Matt-and-Riley
First Officer
Flight distance : 324442 ft
United Kingdom
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The Phantom 4 Pro‘s body is essentially identical to the standard Phantom 4. It’s a white quadcopter with sleek lines and a glossy finish. It measures about 7.0 by 11.5 by 11.5 inches and weighs 3.1 pounds, so you will need to register with the FAA before taking it up into the air.
Like the Phantom 4, the Pro’s packaging doubles as a carrying case.And the remote of the Phantom 4 Pro is also the same as Phantom 4’s.
The Phantom 4 was the first DJI drone with forward-facing obstacle avoidance sensors. The Phantom 4 Pro adds identical sensors on the rear, preventing it from backing into objects.There are also downward-facing sensors on it. And infrared sensors on the left and right sides. These aren’t as capable as the front and rear obstacle sensors, and don’t work in every flight mode, so don’t think you can fly the Phantom 4 Pro in any direction with reckless abandon—flying it sideways into a wall is a real danger in most situations.
If you want to take advantage of obstacle recognition on all four sides, you need to fly in either Beginner or Tripod mode. Both slow down the maximum operating speed, and Tripod mode makes it possible for very, very fine adjustments to position using the control sticks.
Forward and rear obstacle avoidance works when flying the Phantom 4 Pro at its top standard speed, 31mph. And it works well: Fly right up to an object at full throttle and the Phantom stops in its tracks.
The drone also has a Sport mode, which increases the maximum speed to 45mph, but absolutely no obstacle detection is enabled. It can go faster with help from the wind—the app told me that my Phantom 4 Pro was flying around 50mph in Sport mode for a good stretch of distance during one of my test flights.
Compared to the Phantom 4, I am still impressed with the Phantom 4 Pro which has a five direction obstacle sensor system and a four direction obstacle avoidance system.
The Phantom 4 Pro has all the modes you’ll recognise from its predecessor, there are also some new and enhanced features. ‘Narrow Sensing’ makes it possible to fly through tight environments and there’s also a ‘Draw’ mode, which lets you draw a line path on a map for the Pro to follow. ActiveTrack has also been enhanced so that it can work backwards or sideways. Likewise, TapFly lets you fly backwards now and supports ‘Free’ mode, which rotates the aircraft as it moves along its path, without changing flight direction.
Extra obstacle sensors are nothing to sneeze at, but the real reason to opt for the Phantom 4 Pro over the standard Phantom 4 is the camera.
DJI’s Phantom 4 comes with an impressive 4K camera which enables it to achieve great ISO levels and allows for still images at 12MP quality. These stills offer vibrant colour in both RAW and JPEG formats. When it comes to video, the Phantom 4 offers 4096×2160 pixels at 25fps and 4K UHD at 30fps. If you don’t need the full 4K treatment, there’s also the option shoot in 2K and Full HD as well as 720p HD, the latter of which is fed to your controller in real-time.
While the Phantom 4 Pro’s camera races past it in terms of quality. Images are captured at 20MP in JPG or RAW DNG, with video available up to 4K quality at 60fps. 30 and 24fps shooting rates are also available. The camera also adds aperture control and features a mechanical shutter, eliminating the rolling shutter effect you sometimes get from electrical alternatives. Footage is compressed at 100Mbps using H.265 compression, up from the H.264 60Mbps format offered by the Phantom 4.
The new camera (and improved sensors) also allows you to access the gesture control functionality as well as a range of other features such as Draw and Advanced Return to Home. This increased functionality is being welcomed by aerial videography companies.
As for battery life. With a powerful 5,350mAh battery, the Phantom 4 can stay in the air for almost 30 minutes. However, bear in mind that achieving a maximum flight time depends on suitable weather conditions. There’s also the fact that the extensive range of features can also be a drain on the power supply, so keep this in mind when operation the Phantom 4.
The Phantom 4 Professional runs a similar battery to the original, however, it has been slightly upgraded to 15.2V 5870 mAh, keeping the aircraft flying for up to 30 minutes.
Will you upgrade to the Phantom 4 Pro? |
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