Polar Pro Katana?

[nicoloks]

Just wondering if anyone was using the Polar Pro Katana?

Looks like a great & simple option for using the Mavic for ground based video using the Mavic's inbuilt stabilization. Not sure about the $50 price tag though, but would definitely fit in my camera bag.

One question. The Phantom 3 series are prone to component burnout if the drone is left on for extended periods of time without the rotors / movement providing cooling. Does the Mavic have the same issue? Are you putting your Mavic at risk by using it just as a straight camera?

 

[PolarPro]

Just wondering if anyone was using the Polar Pro Katana?

Looks like a great & simple option for using the Mavic for ground based video using the Mavic's inbuilt stabilization. Not sure about the $50 price tag though, but would definitely fit in my camera bag.

One question. The Phantom 3 series are prone to component burnout if the drone is left on for extended periods of time without the rotors / movement providing cooling. Does the Mavic have the same issue? Are you putting your Mavic at risk by using it just as a straight camera?

There probably will not be any hands on reviews until we start shipping next week but personally I have been using it and it provides a great platform to capture precise ground shots. Of course I like it, but I think a lot of others will too, it opens up a lot of creative possibilities with the Mavic.

The amount of power the Mavic uses on the ground is very minimal, and there are internal fans in the Mavic to keep it cool. It still gets warm, just like any battery device does, but the camera itself does not pull a lot of power at all, I have had up to 1.5 hr long battery life with using it as a ground cam.

For those who don't know what the Katana is:
Katana - DJI Mavic Tray

-Jeff from PolarPro

 

[Bunny Too]

There probably will not be any hands on reviews until we start shipping next week but personally I have been using it and it provides a great platform to capture precise ground shots. Of course I like it, but I think a lot of others will too, it opens up a lot of creative possibilities with the Mavic.

The amount of power the Mavic uses on the ground is very minimal, and there are internal fans in the Mavic to keep it cool. It still gets warm, just like any battery device does, but the camera itself does not pull a lot of power at all, I have had up to 1.5 hr long battery life with using it as a ground cam.

For those who don't know what the Katana is:
Katana - DJI Mavic Tray

-Jeff from PolarPro

Clever Idea.

 

[Mickeyboo]

How about posting some video samples shot with the device? I see you just have some stills of the device but nothing generated by it.
Thanks in advance

 

[PolarPro]

How about posting some video samples shot with the device? I see you just have some stills of the device but nothing generated by it.
Thanks in advance

Yah the product video is in final editing right now, it should be live within a couple days

-Jeff from PolarPro

 

[Lightsout]

The question of using the Mavic as a hand held was posed to DJI engineers in the early release days, however they came back and said that the gimbal is not designed for hand held use and will be sub par compared to gimbals designed for hand held. It is fine as a stationary camera but not for walking to typical handheld movements. Save your money and buy the Osmo Mobile

 

[PolarPro]

The question of using the Mavic as a hand held was posed to DJI engineers in the early release days, however they came back and said that the gimbal is not designed for hand held use and will be sub par compared to gimbals designed for hand held. It is fine as a stationary camera but not for walking to typical handheld movements. Save your money and buy the Osmo Mobile

There are many gimbals and cameras that will perform better than the Mavic as a ground cam, This Tray allows you to use your Mavic and get some great creative ground shots for $50. The other thing I like about this is when I travel, I only have to bring the Mavic, and the Mavic Batteries. I don't have to worry about bringing my Osmo, A7S, Ronin, and Mavic, and deal with battery management on all of them.

You are absolutely correct that you can spend $300 on the Osmo, you could also spend $3000 on the Ronin + A7S, the Katana just provides another option for you to use the Mavic as a ground cam if you want to.

-Jeff from PolarPro

 

[Lightsout]

There are many gimbals and cameras that will perform better than the Mavic as a ground cam, This Tray allows you to use your Mavic and get some great creative ground shots for $50. The other thing I like about this is when I travel, I only have to bring the Mavic, and the Mavic Batteries. I don't have to worry about bringing my Osmo, A7S, Ronin, and Mavic, and deal with battery management on all of them.

You are absolutely correct that you can spend $300 on the Osmo, you could also spend $3000 on the Ronin + A7S, the Katana just provides another option for you to use the Mavic as a ground cam if you want to.

-Jeff from PolarPro

Since the Gimbal is not optimized for walking and hand movements, you could just use your phone with no additional cost (assuming you have a decent phone). I have an osmo+ while in Mexico we were staying on a island where you used Golf carts to get around, when my 3 batteries for the osmo were dead I tried the MP while driving and shooting video, it was not great and about the same as my Iphone 7 in terms of quality and shake.

My Point is I am not saying it is a bad idea but the right expectations should be established by the seller. I really investigated this as and I was a early adopter of the MP (Late Oct) I was going to make a handle like yours, however DJI warned me that the gimbal issues for hand held use wan not very good (this was not only investigated by me but many others found the same results). so I abandoned that idea and bought the osmo+. Even the Osmo + is just OK as you need additional accessories to get a good smooth hand held video.

Look I really wanted the MP to work as a hand help especially for the battery time.

Whats next the Mavic pro selfie stick...

 

[Bunny Too]

There are many gimbals and cameras that will perform better than the Mavic as a ground cam, This Tray allows you to use your Mavic and get some great creative ground shots for $50. The other thing I like about this is when I travel, I only have to bring the Mavic, and the Mavic Batteries. I don't have to worry about bringing my Osmo, A7S, Ronin, and Mavic, and deal with battery management on all of them.

You are absolutely correct that you can spend $300 on the Osmo, you could also spend $3000 on the Ronin + A7S, the Katana just provides another option for you to use the Mavic as a ground cam if you want to.

-Jeff from PolarPro

Remember the shakey cam from evil dead? A camera screwed to the center of a 2x4 with a grip on each end.

 

[PolarPro]

Since the Gimbal is not optimized for walking and hand movements, you could just use your phone with no additional cost (assuming you have a decent phone). I have an osmo+ while in Mexico we were staying on a island where you used Golf carts to get around, when my 3 batteries for the osmo were dead I tried the MP while driving and shooting video, it was not great and about the same as my Iphone 7 in terms of quality and shake.

My Point is I am not saying it is a bad idea but the right expectations should be established by the seller. I really investigated this as and I was a early adopter of the MP (Late Oct) I was going to make a handle like yours, however DJI warned me that the gimbal issues for hand held use wan not very good (this was not only investigated by me but many others found the same results). so I abandoned that idea and bought the osmo+. Even the Osmo + is just OK as you need additional accessories to get a good smooth hand held video.

Look I really wanted the MP to work as a hand help especially for the battery time.

Whats next the Mavic pro selfie stick...

Its all personal preference, we made this product because we wanted it ourselves. We were pleased with the results it provides, and decided to tool it up. I think it will unlock a lot of creative things people can do with their Mavics, and that it will help a lot of people capture some new creative angles with their Mavic.

Keep an open mind and maybe you will in fact be able to use the Mavic as a hand held some of the time

I don't think any of our employees would use a selfie stick for the Mavic so you wont see that product from us

-Jeff

 

[PolarPro]

How about posting some video samples shot with the device? I see you just have some stills of the device but nothing generated by it.
Thanks in advance

Here are a few shots we put together, there are many other shots / styles you can use the Katana for:

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[nicoloks]

Thanks Jeff, I went ahead and ordered one anyway along with a set of Vivid filters. Shipping costs to Aus are pretty steep so didn't want to have to double up on that.

The stability/smoothness in that video is about what I was expecting really. Certainly better options for stabilised hand-held video I'd think if stabilisation was of paramount importance.

I see this as sort of similar to the P4 Pro Vs Mavic decision. I was very close a couple of times to going that route over the Mavic for the camera, however assessing my current situation (i.e young kids) I need my kit to be concise, portable and cost effective as possible. I just don't have time or space to be carrying multiple devices let alone swapping them out based on the specific situation. I can potentially see the Katana being really handy for doing something like ground based shots while hiking and quickly swapping to drone mode to get some aerials and back again. Best camera being the one you have with you and all that.

Anyway, will see how it goes when it arrives tomorrow.....Opps, I mean 3 or 4 weeks (stupid standard shipping).

 

[PolarPro]

Thanks Jeff, I went ahead and ordered one anyway along with a set of Vivid filters. Shipping costs to Aus are pretty steep so didn't want to have to double up on that.

The stability/smoothness in that video is about what I was expecting really. Certainly better options for stabilised hand-held video I'd think if stabilisation was of paramount importance.

I see this as sort of similar to the P4 Pro Vs Mavic decision. I was very close a couple of times to going that route over the Mavic for the camera, however assessing my current situation (i.e young kids) I need my kit to be concise, portable and cost effective as possible. I just don't have time or space to be carrying multiple devices let alone swapping them out based on the specific situation. I can potentially see the Katana being really handy for doing something like ground based shots while hiking and quickly swapping to drone mode to get some aerials and back again. Best camera being the one you have with you and all that.

Anyway, will see how it goes when it arrives tomorrow.....Opps, I mean 3 or 4 weeks (stupid standard shipping).

Awesome thank you very much for the support, and that is exactly what it was intended for.
Use your Mavic to get some ground shots, get some aerial shots, and only worry about managing one camera.

-Jeff

 

[iSkyShots]

Just ordered one today. Will advise when I test it for a luxury Real Estate shoot.

 

[bill1992]

Absolutely devastated this has only just come out! I've been using the mavic handheld for a little while and although it's far from perfect, it does allow for very simple quick close ups to be better than a shakey phone camera, in my opinion. I would have got this. Unfortunately I have just endeavored to make my own using a standard dslr rig. Awaiting its delivery (Australia) currently. Timing is everything sometimes [emoji17]

 

[Spanishcop]

Interesting but why not use a GoPro or something like your iPhone for this kind of shooting?

No disrespect toward Jeff or PolarPro... I have their Cinema Series Lens and love it.

As delicate as the Gimbal seems to be on our Mavic... I don't think I would be using it in this manner as they picture on the site.

The Mavic is a quadcopter/drone and not so much a handheld video camera in my opinion. Of course to each their own... Some people may find this purpose useful, but then we hear Rants on here why their Mavic doesn't work and complain about having to send it in for repair when it wasn't used for the purpose it was designed to be used for.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Lightsout]

Be nice to see some real action like normal walking. or extended movement shots. as the shooter in the video is always in a body gimbal position like you would shoot with a non gimbal camera.

My biggest concern is the heat as mentioned by the OP. Heat is the #1 killer of electronics and the MP is no exception, yes it has a fan however you should assume that the heat sinks and thermal management of the MP assumes flight and natural cooling along with the fan cooling. I would contact DJI and confirm that this use would not void the warranty. maybe Polar pro can confirm the MP warranty when using the MP and a hand held camera. if Polar Pro has not had the thumbs up (MP use as a hand held for battery duration) from DJI I, that would not be good.
.
So here is the question for Polar Pro, Has DJI authroized the use of the MP as a hand held camera that can be used for the duration of a full battery? I say full battery since you alluded to the filming time

Heat damage to electronics is often a slow cancerous effect, if indeed there is heat damage to the electronics for prolonged non flight use that $50 does not sound as attractive vs buying a gimbal camera that does not have these issues,

One could argue that if the heat casued a problem DJI would not have to know if it was used as a hand held, however if the failure event that the heat may have slowley cause may not show it self till a flight one day, and who knows what can happen in that senario, Fly away, crash???

 

[sirrraj]

This is what Blade Strike says on RCGroups about the heat issues, hope this helps.

Official DJI Mavic ***Owner and Developer'sThread*** - Page 1761 - RC Groups

 

[Lightsout]

That is far from a conclusive endorsment. Look anytime electronics get to the point of shut down due to heat, some level of damage or shortened life has occured,
As with ALL electronics, operating temperatures govern the life of the electronic components. I also believe he is not speaking on behalf of DJI as I do not thing that DJI's engineers would say "Do not worry too much" so does that mean you should worry a little? Again this should be qualified by DJI directly in writing, not to much to ask just to be safe.

 

[Zoso]

Interesting , have to wait for a few gizmo purchasing fanatics and what their reviews are but personally does not make sense when your cameras right there on your phone. And if I drop my phone it's one third of the cost if I drop my mavic !