Too late to purchase an Inspire 2?
- Thread starter CGFrith
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I've also had my I2 since it launched in December. Love it and I have the X5S camera. I purchased the X7 but decided to sell it since I didn't see the need for it for the work I usually get asked to do. All of my clients, even major television network work all ask for 1080P. They don't want to deal with the file sizes of 4K. So that being the case, for me the X5S was perfect. Also love the fact that I can easily interchange the lenses onto my Panasonic GH5 and with the same Micro 4:3rds format, the video aligns nicely.
I had the Inspire 1 and was a great workhorse, but the I2 is much better. Longer flight times, better redundancy and overall much more stable in flight. The biggest thing I invested in was batteries. I have 16 of them at the moment and will probably get more. You'll find that you will go through batteries faster than you think. Especially if you are on a set where things need to get set before the shoot. If you are flying and hovering waiting for action, that's eating into flight time. I also invested in DJI's battery charger unit. So far I love it. Was pricey for sure, but worth the investment to me. Especially since I can charge and discharge the batteries for proper cycling and storing. Also nice that you can store batteries in there as well for travel. They just need to create a cover for the connector in the bays so that the batteries don't stay connected. Several folks mentioned they were discharging when connected in the bays.
Good luck on your search and your journey into the drone business.
I had the Inspire 1 and was a great workhorse, but the I2 is much better. Longer flight times, better redundancy and overall much more stable in flight. The biggest thing I invested in was batteries. I have 16 of them at the moment and will probably get more. You'll find that you will go through batteries faster than you think. Especially if you are on a set where things need to get set before the shoot. If you are flying and hovering waiting for action, that's eating into flight time. I also invested in DJI's battery charger unit. So far I love it. Was pricey for sure, but worth the investment to me. Especially since I can charge and discharge the batteries for proper cycling and storing. Also nice that you can store batteries in there as well for travel. They just need to create a cover for the connector in the bays so that the batteries don't stay connected. Several folks mentioned they were discharging when connected in the bays.
Good luck on your search and your journey into the drone business.
Never late for Inspire 2! Incredible piece of equipment! However it’s a big step up from Mavic. I stepped up to it from P4P but ended up using Phantom on 90%of jobs, since most of jobs I have are in construction and Real Estate Phantom was way faster to set up and carry and time is money when you go pro! After owning I2 experience I do recommend it to all professionals but more to ones who will use it’s full power with Pro Res and Cinema DNG licenses. Either way you’ll love it!
If you’re decide to get it for professional work you will definitely need more then 4 extra batteries! Also I highly recommend getting Battery station (time and battery saver) CrystalSky and Cendence controller if your single operator! Definitely a “must have” for Inspire 2 owner!
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I've held off on the Inspire 2 for the same reason. Too many crashes. Too many horror stories. Pilots don't just make this s*** up. So anybody who says, "Don't believe everything you read" is giving bad advice. Forums like this serve many purposes, one of which is to warn us when tech is sub-par. From what I can tell, when the I-2 is working, it works great. And when not, you just wasted thousands of dollars.
For several reasons, for a LOT less money, I would purchase an Inspire-1.
1) Unless you're shooting RAW (which is film industry-only), the Inspire-1 X3 and X5 are fine cameras.
2) Unless you have a passion for flying, and fly multiple times per week to hone your skills and keep your kit fresh and in use, I would seriously reconsider "droning" as a career. Many times I have seen guys buy "the best," only to have the novelty wear off after only a couple weeks or months. You'll see the posts, "I haven't used my batteries in 6 months..." yada, yada....
3) The client pays for your skill, not your gear. While "good equipment" is a requirement, having the BEST gear won't guarantee work if your skills are marginal.
4) Walk before you run. Very few clients require RAW. Even some film productions balk at the expense (we charge more for RAW). Sans SOME film productions, you should be able to do any job with the Inspire-1.
5) If you use revenue generated from your drone business to purchase the Inspire-2, you're doing it right.
6) The Inspire-1 is a Rock-solid platform. I use mine every month and the beast has been solid as a rock.
7) The Inspire-1 is rock solid because it has a lot of field experience and a very broad and verbal community that shares information. I utilize legacy software and firmware to achieve rock-solid performance in the field time after time. Many hacks are available that makes the Inspire-1 even better than new.
8) If you can't afford TWO of them, I wouldn't buy it. I NEVER show up to a job with 1 bird EVER. I always have a spare (fully tested, fully functioning). Something as minuscule as a broken prop hub ($10 part) can stall production. You do NOT want to be that guy. You'll never be called again.
9) And finally, the only reason for purchasing an Inspire is for the dual pilot capabilities. Compound camera movements combined with compound drone movements are extremely difficult in single operator mode. If you want CONSISTENT multiple-movement shots that you can reproduce over and over for a DP (Director of Photography), you'll need a pilot and a camera op. If you plan on just flying by yourself, I would actually recommend the P4P. It's VERY robust and has a great 20MP camera with a larger sensor than the X3 (but smaller than the X5).
What market do you plan on targeting? Anything other than film, the Inspire-2 will be overkill and a waste of money.
FWIW, I do all my residential real estate work with my Mavic Pro. I don't do much residential real estate these days, but when I do, the Mavic Pro is perfect.
Good luck.
D
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I agree! As I wrote earlier I too used Inspire 2 for my business together with all pro accessories but ended up selling it after year because I simply didn’t have a “ professional use” for it! I never scored a job for client who would request RAW Pro Res or Cinema DNG formats. My business is based in Clearwater Florida where you would think clients would be lining up for these services especially in advertising industry thanks to beautiful Clearwater beaches and all around it but even though I do all kinds of advertising it is very hard to get a job other then construction or real estate and these businesses don’t care if your sensors are full frame, micro4/3 or 1”. They want content and that can be achieved with 1” sensor Mavic Pro 2! Even when I’ve had I2 I preferred taking P4P with me because time was money! Construction companies and real estate agents don’t have time to waste and wait for you to get “setup”! Besides you will spend about an equal time on computer editing the footage as you spent getting the footage! If I’ll get some job that would justify the purchase of I2 or I3 I will buy it. But even though I have contracts with few construction companies for years ahead, the 1” sensor on P4P or equivalent is getting the job nicely done! At least that’s what my customers think! That’s what they care for. Not if my drone cost $1500 or $5000! Happy customers and blue skies everyone!
If you know you have work for it before you buy it then the market isn’t saturated.
I use an I2 for a TV show and make a nice living doing so. No regrets or complaints from me or my employers.
I use an I2 for a TV show and make a nice living doing so. No regrets or complaints from me or my employers.
I does fly great with the X7, though, and a little extra weight for a decent pilot cam.
Thank you all for taking the time to comment.
I went ahead and ordered the Inspire 2, X5S and four batteries.
After reading the comments I’ll probably get a few more batteries and another charger. If it proves lucrative enough the charging station will be next on the list.
I went ahead and ordered the Inspire 2, X5S and four batteries.
After reading the comments I’ll probably get a few more batteries and another charger. If it proves lucrative enough the charging station will be next on the list.
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I've gone from Phantom4Pro to Matrice600Pro flying a Ronin MX with Canon C200....then back down to the Inspire 2 with X7... I will say that in my limited experience that the I2 is a game changer for commercial work. The P4P was a step up from the others but didn't give me the quality I needed. The larger M600/MX rig was too burdensome and required multiple operators (pilot, gimbal op, camera op for focus). However the I2 with X7 was simply amazing. It had the look and quality I wanted, the ease of single ops for most outings (note: I run a dual team with pilot and separate camera op with focus wheel when critical focus and movement is required). The RAW and ProRes is worth the investment. RAW for cinema and ProRes for everything else. The DLog is great in post and the shots are steady. With that said, I have 3 points to acknowledge.
Firstly, I have DJI Care Refresh and while it is pricey, I have gotten a brand new drone when needed, which was really nice considering someone thought it would be fun to throw a football and hit my drone while I was filming..... I shipped it off and had a brand new one in less than a week. My insurance would have taken longer to just process the claim. Refresh had me back up in the air for the next shoot the following weekend. Just my experience, maybe not everyone's. I had 2 P4Ps and my partner sent it through a tree. It fell through the limbs, down the trunk and still hovered when it emerged at the bottom. The only issue was a broken landing gear which was an easy fix. However the I2 and X7 combo is more delicate and will need to be taken serious as a crash with that setup could set you back $8000+ without insurance...just consider the risks. Insurance in some shape or form is a must IMO. Refresh was just fast which is why I got it.
Secondly, issues I had with X7 were as follows 1. Horizon shift/tilt: was an issue earlier on with my gimbal. Recent firmware updates have improved it, but as you yaw the aircraft be on the lookout for your horizon. 2. Camera lens not detected: left me stranded with a client standing there on 2 occasions... after looking through forums and talking with DJI, I found out that the release button can get stuck or at least not engage to the lens if miss-aligned. This was easy to correct after I knew what I was looking for. Just my ignorance.
Lastly, Batteries Batteries Batteries.... Need I say more. The X7 shooting high FPS or 6K RAW will drain power faster than an mp4 from the lighter X5S or X4S. So get at minimum of 3 sets of batteries (my recommendation) as flight is about 12-15mins before it tries to forcefully find its way home. The X7 is a beast of a camera and it draws a lot more power especially if you are writing to cineSSD.
My average setup time on location was 3min with P4P, 5min with I2 and 30+min with M600/MX (depending on gimbal balance). For the Inspire 2 I can put everything into a single case and also operate it as a single operator. It gives me cinema quality images and lens options. It shoots RAW and ProRes unto 6K. It is very stable in the air and is FAST when I need it to be! It has collision avoidance and smart flying modes, and the list goes on... Can't say enough about how this has changed my workflow for the better. That is my experience.
Cheers!
Firstly, I have DJI Care Refresh and while it is pricey, I have gotten a brand new drone when needed, which was really nice considering someone thought it would be fun to throw a football and hit my drone while I was filming..... I shipped it off and had a brand new one in less than a week. My insurance would have taken longer to just process the claim. Refresh had me back up in the air for the next shoot the following weekend. Just my experience, maybe not everyone's. I had 2 P4Ps and my partner sent it through a tree. It fell through the limbs, down the trunk and still hovered when it emerged at the bottom. The only issue was a broken landing gear which was an easy fix. However the I2 and X7 combo is more delicate and will need to be taken serious as a crash with that setup could set you back $8000+ without insurance...just consider the risks. Insurance in some shape or form is a must IMO. Refresh was just fast which is why I got it.
Secondly, issues I had with X7 were as follows 1. Horizon shift/tilt: was an issue earlier on with my gimbal. Recent firmware updates have improved it, but as you yaw the aircraft be on the lookout for your horizon. 2. Camera lens not detected: left me stranded with a client standing there on 2 occasions... after looking through forums and talking with DJI, I found out that the release button can get stuck or at least not engage to the lens if miss-aligned. This was easy to correct after I knew what I was looking for. Just my ignorance.
Lastly, Batteries Batteries Batteries.... Need I say more. The X7 shooting high FPS or 6K RAW will drain power faster than an mp4 from the lighter X5S or X4S. So get at minimum of 3 sets of batteries (my recommendation) as flight is about 12-15mins before it tries to forcefully find its way home. The X7 is a beast of a camera and it draws a lot more power especially if you are writing to cineSSD.
My average setup time on location was 3min with P4P, 5min with I2 and 30+min with M600/MX (depending on gimbal balance). For the Inspire 2 I can put everything into a single case and also operate it as a single operator. It gives me cinema quality images and lens options. It shoots RAW and ProRes unto 6K. It is very stable in the air and is FAST when I need it to be! It has collision avoidance and smart flying modes, and the list goes on... Can't say enough about how this has changed my workflow for the better. That is my experience.
Cheers!
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Four sets (8) batteries and the charging station would be my recommendation. I started down the lots of batteries & multiple charger route (the battery station wasn’t available at the time) and ended up with 18 batteries and still finding a long day’s shoot challenging and the multiple chargers messy.
The battery station, although expensive, has been a game changer for me. If it had arrived earlier I could have saved a small fortune on batteries.
Hi, I may sell my I2 with X7 camera and 4 lenses. Im not sure the going price yet. I would have to research.
This is a very interesting point,
It is indeed true that there are many more people offering aerials since the release of the I2. Many of my friends are documentary cameramen who have bought one only to realise it’s not quite as easy to shoot the level of footage that the film industry now expects, and that can be seen by high end content creators. It’s no different to ground filming, anyone can buy a cinema camera without a mortgage now, but you will only be called by the BBC if it’s obvious you can deliver the quality.
Maybe my point is this. I think it’s great if someone decides to start a drone business, and it will no doubt be successful if you can fly the thing precisely, understand how the film industry ticks, and last of all have a bit of creative blood.
And of course if you are ready to battle all the forms regulations and red tape required to fly legally across Europe.
Good luck..
