Your Valued Opinons on which Quad to go with

[aquabluedreams]

Your Valued Opinons on which Quad to Buy?!?!

Like so many new to this. I am a photographer, mainly underwater but now adding this end. Main issue is I am typically shooting over or around water so flight time is important and being able to deal with a breeze or wind. Own several Gopros but am thinking it would be nice to have the ability to fly a Sony Nex/Mirrorless compact camera. Don't see trying to fly a full DSLR. Trying to keep things around the $2000 mark.

So…..

At this point I am considering:

1. DJI Phantom 2 with the Zenmuse gimble, upgrade the props, extra battery, and maybe DJI 5.8Ghz Video Link + 7in Monitor + 3S Batteries for FPV. TOTAL ABOUT $1700

2. Turbo Ace X830 package, http://www.wowhobbies.com/turboacex830-d-c-rtf-als2cm02-superstructuredevo10-3-1.aspx TOTAL ABOUT $2100

Don't worry about the money, what one would you pick?????? What would you add to your choice????? Is there another option I should consider????

Also I see very mixed reviews on WOW Hobbies so any input on them is also welcome.

Thanks again, really happy I found this board.

Best regards,
Martin

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

Well, the Phantom will only lift a Gopro.

I would actually recommend starting with a Gopro type system to start with and learn the basics before you consider a heavier lifter which can lift a Sony Nex and up.

The Phantom 2 seems like a good starting point as all the accessories you need really add up in price on top of the aircraft.

 

[aquabluedreams]

It makes sense and much friendlier to the pocket book. In our shop (underwater photography http://www.opticaloceansales.com shameless plug) people come in, want to keep the price down and typically go with the more affordable lighting. 6 months later they are in and want to upgrade and the lights they bought are at best worth 1/2 what they paid for them on Ebay.

As I said why money is important but performance long term is also a big factor. Hoping someone with experience can say "oh yea the X830 is the way to go or I have both and find I fly the Phantom more"….

More input welcome, thanks Benjamin

 

[aquabluedreams]

Still looking for opinions….

 

[PeteDee]

I would recommend building a cheapy 450 size quad and learn to fly first, make a simple antivibe mount for your GoPro in its case and have a play with that first before committing to anything more, you will be surprised how much you will learn and how much fun you will have and by the time you are ready to spend $2,000 on something better you will know exactly what you want.

Pete

 

[jjon667]

martin

I have a Turbo ace matrix and its awesome……..honestly I had some issues with them and very easy rectify. Just had to put the hammer down but it was nothing major. I am selling my matrix only to fund a Movi m10 other wise i would keep it.

Jon

 

[Bartman]

Still looking for opinions….

if you're a hands on kind of guy then i'd recommend you take a look at our Group Build thread in the Beginners' Lounge and consider building yourself an F550 with a DJI NAZA-M V2 and the H3-2D gimbal. Pricing for the whole shebang should be comparable and the education of doing the build yourself will be well worth the effort. i tend to think the Phantom video product isn't very good as the heli seems not too stable when it's breezy. The F550 won't be perfect but it will be better.

keep in mind that salt water will be harmful to your equipment as none of it is really made for dedicated salt water environments.

as Pete said, second build will be a no brainer once you've got the first one nailed down.

welcome to the site!

Bart

 

[jbrumberg]

Martin- Welcome. The Group Build thread has been very helpful to me as have been a couple of the newbee builders and their respective build threads here with my recent build project. Another suggestion: Get a flight simulator and/or get yourself a cheap, RTF "toy" grade quad that can bind with a decent programmable Tx once you get used to the stock Tx and start practicing and keep on researching and keep practicing flying. These things are not as easy to fly as one would think. Start flying- you are learning basic Tx stick control and orientation with the "toy" grade quad(s) and having some fun in the process. Start researching out decent Tx's. Buy smart; buy once. The more channels and features you have to begin with in the beginning, the less channels and features you'll wish for and that you had a little farther down the "RC" path. Find a quad frame you like. In addition to the build guides here, there are a lot of guides on the internet from experienced builders that will give you a sense of direction as to frame assembly, have recommendations for components that match and basic set up instructions. The same applies to the FC. Start building as you are learning basic flying skills. Flying helped me understand building and building helped me better understand flying. Simpler is easier in the beginning. Buy extra props and some replacement parts too, because you will crash. It's far cheaper to crash, rebuild, repair, and replace the "toy" grades than the builds. I know this from experience. There are some decent, cheap, robust nano and micro sized quads that one can fly indoors. Mini's too, but they are a little big for indoors. One nice thing about a build is that components can be switched out and replaced/upgraded as ones needs and abilities change.

Good Luck.

 

[Joe Volpone]

You sound as if you know what you're talking about and are giving some experienced advice. I am an extreme novice at this point but aspire to be a pro now that I am retired and have the time. Please tell me what RTF means and is a programmable Tx a transmitter? I am just trying to make sure I understand the lingo as I enter this new fun world. I am very trainable.

Thanx for any advice or help you can provide. I may be picking your brain again in the future.

 

[jbrumberg]

Joe- I am no expert. I am just a newbee a little farther down the RC path. I try to answer as honesty and as accurately as possible. I have no problems saying I do not know the answer, but if I do no know I usually am motivated to try to find out just to know. I apologize for the lingo. RTF = "ready to fly" which is a package deal with quadcopter and transmitter (Tx). I am now backing away from advising about transmitters. The "toy" grade quadcopter manufacturers are increasingly going over to proprietary transmitter protocols that may or may not be able to be bound to many of the available programmable transmitters now possessed by many RC quad owners, and I do not want to give bad advise and cause people to waste their hard earned money. It is really confusing now with all the programmable transmitters on the market, and there are many good ones, and which one can bind with what "toy" grade quadcopter. I do know that right now, this instant the SYMA X1 and the WL Toys V9x9 series of quads will bind with the 9X transmitters. There are other quads that will bind with transmitter protocols, but I can not remember. Now one has to research and ask questions about compatibility.

This is supposed to be a fun hobby. Learning to operate and fly a cheaper quad is a lot less nerve racking than trying to learn on some expensive model. I happen to enjoy flying my "mini's". I flew my winterized mini sized quad in the snow this AM. I needed some air, I needed to get airborne, and I needed some practice. Everyone's needs and learning environments are different so what worked/works for me might not work and probably would not work for someone else. BTW- I generally fly fairly well and do not crash very often, but when I crash:hororr: I crash better.... much better :dejection:

Feel free to pick my brain anytime. Public or private post. I am retired too. I have plenty of time.

Good luck.