Essentials to flying a Phantom 2 with a GoPro

[Slavik Boyechko]

Yo - there's a lot of options out there for accessories (like an FPV) to flying a Phantom 2/GoPro, so I put together a blog post that summarized what's worked for me for the past year. Might be of help to folks just getting started (or waiting for the DJI Inspire). A Drone for All Seasons: DJI Phantom 2 Tips for Aerial Filmmaking Gold | Alaska Video Shooter

Cheers,
Slavik

[Mark Dobson]

Hi Slavik,

That's great blog post and I'm sure it will be of great help to someone who's trying to get quality results out of a Phantom 2 - GoPro set up.

I'd personally go for a back pack. You can put it on your back whilst the phantom is stabilising itself and then you don't have to worry about leaving it unattended if you have to rush off after your UAV.

Apart from that I'd agree with everything else you've advised and what a shame you didn't publish it 6 months
ago!

Mark

[Slavik Boyechko]

Thanks Mark! What backpack do you recommend?

[Mark Dobson]

Hi Slavic,

I've got the DJI Phantom 2 Vision Lightweight Back Packer Case. I got it from RC Geeks in Crawley UK.

https://www.rcgeeks.co.uk/accessorie...cker-case.html

This wouldn't offer much protection in an aircraft hold and you have to take the props off which doesn't take long but then it fits everything you need, batteries, FPV screen and RC controller.

I'm hoping that someone comes up with a backpack for the Inspire 1. Sure it will need to be bigger but it could be made of the same lightweight material.

[Leon Kolenda]

Originally Posted by Slavik Boyechko

Yo - there's a lot of options out there for accessories (like an FPV) to flying a Phantom 2/GoPro, so I put together a blog post that summarized what's worked for me for the past year. Might be of help to folks just getting started (or waiting for the DJI Inspire). A Drone for All Seasons: DJI Phantom 2 Tips for Aerial Filmmaking Gold | Alaska Video Shooter

Cheers,
Slavik

Hey Slavik,

Great blog and info, I'm going to order all the recommended parts in your blog, Can you point me to where I can get instructions or videos on how to add those components? I just got a Hero Go Pro Black 4k camera, will it work with the Phantom 2 for FPV, and the Zenmuse G3-3d Gimbal?

[Mark Dobson]

Hi Leon,

Sure the GoPro 4 works for FPV with this set up. I didn't have a problem fitting it to the gimbal although others have said you need to slightly modify the gimbal. There are loads of instructional videos on Youtube for installing various bits of kit onto the phantom 2.

I personally was disappointed with the quality of the image on the fpv screen but having all the flight data is very useful. I was just about to invest in the DJI lightbridge system, which is pretty expensive but very good, when the news broke about the Inspire 1. This comes with Lightbridge pre-installed, all you need to do is connect an iPad or similar or a LCD Monitor with an HDMI input ( lilliput ) and you have the complete works.

Its also worth bearing in mind that by the time you've added all these bits to a phantom, together with bunch of spare batteries, you are going in direction of the cost of an Inspire 1. Not that this will not be without it's quirks and I'm sure that many people will be buying replacement care gimbal units if they have a rough landing.

But at least you won't have a bunch of components and wires stuck onto the exterior of your UAV.

Here's a video shot with the same Phantom 2 FPV setup that Slavic has blogged about apart from the aerials.

Horsham: Site of Motte and Bailey Castle on Vimeo

[Leon Kolenda]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if everything was outside and hanging from the P2, Not my cup of tea!
Your video is interesting, You can see pretty nice detail, but in some ways it looks like a model neighborhood, or model train shoot. Is there any Post editing done, like stabilization, or motion speed changes?

How are you liking the Hero 4?

[Mark Dobson]

Hi Leon,

Because the gopro image is very fisheyed it has been straightened out. However if you don't crop right in you can see the distortion at the edges. This is what gives this video the tilt/shift type effect.

Also it was filmed on the flat protune settings and colour corrected in FCPX, has sharpening applied and also a filter called Film Convert to further enhance the image. In retrospect this film is probably a bit over saturated. All of these stages are what I find necessary to improve the image from the gopro, which whilst being a very convenient lightweight HD camera is still not on a par with cameras with larger sensors.

Many people have started to replace the original gopro lenses with one that is less fish-eyed and the Inspire 1 has a lens with a narrower field of view.

Mark