DJI Phantom 4 Drone "Real World Review"
This is a “Real World Review” of the DJI Phantom 4 Drone. The Phantom 4 was announced a mere 8 months after the latest edition of the Phantom 3. Has much changed, has anything changed, is it worth a look?
Click Here to download RAW DNG Files taken with the Phantom 4.
Order a Phantom 4 Right Here
Don’t forget extra batteries.
Don’t forget the memory cards.
The key features of the new drone revolve around it’s ability to actively track a subject. This means you can draw a box around a subject on the screen and the Phantom 4 will start to follow and track the subject without any direction from you. Most drones out there currently require you to wear some sort of beacon to help the drone follow you.
In our tests the Drone did very well following our subject. Three out of four times it had no issue and the one time it had trouble may have been human error. It’s a very interesting feeling holding the remote but watching the live video stream come in as the Drone follows it’s subject. I would think its similar to an autonomous car being driven.
There is a new gimbal system for getting even steadier video as well as a new eight element lens. The video that you are able to capture with a consumer device is absolutely stunning. It is still mind blowing that you can purchase something like this and use it to get great photos and videos on a small budget.
With the auto take off and landing almost anyone can go out to fly this drone. With that said you need to practice and be able to fly the drone without all the fancy automation. You need to know what to do in certain situations where you need to react quickly and make decisions.
The battery life has been increased but for anyone who has a ton of Phantom 3 batteries you wont be able to use them on the Phantom 4. You are supposed to get 28 min of flight time but in reality it’s going to be a few minutes less than that. A lot depends on the modes you are flying in as well as how much dancing around the drone is doing. It is highly recommended that you purchase at least two extra batteries if you’re going to be doing serious work with the drone.
I am very happy with this upgrade and as a working professional having this Drone available to me to capture a new angle comes in handy.
I do want to make something clear. If you are looking to buy a drone just because it’s the cool thing to do don’t. There is a lot of work that goes into owning a drone and it’s not just about flying it. Once you captured footage what do you do with it? How do you edit it, share it, turn it into something usable. That’s the point, you pick up a drone if you have creative endeavors you are looking to capture. If you’re looking to simply have a toy to fly around, don’t get this.
