Quadcopter for trail action photography: Best option?

[DesertRider]

Climbing the learning curves and wanted to toss this out for review as I weigh the MPP vs. Air. I am leaning towards the Air because of my particular situation. But what am I overlooking?

Looking to do action photography on trails (linear route). This has some backcountry complications that are different from urban use.

My goal is 2 to 3 minute videos, so an hour of raw footage (3 batteries) is quite sufficient. Here is a recent example with a boom-mounted action cam:

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This would be a typical sequence:

1. Carry the rig on a mountain bike or dirt bike along the trail

2. Stop, unpack, and prepare the quadcopter

3. Launch quadcopter

4. Capture landscape surrounding the rider(s)

5. Ride along the trail with the quadcopter following

6. Stop, take control for specific scenes, resume

7. Stop and recover quadcopter, typically at a different location than launch

8. Change battery or pack up rig, and continue on

Note there is a lot going on so automation that works reasonably well is desirable for this application. I don’t mind some “nanny” modes that others may object to.

Flight time: This “follow along” linear operation can be much shorter than sorties where the pilot flies out and then comes back to the same point as launch.

Air: 20 minutes between batteries is the biggest drawback of the Air? But 15 minutes seems sufficient because I don’t expect the quad to be out of sight.

1. Carrying. The equipment must be protected because falls are common. Typically I carry 15 to 30 lbs of backcountry gear on myself and the bike, so space is very limited.

Air: Being able to use a small Pelican 1120 box (7-3/8 inches inside) would be very good. This is the biggest appeal of the Air for me. Also more rugged gimbal system?

3. Launch and control. It appears that wifi mode would be sufficient for line of sight control. My plan is to use a Nexus 7 tablet, more than one if needed for battery life. I already carry a Nexus in a custom pack on my chest as I ride. If I only have to carry batteries and tablet(s), that would be very good.

Air: Seems better due to improved wifi performance and bands?

Big question: Will wifi connection be OK with the tablet mounted vertically on my chest, but sometimes facing away from the quadcopter? Assume 100 foot distance.

4. Landscape capture: Intelligent Flight Modes (IFMs) like Boomerang mode will be very helpful in reducing amount of work

Air: Has new modes like Boomerang and Asteroid, but has it also lost modes like Waypoints?

Still Photography Modes

Air: Has new panoramas for big landscapes

5. Ride and follow. My understanding is that FollowMe mode does not work well due to GPS imprecision.

Air: ActiveTrack is improved because of more on-board processing power. This could be very important especially in terrain with vegetation or large rocks that block the view of the rider.

7. Stop and recover at new location.

Air: Assuming practice, will wifi / tablet allow sufficient control for landing at a spot that I and the quadcopter have not seen before? Would the Gestures option be helpful?

Finally, the lower price of the Air is a selling point.

Any feedback or thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

 

[VR46]

For what you want to do, you should get an AirDog

AirDog AirDog II Action Sports Drone AD20 B&H Photo Video

 

[nheilwei]

Mavic Air would be a great choice for you.

It does have Waypoints (which means that Litchi app should work with advantage that you can preplan the waypoint mission).

ActiveTrack would be fine unless drone can’t see you then will stop tracking), if weight an issue and you’re mountain biking why on earth would you have a tablet on you (dangerous in a crash and heavy), just use your phone. Signal coverage shouldn’t be an issue you’re flying fairly close by.

 

[Neebles]

I think the air would be good for your situation, however, I dont know how it being a wifi drone would impact you at all. It does have all the neat new obstacle avoidance sensors, which would be nice out on the trails. It would take up minimal space in your pack. I think one (of the several IMO) thing it has going against it, is its price. I think 800 is too steep for what it is. If it were me, I would think hard about buying a refurb Mavic Pro for the same (I have seen for less) price. Its a proven drone, with lots of support in the community. You may risk some growing pains with the Air. Yes the MP is bigger, but not a ton when folded. It has a longer battery life, which may not seem like a big deal, but you will always want more, and it has better range. You may bot need the extra range, but having the ability to go farther typically means wherever you are, the signal is going to be stronger. Plus its not a wifi based connection... That is the killer for me as far as the Air goes.

 

[greginfinity]

I am in a similar situation but I already own a Mavic Pro. I don't fly too far but know that the Phantom 3 Pro I have has worse video range than the Mavic, and expect the Air to be even worse. It is kind of annoying once you get used to the Mavic.

The real killer is the new high fps modes and higher bitrate (although improved image quality remains to be seen). I am still p!$$ed that they botched 1080@60 fps on the Mavic (I guess it is fixed on the new Platinums though). But with the Air you get 2.7k@60 and 1080@120!!! If only my Mavic had those... grrrrr

 

[DesertRider]

if weight an issue and you’re mountain biking why on earth would you have a tablet on you (dangerous in a crash and heavy), just use your phone. Signal coverage shouldn’t be an issue you’re flying fairly close by.

I don't carry a phone, because there is usually no cell coverage where I ride. Instead I use an inReach satcom. I have four Nexus 7's for running various mapping apps, and Google Voice and Tapatalk for when there is mobile.

Always carry one Nexus in a hard case (MTB) or Pelican box (moto) and the Pelican functions as part of my armor system. In thousands of hours and many falls have never had a problem.

 

[DesertRider]

All the above has been helpful, thank you all for replying.

Signal coverage shouldn’t be an issue you’re flying fairly close by.

Please educate me further...

When in Wifi or RC mode, how soon does a Mavic decide that it has lost control link?

When it loses link, what happens next? Does it hover and wait? Try to land? Execute RTH?

Thanks

 

[DesertRider]

It has been an interesting month for sure. I now have 48 flights on a Mavic Air and have learned a lot.

Original props and not a single crash (knock on wood) due only to the collision avoidance system.

 

[DesertRider]

Mountains, deserts, and the sea

HD version

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[DesertRider]

This is a very good discussion of the challenges of using the MA with ActiveTrack

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[DesertRider]

Progress since January...

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[Neild5]

Look at the Skydio 2 with the Beacon control. The comparison video for trail riding is pretty good. I do not own one, but if (when) I upgrade from the Mini I will probably get the Skydio. Skydio 2™