The video feed is responsive and great quality – it really is amazing that all this takes place in real time, often with the drone hundreds of feet away. The camera sends a live video feed to the controller, allowing the user to see a first person perspective of what the drone is seeing on your monitor. There are several shooting modes to choose from on the Phantom 4, including most of those found on your dSLR – burst mode, time lapse, HDR and exposure bracketing. Controls are Auto or Manual, and you can control everything down to applying a custom white balance.
The included box for the fits everything you need to fly the drone. The drone itself is smaller than I expected, and fits rather neatly in its included polystyrene box. The box features a latch to keep it closed, and is intended to safely house and transport the drone. The controls of the Phantom4 do take some practice, but it’s the kind of thing that you’ll learn quicker via muscle memory – if I stopped to think which control would pan vs tilt for example, I got confused. However, if I just embraced the controls and corrected as I flew, I found it much easier. I find it absolutely incredible that something like this is possible at this price.
Whilst the 4k video footage is nothing short of mind blowing, the RAW image files from the Phantom 4 aren’t as impressive. The sensor offers an ISO range from 100 to 1600 for stills and 3200 for video. However in practice, I found the useable ISO range rather limited, especially for photos. The Phantom 4 features a 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor, allowing it to capture 4k video at 30fps (1080p at 120fps for smooth slow-mo), and 12 mega pixel stills. This field of view isn’t quite as wide as a GoPro, but provides a good balance between an immersive perspective with little distortion.
The standard DJI case is simply too bulky to fit into any bag smaller than a 60 liter rucksack. This discounted bundle has everything you’ll need to use the Survey3 cameras with the DJI dji drones, Phantom 4 Pro or Phantom 4 Advance drone. Our new tilting Phantom 4 mount allows you to lock the cameras in a tilted location such that during forward flight the cameras are parallel with the ground .
At any point during the flight, you can return to the RTK menu to view more details about the X, Y, and Z RMS Errors, as shown in the following image. This portrait prime looks to offer decent image quality considering the price point, but as it stands the lens isn’t available to purchase outside of China. High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important.
Whilst you’re flying, the DJI Go app puts the phantom 4’s main functionality only a tap away. It’s not the most user friendly set up, with several buttons taking you to the same menu, but I soon got used to it. The mapping functionality of the Phantom 4 quadcopter is also amazing. I loved the ability to see on a Google map exactly where the drone was located. Selecting a section of your video footage using the DJI Go app is simple and fast.
Features of a DJI Phantom 4 drone cameraMany vloggers on YouTube are switching to 4K cameras like the ones on the DJI Phantom 4. The cameras on the DJI Phantom 4 are specifically designed for YouTube videos. You’ll want a 4K camera if you want to show your videos on a 4K TV. Full HD cameras with resolutions of 1080p remain an accepted standard, though.
The controller features buttons that are mapped to tap functionality on your mobile device. The Phantom 4 Pro is a machine that is best suited to those taking drone flight and aerial photography seriously. If that is you, and you have just the right budget for this machine, do it.