Thinking of upgrading from Phantom Any thoughts?

[Robin Slater]

There is only so much web research you can do before you really just need to talk to someone who knows. Inspire 1 - any good?

Any issues I should know about before I consider parting with my hard earned money??

 

[brad90631]

I had 2 phantoms, and all I can say is compared to my Inspire my phantoms are pinto's and the Inspire is a Corvette.

60 flights and has been a great machine.

 

[jmp470]

I've never flown the phantoms. However, I have years of R/C helicopter experience and small quadcopter experience. But, the inspire reminds me of a .90 size / turbine helicopter. Rock solids, thus far (knock on wood)

 

[SultanGris]

ive both phantom 2 and inspire 1 and assuming the phantom 3 is the same as the p2 but with the inspires camera im not so sure id get inspire again if i had a p3, depending on your intended usage. The inspire is much more responsive and faster, able to handle strong wind better but there are some downsides. If you ever crash there will likely be $1000 of damage, they are quite fragile where the phantoms can take a hit and only break props. Firmware and apps are still quite buggy and its my understanding that the phantoms have more features in the app that the inspire doesnt. You will get much longer flight times from the phantom as well if its similar to the p2. 20-25 min on my p2 vs 12-15 on the inspire typically.

If money is no object id say go for it but if cash is tight and you have a p3 currently i dont see it being a smart purchase really, however i dont have the p3 and havent been following the phantom forums so perhaps im mistaken about its capabilities and i dont know if they have any flaws. Another thing i love about the size of the phantom vs inspire is the ease of transport in a nice hard case. phantom fits fully RTF where youre gonna have to spend 5-10 min dinking around assembling and disassembling the props and camera for the inspire every time you wanna fly. I avoid this hassle by leaving it fully assembled in my back seat, but this isnt exactly ideal. If i ever have to stop suddenly there will likely be damage. The phantoms can handle a decent amount of wind as well if you use atti mode. on my p2 at least speed was limited to 30mph in gps mode but it would hit 48mph in atti mode. very helpful when flying into a strong wind.

 

[AmosMoses]

I've had every Phantom since the first P2v to the P3A.
The Inspire is definitely in a league all its own BUT the P3 isn't with its advantages over it. The P3 is smaller and a lot easier to transport to different areas and I'll say this, the P3 seems to hold its position a bit better than the I1 does. Where the I1 tends to wander a bit in a hover the P3 is solid as a rock!
For my needs (just personal enjoyment) the I1 is my new preferred bird though. Just sold the P3A today.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Robin Slater]

Thanks guys much to think about. One question I'd like to ask: Does the Inspire suffer from any gimbal horizon issues - being slightly unlevel when yawing?

 

[Alexei Karam]

Look, I am a greedy person and thus bought both, the P3P and the I1, after playing with both for 2 months now, I mostly find the inspire collecting dust and I love the P3!

P3 Pros:
- Small, light, easy and practical to carry around in the DJI hardsell backpack!
- Takes a minute to setup, just bolt on 4 props and off you go flying.
- It can take much more beating than the inspire, I crashed my 1st P3 against a building and it fell down from 12 meters and only the gimbal broke, the quad continued to fly.
- batteries charge much faster, 40 to 45 minutes and they are full.
- Long flight times 20 - 21 minutes typically.
- I had more range with the P3, last time I reached 3200 meters and the picture was crisp whereas at 1800 - 2000 meters I start getting picture freezes with the i1

I1 Cons:

- Big heavy and bulky, impractical to haul around.
- takes some time to setup and attach everything and prepare it for flight.
- It is very fragile, the slightest crash will cripple it and the repair cost will be high.
- Batteries charge too long > 1hr
- Flight times are typically 14 - 15 min for the TB 47 and 15 - 16 for the TB48

so if you need a drone just for personal enjoyment go get the P3P and you will be more than happy, but if you want to make money from it and you specifically need the features specific to the i1 go get the i1, the pro features of the i1 are:
- props don't get in the shot when flying forward
- camera rotates 360 degrees
- ability to control the camera with a 2nd remote
- HDMI output without IOSD to project/show on screens at events.

despite that, in my country most events where there are lots of people like sports gatherings, weddings etc are filmed with phantoms because inspires are too heavy and pose a danger to the people underneath in case something goes wrong

 

[Fanti]

Dont do it. The P3 is just so much more reliable, though not perfect either.

 

[sirnikolas]

I have no thoughts to express. I say DO IT!

 

[D4T_POM]

Hey guys,

New to the forum.

I currently own a P3A and was thinking of getting the i1.

I was wondering how much better is it to the P3 or would you suggest I stick to my P3?

I love the way the i1 looks especially the fact that the landing gears go up and camera has full 360 ability.

However I'm 2 minded as I have heard a lot of cons for the i1.

Your thoughts and input will be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

D

 

[SultanGris]

Read this thread, not much else to say I don't think, pros and cons are listed

 

[SultanGris]

If you want a more expensive cooler looking faster drone with less flight time on a battery that costs $1000 to fix and takes two months to get back if you crash that takes the same picture quality then get one!

 

[youngbuilders]

I have both the inspire and the phantom 3. Personally I find the phantom 3 too be buggy and unpredictable at times. My preference is the inspire and I find my self flying it more. They are to completely different machines and are in 2 different leagues on pricing. Personally I was blessed to afford both and I believe most people with that option would be happier with the inspire. It does take longer to set up but it flies faster and can withstand much higher winds then the ph3. Both are great. I find flight times being similar possibly the p3 giving 2 minutes more but it depends on how your flying. If your shooting stills you will get more flight time then cruising around making videos. If you have any specific questions please ask.


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[Arley Clark]

Excellent too, but expensive to fix.

 

[D4T_POM]

So which is more reliable and less buggy?

Which is more likely to have a fly away, the inspire fly aways scare me alot considering the price it costs.

I would rather have a repair job then a fly away.

My P3 has been good so far and fingers crossed it stays that way.

I would keep both.

 

[SultanGris]

Fly aways are from people not calibrating correctly or moving the unit during power up self test. Neither will fly away if you follow proper procedure and check mod values before flying.

 

[D4T_POM]

So if I was to do a proper pre flight check and do the compass calibration before every flight (unless Im in the same place on the same day).

Then I should not have any fly aways?

 

[SultanGris]

So if I was to do a proper pre flight check and do the compass calibration before every flight (unless Im in the same place on the same day).

Then I should not have any fly aways?

Compass calibration every time is not necessary, just check mod values are in range, if they are no calibration needed. Calibrate after firmware updates though. Do not move the unit after first turning it on, wait till it flashes its lights ready to fly gps mode, people don't realize it initializes sensors at this time and moving it around screws up the readings and makes it fly erratic.

 

[Gregg G]

Phantom 3 pro rocks, Love my inspire too. Deep pockets..inspire.....shallower pockets Phantom 3 pro. JUST DO IT!

 

[D4T_POM]

Compass calibration every time is not necessary, just check mod values are in range, if they are no calibration needed. Calibrate after firmware updates though. Do not move the unit after first turning it on, wait till it flashes its lights ready to fly gps mode, people don't realize it initializes sensors at this time and moving it around screws up the readings and makes it fly erratic.

I usually leave my P3 on the floor (flat surface as possible on start up) and then I do the compass calibration, ensure it has a lot of GPS locked (Green bar and 10 GPS minimum) and then take off, hover for a bit then start flying it around, I'm not much of a distance junky but would like some distance at the least 1/2 mile to 1 mile. I never use the auto take off/landing feature and only use the RTH if I lose visual on my screen and out of LOS and app starts bugging out.

I love the way the Inspire looks and the way the arms go up for clear shots/video, I want to use it for weddings and special occasions to get better shots, I have to be honest the P3 does the job with effort and yawing around but with the inspire 1 it would be a lot easier considering I can rotate the camera without needing to yaw and also keep the camera mode to free while piloting it for a position video shot.

I have spent a lot of money on the P3, bought the P3 for £860, bought a B&W case (big mistake should of got the wheeled one) £170, bought the DJI back pack case £149 and 4 Batteries at £124 each.
I love my P3 ( my wife looked at me in a funny way when I took the P3 out the case yesterday and said 'I love this so much' )

The major thing I'm scared about is the fly away's...I want to avoid that at any cost and is the only thing holding me back from ordering one, also since the Inspires release has there been any updates/upgrades to the materials used on later production model Inspires?