[Sasquatch]

Anyone have any experience with these?  Any recommendations?

A friend of mine had a DJI for his gopro, and is now looking at the Airdog. 

[Paul B]

No but they've recently been banned in all American National Parks without a permit I believe?

Also, you need a license to fly them and sell the results in the UK (I also believe). The first person in the UK was prosecuted for using a drone and not complying to regulations when he crashed it near a naval base.

There's a guy who turns up on some of the construction sites I visit and flies his drone around and then turns up at the office and tries to sell us the results.

[tomtom]

DJI phantom2 has a damn good looking gimbel...

[Sasquatch]

No but they've recently been banned in all American National Parks without a permit I believe?

Also, you need a license to fly them and sell the results in the UK (I also believe). The first person in the UK was prosecuted for using a drone and not complying to regulations when he crashed it near a naval base.

There's a guy who turns up on some of the construction sites I visit and flies his drone around and then turns up at the office and tries to sell us the results.

We'll be shooting/flying outside of national parks, and not in the UK, so hopefuly no issues there.  I flew the DJI, and while I did crash a couple times, it was remarkably easy to fly overall.  the biggest issue was when you were far away it became difficult to tell the front

DJI phantom2 has a damn good looking gimbel...

Indeed, and my friend is debating between the DJ2 and the Airdog.

[fatdoc]

If you want to use one for making outdoor vids of sports / climbing... Speak to Neil Hart..


Oh... Amd I really want one... His films are MINT

[Sasquatch]

Is he on the forum?

[shurt]

Saw one of these in Maplin today called Phantom. £369 mind. Bloke in the shop said it was the same one that partially started the riot at the football recently with the flag etc. They do look cool...

[andy_e]

Is he on the forum?

neil h

[Wood FT]

Saw one of these in Maplin today called Phantom. £369 mind. Bloke in the shop said it was the same one that partially started the riot at the football recently with the flag etc. They do look cool...

I looked at it in Maplins too. If there was anyway they could make it quiet I would sell some stuff and get one, as it is I just can't stand how noisy they are and would feel a mighty prick filming anything other than re-shoots midweek with no one around. Imagine being on something hard/necky and you've got this thing going ape shit near you. Aside from that it's rather selfish - someone had one at Malham a few weeks ago and you can imagine what a racket that made....


/jealousy

[tomtom]

I don't think the phantoms are that noisy.. I've been buzzed by one at Widdop a few weeks back and at BBG W before... didn't bother me to be honest. Me and the drone flyers bored looking GF exchanged a 'boys toys' look of semi exasperation* and I carried on looking shit on Fight on Black..


*I'd love to play with one


More sherioushly - we've looked into getting one at work for low level aerial photography, and for making 3d maps using structure from motion methods.. In the UK the major disadvantage of heli drones is that its windy here.. and whilst they do OK in wind - they can struggle. Also - for what we were interested in - you can get just as good results from a better res still camera and a 5-10m portable tower (like a big pole)...

[Wood FT]

I don't think the phantoms are that noisy..

The only two drones I've seen in the wild have been Phantoms, admittedly at venues which may exacerbate the noise (Malham and Stennis Ford)

[tomtom]

to be fair you can hear people farting from the other side of Malham cove...

[Wood FT]

Sport climber diets make that a less impressive feat.

Also, I reckon you've just got good ears that can shut out sounds you don't like, i.e. Hull accents.

[Durbs]

Lifted off the Beeb, via CAA:

Unless CAA permission has been granted the pilot cannot:

Fly over or within 150m (492 ft) of a congested area
Fly over or within 150m (492 ft) of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons
Fly within 50m (164 ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft
Fly within 50m (164 ft) of any person

Last-one bolded, as that's pretty far away to not cause an offence, especially for climbers mid-way up a cliff, so anyone being "buzzed", the pilot is being naughty.

Still want one, but I'm awaiting my Panono in 2015, so shan't be getting one.

[lagerstarfish]

In the UK the major disadvantage of heli drones is that its windy here.. and whilst they do OK in wind - they can struggle.

use a kite on the windy days

[tomtom]

In the UK the major disadvantage of heli drones is that its windy here.. and whilst they do OK in wind - they can struggle.

use a kite on the windy days

Yeah  - thats been done too...

[fatdoc]

Is he on the forum?

Neil hart / neilh / maisonbleau should get u contact on here, fb or Google

[lagerstarfish]

Also, you need a license to fly them and sell the results in the UK (I also believe).

I wonder whether "financial gain" includes shooting footage for a film that is to be sold?

[tomtom]

Also, you need a license to fly them and sell the results in the UK (I also believe).

I wonder whether "financial gain" includes shooting footage for a film that is to be sold?

I'm sure that SharpeFS could ensure that LagerStarfish Productions International (inc, tm) doesnt make any profit...

[SA Chris]

Or you can build your own...

http://makezine.com/projects/wavecopter-a-waterproof-quadcopter/

[Sasquatch]

Thanks All!

Good info.  I've had a play with the DJI and I found the biggest limitation to be the flight time, especially with a gimbal (7-10minutes depending on wind). 

I'll get in touch with Neil and see what he thinks.

[SA Chris]

7-10minutes depending on wind

Is that all? Must be a bit of a worry filming something like this

[Sloper]

Lifted off the Beeb, via CAA:

Unless CAA permission has been granted the pilot cannot:

Fly over or within 150m (492 ft) of a congested area
Fly over or within 150m (492 ft) of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons
Fly within 50m (164 ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft
Fly within 50m (164 ft) of any person

Last-one bolded, as that's pretty far away to not cause an offence, especially for climbers mid-way up a cliff, so anyone being "buzzed", the pilot is being naughty.

Still want one, but I'm awaiting my Panono in 2015, so shan't be getting one.

That's an extract from the Air Navigation Order (No2) but from memory, I'm not sure that the ANO 2 applies to drones and given how fuckign tedious aviation law is I've no intention of going to the sources to check, and before you say punter you can shove the Warsaw Convention into the darkness too.

On a more helpful note, I can't see that using a small drone <35m at the crag is going to be an issue, liability insurance might be worth having though.

[chris20]

They were reviewing drones on the gadget show last night http://www.channel5.com/shows/the-gadget-show/episodes/episode-7-408 It's the first thing they did so you don't have to watch too much  Watching a firework display from one was pretty cool

[erm, sam]

Hopefully not too late but the film maker guy I know said to buy a DJI Phantom2. Most developed and most popular for a reason.. He of course has some sort of much more complex grown ups drone but for a first drone he strongly recommended the above...