Night flight

[Termin8or]

Just ordered my zoom and can't wait to get my first drone! I'm wondering if anyone here has used a drone to check up on animals at the farm at night. Coyotes and hogs are a big problem here. Was hoping I can mount aREALLY bright flashlight for spotting. I've also seen this guy use IR filters to scan. Really want to avoid spending big bucks for thermals right now lol.

 

[ff22]

Just ordered my zoom and can't wait to get my first drone! I'm wondering if anyone here has used a drone to check up on animals at the farm at night. Coyotes and hogs are a big problem here. Was hoping I can mount aREALLY bright flashlight for spotting. I've also seen this guy use IR filters to scan. Really want to avoid spending big bucks for thermals right now lol.

Well, the Enterprise model does have searchlight accessories. But is more expensive and missing some of the other modes of flight from what I read.

I wonder if those "deer whistles" folks put on their cars might work on other animals (if it really works on deer). Or would the drone's noise itself be enough to scare them although it is pretty darn quiet, relatively.

Or you could check out strobe lights if the flashing night work. I added some to make it more visible - using velcro.

But also be aware you don't want to fly into wooded areas where a tree/trees might snag the drone.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

They also just released the Mavic Pro Duo which has IR. It does not have the search light accessory, but you can add LUME Cubes which do a decent job of lighting things up. If you are on a farm and have trees and other obstacles, it will probably mean you will have to fly higher to avoid those. So the Enterprise with the search light or the Due with the IR would be better than the Lume Cubes. IR will not tell you the difference between a dog, small animal and the the animals your concerned with, so the Enterprise with the search light might be the best of the two as you can see what your looking at. Just my .02 worth. You can look at you tube and see sample videos with the Lume Cube, and those with the Mavic Duo.

 

[Snowstorm]

The Mavic 2 enterprise dual does have spotlight accessory capability. However, the thermal camera is only of 160x120 resolution so it is good for inspecting a known object up close but not really good for searching at altitude of more than 100ft. The lumecubes are bright, slightly brighter than the spotlight with 3000 lum vs 2400 and is mounted in a better position below. However real world test with the spotlight shows it is good for close up inspection and not reallly for navigation as it isn’t bright enough given the relatively light insensitive visual camera the zoom or enterprise have.

 

[jwt873]

I live in the country.. Without street lights and lit up buildings, everything is solid black at night. I see nothing on my screen except for the odd pinpoints of distant yard lights. I doubt the more light sensitive Mavic 2 Pro camera would make any difference.

I'm not aware of any bolt on spotlights for the non enterprise M2's but you will definitely need one to see things at night out in the country.

On the plus side, I can take off from my driveway without flying over houses with the risk that I might offend someone. That's one thing you can't always do in the city.

 

[Snowstorm]

Check these
LumeCube | Portable, Durable, Powerful Lights for Photo and Video

Kind of expensive but it works. You may be able to rig something similar up for a lot less

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

Check these
LumeCube | Portable, Durable, Powerful Lights for Photo and Video

Kind of expensive but it works. You may be able to rig something similar up for a lot less

The lume cubes work well.

 

[ff22]

$190 bucks!!!!

 

[SpyderSkeets]

I dont have these, but they might be a cost effective alternative to the $190 Lume Cubes
Tineer Flash LED Seachlight LED Flight Light Lamp Kit for DJI Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom Drone Accessories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRLVG5K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_I8QkCb50DN9QY

 

[DanMan32]

They should clearly state if the flashlights are included.

 

[jeplane]

The lume cubes work great. Easy to set up and you control them with an app: ON, OFF, or dim them as needed....

The flashlights posted previously look like.... Well, you get what you pay for!

 

[SpyderSkeets]

The lume cubes work great. Easy to set up and you control them with an app: ON, OFF, or dim them as needed....

The flashlights posted previously look like.... Well, you get what you pay for!

You may be right, but for if you're going to pay $190 for the Lume Cubes, I can almost guarantee you're NOT getting what you paid for either. I am sure the Lume Cubes are better, but are they $170 better?

 

[jeplane]

There is no doubt they are. I used them outside of flying a drone, and they are incredibly bright. Better not look at them directly !!

 

[Termin8or]

I saw the m2e spotlight and lume cube comparison onlien and for 100 ft the m2e actually looks decent while the lume cubes were pretty much useless at that elevation. Feels like the Enterprise is similar enough to the mavic zoom - is there a way to put the m2e lights on a 2 zoom or pro? Feels like all they need is a bracket with some thread holes?