Recent content by Robert Prior

Following on to this… I would make a scouting flight and note the altitude of any buildings I was planning on flying over, then ensure that I was safely higher than that so I didn't have to worry about it. Especially if I was planning on flying sideways/backwards for some shots, or doing tilt...

Working my way through last fall's trip to BC. Gibsons is a nice place to fly: scenic, lots of open space to take off/land, people are curious not uptight, and no airport or seaplane dock so no air traffic to worry about. (At least, I've never seen or heard a low-flying plane there.) Larger...

I have a Mavic Mini and a Mini 3 Pro, as well as a Mavic 2 Pro. I hardly use the original Mini now because it gets pushed around by relatively light winds, but I'm very happy with the Mini 3. The Mini 3 is slightly less steady than the Mavic 2 in gusty wind, but handles steady winds well.

I let PTGUI generate file with the zenith left blank, then in Affinity Photo I flood-fill it with a colours of sky adjacent to it, use the Equirectangular projection to look straight up and use the inpainting tool to smooth out the area. If you're looking for free stitching software, try...

Thanks. Right time, right place. Unlike the aurora, where I was in an area solidly socked in (and too tired to drive several hours to maybe get clear skies). Last night was supposed to clear up, but did it? Grrrrr.

My sister can't handle IMAX because of that. She'd mountain rescue qualified (even though she hates heights) as a paramedic, but seeing motion without feeling motion throws her for a loop. It's apparently not that uncommon with VR — this article says between 22 and 80 percent of people may...

At that price point I'd be inclined to go with new, and spring a bit more for DJI Refresh in case of crashes. Especially if the grands/great-grands are old enough to want to try flying!

Slowly clearing my backlog. Here's a panorama of the view from above Burr Park from last fall. Larger version here: https://www.360cities.net/image/foggy-sunrise-over-richmond-hill-ontario-arran-lut

I'd go with a new drone, just to avoid hassles. With the added DJI insurance. One of the Mini line-up would do you nicely. The sideways obstacle avoidance on the 4 is nice to have (because many great video shots require flying sideways) but remember that obstacle avoidance is a backup to...

Welcome. Looking forward to seeing your posts of pictures and videos. I was in Iceland in 2019 and loved it (and want to go back someday, because I only saw a little bit of the island). Absolutely beautiful country.

Personally if I was flying over water I wouldn't take the chance on a reconditioned battery. Maybe I'm overly cautious, but saving a few dollars and risking losing the whole aircraft seems like false economy.

That's still around — my grandniblings have it (bought new, not inherited) and use it.

360cities still works and is free. https://www.360cities.net Flickr can display 360 panoramas as well. https://www.flickr.com

Checking props is on my pre-trip checklist, along with checking batteries, making certain that a card is in the drone, and so on. I also check before a flight, but I figure an extra check at home when I'm not eager to get in the air doesn't hurt. (And it's much easier to change a prop at home...

I mentioned panic because the article I read about the drone in Vancouver was basically panicking about it. "Oh noes, a drone, whatever are they doing? My privacy is being violated! Oh, the outrage!" Which is why I wish I could find the article, because my flippancy was a reaction to its tone...