You know, when I first read the release and feature set of the P3, I literally hit the lock button on my phone, put it down and said, "this is crap."
Of course, I followed that action by opening my phone back up and searching the forums for the thoughts of others.
I think this is a fascinating debate as it actually forces us I1 owners to mentally go through the exercise of what we actually find of value with this platform.
True, concurrent with some of your opinions - having come from a Vision+, then P2 DSLRPros setup, I found great value in the I1, and those things I valued haven't changed.
But in hindsight, the transforming landing gear, the higher powered motors, the 360 degree camera capability, the 4k camera, the awesome controller with great app features and longer range (than P2), the fact that it came with a case, the sensors on the bottom... To me, when I bought it, it seemed like the HUGE laundry list of upgrades/features was endless compared to the previous setups I had.
The $3k was a no brainer.
Now, with the P3 being released, with the same camera (or close to), the sensors on the bottom, same controller, initially I felt like some of the most tech-related features were being just 'given' to the lower end model.
BUT, let me tell you why I'd still buy the I1 all over again today.
Retractable landing gear. Dude. I was so tired of finding the props seeping into my footage if the wind picked up on a still shot or if I had to make a movement quickly in one direction or another. Plus, you could never do any fun crane shots moving forward with any real speed without cropping into your frame. Not only is the Inspire must faster (allowing much more movement in the frame at altitude), but the props are ALWAYS out of the way. This to me alone is worth quite a bit.
Power and speed. I've had two Phantom platforms, both were quick, but the Inspire is fast. Along with the retractable landing gear, the speed allows me to grab great forward-moving crane shots that actually allows you to cover some ground without having to extend the shot 15 seconds! I can be up at 300 feet and push the forward controls and get a great sweeping shot. The lack of worry about the props, and the fact that it actually looks like I'm moving adds tremendous value. For me, I do a lot of beach shots, I love being able to do this. I just wasn't able to with the Phantom, not to my satisfaction.
Camera mobility. With the Phantom 3, the only movement you have is up and down. Tilt, that's all you got. If you want a pan, you have to move the aircraft from side to side. Sure, 90% of the time when I'm panning with the I1, I'm still using the aircraft to do so - but the fact that the gimbal will allow the side-to-side movement means the electronics
buffer for the deficiencies in movement, either created by my control inputs or by the stabilization efforts of the craft. A very talented and experienced pilot could surely duplicate the smoothness of an I1 pan on a P3, but a novice (borderline hobby shooter) can get liquid smooth pans simply and mostly on the first try. And again, the props being out of the way really makes the camera mobility feature usable.
Modularity. The last huge value point for me still is the modularity of the Inspire 1. One of the top reasons I felt like this platform was a good fit for me was because I felt like the camera quality is the most important component to be able to upgrade. To me, if the aircraft is of good enough quality to last me a few years, having the ability to upgrade the camera would be the only way it would be possible without upgrading the whole kit. This was exaggerated for me with the Vision + I had, when they came out with the Hero4. I wanted to take advantage of the nicer camera, but had no way to do that with the integrated camera on the Vision +. Of course, the camera on the I1 is integrated, and I'm restrained by what DJI will release, but it's a better option than the P3 if you want a fully integrated system, quick to setup, easy to fly with full camera in-flight controllability.
That's it. Sure, when new tech is released that feels like it deprecates or at least partially deprecates the current model you might have of something, it stings. But as another user posted, that's life when it comes to technology. There will always be an upgraded model that will devalue what you have in some way. I agree, there definitely needs to be a balance. And I also agree that it disenfranchises some owners when a company pulls a move like this. But I think overall the products are good, and I'm happy with my Inspire 1. At least for now.
