This video is a compilation of several of the locations I have used my new Phantom 4. The first portion of the video is video and the last part includes photos that I have shot with the P4.
It's been a really "learning curve" experience. Not only have I never flown a drone (other than my grandson's micro-drone in the house), but also learning the video/photography bit as well. It's kind of like juggling to shoot good footage, but when it works… WOW..!!!
Some of the things I've learned include…
- Spend some time just getting to know your drone's controls and the "feel" of flying it!
- Take the camera off of the Auto settings and control everything in "Manual".
- KEEP AN EYE ON THE SETTINGS as you shoot because as the light changes you'll need to adjust! That sounds like "duh", but trust me with everything you are trying to keep an eye on... to fly safely, to film, monitor power levels, and keep your eye on the drone too… it's easy to forget to watch the camera settings!
- Get a sunshade for your phone/tablet! It can be really hard to see the screen in the daytime and nearly impossible on a bright sunny day.
- Shoot video in D-Log and set contrast, saturation and sharpening to "-2". You'll be able to get more detail out of your video in post processing.
- Shoot photos in "RAW".
- Keep your camera pointed down somewhat! Especially when in "Sport" mode.
- Get filters to get the shutter speed down to 1/50 while shooting video at 24 FPS (1/60 if shooting at 30 FPS). Don't buy cheap filters (many shift the color)! Invest in Polar Pro or an equivalent quality of filters.
- Get extra batteries! One just isn't enough!
- Learn battery maintenance to keep them healthy. At $170 a pop you want them to last as long as possible.
These are all in addition to the basics of flying safely and all the FAA rules and regulations even for us hobbyists (especially whats true and what's mis-information).
Wow! You've been busy for the last 30 days! Very well done and encouraging. I've never flown a drone, either, and the 4 arrives on Monday. I do have some photography experience, and over 1k hours of flying real planes. Looking forward to the experience. Thanks for posting the video.
Thanks... I was fortunate in that I did a little traveling last month. Hopefully I'll get to go to some more interesting locations in the next 30 days too?
lvl.1
lvl.4
First Officer
