Drones aren't easy to fly, which is why I avoided them for a long time.I was annoyed that I had to learn to be a pilotand play videographer at the same time. Thankfully, DJI’s $1,259 makes the whole process a lot smoother—and more fun.
First, the new drone ismuch easier to fly than its competitors. Even when I had itin 20 mph winds,it stayed level andtrackedon course, thanks to built-in GPS and gyro-based auto-stabilization. If you get flustered and let go of the controls,it'llhover in place. And when you’re ready for the thing to come home, just tap a button and it comes flying back.
The controller is also intuitive, even for beginners. Plus,there’s a flight-simulator app for Android/iOS devices that lets you practice with the controller before you send the toy into the air.
Then there's the Phantom 3 Professional's astonishing 1.2-mile range: you can both control the drone and stream video from that distance, which happens to bemore than you’ll ever need,because the FAA won't let youfly a drone farther than you can see. Ditto with altitude: the Phantom 3has a ceiling of 1,640 feet,but the FAA caps altitude at 400 feet.
The DJI’s true ace, however, is itsproprietary, built-in4K camera, which is gimbal-stabilized for buttery-smooth footageand chock-full of manual controls. I particularly liked that I could tilt the camera up and down for different perspectives, start andstop video as often as I liked, andfire off up to seven still frames (12.4 MP images) in one burst.
Now, controlling both the drone and the camera in manual mode is still difficult, although it gets easier with practice. But DJI updated its firmware to improve thePhantom 3's autopilot, letting you focus on getting thefootage: you can program the drone to follow you or you can set a predetermined path using GPS waypoints and have the drone follow that. You can also have the drone hover over a specific spot (say a route you're about to send).
Downsides?The camera struggled when moved quicklyfrom shade to sun andat night, when the footage gotgrainy.The drone's not exactly packable, either: in addition to the 2.8-pound 'copter (which doesn't disassemble easily),you’ve got to schlep along the controller andan iPad or smartphone.
It's got competition, too. Take the, which gives you unparalleledcontrol over the camera(you can tilt it in any directionand change shooting modes on the fly), has a max speed of55 mph (the Phantom 3 tops out at 36 mph),and works with the GoPro Hero4, which handlesrapid light changes much better than DJI's stock camera. It also costs $260 less, although in doesn't come with a camera.
Bottom line: Right now, andfor the price, we think the Phantom 3 Professional is the best option for amateur videographerswho want to shoot POV footage from a drone. You’ll need to spend some time getting to know this machine, but once have it down, it'll quickly elevate your footage.