Crystal sky pros and cons

[Bobvt]

Hello everyone, I'm looking into a bright monitor and am considering the crystal sky or the smart controller and would appreciate any and all good and bad experiences and preferences.
Thank you

 

[Former Member]

I prefer the CS over the SC.

DJI smart controller; my opinion

The concept of a smart controller for the Mavic 2 was a good one. DJI had already successfully integrated a display into the Phantom 4 pro plus controller which worked very well. It had its limitations but over all I think it was a benefit to have one. As good as it was, I still preferred to use...

mavicpilots.com

 

[Bobvt]

I prefer the CS over the SC.

DJI smart controller; my opinion

The concept of a smart controller for the Mavic 2 was a good one. DJI had already successfully integrated a display into the Phantom 4 pro plus controller which worked very well. It had its limitations but over all I think it was a benefit to have one. As good as it was, I still preferred to use...

mavicpilots.com

Thank you, I've actually been leaning toward the C's,the 1000 nits is going to be awesome

 

[AnzacJack]

I no longer use the 7.85 crystal sky after using it for more than a year, now I have the smart controller. I do prefer the bigger screen of the crystal sky, but the smart controller is so **** convenient. Smart controller definitely bright enough

 

[Former Member]

Thank you, I've actually been leaning toward the C's,the 1000 nits is going to be awesome

It will be. Wait till you see it.

 

[Porky]

I bought, well my wife bought me the 5.5 CS, absolutely love it. Now as it’s getting sunny here in the uk, it’s showing it’s true colour in direct sunlight. No need for a sun screen, well not for me anyway. The 1000nits on mine is ample for brightness, hate to think how good the top of the range 2000nits one is??

 

[kilomikebravo]

I prefer the CS over the SC.

Really, Rob? Can you tell us why? I thought I had it all figured out waiting for a few more firmware updates to the SC before snagging one.

 

[Paul2660]

From the specs, the high bright CS and screen on the smart controller should be the same 1000 nits. The ultra bright CS is 2000 nits. However it has had a lot of QA issues, mainly burn outs. I had the 2000 nit screen but after 3 or 4 uses, it started to dim on the left side and send it back. I have had the 1000 nit over 1 year and so far no problems hardware wise. Also with the latest CS firmware, the DJIgo4 app seems to be considerably more stable, less video hangs or glitches. Not sure if this is the CS firmware or newer version of DJIgo4.

I have the 7.85 CS, love the size, not the weight. You can easily run one full day on one battery.

CS allows you to still see the basic display on the Mavic controller, the way I mount the screen, it slightly blocks the controller display, with slight movement you can see it.

CS screen to me has a reflection issue, as it's just like a iPhone screen in bright light, due to the glossy finish. For some reason, I am not seeing as much of this with the smart controller screen.

Smart controller screen seems a bit sharper, but I figure it's due to the high resolution on a much smaller screen.

I use a stylus on the Smart controller screen to make adjustments to the settings, as my fingers tend to hit the wrong icons. Fine tip smart phone, iPad screen stylus works great and is easy to hand hold.

So far no range issues with Smart Controller, I am not looking for huge range, so for what I do, no issues. It's smaller, lighter and as already mentioned you just turn it on, and wait a few seconds and you are ready to fly. No time needed to assemble the CS and the device you have to use it with your controller. So far the battery life on the Smart controller seems to be excellent.

Only issue I have with both, is the grid lines (which I use all the time to line up manual panos and multi stitched images for larger output resolution) which don't seem to show up as well. They are pretty faint on the smart controller, and just a bit easier to see on the CS. On the iPad I used to use, they are much easier to see.

Paul C

 

[kilomikebravo]

Paul: A most excellent comparison of the pros and cons and unless I read it incorrectly, it sounds like you are quite happy with the SC.

 

[Paul2660]

Yes. I was skeptical at first on the smart controller. But I have made quite a few flights now and tech is very solid. Once I figured out how to get AFC to turn off!!

I miss the backup 2nd small screen but overall like the setup.

Other point I forgot is weight. The smart C is a perfect weight at least for me. And ergonomics on it well thought out. You can easily hold it vertical or horizontal and not get at tired in the arms as with a 7.5 CS, mount, and controller.

I have yet to try linking it to my P4 vr 2.0 but it should as that drone is occusync 2 also.

Paul C

 

[JAW]

I call my 7.85 Ultrabright the Seniors Solution to small screens and bright sunlight. I tried an iPad mini and found it too small and barely acceptable in bright sun.

I've learned to live with the poor touch screen response in the upper left corner which is not present in all apps, so it might be a software issue with the offending apps. Unfortunatel, GO4 is one of those apps.

And for the life of me, I don't understand why DJI put both holes for the neck strap on one side. Totally useless.

 

[Dave A]

I have been using my 5.5" CS for about a year now with no problems. Main advantage of the CS over phones and tablets is the ability to easily see the screen in bright afternoon sunshine. It's amazing actually. It also runs for 5+ hrs on a single charge. I don't have a Smart Controller so can't compare the ergonomics but I hear the screen is very similar to the CS.

The 2000 nit Ultrabright CS has had some burn out issues but the 5.5" and 7.85" 1000 nit units have been pretty solid units. And actually I can't see why I would need anything brighter than the 1000 nit CS because viewing it in bright sun is so easy.

 

[Porky]

I call my 7.85 Ultrabright the Seniors Solution to small screens and bright sunlight. I tried an iPad mini and found it too small and barely acceptable in bright sun.

I've learned to live with the poor touch screen response in the upper left corner which is not present in all apps, so it might be a software issue with the offending apps. Unfortunatel, GO4 is one of those apps.

And for the life of me, I don't understand why DJI put both holes for the neck strap on one side. Totally useless.

I have been using my 5.5" CS for about a year now with no problems. Main advantage of the CS over phones and tablets is the ability to easily see the screen in bright afternoon sunshine. It's amazing actually. It also runs for 5+ hrs on a single charge. I don't have a Smart Controller so can't compare the ergonomics but I hear the screen is very similar to the CS.

The 2000 nit Ultrabright CS has had some burn out issues but the 5.5" and 7.85" 1000 nit units have been pretty solid units. And actually I can't see why I would need anything brighter than the 1000 nit CS because viewing it in bright sun is so easy.

I couldn’t agree more with both your comments regarding the CS. Cracking monitor but going by other people’s remarks, so is the SC. I’ll definitely be sticking with my CS until for some reason it malfunctions? then I think I’ll buy another one? the 5.5 size is ideal for my purpose.

 

[bronze661]

Con- you cannot upload apps to the CS, correct? Like Litchi.

 

[Thomas B]

Love the idea of the SC. As soon as it’s available in 7.85” I’ll get one, but til then the CS works great and I can see it more easily when shifting vision from my drone to the controller and vice-versa.

 

[m0j0]

I think I would prefer the CS because it has the removable battery and works with any bird. My only hangup is it's old tech. I am concerned that the life of that display could be coming to an end. Like my mini 2 and Go 4.