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Sell me a Inspire 1 V2.0

Dear Dave ... No matter how experienced commercial pilot/instructor you are, you must know that piloting UAV's is a different story. The principles are basically identical, yet you have no way to see exactly what a real pilot see and fell on front of a cockpit instrument panel and with a rudder in hand. DJI's drones are offering the most advanced and pilot-friendly hardware/software combination on the market, yet this technology is vulnerable and difficult to maintain.
Said that, I guarantee you'll be amazed how well the Inspire is designed and build, how responsive she's and how gracefully she's flying. You'll be equally amazed by the quality of stills and video taken from above. You may be not that much impressed by the end of the season, however, staring at your credit card statement :(. You've been warned ...
 
hmm.. I would consider the inspire more of a Rolls Royce . I had my p3 & p4 filming in places no Inspire will ever dare to venture.
Interesting comment. I assume that you are comparing the Inspire to a Rolls Royce because it is stable? But the P4 will fit into tighter quarters than a Inspire?
 
Dear Dave ... No matter how experienced commercial pilot/instructor you are, you must know that piloting UAV's is a different story. The principles are basically identical, yet you have no way to see exactly what a real pilot see and fell on front of a cockpit instrument panel and with a rudder in hand. DJI's drones are offering the most advanced and pilot-friendly hardware/software combination on the market, yet this technology is vulnerable and difficult to maintain.
Said that, I guarantee you'll be amazed how well the Inspire is designed and build, how responsive she's and how gracefully she's flying. You'll be equally amazed by the quality of stills and video taken from above. You may be not that much impressed by the end of the season, however, staring at your credit card statement :(. You've been warned ...

Dobmatt, I have also flown RC Helicopters far larger than even the Inspire, without GPS, sonics or vision stabilization. I have also flown about 20 flights with a P4, until I returned it to Best Buy pending my decision here.

I am impressed with video and stills from the P4 and I am hoping that the Inspire will not be a disappointment in comparison.

I am really wondering how the P4 and the Inspire compare in wind. I have had the P4 up in some pretty good winds (+20 kts) and was impressed how well it did with the winds. It sounds like firmware upgrades have degraded the performance of the Inspire, but it could be that they were intended to make it more stable, which would be a good thing. I have seen little comment on how these firmware upgrades have affected how it does in the wind.
 
Thanks for your valuable input it was really really REALLY helpful.

No problem Georgie boy

Dobmatt, I have also flown RC Helicopters far larger than even the Inspire, without GPS, sonics or vision stabilization. I have also flown about 20 flights with a P4, until I returned it to Best Buy pending my decision here.

I am impressed with video and stills from the P4 and I am hoping that the Inspire will not be a disappointment in comparison.

I am really wondering how the P4 and the Inspire compare in wind. I have had the P4 up in some pretty good winds (+20 kts) and was impressed how well it did with the winds. It sounds like firmware upgrades have degraded the performance of the Inspire, but it could be that they were intended to make it more stable, which would be a good thing. I have seen little comment on how these firmware upgrades have affected how it does in the wind.

As you know by flying larger RC copters, usually the larger the craft the more stable it will be. My Inspire was more stable than my P3P but not by a whole lot. Kind of a mute point anyway, if the winds gets up in speed I'm usually not flying anyway

I believe their are a few YT videos comparing the Inspire to a Phantom
 
As a follow up, I did order an Inspire 1 V2.0. It should be arriving from B&H Photo on Wednesday.

rcrookies reply to this thread has disappeared. He mentioned that you get 2 extra batteries for free, but I have not seen any such offer. Anyone aware of the extra batteries option?

I look forward to receiving my first Inspire, perhaps the first of many, I want to thank everyone here that helped to "Sell my an Inspire 1 V2.0".

Thanks Guys,
Dave
 
As a follow up, I did order an Inspire 1 V2.0. It should be arriving from B&H Photo on Wednesday.

rcrookies reply to this thread has disappeared. He mentioned that you get 2 extra batteries for free, but I have not seen any such offer. Anyone aware of the extra batteries option?

I look forward to receiving my first Inspire, perhaps the first of many, I want to thank everyone here that helped to "Sell my an Inspire 1 V2.0".

Thanks Guys,
Dave
Dave,

Please email me the second you form an opinion on if you think you made the right choice by returning the phantom 4.

Thank you
 
rcrookies reply to this thread has disappeared.......
That's because he was a spammer - he joined and immediately posted three identical affiliated links to try and boost his DJI credits with redirects to their store.
People that do that have short memberships on this forum!
 
This was shot with the Inspire-1 V1. Have seen no better from a V2
Incredible video, very well done. I am really impressed with how smooth the video is. Which camera were you using?

It is especially impressive that the train operators do not keep looking at the drone. Did you briefed them to not look at the drone, or did you edit all of those out?
 
Dave,

Please email me the second you form an opinion on if you think you made the right choice by returning the phantom 4.

Thank you

I just want to do a follow up to my post "Sell me an Inspire".

I have bought and have been using the Inspire 1 V2.0 for over a month now. I can sum up my experience in one word:

Wow!

It has been quick and stable. My first flight was a very windy day at the beach and it did great. I strongly feel that I made the right decision. I would like to assure anyone else who is uncertain if the Inspire is worth the extra cost that you will not be disappointed. It certainly is a much more professional and impressive UAS. So far I have only seen one other Inspire where as Phantoms seem to be all over the place today.

I still will occasionally get either props or feet in the video but nothing like what was
occurring with the Phantom 4.

I did order it from B&H Photo out of NYC and I did verify that they did ship the latest version airframe and controller available from DJI. I feel I made the right
decision buying it from B&H Photo.

I have since ordered and received two TB48 batteries and the DJI charging hub. In addition I did get the OSMO handle. None of this is available for the Phantom 4. I also have
purchased a iPad Air 2.

I will most likely buy at least one more battery and will probably get an X5 or X5R at some point. I have been happy with the quality of the video with the X3, so it is possible I will never upgrade. My motivation is mainly that an X5 or X5R is more of a professional camera than the X3, but first I would like to earn back the money I have spent before going to the X5.

The larger size of the case has been a bit of a challenge at times and I will typically take the case with the Inspire to my launch site and set it up there. I would like to come up with a more portable answer, but have yet to make a decision. I kind of like the idea of a backpack which holds the inspire out of its case, but I have also seen a harness that allows you to carry the entire case.

I have applied for a vanity N number. It will be something like N399UA. I do plan on doing work near the airport where I will need to call the tower and felt a N number would let them know this is not a
hobby drone. This also allows you to use it internationally where as my FA number is limited to the States.

I want to thank all that have helped me in my decision and encourage me to make the plunge.
 
Follow me, etc is a product of the DJI GoApp not the drone itself. If you're worried about what's coming down the pipe all I can say is: welcome to technology. I'm not sure how I would feel if I bought a Phantom 4 and in less than a year 4 iterations of the Phantom hit the market. The phantom 4 camera is a little bit sharper (so they say), than the Inspire 1 camera straight off the card but you don't want too much sharpness straight out of the camera because you want to control that in post. You can buy a case that will allow you to store the Inspire in landing mode; that's something that I just did and it works well and cuts the setup time in half.

You can take into consideration actual flight time which is about 20 to 24 minutes with the Phantom 4 as opposed to 15 to 18 mins with a TB48. If you're really interested in the step up with the camera you have to look at the X5 but even the X5 camera has it been getting rave reviews.

MInd sharing where you got the case for your Inspire 1 that allows you to carry it in the landing position?
 
As a follow up, I did order an Inspire 1 V2.0. It should be arriving from B&H Photo on Wednesday.

rcrookies reply to this thread has disappeared. He mentioned that you get 2 extra batteries for free, but I have not seen any such offer. Anyone aware of the extra batteries option?

I look forward to receiving my first Inspire, perhaps the first of many, I want to thank everyone here that helped to "Sell my an Inspire 1 V2.0".

Thanks Guys,
Dave
Hey Dave...really happy that you pushed everyone here for all these details (saved me asking same questions). Share with us the "why" you purchased from B&H over DJI itself or other sellers on Amazon for example. Here is your chance to give the forum some payback details and allows me to cash in on you twice! Again thanks again in advance.:)
 
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I am strongly leaning in the direction of the Inspire 1 V2.0 and will probably buy one this week. I am also wondering what is my best source. Since everyone seems to be fixed on the $1,999 price I was thinking of getting it from DJI direct but would appreciate other thoughts.

It is also clear that my indecision has annoyed some on this forum, which of course was never my intent. A lot of my concern has been the poor reports that the Inspire has received on the forums. It appears that a lot of this has been due to firmware upgrades problems that appear to not get resolved. I was hoping that there would be some reassurance that this is not a huge problem.

I do understand that the X5 is a significant camera upgrade, and it should be considering what it costs. I probably will do an X5 or even X5raw once I can turn a few dollars to justify the additional costs, but I am really looking at getting enough that I can get by until I have the income to justify more expenses.

I think that answer is the Inspire 1 v2.0. I was hoping that I would get some reassurance here that I was making the right decision, hence the title "Sell me an Inspire 1 V2.0", as I really do want to be sold.

I may have left the impression that I am concerned about the rapidly changing technology. This is not the case, I do realize that what I buy today will not be adequate in 6 months. I accept that, but do want to make sure that with today's available technology I am making the right decision.

With all of the negative comments regarding the Inspire 1 here, perhaps this is not the best place to get my questions answered, I have back off of asking any more questions here.

As a commercial pilot, and flight instructor, I do appreciate an responsive aircraft, but I have never met an aircraft I did not like. They all are great, and it all depends on what your mission is as to what is the best aircraft. I expect drones to be no different even though the mission is quite different.

Mr. Armbrust,

I just recently found your post and was curious as to whether or not you jumped on the Inspire wagon or did you back to the P 4? I had a P 3 Pro for a while, sold it and got an Inspire V2. Nothing wrong with the P 3, I just wanted something bigger. Since that day I have never looked back. If money wasn't a problem I would get another P 3 or maybe P 4 just to play with. The P 3 was a blast to fly! Is the Inspire more expensive to fly? In my experience-yes? Is the TB 47 a waste? I have a TB47 along with 3 TB48's. I use them all and actually have to check after flying to see which one is the 47. Anyone reading this want to dump there new TB47, send me a message, I will be happy to pay the postage to take it off your hands. If you spend some time shopping around I am sure i saw more than one ad stating you could forego the TB 47 and receive all TB 48's.
The charger? Well, I picked up 100W charger along with a HUB to replace the stock charger that came with my Inspire. I was using the Little One to charge the controller while the Big One was charging my flight batteries. After reading a recommendation from another Inspire pilot on this site, I finally saved up enough to get a SmartPower Charger that will charge 4 batteries, 2 transmitters, and two iPads-ALL at the same time. I could put my 2 other chargers and HUB on eBay and recoup some of the money I spent, but for now I will hang on to them in the event I do some traveling with my Inspire and don't want to bring the Big Boy with me. I didn't have to have the SmartPower or the 100W charger, but like the P 3, I just can't imagine going back.
You may already know this, the charger, like the batteries for the Phantom series, (including the HUB), will not work with the Inspire series or vice-versa.
I cannot tell you to go out and buy an Inspire just as I cannot tell you to go back to a P 4. IMHO, if you do pull the trigger on an Inspire you will be very pleased-even with all its little idiosyncrasies. But,its your money. The credentials you listed tell me you are educated enough to ask the right questions, which you did. It will be up to you to make the best educated guess from the facts you have gleaned from the replies you received. If you were happy with the P 4, and it did everything you required of it, then get another one. If you have the insatiable curiosity I was experiencing concerning getting in the Inspire game, I hope you take the plunge. The only regrets I have concerning the purchase of my Inspire was waiting so long to get it.
 
Hey Dave...really happy that you pushed everyone here for all these details (saved me asking same questions). Share with us the "why" you purchased from B&H over DJI itself or other sellers on Amazon for example. Here is your chance to give the forum some payback details and allows me to cash in on you twice! Again thanks again in advance.:)
I originally attempted to order the Inspire from DJI but the CC was refused. It turned out later that my bank rejected the charge as it was unusual. I did get a call from my bank questioning the charge which I confirmed was made by myself. They removed the block and I was free to order it once again from China.

Instead I had contacted B&H Photo, confirmed that they did have the latest airframe (T601), and was happy to order it from them instead as I believe I would get it a lot quicker from NYC than China. I am glad I did as I have heard many good things about them it it is clear that they sell a lot of these and are likely to always have fresh stock. I was confident if I did have a problem B&H would have taken care of me. I did not have the same confidence with DJI direct as it sounds like it can take months for them to fix a problem on a new order.

I have heard that many have bought Inspires from other dealers to only find out the battery is a brick. I personally feel this is probably old stock and the batteries discharge themselves below the 50% due to a software bug that has since been corrected in newer battery firmware.

I would certainly use B&H again. Their UAS product offerings and even their UAS web pages are second to none. I would give them a 10 plus rating. I am sure there are other good dealers out there and nothing beats a local dealer, but I do feel that B&H has got to be one of the best.

I believe that DJI does not actually ship from China, as I had first suspected, and instead uses US dealers. I had ordered a DJI OSMO from DJI direct and got it from a company in Georgia. Again no problems. I would not hesitate ordering direct from DJI, but do believe if there is a issue it may be a long time to get it resolved through DJI.
 
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Mr. Armbrust,

I just recently found your post and was curious as to whether or not you jumped on the Inspire wagon or did you back to the P 4? I had a P 3 Pro for a while, sold it and got an Inspire V2. Nothing wrong with the P 3, I just wanted something bigger. Since that day I have never looked back. If money wasn't a problem I would get another P 3 or maybe P 4 just to play with. The P 3 was a blast to fly! Is the Inspire more expensive to fly? In my experience-yes? Is the TB 47 a waste? I have a TB47 along with 3 TB48's. I use them all and actually have to check after flying to see which one is the 47. Anyone reading this want to dump there new TB47, send me a message, I will be happy to pay the postage to take it off your hands. If you spend some time shopping around I am sure i saw more than one ad stating you could forego the TB 47 and receive all TB 48's.
The charger? Well, I picked up 100W charger along with a HUB to replace the stock charger that came with my Inspire. I was using the Little One to charge the controller while the Big One was charging my flight batteries. After reading a recommendation from another Inspire pilot on this site, I finally saved up enough to get a SmartPower Charger that will charge 4 batteries, 2 transmitters, and two iPads-ALL at the same time. I could put my 2 other chargers and HUB on eBay and recoup some of the money I spent, but for now I will hang on to them in the event I do some traveling with my Inspire and don't want to bring the Big Boy with me. I didn't have to have the SmartPower or the 100W charger, but like the P 3, I just can't imagine going back.
You may already know this, the charger, like the batteries for the Phantom series, (including the HUB), will not work with the Inspire series or vice-versa.
I cannot tell you to go out and buy an Inspire just as I cannot tell you to go back to a P 4. IMHO, if you do pull the trigger on an Inspire you will be very pleased-even with all its little idiosyncrasies. But,its your money. The credentials you listed tell me you are educated enough to ask the right questions, which you did. It will be up to you to make the best educated guess from the facts you have gleaned from the replies you received. If you were happy with the P 4, and it did everything you required of it, then get another one. If you have the insatiable curiosity I was experiencing concerning getting in the Inspire game, I hope you take the plunge. The only regrets I have concerning the purchase of my Inspire was waiting so long to get it.

John, Yes I did return the Phantom 4 to Best Buy and bought the Inspire from B&H Photo in NYC. It was a good choice and I am glad I did not stick with the Phantom 4.

I had returned the Phantom 4 while I consider both the Inspire 1 and the Phantom 4. Best Buy would have been happy to sell me the Inspire 1 as well, but would have charged me sales tax and I would have had to wait for it's arrival. I would have simply repurchased the Phantom 4 if that would have been my final decision.

The sales tax I saved (~$100) by buying it out of State also made the price difference between the Phantom 4 from Best Buy and the Inspire 1 even less.
 
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John, Yes I did return the Phantom 4 to Best Buy and bought the Inspire from B&H Photo in NYC. It was a good choice and I am glad I did not stick with the Phantom 4.

I had returned the Phantom 4 while I consider both the Inspire 1 and the Phantom 4. Best Buy would have been happy to sell me the Inspire 1 as well, but would have charged me sales tax and I would have had to wait for it's arrival. I would have simply repurchased the Phantom 4 if that would have been my final decision.

The sales tax I saved (~$100) by buying it out of State also made the price difference between the Phantom 4 from Best Buy and the Inspire 1 even less.

Congratulations are in order, Sir! And Thank You for posting a reply. Like you I had a Phantom, (mine was the Pro 3 version). While I did enjoy flying it, for lack of a better description, I just wanted more. If it is possible to love a machine then I love my Inspire V2, (A.K.A-The Beast!). It has its quirks, especially at FW upgrades, but I have never regretted the purchase. This even though I got it before the price drop. I truly believe you will enjoy your Inspire more after every flight. The only advice I have left to offer is spend a lot of time reading the post on this site. I find something new every time I read what other pilots have shared here. The wealth of knowledge you read here cannot be found anywhere else, and best of all it is free.
 

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