Hey /prog/......I have a opportunity to buy a DJI Phantom 3 pro. What is your thoughts? Also, what pitfalls should I look for?

build/flying remote planes and helicopters is my thing so believe me when I tell you since you're coming to prog to ask about this that i'm sure it's just not for you

start with something smaller and cheaper that doesn't have a camera attached to it and see how you like it and go from there

>>2
I've had a syma x5 for the last year... I'm pretty good with it, I'm looking to upgrade. My point is : this drone comes with 2 extra batteries, 2 extra sets of props, and a hard case backpack. The guy wants 550.00 for it.
I'm concerned if this price is fair. Also what should I look for problemwise.
Thanks

only buy it if you like taking aerial pictures or film. If you just want to fly a drone i would buy the phantom 1 first.

If it comes with good extra batteries it might be worth it. I saw new P3 standards on amazon for 440 but that was with only one battery.

I'd say that's a very good price for the "pro" 4k version. But you have to inspect it make sure it really works and either test it out or have him fly it in front of you because I bought a 3 pro also from someone last year for $1200 and got home and realized the owner must of crashed t horribly cus there was a lot of shit fucked up with it and I had to do a $500 repair on it

>>3
the first pitfall is being concerned about price when one flawed component will result in losing half to almost 100% of the value of the craft

second pitfall is if you're buying used then you're inheriting unknown problems, wear and tear

the third pitfall is since it's a pos DJI phantom that comes assembled and wired out of the box means you're taking a gamble from the manufacturer

a 4th pitfall is that you're likely another guy who saw one on youtube and you want to do what they were doing which was likely to be unsafe and you can get in trouble with the law

i'm just looking at this as if you're a newb to the whole thing for saftey reasons and i don't want more boneheads ruining it for me and my fellow flyers with more government regulation

this is what I do with the hobby mostly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZx13IkOU7Y

>>6
Thanks... I noticed the camera looked kinda funky sitting on the TV stand. Also, I was concerned about the battery life ( being a used battery). Thanks anon.

>>7
I've had a syma x5 for over a year , I basically looking to upgrade. I plan on registering with the FAA. I understand all of the assholes making it harder for legit drone pilots. I'm just trying to weigh the effects of buying used, verses buying new.

First off.... the camera seems fine to me from that picture. The reason its facing down like that is because its powered off. When you power it on it does a gimbal calibration and faces it forward and in place. When off its just dangling around. The first thing you have to find out is how long the person has had it for and whats the reason for selling it. You don't want to buy a drone that is being sold because of problems. The best reason for selling would be something along the lines they are upgrading drones. Most drone buyers start with something less expensive to learn the ins and out of flying, and usually they upgrade to a more expensive drone when they feel confident enough. A next good thing to look at is damage to the props or body. That would suggest crashes. Check and make sure the controller is working fine and is holding its charge. A next great thing to look for are the charge cycles on the batteries. The app on the drone shows u how many times a battery has been discharged and recharged when its connected to the drone. You can ask the person to give you the stats and even check it yourself through the app. You don't want to get a drone with 3 batteries that have been used and abused and aren't even holding a charge because you will be paying for useless batteries. Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps.

Check body for cracks and if concerned about batteries, ask him for the flight logs and upload to a site like healthydrones. Price is on the high side if ok imo. Agree with other anon's in buying a smaller one first. TBH these things fly themseles. Fly drones for a living and deliver trading and testing. 90% of new candidates fly phantoms.

What do you want to do with it?

I participate in drone racing and it is an absolute blast. I would be bored to tears with a phantom. But they make great camera platforms.

To each their own.

Not my video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhcuXYe7yG4

>>10

https://i.imgur.com/1HUcuI3.jpg>>10

It help tremendously, thanks. BTW, the guy selling it says he bought in July of '16, he upgraded to a better one.... I was in the hobby shop, talking to the salesman about buying a new one. This guy approached me saying he had a (lightly used) pro 3 for sale. It seems legit... but I figured I'd ask /prog/ . Lol thanks for the info.

>>9
registering with the FAA takes 5 minutes. It isn't a big deal at all.

Basically you just need to give them your name and contact information. When I did it it was free but I think it costs like $5 now.

They give you a 10 digit code that must be on all your drones that weigh over 250 grams. That way if you crash it on the whitehouse lawn they know who to talk to.

Phantoms are boring as fuck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3wrblJzK6I

Agreed with anon... what are you looking for? A p3 pro is for photography and videoing. Its not like you gonna have fun with it every day. I had a phantom 2... sold it in great condition and bought a 4.... sold that when the mavic came out because of portability. Sold the 4 in great condition as well. Most pilots take care of their drones.... its up until not that that mavic is out and everyone wants one that you are seeing more and more reckless newbies destroying their drones doing crap. If you want it for the camera this is a good start. If you want it for fun i recommend a racing drone. This is a good start i would say.... but more than likely you will be selling it to get a new upgraded one as soon as you get comfortable and confident with it... so make sure its in great shape so you can resell it and get back your money. Also is that the controller? If it is he has added a the hdmi out adapter to the controller. It doesn't come stock with that. So just going by that i would say its a person that was serious about his photography and probably took care of it. That hdmi option for the controller costs a good $60 or so more. My 2 cents again. Hope it helps again lol

>>15
I've had a 100 buck syma x5 for the last year... o know it's a low dollar toy. I bought it as a test to see if I was into drones.
I'm basically looking to fly around my neighborhood and scare off the Canadian geese by my home.
Im not looking to drone race (saw it on TV, looks pretty cool) but basically trying to take high altitude photos.

>>16
Thanks anon... that's exactly what the seller said. " I added the upgraded HDMI PORT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY "
He said he bought in July of 2016, and he bought a more expensive one, so the phantom need to go to "pay for his hobby"
Again I appreciate all of the info from /prog/ ... I'll post more pics after purchase. Thanks again anons.

>>17

high altitude photos

When you register with the FAA you legally swear you won't fly over 500 feet. But it isn't law. There is no law you can't fly over 500 feet. It's a legal grey area and there are a few lawsuits in progress over it contesting it. The FAA does not have the authority to make laws, that lies with congress.

>>19
Thanks... I guess I'll see how far ill decide to fly it after I buy it in the morning. Lol

Let me do the rundown of price too.... the Phantom 3 pro u might could get for say $500 the cheapest on eBay if you are patient and wait to win a bid. The hdmi port is $99 brand new... maybe u can get it for say $70..... each batteries is lets say $100 new on eBay if you are patient once again. And the backpack can run anywhere from $70 to $200 depending on the brand and quality... so for calculations sake lets say u get an ok one for $120. So all in all you are looking at at least $850 for a package like that. Considering everything is used we talking at say $650 or so with depreciation. Now if everything is in good or great working condition. The batteries still have good life on them.... the controller is working properly and holds its charge.... camera and stuff working fine. I would say that $550 is pretty good. Try to beat down to $500 lol. All in all its not a bad buy if in good condition. Just my 2 cents again.

>>21
No, I agree with you. I was just looking for the problems I should be aware of. Dude seems legit, but you never know . Thanks anon.

>>1
I have a phantom 2 and it hasn't let me down... batteries are too expensive tho for 15 mins of juice

>>23
This is one reason I think phantoms are dumb. There is absolutely no reason their batteries need to be proprietary. My racing drones use much higher performance batteries that cost half as much. But phantoms have some dumb ass digital monitoring of the battery which does nothing but make them proprietary. You only need to monitor voltage and milliamphours consumed. Circuitry on the drone itself could perform that task. The battery just needs to be a battery.

But most phantom pilots are idiots who don't know the first thing about building or repairing drones. Most probably can't even operate a soldering iron. They act like crashing and breaking a motor is a horrible thing when it is really a 5 minute $25 repair.

>>23
I've been looking on Amazon and eBay.. they are pricy

>>24
Well, I've raced 1:10 scale R/C cars for years... if there is a battery hack for the DJI, I'll utilize it.
Thanks for the info.