Home Inspector buying Pro 2 or Zoom

[sar104]

You don't need zoom. Go with the better camera.

Zooming destroys perspective; that will flatten what you see. Flying the drone up close will give you a better, clearer image (or photo or video).

Zoom is for when you can't get close (or for a specific cinematic effect). Any reason you won't be able to just fly right up to the roof?

If you can get close, get the Pro.

But to be fair - you can also use the zoom unzoomed and fly in close. I think the argument is that it allows more flexibility when needed, and that 20 Mpx is not really need for inspection photos.

 

[Dan C]

...I think the argument is that it allows more flexibility when needed...

First rule of photography, move your feet first. Zoom if you have to, or if you want that flattened effect.

A device that can freely move in 3D should rarely, if ever, in my humble opinion, require a zoom lens.

The only reason I can see someone wanting a zoom is to get a closeup while keeping the drone at a distance. Now, I can see a legitimate (non-lascivious) use here. I want to use my Mavic Air for an interview-style function, when I'm walking with someone and recording our voices, while the drone hovers along in front of us capturing the footage.

My microphone drops the sound of the drone at about 15 meters, but at times I'd like the drone to be closer. A zoom would be nice for this purpose.

But that's a very specific vlogging requirement. And I can work around it easily.

As I said, the "need for zoom" is hard to justify for a drone. But the OP will buy what he wants, in the end. Either drone will do just fine, or even an Air would be awesome and cheaper.

So I'm throwing out an argument to give him something to think about.

In the end, it's all about preference, really.

 

[The Editor]

Hello there everyone, I am a home/building inspector and am buying a drone for work (and a little bit of fun). Mostly I will being using this drone for roofs that I can not get on. Zoom has the zoom feature which would be nice for finding little details but I’ve read the pro 2 has a better picture because of the camera which is also very important. Just wondering what your thoughts are on which I should get?

Since this is an International forum and you do not say where on Earth you will be using your UAV.
If you are UK based you will need PfCO to undertake any kind of commercial operations both for legal and insurance purposes. The same is true with the Part 107 for the USA.

Edit: Looks like you are in Colorado USA - so 107 would be applicable.

 

[Forensics_Pilot]

The answer to your question should be driven by the priority placed on any type of inspection that you may conduct: choose resolution over all other secondary features. For a well focused photo, your photo software should allow a high-res photo to be enlarged to as much as 35%, revealing details that you never imagined. Having been in the forensics engineering business for well over 35 years, I would suggest you seriously consider the M2P with the higher resolution camera. Good luck with your business.

 

[kwilliams6045]

Do you fly under the part 107 for these inspections? I know many ppl do use drones for these types of jobs without them. Some ppl don’t even realize they need the Remote Pilot rating but I never really hear of the FAA investigating such situations unless it makes the news. lol

 

[eXpBob]

Be sure to get your 107 certificate before using your drone for commercial work.

Is a 107 required if it is incidental to your work? I’m in real estate and use a drone to have a more complete set of pics for marketing. I don’t sell the pics. Appreciate any response.

 

[sar104]

Is a 107 required if it is incidental to your work? I’m in real estate and use a drone to have a more complete set of pics for marketing. I don’t sell the pics. Appreciate any response.

Yes - it is unambiguously required. The hobby exemption for recreational flying is just that - only for purely recreational flying. Anything else, whether paid, unpaid, volunteer etc., falls entirely under Part 107.

 

[Bob4131]

Is a 107 required if it is incidental to your work? I’m in real estate and use a drone to have a more complete set of pics for marketing. I don’t sell the pics. Appreciate any response.

Yes, in your case a 107 is required. You should also insure you have liability insurance if your drone hurts someone. Real estate photography has been discussed on here repeatedly... you need a 107, you are not doing it as a hobby. The bigger concern than the FAA is if you damage something or someone. If you are doing real estate photos without a 107, that means you don't have liability insurance and therefore you risk losing your home in the resulting lawsuit. Get the 107, it is trivial to do so. Note you can still fly as a hobbyist for hobby related flights.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Is a 107 required if it is incidental to your work? I’m in real estate and use a drone to have a more complete set of pics for marketing. I don’t sell the pics. Appreciate any response.

Having a more complete set of photos for yourself does not help you sell a house, because you can actually be there and walk all over the property in person, which is far better than any drone image could ever offer, if that really is all you use them for. I would say in reality, 99.99999% of any real estate people taking a drone photo or video, do it to help them sell the house by showing the images to prospective clients, be it in person or on line.

Therefore any use at all that benefits an agent in a sale of a house IS most definitely a commercial use and DOES require Part 107 and all you need is a competitor to report you and the FAA could fine you quite heavily. There are many real estate agent out there using drones illegally for their own use of taking the house photos or video. Most won't get caught but if you are one of the few that do, you will wish you had gone through the effort to do it legally or hired someone who has gone through the effort and expense of getting a Part 107.

 

[bliksem]

It's amazing how many people are fixated on the "zoom" factor, but loose focus on the better camera in the M2P. Simple stuff....

 

[Gizmo6257]

Drone footage helps realtors a lot. I think the better the camera, the better off you are.

Having a more complete set of photos for yourself does not help you sell a house, because you can actually be there and walk all over the property in person, which is far better than any drone image could ever offer, if that really is all you use them for. I would say in reality, 99.99999% of any real estate people taking a drone photo or video, do it to help them sell the house by showing the images to prospective clients, be it in person or on line.

Therefore any use at all that benefits an agent in a sale of a house IS most definitely a commercial use and DOES require Part 107 and all you need is a competitor to report you and the FAA could fine you quite heavily. There are many real estate agent out there using drones illegally for their own use of taking the house photos or video. Most won't get caught but if you are one of the few that do, you will wish you had gone through the effort to do it legally or hired someone who has gone through the effort and expense of getting a Part 107.

 

[Gizmo6257]

Not true, only if getting paid for commercial use, or any monetary reasons is when u have to have 107.you can take photos or videos of anything and as long as you aren't getting paid you are fine.

Yes - it is unambiguously required. The hobby exemption for recreational flying is just that - only for purely recreational flying. Anything else, whether paid, unpaid, volunteer etc., falls entirely under Part 107.

 

[sar104]

Not true, only if getting paid for commercial use, or any monetary reasons is when u have to have 107.you can take photos or videos of anything and as long as you aren't getting paid you are fine.

No - you are wrong. Money has nothing to do with it. There is nothing ambiguous about the law on this subject - even the title of 49 CFR 44809 sums it up, and is explicitly defined in 44809 (a)(1):

Sec. 44809. Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned
aircraft
(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (e), and
notwithstanding chapter 447 of title 49, United States Code, a person
may operate a small unmanned aircraft without specific certification or
operating authority from the Federal Aviation Administration if the
operation adheres to all of the following limitations:
(1) The aircraft is flown strictly for recreational purposes.

 

[Gizmo6257]

I so agree

The answer to your question should be driven by the priority placed on any type of inspection that you may conduct: choose resolution over all other secondary features. For a well focused photo, your photo software should allow a high-res photo to be enlarged to as much as 35%, revealing details that you never imagined. Having been in the forensics engineering business for well over 35 years, I would suggest you seriously consider the M2P with the higher resolution camera. Good luck with your business.

 

[Gizmo6257]

The M2P can tilt up 30 percent plus takes higher res photos that can be zoomed or cropped. 1 inch sensor always is better

Zoom does have a mode to take several photos and stitch them together to a higher res photo. It takes advantage of the 2x optical zoom.

I used my M2Z once to figure out what was on my roof. I thought it was a small branch from a tree, but it was there for a few weeks. It should have been blown down by then.
Turned out to be a squirrel that a bird must have had for lunch.

One disadvantage of the DJI products compared to the Parrot Anafi is that the Anafi can tilt the camera straight up to take photos directly under objects. Granted the Anafi isn't in the same class as the Mavic 2 or even 1P.

 

[Huckleberry]

Is a 107 required if it is incidental to your work? I’m in real estate and use a drone to have a more complete set of pics for marketing. I don’t sell the pics. Appreciate any response.

Consider it this way. If you are taking pictures for anything other than to put in a photo album to show your grandchildren ten years down the road or you are using the information gained from flying your UAV to make any kind of official decision for anyone or anything other than your private use, you need a 107. That pretty much will set the tone for what you need a 107 for. As sar104 said, it is not determined based on compensation. As I stated earlier, I work in the Emergency Management profession. As you can imagine, the use of a UAV has become critical for those in public safety. However, if I am using my UAV for any part of my job, I must be 107 certified. If I am dealing with a flood situation and I’m wanting to fly to get a better common operating picture and to give myself better situational awareness, by law I am required to have my 107. Even though I’m not sharing those pictures for any official use or selling them for money. If I am using the information gained from them to help make any decision, I am required to be certified.

 

[GFields]

Hello there everyone, I am a home/building inspector and am buying a drone for work (and a little bit of fun). Mostly I will being using this drone for roofs that I can not get on. Zoom has the zoom feature which would be nice for finding little details but I’ve read the pro 2 has a better picture because of the camera which is also very important. Just wondering what your thoughts are on which I should get?

I use the Mavic 2 Zoom for roof inspections. Does a great job

 

[GFields]

Zoom does have a mode to take several photos and stitch them together to a higher res photo. It takes advantage of the 2x optical zoom.

I used my M2Z once to figure out what was on my roof. I thought it was a small branch from a tree, but it was there for a few weeks. It should have been blown down by then.
Turned out to be a squirrel that a bird must have had for lunch.

One disadvantage of the DJI products compared to the Parrot Anafi is that the Anafi can tilt the camera straight up to take photos directly under objects. Granted the Anafi isn't in the same class as the Mavic 2 or even 1P.

I have never had to worry about having a need "for straight-up angles" when doing roof inspections

 

[Huckleberry]

How long does it take to crop a better imagine? Get the M2P. You will be set. Photos don't take anytime to crop or zoom in viedo editor. Now viedo can take time, but a 1 inch sensor is no comparison. I was in the same situation that you're in just a month ago but after doing my research as far as which drone to buy for roof inspections, I decided to buy the mavic 2 Pro. And I can tell you this I am sure glad I did don't even hesitate you will be super happy with the mavic 2 Pro. It will do anything you need to do that's my opinion.

It takes long enough to either have to take the UAV back to your office to see what you want to see, or back to your vehicle to get the laptop out and do the work. As opposed to seeing what you need to see NOW and not worrying about messing with post editing.

Heck, for this matter, I have used my Tello to inspect my gutters at home and can tell you that it does a darn fine job of giving me the information I need to decide whether or not they need cleaned out. I even used it last week to look at hail damage on my roof and was able to identify the damage. And only being a $100 UAV, I’m not worried at all about crashing and destroying it. So if you’re telling him that closer is better, why not save $1300 and just get a tello to do your inspections. No, the camera doesn’t move, but I was able to identify the hail damage in my roof with it. Or go with another cheaper UAV with tilt gimbal and save some coin. It’s better than trying to get close enough with a $1500 UAV and risk crashing it. That’s the benefit of the zoom.

 

[sar104]

Consider it this way. If you are taking pictures for anything other than to put in a photo album to show your grandchildren ten years down the road or you are using the information gained from flying your UAV to make any kind of official decision for anyone or anything other than your private use, you need a 107. That pretty much will set the tone for what you need a 107 for. As sar104 said, it is not determined based on compensation. As I stated earlier, I work in the Emergency Management profession. As you can imagine, the use of a UAV has become critical for those in public safety. However, if I am using my UAV for any part of my job, I must be 107 certified. If I am dealing with a flood situation and I’m wanting to fly to get a better common operating picture and to give myself better situational awareness, by law I am required to have my 107. Even though I’m not sharing those pictures for any official use or selling them for money. If I am using the information gained from them to help make any decision, I am required to be certified.

Agreed, and I really don't understand why there is so much confusion over this issue. The applicability section of the law is written very plainly and clearly, and the FAA has clarified this on multiple occasions in memos, web pages and seminars. How much clearer can it be made than "The aircraft is flown strictly for recreational purposes."?