+sanshinron I'm not here to argue with you....or anyone else for that matter. We filmed this episode at the end of our week long road trip.... and I was admittedly trying anything at that point just to get it to turn on because it gave me and everyone else on the crew trouble the entire week. When we were in California with the guys from DJI, they confirmed that ours was broken…they literally tried it standing right in front of us. What more do you want me to say?
I'm not a pilot (RC or otherwise,) but I always enjoy the videos on this channel. Kudos to you guys for promoting such a positive, helpful, supportive community. Keep up the good work.
Too funny! Well at least you have something to get familiar with. If you are pretty confident with your Vision 2, you will have great success with the Inspire, no doubt. And thanks for watching! :)
The product aside, I wanted to let you guy know that this is the most well produced episode I have seen from you guys and I am so incredibly impressed by the production and every aspect of the video. I hope you consider doing more episodes in this format because this episode drew me in and I couldn't stop watching.
Nice work Eric. I almost ordered one just because I wanted to see if it to would work. Now I know and still want to play with one. Impressed with what it can do but man be a pilot first that is so true. Take time to learn this hobby you get so much more out of it.
Excellent review guys. About time someone stopped drooling & did some honest hard work to demonstrate the good AND the bad of this beast. Superb photography & awesome flight control. I expect to see Inspire footage in future flight videos!
Great episode. Glad you took took the impartial approach and chose to purchase before the review. I look forward to seeing more footage in future episodes, the stability is amazing!
Great video guys! Lot's of comments here about it not being worth $3,000. Having built and owned a handful of large, SLR carrying rigs. With all of the gimbals, chargers, flight controllers, frames, motors, Spektrum, Futaba, Taranis, systems I've owned, and mostly still own.. plus the cameras (Panasonic GH series stuff and GoPros). I know the real costs of any given rig I've had with all associated parts. $3k, and I don't have to do anything but fly and film? I'm sold. This is a time saver for me.
I think you are right. People also tend to forget the time they have to put into building one and all the learning about the technology they have to do before.
Well while that's true, have you thought about maintenance? Should you crash at any time, seriously or not, fixing this thing will be costly and time consuming - mostly on waiting for official repairs.
MaydayRC MaydayRC is correct also. In addition to that. DJI just bricked all DJI drones in Washington DC through a firmware update. While it makes some sense since drones are outlawed in DC, I wouldn't want mine bricked if states started all outlawing drones. Or if a paticular person had a drone and the government asked DJI to brick a specific persons drone, that is not a far fetched possibility. The threat of having your drone disabled really lessens the value even if the disabling does make sense for some reason.
Really love the fact that you guys want to give honest reviews - this day and age it's hard to just find something like that. Your integrity and passion for producing honest, real, and informative videos really is inspiring for a lot of folks, me included!
FliteTest Hey guys! Guys from Walkera have done their vision of DJI Inspire Сheck this out )) www.banggood.com/ru/Walkera-Voyager-3-Dual-Navigation-RC-Quadcopter-With-4K-Camera-RTF-p-964637.html?p=VC0202060926201206EZ Thanks for exellent video ! Greetings from Ukraine !!!
FliteTest You're welcome. I'm looking forward to your follow up video with the DIY route. For my money, that's what I'd do. Probably a Tarot carbon hex frame, Pixhawk control, DYS 3-axis gimbal with a Phobotic Centerpiece gimbal controller.
I agree, I really want to hate it too but I just cannot. Stupid, but I just may buy one this spring.... I really hate the price point though. It would also be great if they made one as a hex and around 800mm that you could use your own batteries.
Юра Янев Nice to see new things come to market, but I don't think the Voyager 3 had optical tracking, witch is what ( I think ) makes the Inspire so stable
I have been droning since AUG'16 (a veritable newbie!) and I have subscribed to 50 RUclips channels, most being drone-related... I'm catching up on old footage, and it seems that Flite Test is fast becoming my favorite channel! Thanks for your insight on such RELEVANT topics!
Is it me, or do the Inspire shots look kind of "jerky"? I don't know... maybe it has something to do with how the video was imported into the FT guys' editing suite. It's hard to imagine it looks like that straight out of the camera.
That's where I noticed it too. Panning shots like the one of the woman walking her dog. I didn't so much notice it in the woman herself, but in the landscape panning by. I am dying to know if it is in the source straight out of the camera, or if it got introduced in post.
I'm a inspector of aircraft maintenance here in columbus ohio, and a board member of Columbus Big Birds, you review is fantastic, I see before one of you guy's during winter in the Dome flying, and we like the way you build, even do we are a Giant Scale 3D club, we like electrics too. Nice job.
RCHacker I agree that's got big brother written all over it. but can some one tell me how can they do that. how often do you have to upgrade what if your out in the field ..
After watching this episodes you guys made me want a dji inspire 1 even more and I'm actually planning on buying one soon this video was great hope you guys keep making more videos like this I hope you guys keep using it and keep making more videos! You guys are awesome!
I think this is one of the best "real world" reviews that I have seen. It shows what one would go through if they were to buy this and fly out of the box. It gives a good view of what an amateur film maker would go through and shows the value of the quad since we are not all out there to make the next big movie.
Very interesting episode. It's amazing how many comments talk about the price of this unit most of the comments are negative! Eric mentioned he had more expensive multi rotors, Around the $10,000 mark, these would obviously be for caring the red camera or similar types of professional filming devices. The fact that this unit includes a 4K camera even though it doesn't have anything more than 60 frames per secondall the sensor technology and everything that goes into this, it is in my opinion worth every single penny. I hope flitetest follows through with the idea of building the same unit for cheaper I think then people will realize the value of this product as I doubt it can be done, I doubt it very much! But I would love to see it happen:-) Oh, and if I may ask you to spend more money and get the second transmitter so you can show us how well it works with one guy on camera and one guy I'm flying. As for the aerial photography suggestion I for one would love to see more information on that.
You could just use trainer mode on a transmitter with a lot of channels to allow a second system control a few of them. But yes, all the other stuff, especially the live HD view and sensors like the flow camera are not really standard in DIY builds. They probably will become that, but until then the Inspire has its price segment.
I hated it because as mentioned you can build your own to get similar footage at a much lower price without too much difficulty. But you have to give DJI credit its a very nice, original design and they've incorporated all the latest sensor technology. It just lacks a lidar. But that lockdown software issue would turn me off right from the start. The design is also very closed by that I mean its very difficult to modify or upgrade so you are tied into the configuration for the life of the aircraft. Also if I crashed it at this price point I'd be suicidal its way above what I could sensibly afford so flying it would be a very nerve wracking experience.
stewjw Thanks for the info. I thought the sonar wasn't that good when you get higher, so that's why you usually combine sonar and pressure sensors. I'm still going to look into the flow sensors :)
This was first episode with you guys and im so impressed witg how it was all put together. You should be on tv. Definite sub and looking forward to more great content.
Big thumb up for Eric! Born for flying multirotors ;) I trully think this aircraft is far away over priced but if you have a great business in aerial photography you will probably have a good return on invest very quickly! Thanks for sharing Flitest! Very good show :)
Agreed, most people will buy this as an investment of some sort and a small demographic will buy it as a "toy". It makes more sense for prosumers but it's on out of the question for a hobbiest. Especially considering the cost of other expensive "toys" (golf, motorcycles, ATVs, racing, cycling etc)
FliteTest love the fact that you will try to recreate some of the features of the DJI into a diy cost effective project ! this will be great fun to follow, and true to the FliteTest spirit! Great episode! and i hope for more of Eric in the future too :)
Well, im a builder too...and I estimate that DJI makes about a $1500 to $1800 profit off of this....I just calculated my build that runs a 4 cell with a parachte to the chime of around $900...and thats with the price of a dx8.and flies 17 min..so....you do the math....I do think this a great DJI multirotor though minus that price
Can't speak to their profit margins, but I think their goal was to design something in between their Phantom ($1,500ish) and their S900/S1000 ($10,000).
I didt see it from that angle....thats a good point, come to think of it...that seems to be the idea, building and marketing one that an in between model....I do have to agree with Josh on his projected opinion about not likeing that "firmware lockout" it has...I dont like that either...and looking foreward to the idea of developing a scratch model from this design...thats what we love to do when we design our own...we share the ideas. I do have to add, I have respect for them to actually purchase one, to see hands on....the pilot that flew this has some doors open that I only dream to have....I cant even get my aerial business off the ground here...so in the mean time, I shoot my videos and keep the never ending fun of adding new tech to these and upgrading and experimenting....mine are all solid, and well....as we know cheaper than this one and does the same thing....to put the price in another aspect, we all know begginers just want to get up there in the air..thats cool. If you do your research and thread observations you dont have to pay this much to get up in the air....things that ive seen and we all know...when ya buy something thtats allready built for you "turn key"...its gonna cost significantly more that the self design and build
Dash Melrose It really depends on what you are looking for. TL;DR at the bottom. If we take a look at the website, it tells us what some of the most obvious differences are: "The Mavic is smaller, lighter, and easier to carry with you thanks to its foldable design. Its new OcuSync transmission system has a longer transmission range and 1080p resolution. Due to its larger size, the Phantom 4 has a higher maximum speed and can withstand stronger winds." With that stated, let's take a look at the main things with more detail: *Pros of Mavic:* Obviously smaller, both the controller and the drone itself. Camera can be nicely manually focused on objects as close as 0.5 meters. Higher range. The FlightAutonomy feature was slightly improved (FlightAutonomy = avoiding hitting an object by either stopping or going around it; most users use it along with the "Follow me" feature.) Cheaper than the Phantom 4. The lower FOV might make the shots look more professional at times. (but the lower Fov might also be considered a con) Can fit through smaller spaces and can overall be maneuvered more easily for obvious reasons. *Cons of Mavic:* A 5-10% [percentage invented; could be more, could be less] worse camera all around. (Not a huge deal but is considerable if you want to squeeze out as much quality as you can) *Disclaimer for camera*: After seeing some footage from both drones, and being able to download raw files from people that have gotten the drone early, I've come to the conclusion that you can add very, *very* simple filters on the camera and get extremely similar results on the Mavic. (Although I still prefer the phantom 4 camera a bit more, just feels a bit more solid as an overall package; contrast, colors, low-light conditions and sharpness.) A bit slower due to smaller design. Camera is more exposed to hits if you have some sort of frontal crash. Less accessories, due to the obvious release date differences between the two. Controller's holder does not support bigger screens such as tablets or bigger ipads but can still be connected... just... not being held by the controller itself. Minor detail but worth mentioning. TL;DR: The mavic is smaller, camera is almost the same (some shots look better on the mavic and some look better on the phantom), it's cheaper, more range, and Obstacle Avoidance is better. If you don't care about the size, and you don't travel much, the Phantom might be better for you. I'm personally getting the Mavic, hands down, because everything is pretty much the same or better [camera and speeds are debatable] and I don't have to go through the hassle of transporting something the same size as my iPad and laptop. Conclusion: I recommend the Mavic.
I'd probably go P4 - it all just depends on when and where you want to fly it. You can get a backpack for the P4 (like I have with my P3) and you can take it anywhere, really. But if you want to lose a bit of quality for ultra-portability, choose the Mavic. P.S. aren't you like 11 years old? lol
Would be awesome to get a video on the initial setup and config of the camera to help those people just starting out. I like the emphasis flite test put on needing to learn how to fly and not solely relying on the autonomous features, which I feel has caused a lot of crashes due to inexperience behind the sticks.
I was glad to see that y'all did the norm for your review! I have always like your reviews and at first I thought that y'all were going to just throw rocks at the Inspire, not giving it a chance because it is turn key. The price has dropped by about a grand since the review, I am just glad that y'all maintained the integrity that has become common place with your reviews! I have flown the DJI Flamewheel 450 with no video, just line of sight fun flight, I am glad I had that experiences before buying the Inspire 1 V2.0, but was really surprised with how docile the Inspire 1 was in beginner mode. I started in beginner mode for 2 reasons the first of which was the 2,100.00 after taxes that I laid out for my inspire! Number 2 I went through some medical stuff that has had me out off the air for nearly 27 months. I am really happy with my purchase. I believe an adult beginner could pick up the Inspire and learn how to fly with it as long as they did not try and do anything fancy !!
I look forward to the DIY solution! They can't be doing anything magical here. Obviously that stability comes from gyros and accelerometers! No GPS is going to be that rock solid.
I think the secret is the combination of all the sensors. It has some new stuff that I didn't see before. For example the combined sonar / optical sensor on the bottom. In my head that optical sensor works like a computer mouse... ;)
Yes, it could be Parrot was on the right track technologically but the corners they cut on price doomed the product to its ultimate performance. I suspect an 8-bit processor doesn't have the power to poll and analyze the data from that many sensors fast enough to make timely flight responses. Maybe a naze32 could do it though.
The start up sequence is press then press and hold for 3 seconds for both controller and battery. And as to the part were you got hit, I had a bird attack and take out half of an entire prop and it still flew fine, a little jerky wobble but the fact it flew with half a prop until i landed made me amazed. I am loving this platform for aerial footage and been applying it more and more at work.
Comprehensive review alart! I'd love it if you would bring in an expert on every review, allthough simple planes would not really warrent that ;) Nevertheless: great review! Thanks for sharing. What do people think of the motors angled inwards slightly by-the-way??
shaz omr Just bought one yesterday. I was extremely skeptical and stressed out since I thought I couldn't let anyone else I know touch it because of the price BUT when I turned it on, I found out there was a beginner setting and also gps home landing/ auto safe landing. VERY VERY VERY happy with the purchase. If you ever do have the money for this, I highly recommend it.
Wesley Newsome Please tell me you plan on getting a smaller, less-assisted one. You need to know how to fly that thing with the training wheels off. 90% of the problems this hobby faces is people with too much money and not enough skill doing stupid things when the assists go wrong.
I really enjoyed this episode guys. Im deffenetly with josh. It looks like a very nice machine and its very well built, but i like the DIY aspect of the multirotor stuff. Cant wait for the designs you guys come out with.
Maybe it has something to do with which colours go where on airplanes, rather than the "red is the rear" you know from cars and trains. Not sure though.
Nicely balanced review guys, and great to see some awesome shots from Eric! I can't help but think that a lot of those shots were down to his skill and composition ability - get him on the show more!
Sponsored sponsored sponsored sponsored sponsored filtered truth sponsored sponsored sponsored sponsored few negatives to make this video look better sponsored sponsored sponsored mmmm all this money we are getting is great.
Peter J Sure.. as in buying any kind of brand product, you'll pay somehing for that 'privalige' (to be clear: I build / would build my own quad from scratch)
+1 on the "make a DIY version of it" idea! I was thinking exactly the same just before Josh mentioned it. Using configurations that work well is smart. Can't wait :)
Must agree! Best episode since some of David's stunning early air to air work. Josh really tweeked the interest level with the goal to produce "A poor man's version of the Inspire". Can't wait to see it.
Hi Josh, Eric and team just stumbled across your channel and to everyone involved, great video. I have not long purchased an inspire 1 so tracking down as much info on the photography side as I can and Eric has a way of explaining things in layman terms which novices can understand, thanks guys keep up the good work.
Guys. Great review. Thanks for suggesting to learn flying a quad copter on a cheap one before moving up to a more expensive one. The way DJI makes it look is that these these are really easy to fly. Keep up the great work!
To the guys at Flite Test...we love the work you do. We focus on providing multirotor service support and education so our customers understand how we repaired their systems, we even send out picture disks and custom pdf manuals specific to each customers repair. Our favorite part of this episode was both your guys mention of not suggesting to new pilots to go out and buy this unit as marketing and the false "comfort" zone provided by GPS and other Autonomous flight modes. We agree a hundred percent that development of pilot skill should first and foremost. Thanks for that and thanks for inspiring us. we love all you do, and hope you don't hate on us for our name when we like your photo's and posts of FB. There's carporn, and gunporn, As a company that supports custom builds and builders and promotes the building of multirotor over buying, some of the machines the talented people out there such as yourselves can create by by hand are such works of art to us..we could only think of one thing to call it. Thanks so much for what you do and hope to see you guys someday soon.
Damn Guys- Amazing vid. Way more than I expected from this product. What got me- at the end when Josh plans to share a DIY solution to matching this product...priceless. Can't wait Gents. Keep up the amazing videos.
Awesome episode flying the Inspire 1 !!! I would like to see more of Eric on the show and maybe doing some aerial photography tutorials with other DJI products, Eric has a lot of knowledge and an amazing portfolio about aerial photography. I really enjoyed watching the video of the Inspire 1 and I would purchase the Inspire if I had $4,000 to invest in an awesome quality aerial photography platform !!! Thanks for sharing !!! Josh and Eric enjoy and have a Blessed week !!! Danny
Wow that was really incredible guys, the control that this guy eric had over the RPAS was great to see. thanks im either going to by one these or a inspire 2
Awesome review! Real curious to see and look forward a DYI version of this. If I recall Chads Hex was locked in pretty good with the Naza when you guys had it in Cleavland for Kickin it with Kenny.
I have had my Inspire 1 for almost two years now. It is a flawless device, not a stunt unit but it takes amazing video and pics. I have quick lock props. It makes setup and storage much quicker. Update your firmware fella!!
This thing is simply gorgeous. I wish I had the money to get one for myself. I'd love to have a camera ship like this. And I love how the whole thing drops down to get the camera out of the view of the rotors.
First real and professionally-filmed review of the Inspire 1. Very well done! p.s. You have successfully increased my craving for the machine. Good bye wallet. :(
This is why I love Flite Test, the rep from the company wanted to 'demo' the machine (aka, biased review) but these guys said no, bought their own Inspire model, and tested it for us, the consumers. I doubt I'll ever drop $3000 on one machine, but the inspire is one step towards a new generation of UAV's and multirotor camera bases.
Hi. great review. I want to se a series on aerial video/photography with Eric with tips on how to set up the aircraft and the camera and what to think about when you fly.
Really nice review guys! This video definitely helped me make a decision... I don't understand why so many hate this unit? I'm convinced... I didn't want something cheesy... but also didn't want the TOP end... very much appreciated.
A very cool episode lads, thanks! Would love to see some more from Eric in relation to aerial photography from this and a platform more in line with Josh's budget criteria. Once again thanks!!
I was really surprised the first time I flew the DJI inspire I was surprised how stable it was. If you ever get lost just take your hands off the controls it will just stay in the same place. I do wish is was a little bit smaller. It is hard to keep the drone conceal before flight. This drone draws a big crowd for sure.
Great episode and review. Would definitely like Eric to have an episode or two sharing his wealth of knowledge on AP. Glad you guys are keeping it, maybe now you can get smoother aerial footage like back in the day with David W. not the shaky mini quad aerial video anymore
Really enjoyed watching this. A great insight into the Inspire. I've been thinking about which drone to buy and you've helped me choose. Many thanks and keep up the great work!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
No timing on the power button, push once than push and hold second time. There you go.
+Emilio D'Andrea Ours was broken....we had it to DJI and they confirmed it. So it wasn't us. :) In fact.....my P3Pro has never done this to me once.
+Eric Monroe Yeah right, we can see right there in the video that you were double tapping instead of tap and hold...
+sanshinron I'm not here to argue with you....or anyone else for that matter. We filmed this episode at the end of our week long road trip.... and I was admittedly trying anything at that point just to get it to turn on because it gave me and everyone else on the crew trouble the entire week. When we were in California with the guys from DJI, they confirmed that ours was broken…they literally tried it standing right in front of us. What more do you want me to say?
+sanshinron Stop being a bitch
+Eric Monroe maybe it was broken, but in the video you didn't do once the correct push and hold....
That was a fantastic Episode guys and you need to have Eric on the show way more often!! Loved it.
Agreed :) We love our Eric.
This episode actually ticked all the boxes for me personally. FANTASTIC job, genuinely enjoyed it and got some fantastic information from this.
FliteTest does he have a youtube channel or someting?
FliteTest does the inspire 1 have a mic? anyway. great video guys! as always
GranVlog WHY WOULD YOU WANT THE WIND NOISE?
I'm not a pilot (RC or otherwise,) but I always enjoy the videos on this channel. Kudos to you guys for promoting such a positive, helpful, supportive community. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for watching, Colin :)
The best Flite Test review ever! Loved every moment of it.
Eric - You rock!
Josh - Episodes just keep getting better and better!
Really awesome job guys! I'm sold on it.....after I just bought a Phantom 2 the week before this was debuted haha
Too funny! Well at least you have something to get familiar with. If you are pretty confident with your Vision 2, you will have great success with the Inspire, no doubt.
And thanks for watching! :)
***** Flight Test is Great Man, What did I tell you. ;)
The product aside, I wanted to let you guy know that this is the most well produced episode I have seen from you guys and I am so incredibly impressed by the production and every aspect of the video. I hope you consider doing more episodes in this format because this episode drew me in and I couldn't stop watching.
Nice work Eric. I almost ordered one just because I wanted to see if it to would work. Now I know and still want to play with one. Impressed with what it can do but man be a pilot first that is so true. Take time to learn this hobby you get so much more out of it.
Indeed sir! .....and thanks bro! When we gonna hangout again? You going to Joe Nall or SEFF?
Eric Monroe , you're awesome! Please hang out with FlightTest more. :)
Eric Monroe Nice work Eric. I really need to get the Tri in the air and practice but way to cold right now. Got frost bite last weekend flying.
Excellent review guys. About time someone stopped drooling & did some honest hard work to demonstrate the good AND the bad of this beast. Superb photography & awesome flight control. I expect to see Inspire footage in future flight videos!
Thanks for watching, I'm sure you'll see more footage in near future episodes :)
To turn it on you just push 1 short time and then hold it
marcel vth EXACTLY! Read the manual hahahah
+marcel vth I'm glad this is the second comment. When I saw that part I was like, "It's not that hard!!"
marcel vth I now that is so funny
Prove farlaine 43
Awesome... I love everything about this quad. If I could afford one or get the opportunity to own one I would in a heartbeat. Welcome back Eric.
Thank you sir! :)
freaking amazing drone, love the camera and the retracting gear struts
Thanks guys for all you do. Always a smile!
My god the air-to-air footage looks so GREAT from the inspire!
Great episode. Glad you took took the impartial approach and chose to purchase before the review. I look forward to seeing more footage in future episodes, the stability is amazing!
Great video guys! Lot's of comments here about it not being worth $3,000. Having built and owned a handful of large, SLR carrying rigs. With all of the gimbals, chargers, flight controllers, frames, motors, Spektrum, Futaba, Taranis, systems I've owned, and mostly still own.. plus the cameras (Panasonic GH series stuff and GoPros). I know the real costs of any given rig I've had with all associated parts. $3k, and I don't have to do anything but fly and film? I'm sold. This is a time saver for me.
I think you are right. People also tend to forget the time they have to put into building one and all the learning about the technology they have to do before.
Well said:)
Balu is correct.
Well while that's true, have you thought about maintenance? Should you crash at any time, seriously or not, fixing this thing will be costly and time consuming - mostly on waiting for official repairs.
MaydayRC MaydayRC is correct also. In addition to that. DJI just bricked all DJI drones in Washington DC through a firmware update. While it makes some sense since drones are outlawed in DC, I wouldn't want mine bricked if states started all outlawing drones. Or if a paticular person had a drone and the government asked DJI to brick a specific persons drone, that is not a far fetched possibility. The threat of having your drone disabled really lessens the value even if the disabling does make sense for some reason.
Really love the fact that you guys want to give honest reviews - this day and age it's hard to just find something like that. Your integrity and passion for producing honest, real, and informative videos really is inspiring for a lot of folks, me included!
I wanted to hate it but... I just don't. It looks awesome and works, from what I can tell, really well. Worth the price to me and would I buy it? No.
I think a lot of people will end up having an identical opinion as you. Thanks for watching :)
FliteTest Hey guys!
Guys from Walkera have done their vision of DJI Inspire
Сheck this out ))
www.banggood.com/ru/Walkera-Voyager-3-Dual-Navigation-RC-Quadcopter-With-4K-Camera-RTF-p-964637.html?p=VC0202060926201206EZ
Thanks for exellent video !
Greetings from Ukraine !!!
FliteTest You're welcome. I'm looking forward to your follow up video with the DIY route. For my money, that's what I'd do. Probably a Tarot carbon hex frame, Pixhawk control, DYS 3-axis gimbal with a Phobotic Centerpiece gimbal controller.
I agree, I really want to hate it too but I just cannot. Stupid, but I just may buy one this spring.... I really hate the price point though. It would also be great if they made one as a hex and around 800mm that you could use your own batteries.
Юра Янев Nice to see new things come to market, but I don't think the Voyager 3 had optical tracking, witch is what ( I think ) makes the Inspire so stable
I have been droning since AUG'16 (a veritable newbie!) and I have subscribed to 50 RUclips channels, most being drone-related... I'm catching up on old footage, and it seems that Flite Test is fast becoming my favorite channel! Thanks for your insight on such RELEVANT topics!
Is it me, or do the Inspire shots look kind of "jerky"? I don't know... maybe it has something to do with how the video was imported into the FT guys' editing suite. It's hard to imagine it looks like that straight out of the camera.
Probably Google fucking with you because your not using chrome and it was shot @ 60fps?
MrLunithy This video was uploaded at 30fps
You're right mate. Particularly panning shots.
That's where I noticed it too. Panning shots like the one of the woman walking her dog. I didn't so much notice it in the woman herself, but in the landscape panning by.
I am dying to know if it is in the source straight out of the camera, or if it got introduced in post.
Joshua Bardwell The framerate is really low I'm not sure what happened with that.
I'm a inspector of aircraft maintenance here in columbus ohio, and a board member of Columbus Big Birds, you review is fantastic, I see before one of you guy's during winter in the Dome flying, and we like the way you build, even do we are a Giant Scale 3D club, we like electrics too. Nice job.
Great episode. Although the fact that there is no control over firmware updates is a deal breaker.
I mean, really great episode :).
RCHacker I agree that's got big brother written all over it. but can some one tell me how can they do that. how often do you have to upgrade what if your out in the field ..
After watching this episodes you guys made me want a dji inspire 1 even more and I'm actually planning on buying one soon this video was great hope you guys keep making more videos like this I hope you guys keep using it and keep making more videos! You guys are awesome!
Is there a link to the DIY version of the Inspire 1 you mention in this video?
I think this is one of the best "real world" reviews that I have seen. It shows what one would go through if they were to buy this and fly out of the box. It gives a good view of what an amateur film maker would go through and shows the value of the quad since we are not all out there to make the next big movie.
Very interesting episode. It's amazing how many comments talk about the price of this unit most of the comments are negative! Eric mentioned he had more expensive multi rotors, Around the $10,000 mark, these would obviously be for caring the red camera or similar types of professional filming devices. The fact that this unit includes a 4K camera even though it doesn't have anything more than 60 frames per secondall the sensor technology and everything that goes into this, it is in my opinion worth every single penny.
I hope flitetest follows through with the idea of building the same unit for cheaper I think then people will realize the value of this product as I doubt it can be done, I doubt it very much! But I would love to see it happen:-)
Oh, and if I may ask you to spend more money and get the second transmitter so you can show us how well it works with one guy on camera and one guy I'm flying.
As for the aerial photography suggestion I for one would love to see more information on that.
You could just use trainer mode on a transmitter with a lot of channels to allow a second system control a few of them.
But yes, all the other stuff, especially the live HD view and sensors like the flow camera are not really standard in DIY builds. They probably will become that, but until then the Inspire has its price segment.
I hated it because as mentioned you can build your own to get similar footage at a much lower price without too much difficulty. But you have to give DJI credit its a very nice, original design and they've incorporated all the latest sensor technology. It just lacks a lidar. But that lockdown software issue would turn me off right from the start. The design is also very closed by that I mean its very difficult to modify or upgrade so you are tied into the configuration for the life of the aircraft. Also if I crashed it at this price point I'd be suicidal its way above what I could sensibly afford so flying it would be a very nerve wracking experience.
Balu
Arducopter supports flow sensors and you can buy them from Hobbyking. They only work unfortunately at very low altitiude ~7m.
stewjw Thanks for the info. I thought the sonar wasn't that good when you get higher, so that's why you usually combine sonar and pressure sensors. I'm still going to look into the flow sensors :)
Great video, awesome drone
loOol
Please do more aerial photography how-to specific content!
An AP tutorial video will be releasing in January yet.
Stay tuned. :)
This was first episode with you guys and im so impressed witg how it was all put together. You should be on tv. Definite sub and looking forward to more great content.
Where is Eric's Links? i dont see them in the Description?
Love the coverage guys! Bigs of the channel and would love to see more on the AP info front. Thanks for the top quality production as always!
Big thumb up for Eric!
Born for flying multirotors ;)
I trully think this aircraft is far away over priced but if you have a great business in aerial photography you will probably have a good return on invest very quickly!
Thanks for sharing Flitest! Very good show :)
Agreed, most people will buy this as an investment of some sort and a small demographic will buy it as a "toy". It makes more sense for prosumers but it's on out of the question for a hobbiest. Especially considering the cost of other expensive "toys" (golf, motorcycles, ATVs, racing, cycling etc)
FliteTest love the fact that you will try to recreate some of the features of the DJI into a diy cost effective project ! this will be great fun to follow, and true to the FliteTest spirit! Great episode! and i hope for more of Eric in the future too :)
The whole time I was thinking, please please, tell us how to make one. Then at the end, your going to tell us how to make one! awesome.
Yay 1 million views! Congrats Flite Test
Well, im a builder too...and I estimate that DJI makes about a $1500 to $1800 profit off of this....I just calculated my build that runs a 4 cell with a parachte to the chime of around $900...and thats with the price of a dx8.and flies 17 min..so....you do the math....I do think this a great DJI multirotor though minus that price
There's absolutely no way it costs them that much to produce
Right with ya pal
Can't speak to their profit margins, but I think their goal was to design something in between their Phantom ($1,500ish) and their S900/S1000 ($10,000).
I didt see it from that angle....thats a good point, come to think of it...that seems to be the idea, building and marketing one that an in between model....I do have to agree with Josh on his projected opinion about not likeing that "firmware lockout" it has...I dont like that either...and looking foreward to the idea of developing a scratch model from this design...thats what we love to do when we design our own...we share the ideas. I do have to add, I have respect for them to actually purchase one, to see hands on....the pilot that flew this has some doors open that I only dream to have....I cant even get my aerial business off the ground here...so in the mean time, I shoot my videos and keep the never ending fun of adding new tech to these and upgrading and experimenting....mine are all solid, and well....as we know cheaper than this one and does the same thing....to put the price in another aspect, we all know begginers just want to get up there in the air..thats cool. If you do your research and thread observations you dont have to pay this much to get up in the air....things that ive seen and we all know...when ya buy something thtats allready built for you "turn key"...its gonna cost significantly more that the self design and build
The cost must cover all the time and brain power to come up with such machine, imagine how long it must have taken just to do all the software!!
The "tripod in the sky" is what sold me here I'm saving up now awesome review btw 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🛰🛰🛰 can't wait!!!
What should I get the Dji mavic or the phantom 4
well the mavic is small and convenient but the phantom 4 is more durable and better quality camera
Dash Melrose It really depends on what you are looking for. TL;DR at the bottom.
If we take a look at the website, it tells us what some of the most obvious differences are: "The Mavic is smaller, lighter, and easier to carry with you thanks to its foldable design. Its new OcuSync transmission system has a longer transmission range and 1080p resolution. Due to its larger size, the Phantom 4 has a higher maximum speed and can withstand stronger winds."
With that stated, let's take a look at the main things with more detail:
*Pros of Mavic:*
Obviously smaller, both the controller and the drone itself.
Camera can be nicely manually focused on objects as close as 0.5 meters.
Higher range.
The FlightAutonomy feature was slightly improved (FlightAutonomy = avoiding hitting an object by either stopping or going around it; most users use it along with the "Follow me" feature.)
Cheaper than the Phantom 4.
The lower FOV might make the shots look more professional at times. (but the lower Fov might also be considered a con)
Can fit through smaller spaces and can overall be maneuvered more easily for obvious reasons.
*Cons of Mavic:*
A 5-10% [percentage invented; could be more, could be less] worse camera all around. (Not a huge deal but is considerable if you want to squeeze out as much quality as you can)
*Disclaimer for camera*: After seeing some footage from both drones, and being able to download raw files from people that have gotten the drone early, I've come to the conclusion that you can add very, *very* simple filters on the camera and get extremely similar results on the Mavic. (Although I still prefer the phantom 4 camera a bit more, just feels a bit more solid as an overall package; contrast, colors, low-light conditions and sharpness.)
A bit slower due to smaller design.
Camera is more exposed to hits if you have some sort of frontal crash.
Less accessories, due to the obvious release date differences between the two.
Controller's holder does not support bigger screens such as tablets or bigger ipads but can still be connected... just... not being held by the controller itself. Minor detail but worth mentioning.
TL;DR:
The mavic is smaller, camera is almost the same (some shots look better on the mavic and some look better on the phantom), it's cheaper, more range, and Obstacle Avoidance is better.
If you don't care about the size, and you don't travel much, the Phantom might be better for you.
I'm personally getting the Mavic, hands down, because everything is pretty much the same or better [camera and speeds are debatable] and I don't have to go through the hassle of transporting something the same size as my iPad and laptop.
Conclusion:
I recommend the Mavic.
If you are planning on travelling with the drone go the Mavic, otherwise the P4 is fantastic
Dash Melrose i mean in my opinion the mavic, because its cheaper and way more portable
I'd probably go P4 - it all just depends on when and where you want to fly it. You can get a backpack for the P4 (like I have with my P3) and you can take it anywhere, really. But if you want to lose a bit of quality for ultra-portability, choose the Mavic.
P.S. aren't you like 11 years old? lol
Would be awesome to get a video on the initial setup and config of the camera to help those people just starting out. I like the emphasis flite test put on needing to learn how to fly and not solely relying on the autonomous features, which I feel has caused a lot of crashes due to inexperience behind the sticks.
I don't know if I can watch this video of the guy couldn't figure out the button
I was glad to see that y'all did the norm for your review! I have always like your reviews and at first I thought that y'all were going to just throw rocks at the Inspire, not giving it a chance because it is turn key. The price has dropped by about a grand since the review, I am just glad that y'all maintained the integrity that has become common place with your reviews! I have flown the DJI Flamewheel 450 with no video, just line of sight fun flight, I am glad I had that experiences before buying the Inspire 1 V2.0, but was really surprised with how docile the Inspire 1 was in beginner mode. I started in beginner mode for 2 reasons the first of which was the 2,100.00 after taxes that I laid out for my inspire! Number 2 I went through some medical stuff that has had me out off the air for nearly 27 months. I am really happy with my purchase. I believe an adult beginner could pick up the Inspire and learn how to fly with it as long as they did not try and do anything fancy !!
I look forward to the DIY solution! They can't be doing anything magical here. Obviously that stability comes from gyros and accelerometers! No GPS is going to be that rock solid.
I think the secret is the combination of all the sensors. It has some new stuff that I didn't see before. For example the combined sonar / optical sensor on the bottom. In my head that optical sensor works like a computer mouse... ;)
The Parrot AR drone uses sonar and look-down camera too but it still doesn't hover like this.
Hugh Hemington I bet a 3k AR would.
Yes, it could be Parrot was on the right track technologically but the corners they cut on price doomed the product to its ultimate performance.
I suspect an 8-bit processor doesn't have the power to poll and analyze the data from that many sensors fast enough to make timely flight responses. Maybe a naze32 could do it though.
The start up sequence is press then press and hold for 3 seconds for both controller and battery. And as to the part were you got hit, I had a bird attack and take out half of an entire prop and it still flew fine, a little jerky wobble but the fact it flew with half a prop until i landed made me amazed. I am loving this platform for aerial footage and been applying it more and more at work.
Comprehensive review alart! I'd love it if you would bring in an expert on every review, allthough simple planes would not really warrent that ;)
Nevertheless: great review! Thanks for sharing.
What do people think of the motors angled inwards slightly by-the-way??
Eric, if you read this, "look! @ 10:39! thats my cord!" Great content, I look forward to more of you on the show!
Thanks for letting me borrow that cord! You rock! Super cool getting to hang out with you! Are you coming to Joe Nall?
I'd like to, just need to figure out logistics! I hope to make at least one day, maybe two.
What ever happened to Josh Scott? Anybody know?
listen to the podcast titled "catching up with josh scott"
Right on. Thanks for the tip.
lets put him on flying under the bridge duty on the inspire
parajared fpv lol
You guys do a lot of amazing work. I'm definitely more inspired to get into the hobby of flying now than I ever was before. Way to go!
If I had the money I would buy it
shaz omr Just bought one yesterday. I was extremely skeptical and stressed out since I thought I couldn't let anyone else I know touch it because of the price BUT when I turned it on, I found out there was a beginner setting and also gps home landing/ auto safe landing. VERY VERY VERY happy with the purchase.
If you ever do have the money for this, I highly recommend it.
Wesley Newsome Please tell me you plan on getting a smaller, less-assisted one. You need to know how to fly that thing with the training wheels off. 90% of the problems this hobby faces is people with too much money and not enough skill doing stupid things when the assists go wrong.
Me too seem like good fun
LookItsAdam Have flown drones (quads) and rc cars for years. Worries are for other beginners, not me.
+Jonia When every affiliated account is terminated/banned... I would say that is a very bad/stupid link.
I really enjoyed this episode guys. Im deffenetly with josh. It looks like a very nice machine and its very well built, but i like the DIY aspect of the multirotor stuff. Cant wait for the designs you guys come out with.
also, i would love to see more on the inspire.
Who thought that red lights at the front was a good idea? Green at the rear? Hmm...
You'll get used to it.
Maybe it has something to do with which colours go where on airplanes, rather than the "red is the rear" you know from cars and trains.
Not sure though.
Red=port, green=starboard... white an attention getter... just a bit surprised they'd gone for this configuration...
Nicely balanced review guys, and great to see some awesome shots from Eric! I can't help but think that a lot of those shots were down to his skill and composition ability - get him on the show more!
Sponsored sponsored sponsored sponsored sponsored filtered truth sponsored sponsored sponsored sponsored few negatives to make this video look better sponsored sponsored sponsored mmmm all this money we are getting is great.
+Kylorfo113 they said it wasn't sponsored and they bought it with there own money.
+Kylorfo113 and?So what? They showed you how the product works right?
+Kylorfo so because they like a product that means that it was sponsered.
I'm glad you kept it. Here's looking forward to better aerial shots of the action in the future!
far too expensive for what you get in return!
I agree.
Alex Zvada Don't forget the proximity sensororing.. Dual remote possibility. Development of the apps (more then one platform). (in short: I agree)
He forgot to mention the logo DJI that has to be $500
Peter J Sure.. as in buying any kind of brand product, you'll pay somehing for that 'privalige' (to be clear: I build / would build my own quad from scratch)
That's DJI though, it's like the Apple of the Multirotor world. Reasonable products, just way overpriced.
Amazing Bird and Pilot. Can't wait to see your DIY version.
Definitely want to see some more videos with Eric. He seems like he would be a wealth of information on quadcopters from a different perspective.
+1 on the "make a DIY version of it" idea!
I was thinking exactly the same just before Josh mentioned it.
Using configurations that work well is smart. Can't wait :)
Must agree! Best episode since some of David's stunning early air to air work. Josh really tweeked the interest level with the goal to produce "A poor man's version of the Inspire". Can't wait to see it.
Brilliant, entertaining review Guys. Both Josh and Eric come across as good blokes--No BS--Well presented.
Well Done.
Cheers.
Great episode! I am super excited to see what Josh comes up with for a cheaper option to this.
Hi Josh, Eric and team just stumbled across your channel and to everyone involved, great video.
I have not long purchased an inspire 1 so tracking down as much info on the photography side as I can and Eric has a way of explaining things in layman terms which novices can understand, thanks guys keep up the good work.
Great show guys, Most honest independent review of the DJI Inspire iv'e seen.
Really helpful tips and advice, asper usual...FliteTest Rocks!
That was such a fun video to sit back and enjoy ... made you feel like you were right there.
Guys. Great review. Thanks for suggesting to learn flying a quad copter on a cheap one before moving up to a more expensive one. The way DJI makes it look is that these these are really easy to fly. Keep up the great work!
Fantastic episode, guys! Thanks for all the information on DJI Inspire I.
Really looking forward to your DIY project. I was just about to build a tarot 680 for AP. But now I would hold off till I see your DIY. Can't wait.
Excellent episodes. Looking forward to more on the AP and especially the budget build episode. Great work guys!
To the guys at Flite Test...we love the work you do. We focus on providing multirotor service support and education so our customers understand how we repaired their systems, we even send out picture disks and custom pdf manuals specific to each customers repair. Our favorite part of this episode was both your guys mention of not suggesting to new pilots to go out and buy this unit as marketing and the false "comfort" zone provided by GPS and other Autonomous flight modes. We agree a hundred percent that development of pilot skill should first and foremost. Thanks for that and thanks for inspiring us. we love all you do, and hope you don't hate on us for our name when we like your photo's and posts of FB. There's carporn, and gunporn, As a company that supports custom builds and builders and promotes the building of multirotor over buying, some of the machines the talented people out there such as yourselves can create by by hand are such works of art to us..we could only think of one thing to call it. Thanks so much for what you do and hope to see you guys someday soon.
Loved dr1. Loved having Eric on FT.
Damn Guys- Amazing vid. Way more than I expected from this product. What got me- at the end when Josh plans to share a DIY solution to matching this product...priceless. Can't wait Gents. Keep up the amazing videos.
What is the $80 Nano you mentioned in the video just before 5:50 that would be a good to buy first and learn to fly?
Flite Test you guys are awesome! I love everything you do!
Great review guys. I would love to see more in-depth reviews of products like this!
Awesome episode flying the Inspire 1 !!! I would like to see more of Eric on the show and maybe doing some aerial photography tutorials with other DJI products, Eric has a lot of knowledge and an amazing portfolio about aerial photography. I really enjoyed watching the video of the Inspire 1 and I would purchase the Inspire if I had $4,000 to invest in an awesome quality aerial photography platform !!! Thanks for sharing !!! Josh and Eric enjoy and have a Blessed week !!! Danny
Nice review you guys! Great that eric is testing it due to his background. Thumbs up
Wow that was really incredible guys, the control that this guy eric had over the RPAS was great to see. thanks im either going to by one these or a inspire 2
OH man, what amazing visuals! I am spellbound!
Thanks guys.
I like the landing part at 15:42. I used too fly gas powered RC Air Planes. they are fun to fly.
I really enjoyed this episode. Great to see a real pro use the Inspire.
Awesome review! Real curious to see and look forward a DYI version of this. If I recall Chads Hex was locked in pretty good with the Naza when you guys had it in Cleavland for Kickin it with Kenny.
I have had my Inspire 1 for almost two years now. It is a flawless device, not a stunt unit but it takes amazing video and pics. I have quick lock props. It makes setup and storage much quicker. Update your firmware fella!!
This thing is simply gorgeous. I wish I had the money to get one for myself. I'd love to have a camera ship like this. And I love how the whole thing drops down to get the camera out of the view of the rotors.
First real and professionally-filmed review of the Inspire 1. Very well done!
p.s. You have successfully increased my craving for the machine. Good bye wallet. :(
Nicely done. Definitely changed my mind on the device. Amazing what something can look like when in the hands of a professional.
i think its so good you guys bought it on your own instead of forced to make a good review! 10/10 there!
This is why I love Flite Test, the rep from the company wanted to 'demo' the machine (aka, biased review) but these guys said no, bought their own Inspire model, and tested it for us, the consumers. I doubt I'll ever drop $3000 on one machine, but the inspire is one step towards a new generation of UAV's and multirotor camera bases.
Definitely want to see more on AP from Eric.
Hi. great review. I want to se a series on aerial video/photography with Eric with tips on how to set up the aircraft and the camera and what to think about when you fly.
Really nice review guys! This video definitely helped me make a decision... I don't understand why so many hate this unit? I'm convinced... I didn't want something cheesy... but also didn't want the TOP end... very much appreciated.
A very cool episode lads, thanks! Would love to see some more from Eric in relation to aerial photography from this and a platform more in line with Josh's budget criteria. Once again thanks!!
Really enjoyed this. Great detail in the video, especially at low light level. All we have to do is practice.
That Eric, just awesome! he can get some really good footage and that is a sweet drone! Love all of your episodes you guys rock!!
+Jones Music Thanks bro.....I try!
We are really loving our dji inspire! Great drone!
@ 9:35 is the horizon off or is that just a visual effect?
Definitely want to see more of what you guys can do with this!
I'm glad you guys like it. Its such an interesting looking rig. I hope that when DJI releases their next flight controller, the sonar is an option.
I was really surprised the first time I flew the DJI inspire I was surprised how stable it was. If you ever get lost just take your hands off the controls it will just stay in the same place. I do wish is was a little bit smaller. It is hard to keep the drone conceal before flight. This drone draws a big crowd for sure.
Awesome review , awesome in-depth videos , super awesome channel. Thanks guys
just bought one yesterday, its beautiful and amazing to work with
Awesome episode guys. I love your show!
Great episode and review. Would definitely like Eric to have an episode or two sharing his wealth of knowledge on AP. Glad you guys are keeping it, maybe now you can get smoother aerial footage like back in the day with David W. not the shaky mini quad aerial video anymore
Really enjoyed watching this. A great insight into the Inspire. I've been thinking about which drone to buy and you've helped me choose. Many thanks and keep up the great work!