All Things Drones

[jph3]

Per [mention]Isaguel [/mention]request, here’s a specific topic for all questions around drones. By no means am I an expert, but I have had experience from the the first DJI Phantom, a couple versions of Magic’s, and now I’m toying with the Skydio2. In quick summary, the mavic is smooth and fast. The Skydio is absolutely mind-blowing with a follow me mode. I’ve taken it snowmobiling, skiing, boating, biking, rzrs... it is just awesome and works very well. No complaints beside charging the battery (have to plug in the drone itself)

If you are flying on water, I would highly recommend getting some floats off of Amazon, and just try not to fly in general in any kind of wind - it’s just not worth losing it. Something like this (I had individual floats for my Magic).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784TY3NG..._sW1KEb6F6W6CX


Another item to consider would be a recovery float (activates once it hits water and floats the drone to the surface)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01891TFXO..._eY1KEb7072PF2

Anyway, lots of good stuff to share... I will tell a funny story. Flying at the lake with my Mavic, went 2 miles down to another marina to take a video of a buddy on his houseboat... cop boat lights me up and starts chasing the drone (thinking I was bothering my buddy). He chased me back to our boat... I was flying fast, battery went to single digit percentage... and then literally just went black. 0%. At that point I had considered it gone (no floats)... but as it dropped my friend had reached over the back edge of the houseboat and snagged it mid air! If only I had the footage!!

Anyway, happy droning, let’s see those shots! I’ll post up some recent vids with the Skydio.


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[jph3]

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[Isaguel]

Great, lets keep this thread alive. That float is what I was looking for. the recovery float would not be so good as these drones are not waterproof. Once they sink, they are toast.
There are some waterproof drones like the Swellpro and the poweregg, but they are not cheap and you compromise in video quality and obstacle avoidance sensors.
I keep cpming back to Mavic. The skydio looks awesome but it looks like its more designed to function as a highly autonomous drone.

Let us know who has an interest and if you own one or plan to. Would like to hear about others experiences, interests or purchase plans.

[Dallascowboys25]

Great thread. I’ve never owned a drone but I want one now haha. Has anyone ever tried a swellpro drone. It’s says it’s waterproof?

[DNIXD99]

That's some crazy luck, with your friend catching your drone. I was really impressed with Skydio features on the web, but the battery is a bummer. I go through 3 batteries when I fly, and have considered buying more. I'll use one for each surf session. I dont like letting it get below 20% over the water.

[haknslash]

One day I’ll probably get the Sky Duo as it has amazing tracking and obstacle avoidance. Camera isn’t too bad either. I love seeing great drone footage of boats.

[jph3]

I wouldn’t worry too much about the floats vs the recovery. If you run floats and it lands on water, that thing will not last unless it is perfect glass... the recovery module is a bit better - DJI gives you one or two water swaps in their warranty options - no questions asked. I used one of mine on the mavic

As for the footage, just depends on what you want. If you want cinematic, mavic is easier to get... but you sacrifice follow features. The Skydio is as close as you can get to autonomous. Pull it out, turn on, turn the gps beacon on, and go. It auto-records for you too, so no need to ‘capture’ the data. It can do cinematic, but I do not have a controller. I’m sure they would be MUCH better if I did, but I’m controlling it all by phone or the beacon.

Just to be clear on the Skydio battery as well... I carry two with me. Never had an issue (get 27-28 min out of each) but I was just referencing the charging. You have to buy a separate charging dock and I opted not to... maybe I will down the road.

Here’s some footage from my mavic a couple years ago (reminder, I’m beginner status!)

https://youtu.be/lGJ_hi1IIEY

https://youtu.be/SnIajmJXzWs

Here’s some from the Skydio2 so far, just got it the last day of December in the first batch. Just different styles mainly... The snowmobile vid doesn’t show how steep the terrain is.

https://youtu.be/YkvhvkIZ-Ns

Sunset:

https://youtu.be/tK4LMnNX-vg

Playing on the sleds:

https://youtu.be/RIaKdhi2Uks

Quick water shot from yesterday:

https://youtu.be/RLGq5tFUjyQ


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[DNIXD99]

OIC...I took it as the battery wasnt removable lol. That makes more sense. I bought a separate charger that will charge all 3 batteries, and the controller at the same time. I also have the smart controller, which I like using better than my phone.

Nice vids. Im a total newb. I learned enough to be able to capture the BVI trip, and then didnt mess with it over the winter. I kinda had to relearn the controls to take it out on the boat. Still learning the proper filters, and settings to use for the weather.

Im also using Filmora9 for editing, which I really like. Its a lot to learn, but so far its been pretty user friendly, and there has been good YouTube tutorials.

[Isaguel]

DNIX, which drone do u have? I've heard of filmora. I downloaded DaVinci Resolve as I've heard good reviews and its free. Other than browsing it I have not used it for editing yet. Having good editing software is as important as having a good drone.

JPH3, those videos are pretty sweet, that footage from high above the rocky hills looking down over the lake at the boats, priceless. That's why I want one of them drones. These boats are for creating memories and experiences, so why not capture it from the best angle possible. Cant wait.

[DNIXD99]

DJI Mavic 2 Pro. I recently discovered the DJI app has a video editor with an auto feature. Its decent if you want something quick, without editing.

I looked at free software, and I believe I downloaded Davinci Resolve. I end up with Filmora9 lifetime subscription for $45. I like it. Its really easy to use, and the YouTube tutorials make it really easy to learn. For example, the latest update just added split screen. Obviously, Ive never done that before. I watched a 3min video, and instantly created a split screen video of the same footage, but different angles (gopro and drone). Ive been considering upgrading to the Pro Version.

Beginning of this video is my first, and only split screen. I think I synced them pretty good, and it was really easy.