New rc controller

[bmoore1118]

I am curious what people think. With the rc controller air 2s Firmware upgrade going any day I am looking at getting it.

I currently have a iPhone SE and what to see what people think about buying it. Is it better than DJI app on phone?

 

[mobilehomer]

Marginally. For a REAL improvement, get the RC Pro!

 

[TruGreen]

my friend has it for use with his mavic 3 and said the range is limited due to the lack of antenna. hes upgrading to the the rc pro

 

[retiredNH]

I already bought one, waiting for the upgrade. For me, range is not an issue. Guess my eyesight isn't good enough to have vlos at several kilometers...

what does matter to me is startup time. Putting my phone into the cradle, hooking up the connector and unlocking it, then waiting for the controller and my phone to talk to each other, then waiting for the drone to connect, is a PITA. Can't wait to be free of the hassle.

I also worry about the mount somehow damaging the phone, perhaps by my mistake.

 

[Lister]

Best thing to do with that setup is use an old phone. I just left mine connected.
Bulky, though, and just one more thing to manage.

The RC is fast, light and convenient. Like for others, for me range is not an issue. I get scairt when that tiny expensive thing gets far away.

 

[woodbutcher50]

Go with the RC Pro! Awesome with both Air 2S & Mavic 3! No lost of transmission!

 

[MarkSS]

Go with the RC Pro! Awesome with both Air 2S & Mavic 3! No lost of transmission!

Ditto

 

[TwoSticks]

I just sold my RC Pro while waiting for this update. The RC is $309 vs $1199 (retail) for a slightly brighter screen and some extra buttons. The external antennas make no difference to the transmission range, I tested both with Mini 3. The Pro is a nice remote but I recovered the difference to use for other things. The RC is the one I take when I travel over the Pro when I had it due to weight difference and it’s a bit more compact.

 

[paparatzy]

Two weeks ago I purchased the RC Pro to use with my DJI Air 2s rather than the N1-Controller with a iPro Mini 6. There is a quite a bit of fiddling around setting up the iPad (or iPhone for that matter) with connecting cables, attaching the extended bracket for the iPad and the clip for the lanyard strap.

Then there is the issue with the best possible brightness from the iPad at 500 Nits and it seems a larger screen to catch the reflections from surrounds and sun. The iPhone is a smaller screen although brighter at around 1000 Nits. However, the big issue is when it is hot outside and the iPad or iPhone screen dims, so much that it is very difficult to see the info on the screen.

That is why I decided to upgrade. One week ago, I read that DJI was going to update the RC Controller to work with the Air 2s. Thinking that supply might be strained I immediately ordered one from Amazon (this time of year there is a 3 month window to return products). It arrived Monday and the upgrade was released a few days later, which I took advantage of.

After flying the Air 2s with the RC Controller, I LOVED it. The screen is much brighter than the iPad and doesn’t dim. No more hooking up the iPhone or iPad and it reduces what I need to carry with me. For $309 it was a no brainer.

I promptly sent the RC Pro back for a refund. Now what was wrong with the RC Pro you ask? The screen was so bright I actually could turn down the brightness, the flights were smooth, quality materials and craftsmanship and lots of customizable buttons.

However, I shoot mostly Real Estate videos and found that the RC Pro was overkill with all the buttons and combination of buttons and dials in what they would do and I don’t use many of the options or buttons. When I’m flying, I simply want enough options to quickly do what I want to do but few enough that I can concentrate on flying and not trying to remember which button does what. The RC Pro is much heavier as well than the RC.

The other factor shooting RE videos is that they need to be limited to 2-3 min max as viewer attention wanes quickly. I cannot fit a home walk-thru and extended aerials in that time frame. I try to keep the video about the home, not my skills in flying a drone.

The screen brightness on the RC compared to the RC Pro is bright enough even in bright sunshine, which is very bright here where I live. There are just enough customizable buttons and combinations to do just what I want.

Bottom line: I saved $900 and am very happy with the RC Controller. Now to find another hard case that will fit my Air 2s and the RC Controller.

Everyone’s needs are different and the RC Pro even at the 4x the cost would be worth it for some.

 

[retiredNH]

Finally had a dry afternoon today to try out my new DJI RC with my 2s. It's an excellent combination, especially with not having to fiddle with my smartphone. Unlike with my smartphone, where turning off dji fly is a pita (lots of sideways swipes that don't always work the first time...) I just hit the off button. It's a bit slow to boot up, but so is the 2S, so I still get in the air with much less hassle.

My favorite feature is having two separate buttons for video and still. Makes mixed photography/videography even easier.

Not sure how to download photos to the card in the RC, but it doesn't matter much since I just download to my PC when I'm ready.

It's interesting that the RC runs on Android. Wonder when someone will hack the build to allow more flexibility?

 

[TruGreen]

Two weeks ago I purchased the RC Pro to use with my DJI Air 2s rather than the N1-Controller with a iPro Mini 6. There is a quite a bit of fiddling around setting up the iPad (or iPhone for that matter) with connecting cables, attaching the extended bracket for the iPad and the clip for the lanyard strap.

Then there is the issue with the best possible brightness from the iPad at 500 Nits and it seems a larger screen to catch the reflections from surrounds and sun. The iPhone is a smaller screen although brighter at around 1000 Nits. However, the big issue is when it is hot outside and the iPad or iPhone screen dims, so much that it is very difficult to see the info on the screen.

That is why I decided to upgrade. One week ago, I read that DJI was going to update the RC Controller to work with the Air 2s. Thinking that supply might be strained I immediately ordered one from Amazon (this time of year there is a 3 month window to return products). It arrived Monday and the upgrade was released a few days later, which I took advantage of.

After flying the Air 2s with the RC Controller, I LOVED it. The screen is much brighter than the iPad and doesn’t dim. No more hooking up the iPhone or iPad and it reduces what I need to carry with me. For $309 it was a no brainer.

I promptly sent the RC Pro back for a refund. Now what was wrong with the RC Pro you ask? The screen was so bright I actually could turn down the brightness, the flights were smooth, quality materials and craftsmanship and lots of customizable buttons.

However, I shoot mostly Real Estate videos and found that the RC Pro was overkill with all the buttons and combination of buttons and dials in what they would do and I don’t use many of the options or buttons. When I’m flying, I simply want enough options to quickly do what I want to do but few enough that I can concentrate on flying and not trying to remember which button does what. The RC Pro is much heavier as well than the RC.

The other factor shooting RE videos is that they need to be limited to 2-3 min max as viewer attention wanes quickly. I cannot fit a home walk-thru and extended aerials in that time frame. I try to keep the video about the home, not my skills in flying a drone.

The screen brightness on the RC compared to the RC Pro is bright enough even in bright sunshine, which is very bright here where I live. There are just enough customizable buttons and combinations to do just what I want.

Bottom line: I saved $900 and am very happy with the RC Controller. Now to find another hard case that will fit my Air 2s and the RC Controller.

Everyone’s needs are different and the RC Pro even at the 4x the cost would be worth it.

GPC case meant for stock remote, smart controller, or rc pro. But rc does fit loosely left to right now the smart controller should. So if already got a GPC just rebuy the foam to swap.

 

[careless]

Ordered the DJI RC yesterday can't wait to see how this works with my Mavic air 2s I've been using it with the smart controller and no problems so far as long as I use 1.7.0 I also use the smart controller with the Mavic 2 zoom enterprise and it's going to be nice to update the MA2s

 

[wisefish]

The DJI RC and Air2S combo is far better than using the original RC-N1 controller it came with in the flymore combo for several reasons:

1. Separate zoom and gimbal tilt scroll wheels on new RC.

2. Way faster to setup and start flying.

3. If you get the RC cover/sunshade (on Amazon) it allows you to easily use active track as the sticks are protected from input by the cover.

4. The new RC display is plenty bright enough. It's smaller and not nearly as vivid compared to my S21 Ultra...but works fine.

5. The new RC is way way lighter than my old RC-N1 / S21 Ultra combo. WAY LIGHTER!

6. New RC controller holds enough charge for me to run through 7 batteries, with screen brightness set to about 75%, and still has 1 bar left. The RC-N1 was dead at 5 batteries.

There are a couple possible downsides to using the new RC though depending on how you operate.

1. Can't use 3rd party apps.
2. Screen is small

**As far as range goes...I have not noticed any difference between the RC-N1 and the new RC. They seem to be about the same. I have put about 15 hours of flight time on the New RC and really like it. I would prefer to have the RC Pro...but it's not worth the additional $800. But that may change if I find it necessary to use a 3rd party app. But at this point in time, the Air2S/RC controller is an absolutely fantastic and capable setup for around $1300 US. When/if they put together a fly more combo that pairs these it will an amazing setup. .

 

[wisefish]

The DJI RC and Air2S combo is far better than using the original RC-N1 controller it came with in the flymore combo for several reasons:

1. Separate zoom and gimbal tilt scroll wheels on new RC.

2. Way faster to setup and start flying.

3. If you get the RC cover/sunshade (on Amazon) it allows you to easily use active track as the sticks are protected from input by the cover.

4. The new RC display is plenty bright enough. It's smaller and not nearly as vivid compared to my S21 Ultra...but works fine.

5. The new RC is way way lighter than my old RC-N1 / S21 Ultra combo. WAY LIGHTER!

6. New RC controller holds enough charge for me to run through 7 batteries, with screen brightness set to about 75%, and still has 1 bar left. The RC-N1 was dead at 5 batteries.

There are a couple possible downsides to using the new RC though depending on how you operate.

1. Can't use 3rd party apps.
2. Screen is small

**As far as range goes...I have not noticed any difference between the RC-N1 and the new RC. They seem to be about the same. I have put about 15 hours of flight time on the New RC and really like it. I would prefer to have the RC Pro...but it's not worth the additional $800. But that may change if I find it necessary to use a 3rd party app. But at this point in time, the Air2S/RC controller is an absolutely fantastic and capable setup for around $1300 US. When/if they put together a fly more combo that pairs these it will an amazing setup. .

...also, you can screen record your flights using the new RC.