DJI's official stance from the very top brass would be on the lack of camera "as advertised", however what really got me rattled was when I saw todays post.  In the post, it claimed the new generation X3 cameras will be updated and fixed for any issues..... WAIT.....what?   So, I returned my X3's twice because of issues you already new about DJI?  

Like a drug I bought, nay, I had to buy the Inspire 1 Pro (or 2)  because I wanted to cut down post production by getting that perfect image.  I was sick of fixing distortion and shooting at 90 degrees in order to kill the dreaded fisheye.   So I took the bait.  I upgraded.  And upgraded, because you know what... The P3pro and the Inspire1 is no more professional then your iPhone, but they sure are fun to fly.  

Here is the truth.  These drones are great.  I don't regret many of the purchases and the only thing I am truly mad about is the first gen issues with the Inspire camera.  This was junk served on a hot plate.  I personally feel DJI should offer it's money back on these, or at least exchange them if what I hear is in fact true about them acknowledging that they were in fact issues with these cameras, (and there were issues) and DJI let people return these cameras to get "repaired" (for up to 3 months).  I digress.  DJI offers up great concepts and imaginative products.  However the rush to market has both helped and hurt them.  The reality is that DJI has still not put together a drone outside of their S-series that can hold up to an actual DSLR.  The new X5 (but still not what it was cooked up to be) is close and I'm sure hoping the X5R will do the trick.  However, the joke is on me.  I made all of these choices to buy these drones.  I could have taken them back.  Just like DJI wanted (us) to believe they had a great camera, so did I.  For what it is worth, most people are just excited to see the different perspective a drone camera offers, and for that, mission accomplished.  I have no ill will toward DJI, but concept verse reality.  Concept wins.  

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Peter Silver
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Well said, I agree that the camera isn't up to much (on my I1 S3) and for that reason I'm gonna be switching to the Yuneec H920 with the CGO4 camera. Had a demo and looks good.
2016-1-6
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dlew21
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Peter Silver Posted at 2016-1-6 05:24
Well said, I agree that the camera isn't up to much (on my I1 S3) and for that reason I'm gonna be s ...

I would love to see a comparison.   
As for shooting with X5, it's still amazing to me that DJI has not figured out how to even out the horizon.  I think Sony has tried to figure this out with no luck. In my opinion the P3pro and the InspirePro similar quality stills.  I'll grab some sample photos and post.
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dlew21
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Well, I'll take that back.  In a counter-intuitive measure, you can not upload photos taken from the DJI I1Pro because the file is too large.  I realize people have put photos up and if you want to let me know how you compressed them without diminishing returns, do tell.   
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nigelw
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dlew21@mac.com Posted at 2016-1-6 20:58
Well, I'll take that back.  In a counter-intuitive measure, you can not upload photos taken from the ...

Host them elsewhere full res & link to them, otherwise compression artefacts will destroy the evidence.
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jamescole
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Where is this X3 issue documented?
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dlew21
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jamescole Posted at 2016-1-6 20:42
Where is this X3 issue documented?

Hey James,
As I've stated, despite my issues with DJI, I like many of their products.   I have noticed that the new V2 Inspire has come out.  If you look on the page that was updated in the last few days you will notice all of the new information about the camera (X3)..  You will also notice that the Version 2 Inspire 1 is now available.  My question is what the hell was wrong with version 1?    Well of course we KNOW what is wrong with version 1 (the camera amongst other things).  If nothing was wrong with Version 1 there would be no need for a version 2.  
You can find plenty of information (and rumors) about the cameras, and even engineers that have apparently come out and said that the camera is terrible (fact or fiction I don't know but it was on plenty of threads last January).  Regardless, my point stands.  It seems that DJI has avoided the camera issue altogether and instead is offering up an Inspire1 V2.  Since I will not be getting a V2 camera, I do not know if this is meant to compensate for the terrible images Version 1 gave us however its being hailed as a hot commodity on their own website.  Again, my point is that many of us sent that camera back (twice) in order to get it "fixed".  We waited months (3 months) to no avail.  So it would upset the hell out of me if V2 was a better camera.   It was the camera that SHOULD have been on version 1 !!
Anyway James, thank you for your question.  I will say it again, I only say these things because I love DJI concepts.  I was one of the first purchasers of the DJIX5 and will likely get the X5R.  However even with these models the images are less then desirable for commercial use (and yes I am S333 exempt and do a lot of commercial/TV work).  I truly hope that DJI will work with Apple instead of Sony as Apple seems to have cracked the code on powerful products in little packages.  
2016-1-6
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dlew21
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nigelw Posted at 2016-1-6 16:32
Host them elsewhere full res & link to them, otherwise compression artefacts will destroy the evid ...

I'm not referring to resolution here Nigel, and thanks for the comment.  I do actually think the 12mp on the X3 is less then impressive, but it's definitely not my issue with it.  My issue is with the faulty images, the horizons, the image distortion, the faulty telemetry, and the fact that DJI cameras (Sony) are not great for the professional Aerial Videographer.   My hope, like so many others is that I could edit my way out of the resolution issues as long as I had an undistorted picture.  In some cases, I can, and I do out of necessity.  However it's not optimal.   In order to get a professional look,  as of today, I would say the S-series is the only way forward for those who are critical of the image that comes out of your camera.
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DJI-Tim
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dlew21
I appreciate your feedback here on a forum. However I am sorry that DJI let you disappoint., Yes we had the issues , but we never leave them just like this, we are working on the fixes and improvements.
2016-1-6
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dlew21
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DJI-Tim Posted at 2016-1-6 22:25
dlew21
I appreciate your feedback here on a forum. However I am sorry that DJI let you disappoint.,  ...

Thank you Tim for your response.  Since I have you, what is the deal with the release of the V2 Inspire 1? Is this a camera upgrade?   I will say I noticed on a recent purchase that the Inspire 1 body is (semi)internally different from the newer version my company has bought.  I was not made aware of any changes, but they are obviously there in plain site.  Would you say the newer drones with newer designs are the Version 2 or are these just updates?   Is the V2 camera an update?   If the camera is an update will DJI consider updating the older cameras of the same name?
Thanks for your quick response Tim.  
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DJI-Tim
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dlew21@mac.com Posted at 2016-1-7 12:33
Thank you Tim for your response.  Since I have you, what is the deal with the release of the V2 In ...

The main difference between the inspire 1 and inspire 1 V2.0 is the propulsion system and  gimbal mounting board
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nigelw
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dlew21@mac.com Posted at 2016-1-7 03:20
I'm not referring to resolution here Nigel, and thanks for the comment.  I do actually think the 1 ...

I was referring to posting full size images on here rather than for actual use as you were saying the file is too large to upload, unless I misunderstood your post? #4

I agree with your comments about distortion being a problem, especially the mustache shaped horizons I keep having to deal with (I'm using my P3 for landscapes).
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Peter Silver
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The Inspire for me has been good and so far I have not had any problems but the camera does let it down, I am not going to pay almost £2000 for the newer cameras when I can 'upgrade' to the GH4 on the H920. A bit more money to spend but I get a better platform.
2016-1-7
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