Phantom 3 Quadcopter lands in Thailand in early May 2015
If you are thinking about buying a Phantom Vision 2+ or even an Inspire 1 quadcopter then stop! Or at least wait until more information comes out on the just launched DJI Phantom 3. There are no user reviews yet, but everything I have seen so far looks really good. I have the original Phantom Vision 2 quadcopter which I bought back in November 2013. I have got a lot of mileage out of it. Literally, as I have been all over Thailand flying the drone at dozens of different tourist attractions. You can see some of these photos on my ThailandFromAbove.com.
There will be two new quadcopters. Phantom 3 Professional shoots 4K video at up to 30 frames per second and Phantom 3 Advanced shoots at 1080p HD. Both shoot stills at 12.0 Mega Pixels. The lens is apparently better now with a 94-degree fixed field-of-view which will apparently solve the fish eye problem. So, no more curved horizons in the videos. The satellite positioning is also supposed to be better which will keep it in a fixed position. And with the addition of visual and ultrasonic sensors, it can fly safely indoors. Even at a church wedding!
I will do a longer review later once it is released, but one of the features that jumped out at me was the DJI Lightbridge which was first introduced on Inspire 1. With this you can get HD live view pictures of what the drone sees, even when it is 2km away! So, no need to rely on WiFi like in the past. In addition, this now allows you to upload photos live onto social media. But, best of all, you will be able to live stream video while the quadcopter is still in the air to youtube! Very cool. A couple of other useful features include an auto land and auto take-off button. This is a bit like putting the quadcopter on auto pilot.
Phantom 3 is expected to launched in the last week of April and available in Thailand during early May 2015. Phantom Thailand and TumrotoR Shop both have the same prices on their Facebook pages so this is what we should expect:
Phantom 3 Professional (4K Video/12-megapixel): 41,550 Baht
Phantom 3 Advanced (Full HD 1080p/12-megapixel): 33,000 Baht
This is comparable to official prices in America which are $1,260 and $1,000. I am seriously considering buying the Phantom 3 Professional and will let you know later of my decision.
More information on the official DJI website.
Sorry to bother you again Richard
I have been reading about possible Thai Government bringing in restrictions early in 2915 to fly drones with cameras for the general public without a license.
Do you know if this has come into affect yet as I cannot find anything to substantiate the reports?
Nothing has been announced yet. We are still waiting.
Wow, caught my imagination.
Where is the Phantom 3 available to purchase in BKK?
The official site says it is not available in my region
It’s been out a week or so now. I have already bought one. Just Google Phantom Thailand. I bought my two drones from Hobby Thai. But there are a number of other places selling drones in Bangkok for the same price.
Much appreciated.
Thank you Richard
Should mention, they still haven’t landed in TH yet. Last note I got were that they are due this week.
Fingers crossed. Fantastic flying weather here in Phuket right now.
One of the drone shops in Bangkok just got their first shipment today. I am sure the others will be selling soon.
I’ve pre-ordered a Pro version myself, and hope it arrives early next week.
One minor correction – the lens has far less distortion than your used to with your Vision+, but there will still be some distortion. You can remove it with Photoshop or similar, and I beleive Adobe already have profiles ready for the new DJI camera.
Thanks. Where are you buying it from?
twinprohobby.com
Used them for lots of DJI stuff over past couple of years, and always reliable. Some flexibility on pricing also 😉
Hi Richard cannot wait for the day and see the old Padre`s face with drones flying around his church , but go for it my friend .
And it would be so noisy in a church. Cannot see anyone, vicar or bride, agreeing to a drone during the service.
You have really inspired me with your great photos and now this new Phantom looks like just the ticket.
I want one and expect to buy it as soon as it appears. Any idea how best to go about purchasing here in Pattaya?