This is the best option on a lower budget, especially with locations who already own a GoPro Hero 4 – Black or Silver. To make the most of the drone you would want the Black edition, able to shoot 4k @ 30fps or 2.7k @ 60fps. Our biggest concern with the 3DR solo is a lack of continued support on the commercial side, as 3DR is now only after enterprise site scan solutions. They will however still honor the manufacturer warranty. The available drone packages include a gimbal either installed or for you to install and this is a must. The gimbal is incredibly smooth and controls for it feel easy and intuitive. You can set to gimbal angles for your shot and a duration between angles to let the camera move itself while you fly the desired shot. This drone does not have sensors of any kind to prevent crashing. I repeat it has no sensors and must be flown line of sight to avoid obstacles. Battery life is around 20-22 minutes depending on conditions. Indoor flight in full manual (no GPS assistance) is smooth and easy with this quad-copter without worrying GPS will kick in and send your drone crashing into a wall. For outdoor flight, you may have your propellers make their way into frame when the gimbal is at its highest point. Some of the smart features on the Solo have yet to be rivaled on the other DJI quad’s I have flown. The Orbit works fantastic with adjustable speed, altitude, and free look while it flies for you. The cable cam is by far the best feature offered. It allows you to set up multiple points of your shot by flying to those points and setting GPS location as well as altitude and camera angle. This can be set to as many points as needed and flown automatically by the drone at a speed of your choice, or flown along the path at variable speed with one joystick control. This drone does have an HDMI from the controller but the signal is 720p and not quite a full 30fps – still capable of live shots though. For the screen / app control you can use either a phone or tablet up to an iPad mini size. Propellers are self-tightening and easy to install and remove. The package comes in at a very low price between $300 – $400 assuming you already have the GoPro. Batteries can also be purchased at much lower prices between Best Buy and Amazon. One modification worth making is installing a GPS shield to lock in more satellites, faster.
3DR Solo Drone Review (Professional User Perspective)
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