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DJI Teases new Drone “See the Bigger Picture” for July 18, 2018

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DJI has sent out invitations for a NYC launch event for a new product or products. The invitation promises that we will “see the bigger picture” as in the graphic below:

Unlike some other DJI products, there are not yet (as of June 17) any reputable rumors as to exactly what this could be. Our guess, here at Droneflyers.com, is perhaps a Drone with a 360 degree view to take full panoramas. Actually, that may be our #2 guess or tied for #1. Another guess is a model with various lenses (zoom, wide angle, etc.) which can be fitted to it. This has been rumored before as being a potential feature of a “Phantom 5″ model.

Others have suggested it could be the Mavic Pro 2 – maybe it has a 1” sensor and/or wide angle and other features.

For now we will have to guess…..and wait. We have a forum thread if you want to comment – or leave your FB comments at the bottom of this page. Thanks!

https://www.droneflyers.com/talk/threads/dji-promised-bigger-picture-for-july-18-launch-even-in-nyc.4276/

 

LaCie DJI Copilot Hard Drive – First Look

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LaCie DJI Copilot Hard Drive – First Look – By Droneflyers.com

Unlike the DJI/Segate Fly Drive which we reviewed earlier, the CoPilot is designed to work without the need for a companion computer. This means that Drone and Image/Video pros no longer have to tote a laptop along to enjoy backup and larger storage capacities. As many of us have learned, the newer 4K video files can easily outstrip the storage capabilities of SD and MicroSD cards and even tax our laptops, most of which have only 256G or 512G of SSD storage – and less than 1/2 that after the basic OS and other programs and some photos and music are installed.

What it Does

The LaCie DJI CoPilot has a built in rechargeable battery and numerous ports to allow connection to most any device. It also features a built-in LCD screen which gives status messages. The entire system is controlled by a smartphone or tablet (IOS or Android) and an app provided by LaCie. This app is effectively a File Manager, allowing the copying of various media to the CoPilot drive. In addition to the battery powered storage, the CoPilot can also serve as a USB charger – meaning it can be the single device you bring with your kit into the field. If your phone runs low on power you can plug it into the included full size USB port and quickly gain enough power to get that last great shot or video clip.

In addition to these features, the drive is part of the LaCie Ruggedized line – and also slash and water resistant. It is completely surrounded by thick rubber bumpers which even covers the ports – some of them can even be covered while in use (a small slot in the sides allows the wires to extend out for connection).

Who is it for?

Given the price of $349 (suggested list – street price may be lower), this drive is most suited for those who make income from their drone and/or camera services. Pros are well aware that trusting their data to a single source (the drone MicroSD card, etc.) can be chancy – therefore they often desire to back up “on set”. The Copilot allows them to do so without lugging a larger laptop and external drive. When they get back to their office or studio, they can mount the CoPilot as a hard drive and either use the files directly from it or move them to a desktop machine or other larger storage and editing arrays.

A hobbyist who travels or often gets “once in a lifetime” shots may want to spring for a solution such as this, despite the relatively high cost. After all, losing the footage from that trip to Iceland or Africa would be very disappointing. The same goes for important images such as those taken at weddings and other such events.

Lacie DJI Copilot Drive

Our Experience and Initial Testing

The box, packing and included accessories all indicate a product that was built with quality in mind. Included are the hard drive with a rubberized bumper (built-in battery), a power supply and a number of cables and ports which allow connection tThe o most any phone, tablet, computer, drone, camera or SD/MicroSD card. Plug the power supply in so that you can charge the CoPilot internal battery while you learn the basics.  [Read more…]

Editing your RAW Drone Photos in Apple Photos

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Note- A Mavic Pro was used for these photos – but the advice given will apply to most all DJI drones and to some other brands.
This article is for Beginners and Advanced Beginners – those who know their imaging will likely already have other programs (Lightroom, etc.) that process their RAW and other photos. This article involves editing with the free (included) MacOS program “Apple Photos”, formerly called iPhoto.

What is RAW?

RAW is a photographic file type – one that takes as much as possible of the information from the camera sensor and stores it in a larger (usually 5X the size in bytes) format than the JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) that most are familiar with. Most DJI Equipment now allows you to set the Photo type as RAW…or, as both RAW and JPEG at the same time. In the later case, the Drone will take and store two photos – one processed with your JPEG settings and one RAW.

Should you use RAW as your Photo file type?

This is an open question. If you do a lot of work on your photos after you download them (this is called post-processing), then RAW is the preferred format due to it containing more actual light and color information…which then gives you more to work with. However, if the majority of your work is “as-is” or only slightly adjusted afterwards (crop, light, etc.), then the JPEG format should work fine. However, it will benefit you to check and test the JPEG photo settings on your machine before you take it into the field. DJI provides various options – I currently use “Landscape” on my Mavic Pro and the result are quite good. Reports from the field indicate that DJI has occasionally changed these settings with firmware updates, so it’s important that you check to make sure the photos are satisfactory before doing any important flights. This can be done by checking the settings in the DJI Go (4) app while connected to the Drone – and also taking a couple photos outdoors. I just hover a few feet above my house and do so, but you could also do it hand held. Make certain to touch the screen to focus and try to take a sample photo of something at a distance – then inspect it closely on your computer or any larger screen.

RAW Photos will often look “washed out” compared to JPEGS – this is because JPEGS are automatically improved inside the camera. In other words, the basic work (sharpening, brightening, colors popping) is done for you – whereas with RAW you have to do the post-processing.

Up until recently, working with RAW files often meant you needed expensive programs like Lightroom – and also the education on using them. However, the free (included) Apple Photos App on Macs now has the ability to process these files. Following is a short tutorial on editing RAW (and other) photos in Apple Photos.

Selecting a Photo in Apple Photos

The screenshot below shows part of a typical Apple Photos “Photos” screen. These Photos have been imported from the Micro-SD card plugged into an adapter on my Mac. The thumbnails which have a “J” at the upper left also show a second shadow behind that “J” – this indicates that both a JPEG and a RAW copy of the photo are in the program. If nothing is shown, that means only a JPEG exists – if the upper left only contains an “R”, that means only a RAW photo was taken. Note that RAW photos will have a .DNG (or .dng) extension.  [Read more…]

Ryze Robotics Tello – a DJI, Intel and Ryze Robotics $99 Drone

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In January 2018 a small $99 drone was announced by DJI.  The model was called the Tello from a company called Ryze Robotics, a new startup we had not heard of before. Like many before it the Tello promised a number of intelligent features at a very low price point, small toy drones don’t usually get a lot of attention but this one was different as it has 2 very large names associated with it, DJI and Intel.

Order Tello Now for $99 

So what is Tello ?

At first look its a small $99 FPV camera drone thats designed to be flown indoors or at very low level outdoors, at this price point most would assume its in the “toy’ category however that is really not the case because unlike ones before it its packed with a lot technology and specifically DJI’s intelligent flight control system and Intel Movidius Vision systems.
This is similar to what DJI have on their own larger models and means the Tello is extremely easy and stable to fly because its fitted with a version of DJI’s Vision Positioning System its able to hold its position when flying above a well lit surface and gives GPS Mode like hold performance.

However being a fun flying drone is not Tello’s only purpose, its also an educational tool and Ryze Robotics have opened it up to support programming from Scratch and Drone Blocks, these are simple educational programming platforms that help young people learn coding and programming via number of hardware platforms such as Anki Cozmo, this is a whole new area for young people to explore and it makes the Tello an even more interesting product as a result.

A Closer Look at the Craft

The Tello its self is a hand held size quad, its compact and housed with in plastic body with the main electronics are located in the bottom of the aircraft with the battery sliding into the middle to fill the body,looking underneath you can see the Vision system that consists of a small camera and infrared sensors, these are used to measure distance from the ground as well as hold the crafts position.

Propulsion is handled by four brushed motors with small plastic push on props, these are protected by the included prop guards. [Read more…]

Parrot SWING VTOL Drone – First Look and Review

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Introduction

I recently purchased a Parrot Swing VTOL Drone (quadcopter) along with the Bluetooth Controller pad. The Swing is remarkable in that it is very different than any Drone currently on the market…due to the VTOL abilities. For the uninitiated, that means it can take off and land (and fly) like a quadcopter, but it has X-shaped wings which can then allow it to fly like an airplane. VTOL will be a big part of the future of drones due to the longer distances and larger payloads they will be able to haul.

Let’s be very clear – the Parrot Swing is a “toy grade model” with brushed motors, yet at the same time it’s head and shoulders above any toy grade machine I’ve ever operated. It has many options – flying forwards, backwards, at different angles and even programmable flights (looks, circles, etc.

It can be operated with a mobile phone attached – or not. The mobile device is mostly for settings and other such monitoring and changes since it does not have a front facing camera. There is a tiny (and poor quality) camera on the rear which is part of the “ground sensing” system. In other words, it has a “VPS system” using sound waves and the rear camera to allow it to know when it is close to the ground – an option usually only seen on much more expensive machines.

At launch the Parrot Swing sold for approx. $130, but they have now come down to about 50% of that price. Refurbs can be purchased for even less, sometimes as low as $40 or less. You’ll have to buy at least one extra battery to get the hang of this machine as you don’t want to have to go out to the field and have only 10-12 minutes of flying.

Note: the Youtube Video Embedded at the bottom of this article will repeat a lot of the written information here – and go much further into some details. You’ll see the model in flight and get a much better idea of how it works!

Parrot Swing (new) at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2pHi7xF

Parrot Swing Refurb at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2pHi7xF

3 pack generic batteries and charger – https://amzn.to/2pHi7xF

Who and What it is for

The Parrot Swing is not a camera drone or a “FPV or Racing model. It is unique and the VTOL aspect is the major feature. [Read more…]

2018 is a Drone Bargain Hunters Paradise!

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2018 is a Drone Bargain Hunters Paradise!

The Past

Droneflyers.com is now over 5 years old. It seems like just yesterday when this site started due to my interest in the new “flying robots” which seemed to be finally hitting the mainstream. Companies like Parrot and Walkera can be credited for developing some of the first RTF (ready to fly) quadcopters, although whether they were truly “ready to fly” is another story! As a point of trivia, this site was started a year before that time (beginning of 2012) by Kerry Garrison, who now owns a large Drone retail company. He sold his existing site (ARDRONETIPS.COM) to us – which was rolled into Droneflyers.com.

The market for Drones sped up quickly and they started selling like the proverbial hotcakes. The reader should keep in mind that most of these drones didn’t work very well. There was no true “Camera Drone” available at consumer prices, so hobbyists at the time were trying everything – from strapping GoPro cameras to their AR Drones to building their own drones (which, more often than not, crashed early and often). Toy Grade machines dominated the consumer market (Hubsan, Walkera, Syma) because a hobbyist would tolerate losing $40-$100 in a crash whereas losing $1K plus wasn’t in the cards. This all changed with the release of two “watershed” models that introduced a level of reliability and capabilities that were formerly unheard of. A third release solidified the consumer drone market into a multi-billion dollar business. These stepping stones, in our opinion, were:
1. The Phantom (1) – introduced a truly mass-produced GPS equipped (the key to success!) RTF drone – which could carry a GoPro or other lightweight camera.
2. The Phantom 2 Vision Plus (V2) was arguably the first reliable RTF drone which was complete with camera, gimbal, smart battery and software which allowed the pilot to control the camera functions.
3. The Phantom 3 (2015) perfected the “consumer camera class” of drones with a 4K camera, longer range and improved software. In a sense, the Phantom 3 is similar to the Boeing 737 in that, even years later, it is not dated in terms of functionality.

If you want to delve further into the history of the manufacturer of these models (DJI), check out these articles:
https://www.droneflyers.com/dji-dominates-world-drones-aerial-robotics/
https://www.droneflyers.com/dji-won-consumer-drone-war/

The Present…and the Bargains!

After years of tremendous growth, the consumer drone market is slowing. Many of the original hobbyists have purchased newer models and are therefore not looking for the “next new thing” as they were during the boom years. In addition, companies like DJI, Yuneec and Parrot built up both their hopes and production – creating a surplus of drones which can be a Gold Mine for both hobbyists and those looking for a new consumer-level drone. Add to this the very reasonable prices of some NEW drone models and it completes the “special sauce” which 2018 is serving up.

Example One: New Drone RTF Bargain – DJI produced a compact model called the Spark which has capabilities that should satisfy many drone users. A complete kit, which was $699 when introduced a short time ago, is now down to $466. on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2Gf5Bx2

Example Two: Parrot New and Refurbs – Parrot missed out on a lot of the growth in the consumer drone market by focusing on their toy models…and not listening to consumers when it came to their higher-end camera drones. As a result they found themselves having to lay off a vast number of drone employees..and with quite a bit of stock of older models. Most of their current models can also be found at 1/2 or less of the original prices – BeBop 2, for example, as well as toy grade models. Older models are as low as 75% or more off their original prices! Techrabbit (via eBay) sells a refurished AR Drone for $49.99 – this is 90% off the original price – https://goo.gl/tMei6B

Parrot FPV BeBop 2 Kit

NOTE: Examples given are just that – examples – there are a mutitude of great deals at present but the buyer should know exactly what they are buying. Many of these bargains are suitable only for hobbyists…defined as those who may want to hack, modify or experiment with their drones. Others are fine for even the newbie drone pilot…but, again, please research the model(s) you are looking at and make certain your requirements are met.

Below are additional examples (links) to low priced models which might suit your fancy.

Parrot Swing Refurb – $21.99:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Parrot-Swing-Quadcopter-Camera-Drone-with-Plane-Mode/152926200054
Parrot Bebop (1) NEW – $159 (was $499 originally):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Parrot-Bebop-Quadcopter-Camera-Drone-14MP-Full-HD-1080p-Red-Black/182950826266
Yuneec Breeze – NEW $149. (introduced at about $500):
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Yuneec-Breeze-Drone-With-4K-Camera-Bluetooth-Controller-Included/902348798
Yuneec Typhoon H with RealSense $1149 (first introduced at $1899-$1999):
http://amzn.to/2FPcd7Q
DJI Spark $337 – New (introduced recently at $499):
http://amzn.to/2tJHNyR

Occassional Drone Bargains can also be found at:
https://dronesavings.com/

DJI maintains their own Refub page (DJI refurbs are also on eBay and Amazon at various times:
https://store.dji.com/refurbished?pbc=oUO3hPYG&pm=link&as=0005

The Future

Drone makers are going to have to come up with some tricks to make consumers flock to their new models. In the meanwhile, they are lowering prices and offering more for less in order to make room on the shelves for whatever might come next. The consumer is now in the drivers seat and it looks to stay that way for 2018. Happy Hunting!

Lykus Mavic Pro Bag – holds everything and more!

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We recently started using the Lykus bag (backpack OR shoulder or hand bag – universal o) and find that it holds much more than the Mavic Pro stock (Fly More) bag from DJI. Sure, the DJI bag is more compact so you might find yourself using both – the DJI bag when you do a quickie flight or two, but the Lykus when you are going out for the day or doing some traveling.

Unlike the DJI bag, this one easily holds all the chargers (car and AC) as well as lots of additional goodies you may have for your Mavic – stuff like antenna boosters, ND filters, and much more can fit into this case.

Please check out our video and pics below. An Amazon link to the bag is here.

 

Click to Enlarge Photos!

Click to Enlarge Photos

 

New Skydio American Made Drone advances the state-of-the-art

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Don’t get too excited – YET. But the first truly advanced American company to bring a 4K advanced camera drone to market announced their product this week (mid-Fed. 2017) and claim to be shipping in as little as 2-3 weeks.

With a large R&D team and a first class bundle of Silicon Valley (and other) investors, the Skydio drone does things that no other drone can – specifically, it has advanced follow-me which is claimed (by preliminary reviewers) to really work. We’re talking dodging branches, tree and anything else.

Sure – it is unlikely to sell many at $2499- BUT, the cost of production if a unit like this was made in large quantities could be quite low.

What do you think? Is this the beginning of a real USA effort to get into the consumer drone market?
https://www.skydio.com/

The model was designed and built by a top-notch team including former members of Google’s Project Wing. It is designed as a follow-me model…but uses more advanced technology to truly avoid obstacles, even at relatively high speeds. With 13 cameras and AI (artificial intelligence) borrowed from self-driving cars, this unit claims to have leapfrogged the existing market in terms of autonomy.

Our Initial Take

This is a serious effort undertaken over 4 years by a top-notch team and deep pocket investors. Still, at $2499 and with limited functions it is initially more of a demo of technology than a consumer drone that will sell by the millions. However, take $1K off the price (scale up production) and it could sell decently. Bring it down eventually to under 1K and it may fly off the shelves.

Of course, the usual question has to be asked. One can only imagine the CEO of DJI looking at this unit and immediately ordering a meeting of his design team to make sure them beat it….at 1/2 or less the price. In fact, I would be surprised if this meeting didn’t happen months ago (the insiders probably knew Skydio was working on this). A DJI similar model would certainly include a lot of their “kitchen sink” software and hardware such as an R/C controller to make for more use cases.

The above is, of course, pure speculation – but it is based on the past and on my knowledge of the way DJI works. They, so far, have refused to allow any other company to grab a decent share of the market.

On the other hand, is Skydio can move quickly and get the price down and make the unit more flexible, they will have a willing public as well as potential sales to the US Government, State Agencies and others who may desire to deal with an American company for sensitive sales and uses of the drone and technology.

However, the drone market is one of big numbers – Skydio cannot flourish unless they eventually sell 100’s of thousands of units per year. Perhaps their future is in merging with a larger company that has the resources to establish a true American consumer drone market.

In any case, congratulations to the Skydio Team for an amazing effort and initial product. We wish you success and would love to review a demo or production unit as soon as they are available.

For more info and demo videos, please see https://www.skydio.com/

DJI Introduces new Drones and More in NYC on Jan 23, 2017

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Want to be the first to order a Mavic Air – try this link – UNITS ARE NOW SHIPPING DIRECT FROM DJI.

As per the rumors, the release is called the Mavic Air and is very similar to the description below. It is smaller than any other system of it’s type – 1/2 the size of the Mavic Pro and weighs 41% less – yet it has the same (and many better) features.

21 Minutes of flight time – and a range of over 2 miles. Wind resistance has been improved – to 22 MPH. As first mentioned, this could be called a vastly improved Spark or a downsized Mavic Pro – with, of course, the extra features.
Price? Only $799 for the basic package including the R/C Controller, prop guards, single battery, etc.
For $999 you get 3 total batteries, a multi-charger, a case and some other accessories.
DJI claims that a number of accessories and add-ons will be available in the coming weeks.

100 mpbs 4K Video is included – this is a much higher rate (quality for video) than most other consumer drones. Panoramas are automatic – just the tap of a button to shoot a 32 MP Pano. An HDR setting is included.

The Camera and Gimbal are quite advanced – 8Gig of memory is built in, so if you forget your MicroSD card you can still take stills and video. The Camera has been improved and recessed back into the drone for extra protection.

Want to be the first to order a Mavic Air – try this link – delivery is in just a few short weeks.

Palm and Gesture control have been updated and are much more responsive.

The Mavic Air is shown below:

The New DJI Mavic Air

DJI sent us an invitation to a “launch” event which will feature the unveiling of some new products. Unfortunately, I will be at 39,000 feet in a real flying machine on that day – but DJI has promised to send along ALL the Press Material. In addition, we have many contacts within the industry who will be attending and sharing their opinions with us.

The rumored new machine is a cross between the Spark and the Mavic Pro. Specifically, it addresses the shortcomings of the Spark (Camera, short flight times) and improves on some aspects by being able to fold like the Mavic Pro. A more compact headset may be available which will not scare the neighbors as much as the older model.

So – if the rumors are true, what is being introduced is a Mavic Pro which is smaller, less expensive and perhaps has some additional features. Since the Mavic Pro is the best selling drone in history, this makes perfect sense..

See and/or order what has been introduced: Want to be the first to order a Mavic Air – try this link – The Mavic Air is shipping immediately from DJI direct.

Price: $799 with the R/C Controller and a single battery – $999 for a more complete package with extra batteries, a case, a multi-battery charger and more. This means you can now have a better, smaller and more capable Mavic Pro….for less than the cost of a Mavic Pro.

Range is given as 2.5 Miles – less than the original Mavic Pro. However, very few pilots use their craft out to this distance.

Note: For the initial shipments, the Mavic Air is available only through DJI Direct. By the end of February it should be at most outlets such as Best Buy, the Apple Store, Amazon, Etc.

Buyers should compare this with other models – it definitely is the most compact in terms of size and weight given the 4K high-res capabilities. However, the Mavic Pro has longer range and very similar image quality for most uses. Those needed better imaging should look at the Phantom Pro line with the 1″ Sony Sensor.

Is GoPro Karma (Drone) done for? Is this the end for the company?

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Some recent articles in business pubs and in SUAS News indicate that most of the “Drone Team” left at GoPro has been given their walking papers.

Bad Karma – GoPro to shutter drone division in February

A valid guess would be that Holiday Sales indicated there is no future in this dated product. This has been, of course, our prediction (guess?) all along due to the way GoPro went about creating and marketing this machine. Predictions were made for 100’s of millions in Revenue when the reality is probably 10% or less of that. Furthermore, reliability is coming into question….lots of crashes and “flyaways”. Our earlier article lays out much of the cas against the GoPro Karma.

GoPro stock has hit a new low – investors have now lost well over 90% of their money from the peak prices.

Karma was rumored to be based on the same basic code (Pixhawk) as the 3DR Solo). Although it’s not my favorite saying, when it comes to the “band of merry men” who make up the “3DR Crew”, many of whom worked also on Karma (and now are on to other ventures), it’s time to “stick a fork in it”. After all, it’s hard to imagine going to a job interview and explaining how your departments lost hundreds of millions of dollars….and then saying “hire me”. For whatever reason(s) the lack of organization, focus and capabilities, etc. has made this “open source” flight controller team into an evaporating force which is now trying to sell $150 toy quadcopters that break after a couple hours of flight. No doubt sooner or later someone will “get it”. On one hand they got rid of Colin Guinn, perhaps the largest exaggerator and therefore poorest marketer in the bunch. But the top management still remains – specifically Chris Andersen. If I were in his shoes I would just admit to myself “hey, I’m not a CEO, I’m not an engineer and I don’t know how to manufacturer”. He did fine as a writer and editor/[publisher and that might be a great place to fall back upon.

GoPro after Crash

Sooner or later I expect some decent stuff to come out of PX4 and those project – but, wow, by the time this happens we will be talking decades….not seasons or years. Also, it is unlikely that the stuff will have any features not already commercially available. Maybe Google can take over the project and make something of it??? [Read more…]