Author Topic: Using drones for stock video even though it is illegal. (Read 98264 times)

Holmes · « **on:** June 20, 2015, 23:34 »

I want to buy one of these

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3#page1

But the FAA says I cannot use it legally for selling stock video. Do any of you use drones for aerial stock? Do all the major agencies accept it?

WeatherENG · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2015, 12:38 »

Quote from: Holmes on June 20, 2015, 23:34

I want to buy one of these

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3#page1

But the FAA says I cannot use it legally for selling stock video. Do any of you use drones for aerial stock? Do all the major agencies accept it?

Does the FAA not have rules and issue permits? In Canada, transport Canada issued new rules, still a LOT of paperwork and insurance but one can do it and do it often enough for a year with no incidents and they issue blanked permits apparently.

I believe agencies will accept the footage, I've seen lots of it out there but you are on your own should FAA see it and track you own since you have already given them the evidence for a charge, also keep in mind that law abiding non-drone equipped camera ops can drop the dime on you as well and the fines are massive and can put you out of business.

A ton of people here are doing it illegally for real estate agents, they advertise on Kijiji and other places, they are sitting ducks for when investigators come looking and lay charges.

Believe me I was so tempted but in the end I decided not to, can't legally do it for business unless all the regulations are met and not only are there huge fines but you name might go out in a press release....online, and now your name comes up in a bad light in any Google search by any prospective or current employer. Not worth the risk doing it illegally in my opinion.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/general-recavi-uav-2265.htm?WT.mc_id=1zfhj#safety

http://blog.flitelab.com/2015/01/17/canadian-commercial-drone-regulations-for-dummies/

jjneff · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2015, 18:26 »

http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2015/06/19/264038.htm

The FAA is not pursuing anyone at this time as in a year it will be legal and you will need a license anyway. I just got a drone and I say fly smart. I steer clear of crowds and film in town at sunrise where traffic is the lowest. I use it with planned shoots for another angle and stay smart. I plan on getting my license and then head into the commercial and real-estate markets in my area. Getting my skill and practice in now. You will also need insurance which is wise anyways!

Holmes · « **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2015, 19:58 »

Quote from: jjneff on June 21, 2015, 18:26

http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2015/06/19/264038.htm

The FAA is not pursuing anyone at this time as in a year it will be legal and you will need a license anyway. I just got a drone and I say fly smart. I steer clear of crowds and film in town at sunrise where traffic is the lowest. I use it with planned shoots for another angle and stay smart. I plan on getting my license and then head into the commercial and real-estate markets in my area. Getting my skill and practice in now. You will also need insurance which is wise anyways!

thanks much jeff~, What did you buy?

lbarn · « **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2015, 20:41 »

Just a thought, have you purchased a $40 husban mini copter, just to see if you can do it? They don't exactly fly themselves, its true with GPS they will hover around in a small area, but you the pilot still have to avoid things like tree limbs and power lines. I have flown RC for 25 years, and flying one around the yard is OK, but trying to fly while looking through video googles or looking at a monitor is something totally different.

I have a medium sized tricopter with a gopro and found that without a gyro stabilized camera mount, its not usuable. I have purchased a stabilized gopro mount, but haven't finished installing it yet. Some say that when it becomes licensed by the FAA, it will be for flying a much more expensive copter than the DJ quads.

Holmes · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2015, 22:51 »

Quote from: lbarn on June 21, 2015, 20:41

Just a thought, have you purchased a $40 husban mini copter, just to see if you can do it? They don't exactly fly themselves, its true with GPS they will hover around in a small area, but you the pilot still have to avoid things like tree limbs and power lines. I have flown RC for 25 years, and flying one around the yard is OK, but trying to fly while looking through video googles or looking at a monitor is something totally different.

I have a medium sized tricopter with a gopro and found that without a gyro stabilized camera mount, its not usuable. I have purchased a stabilized gopro mount, but haven't finished installing it yet. Some say that when it becomes licensed by the FAA, it will be for flying a much more expensive copter than the DJ quads.

good suggestion on learning to fly with a cheap copter. thanks

the new Phantom 3 has a stabilizing gimbal that i believe does what you mentioned. check it out and lemme know

leaf · « **Reply #6 on:** June 22, 2015, 00:22 »

Agreed, if you are interested in flying big drones, fly a little toy drone and get good a flying it. Fly it forwards, backwards in figure-8's. If you aren't totally in control all the time with the little toy, no need to try and fly something larger.

Speaking of drones, The Government Canada page, is using my stock photo on their drone page

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/general-recavi-uav-2265.htm

jjneff · « **Reply #7 on:** June 22, 2015, 06:00 »

I bought the DJI Phantom 3 Professional

leaf · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2015, 07:43 »

Quote from: Holmes on June 20, 2015, 23:34

I want to buy one of these

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3#page1

But the FAA says I cannot use it legally for selling stock video. Do any of you use drones for aerial stock? Do all the major agencies accept it?

To answer directly.
Yes, stock agencies will accept video from Inspire 1 / GoPro / Phantom 3 Pro (same camera as Inspire) as long as it is stable and reasonable quality. There is generally a bit of paper work involved but flying drones can be legal is most countries if you do your research. Norway (where I am based) has a good system to approve pilots to work commercially. A headache to get everything in order but nice when it is complete. In retrospect, much of the paperwork and requirements are also very necessary (ie. insurance, proper operation manual, flight logging etc)

JoeClemson · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2015, 08:25 »

I've done some brief research as to the situation re stock footage from drones here in the UK to see if its viable for me personally.

To use a drone for producing commercial footage in the UK (which will included submitting to stock agencies) the operator must have Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) permission. Permission is granted on an annual basis at a cost of up to £226 depending on the weight of the drone + equipment being used. Permission is only given to pilots who have undergone their approved training courses, which cost £1000 and upwards.

There have been a number of recently reported near misses between drones and commercial aircraft in the UK and also serious flouting of CAA regulations by unknown operators, including one drone flown near a full football stadium. I suspect that the CAA may well start to come down heavily on those who flout the regulations and I personally would not take the risk of operating without the legal requirements being sorted. You can also bet than any insurance an operator has taken out would be declared invalid by the insurer if the drone was operated illegally.

I like the idea of shooting stock from on high, but I'm not convinced the costs involved will be easily recouped just by royalties at microstock rates, so I have abandoned the idea as far as my own work is concerned.

Holmes · « **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2015, 11:02 »

man. you folks have saved me a lot of money
thanks

markmagedotcom · « **Reply #11 on:** August 19, 2015, 11:34 »

Quote from: leaf on June 22, 2015, 07:43

Quote from: Holmes on June 20, 2015, 23:34
I want to buy one of these

http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-3#page1

But the FAA says I cannot use it legally for selling stock video. Do any of you use drones for aerial stock? Do all the major agencies accept it?

To answer directly.
Yes, stock agencies will accept video from Inspire 1 / GoPro / Phantom 3 Pro (same camera as Inspire) as long as it is stable and reasonable quality. There is generally a bit of paper work involved but flying drones can be legal is most countries if you do your research. Norway (where I am based) has a good system to approve pilots to work commercially. A headache to get everything in order but nice when it is complete. In retrospect, much of the paperwork and requirements are also very necessary (ie. insurance, proper operation manual, flight logging etc)

the FAA now has a "petition process" in place offering "exceptions" from some Sec. 330 regulation which effectively allows commercial AP/V operations within certain safety limits etc. (Check it out on the FAA.gov website, if you happen to be U. S. based).

Myself much more interested in Norway, could you point me to the process (some link?) and where I would have to apply? Thanks :)

spamowanka · « **Reply #12 on:** August 19, 2015, 15:05 »

Quote from: jjneff on June 22, 2015, 06:00

I bought the DJI Phantom 3 Professional

Jjneff, is the quality of photo and video stock acceptable?

leaf · « **Reply #13 on:** August 20, 2015, 02:24 »

Quote from: spamowanka on August 19, 2015, 15:05

Quote from: jjneff on June 22, 2015, 06:00
I bought the DJI Phantom 3 Professional

Jjneff, is the quality of photo and video stock acceptable?

yes it is.

spamowanka · « **Reply #14 on:** August 20, 2015, 05:16 »

Quote from: leaf on August 20, 2015, 02:24

Quote from: spamowanka on August 19, 2015, 15:05
Quote from: jjneff on June 22, 2015, 06:00
I bought the DJI Phantom 3 Professional

Jjneff, is the quality of photo and video stock acceptable?

yes it is.

thank you leaf

jjneff · « **Reply #15 on:** August 20, 2015, 05:23 »

Yes, just shoot at sunrise and sunset for best results. One word of advice aside from all the flying laws is to shoot at sunrise, less people out and safer for you and the drone. I have not be questioned or bothered once in 4 months I have owned it. I stay out of people's way!

Sebastian Radu · « **Reply #16 on:** August 20, 2015, 05:51 »

In the next period I want to buy the Canon 16-35 f4 lens for landscape photography, but I saw this discussion about DJI Phantom 3. I wander if I will make some movies with this cam I'll have some chances to sell something ? Here, in Romania, are a lot of nice places with mountains, see, lakes, fields, and so on and I like very much to travel.. For now, I do only photos but I want to start "something" also in the stock video..

Thx

spamowanka · « **Reply #17 on:** August 20, 2015, 06:07 »

tahanks jjneff, I was considering getting Phantom2 with GoPro4 but my research shows that Phantom's3 camera gives better quality still photo. on the other hand having a copter without built in camera gives you possibility to change optics when there is something new/better on the market without changing a drone. Sending a dslr into the sky is very expensive, i was thinking about compact camera, but gimbals are also expensive toys. There are some rc tech guys willing to assemble the system for compact, but I don't want to carry a soldering gun in my bag and all those sticking out wires looks user unfriendly.

Have you been exercising on smaller copters before flying P3?

jjneff · « **Reply #18 on:** August 20, 2015, 10:15 »

Yes but not much. I bought a toy quad off amazon to practice with. It did help me more then I realized. I can fly without GPS lock and you need to be able to do this. But in all honesty it is very easy to fly. Pick straight lines and fly them until you get comfortable. I use mine and love it. I will post this here in case you missed it so you can see the image quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hei1XfMVSls

wordplanet · « **Reply #19 on:** August 20, 2015, 11:03 »

Love that Niagra Falls video. It certainly seems like you should be getting more than micro prices for it.

jjneff · « **Reply #20 on:** August 20, 2015, 11:15 »

Those clips are on Getty in 4k for a much better price then micro! :-) Thanks and you are right!

Holmes · « **Reply #21 on:** August 20, 2015, 11:25 »

I bought the Phantom 3 DJI and used it last weak on a real estate photo shoot. Worked out great and plan to use on lots of stock still and video.

wordplanet · « **Reply #22 on:** August 20, 2015, 11:29 »

Quote from: jjneff on August 20, 2015, 11:15

Those clips are on Getty in 4k for a much better price then micro! :-) Thanks and you are right!

Good to hear.

cdwheatley · « **Reply #23 on:** August 20, 2015, 12:26 »

Here is a sample of some of the stock stuff I have done with a drone in the past 2 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hceIbMYDtXE all the aerial shots are done with a phantom 2, gopro and gimbal. It's taken 2 years to pay for the drone through stock, so... not exactly a great investment as far as I'm concerned. It's been fun though, I fly mostly from a boat, so it's exciting if nothing else. One wrong move and your out a couple grand. Click HD button and turn on the music if you decide to watch.

jjneff · « **Reply #24 on:** August 20, 2015, 12:35 »

Great footage and thanks for sharing! Maybe we need to chat, I have already made hundreds of dollars with my drone in 4 months! Your footage is very high quality!

cdwheatley · « **Reply #25 on:** August 20, 2015, 12:59 »

Quote from: jjneff on August 20, 2015, 12:35

Great footage and thanks for sharing! Maybe we need to chat, I have already made hundreds of dollars with my drone in 4 months! Your footage is very high quality!

Thanks John, you have some amazing shots in your video!
Sales are coming, but much slower than anticipated, especially for stuff that really hasn't been possible to do before, or not very much. I guess the demand just isn't there yet, or at least for the type of stuff I am shooting. I could see lifestyle drone stuff being a winner, but it's a little dangerous to fly that close with a wide angle lens...haha. I've had some really close calls.
The other thing is, I'm seeing more and more drones popping up everyday. Won't be long before the micros are flooded with aerial stuff.

spamowanka · « **Reply #26 on:** August 20, 2015, 13:29 »

wow! amazing videos guys

jjneff · « **Reply #27 on:** August 20, 2015, 15:05 »

Drones are like video cameras, they are everywhere but with the footage you shoot it is not everywhere! I am slowly including models with my drone, planning everything ahead of time and doing the prep work. I get up at 5am to shoot and stay late in the evening to get what I want. I pay people and pick locations. 99% of stock shooters don't do this with a camera or a drone. If you keep on your path with footage like this you will rise quickly! Getty has been good for this stuff for me so far! The rewards come to those who take the time and risk to get shots others don't. Thanks for the kind words on my clips, I could learn a lot from you!

cdwheatley · « **Reply #28 on:** August 20, 2015, 15:44 »

Quote from: jjneff on August 20, 2015, 15:05

Drones are like video cameras, they are everywhere but with the footage you shoot it is not everywhere! I am slowly including models with my drone, planning everything ahead of time and doing the prep work. I get up at 5am to shoot and stay late in the evening to get what I want. I pay people and pick locations. 99% of stock shooters don't do this with a camera or a drone. If you keep on your path with footage like this you will rise quickly! Getty has been good for this stuff for me so far! The rewards come to those who take the time and risk to get shots others don't. Thanks for the kind words on my clips, I could learn a lot from you!

Thank you for the words of encouragement. It's too expensive to shoot the way I am doing it, video is new to me, but not all that different than shooting stills. Weather plays such a huge factor for flying above the ocean that it's hard to plan ahead very far. I spent last summer documenting all the popular islands/beaches in the Virgin Islands. I'm afraid to add up what that cost me to do that, it would be a long time to see any return. Anyway, It was a lot of fun. We'll need to tone down the spending to have any future shooting stock video. Stay local and shoot more lifestyle. Getty is tough on some, getting good search placement there is something I haven't quite figured out yet. Nobody buys your clips/images if you can't find them. Obviously you've been doing this a long time, so you are well established. In hindsight, I should have started years ago.

KB · « **Reply #29 on:** August 20, 2015, 17:41 »

Quote from: cdwheatley on August 20, 2015, 12:26

Here is a sample of some of the stock stuff I have done with a drone in the past 2 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hceIbMYDtXE all the aerial shots are done with a phantom 2, gopro and gimbal.

This is great stuff. One of my most favorite places in the universe; thanks for refreshing some wonderful memories. And so well done.

I have to add, though, that I really, really hated one clip: The one with someone touching a turtle.

Perhaps it's useful stock to show what should never, ever be done, but I doubt it's likely to be used that way. Instead it's far more likely to end up encouraging people ("oh, that looks so neat").

cdwheatley · « **Reply #30 on:** August 21, 2015, 08:27 »

Quote from: KB on August 20, 2015, 17:41

Quote from: cdwheatley on August 20, 2015, 12:26
Here is a sample of some of the stock stuff I have done with a drone in the past 2 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hceIbMYDtXE all the aerial shots are done with a phantom 2, gopro and gimbal.
This is great stuff. One of my most favorite places in the universe; thanks for refreshing some wonderful memories. And so well done.

I have to add, though, that I really, really hated one clip: The one with someone touching a turtle. Perhaps it's useful stock to show what should never, ever be done, but I doubt it's likely to be used that way. Instead it's far more likely to end up encouraging people ("oh, that looks so neat").

Sorry about that, I had no idea that you could harm a turtle by touching it. I guess I should know that after living in the islands for 7 years. Swimming with turtles is amazing, they are like cute puppies, you just want to play with them. I've had a few people make similar comments and point out the issues with touching them. Rest assured that won't happen again by me.

marquixHD · « **Reply #31 on:** August 21, 2015, 14:31 »

Quote from: spamowanka on August 20, 2015, 06:07

tahanks jjneff, I was considering getting Phantom2 with GoPro4 but my research shows that Phantom's3 camera gives better quality still photo. on the other hand having a copter without built in camera gives you possibility to change optics when there is something new/better on the market without changing a drone. Sending a dslr into the sky is very expensive, i was thinking about compact camera, but gimbals are also expensive toys. There are some rc tech guys willing to assemble the system for compact, but I don't want to carry a soldering gun in my bag and all those sticking out wires looks user unfriendly.

Have you been exercising on smaller copters before flying P3?

totally with you when it comes to user-unfriendliness of the "big rigs", @spamowanka. Things have become better lately though with, for example, the Tarot hexacopter series, see http://steadiflite.com/advanced-apv-tool-the-tarot-t960-hexacopter/ for details: these can carry a full DSLR (or a good MFT offering a better choice of lenses than, say, this badly-fisheyed Gopro thing along with its totally unacceptable shutter-roll etc most seem to use these days)... While definitely not as sleek as these prosumer Phantoms (with their own severe limitations and also cost draw-downs), that Tarot set-of-flying-tubes is definitely manageable for non-RC-techies. Not worse than a decent video rig set-up on a tripod, frame, and external screen. (Ask someone to help with configuration, or you may even "buy" that as an add-on service for a ready-to-fly result.)

Me, I definitely used a small copter as a "training wheels" solution; and it's not even mainly the flying part but the aerial filming and overall composition portion that needs LOTS OF practice here -- used to "get my feet wet" flying a Blade 350 QX3 which is the cheapest platform for any meaningful AP/V use and image quality (and does not have that overly expens-ified Gopro garbage hanging underneath), can be had pre-owned from eBay for 300 bucks or new for a tat higher.

Jonathan Ross · « **Reply #32 on:** October 04, 2015, 16:56 »

Hi UAV fans,

I have been fly a large commercial UAV for the past 18 months. The bird has a payload of 25 pounds. I have a Movi M5 gimbal with a Canon 5D mark 3 at this time ( Upgrading to a Red ). The bird is flown as a two man team with one person flying and the other ( myself ) working the gimbal for swings, tilts, pan, focus, zoom and iris from a Freely controller. We send our uncompressed signal through a Teradek wirelessly to a Shogun monitor where the data is recorded to hot swappable ssd hard drives. If anyone is interested in information about commercial level UAV's as well as information about obtaining your 333 exemption please feel welcome to send me a PM. I don't check often but I reply to every message. Best of luck everyone.

Cheers,
J

cdwheatley · « **Reply #33 on:** October 05, 2015, 14:19 »

Quote from: marquixHD on August 21, 2015, 14:31

Quote from: spamowanka on August 20, 2015, 06:07
tahanks jjneff, I was considering getting Phantom2 with GoPro4 but my research shows that Phantom's3 camera gives better quality still photo. on the other hand having a copter without built in camera gives you possibility to change optics when there is something new/better on the market without changing a drone. Sending a dslr into the sky is very expensive, i was thinking about compact camera, but gimbals are also expensive toys. There are some rc tech guys willing to assemble the system for compact, but I don't want to carry a soldering gun in my bag and all those sticking out wires looks user unfriendly.

Have you been exercising on smaller copters before flying P3?

totally with you when it comes to user-unfriendliness of the "big rigs", @spamowanka. Things have become better lately though with, for example, the Tarot hexacopter series (see http://steadiflite.com/advanced-apv-tool-the-tarot-t960-hexacopter/ for details): these can carry a full DSLR (or a good MFT offering a better choice of lenses than, say, this badly-fisheyed Gopro thing and its totally unacceptable shutter-roll etc most seem to use these days)... While definitely not as sleek as these prosumer Phantoms (with their own severe limitations and also cost draw-downs), that Tarot set-of-flying-tubes is definitely manageable for non-RC-techies. Not worse than a decent video rig set-up on a tripod, frame, and external screen. (Ask someone to help with configuration, or you may even "buy" that as an add-on service for a ready-to-fly result.)

Me, I definitely used a small copter as a "training wheels" solution; and it's not even mainly the flying part but the aerial filming and overall composition portion that needs LOTS OF practice here -- used to "get my feet wet" flying a Blade 350 QX3 which is the cheapest platform for any meaningful AP/V use and image quality (and does not have that overly expens-ified Gopro garbage hanging underneath), can be had pre-owned from eBay for 300 bucks or new for a tat higher.

The shutter roll on gopro rig is easily fixed by adding a ND filter. The bigger problem with gopro is the ugly fisheye, easily fixed in post, but it stretches the image, the edges look terrible. Images from gopro 3 are so bad it takes forever to clean up in post. I've just recently crashed my phantom 2 into the drink due to battery failure. Those batteries need to be carefully taken care of or they will fail over time. I fly over water almost 100% of the time so it was bound to happen sooner or later. Luckily there is the DJI Inspire 1 which I just purchased, camera is improved (no fisheye)with options to upgrade to a micro four thirds camera Zenmuse X5, or X5R depending on your needs. This is a game changer in my book, the small drone size with a decent camera and interchangeable lenses. I'm guessing these cameras will compete with a flying dslr in a very small package. It's not really possible, or economical for me to fly a giant rig Like Jonathan mentions from a boat. It would also draw a huge amount of attention as well which is not always favorable.

leaf · « **Reply #34 on:** October 06, 2015, 02:54 »

Yeah the X5 raw is looking realling exciting. I have had a large drone to fly a Canon 5D Mark III camea but the Inspire X5R will easily outperform that setup in a much smaller, easier to fly package. Good things are coming for drones

It's about time someone makes a drone-dedicated camera like DJI just have. It really makes no sense sticking up a camera like a 5D in the air which has tons of features that you can't use while flying and take up unnecessary weight (screen, buttons, viewfinder, mirror, battery, magnesium body, audio support).

cdwheatley · « **Reply #35 on:** October 06, 2015, 18:34 »

Quote from: leaf on October 06, 2015, 02:54

Yeah the X5 raw is looking realling exciting. I have had a large drone to fly a Canon 5D Mark III camea but the Inspire X5R will easily outperform that setup in a much smaller, easier to fly package. Good things are coming for drones

It's about time someone makes a drone-dedicated camera like DJI just have. It really makes no sense sticking up a camera like a 5D in the air which has tons of features that you can't use while flying and take up unnecessary weight (screen, buttons, viewfinder, mirror, battery, magnesium body, audio support).

Right, love or hate DJI they are heading in the right direction:) also interesting would be the ability to detach the x5 and put the gimbal on a stick for hand held work. Looking forward to that option which should be right around the corner. Hard to imagine where the tech will be a few years from now.

Amos Struck · « **Reply #36 on:** October 08, 2015, 06:25 »

I wonder if it worth to start shooting with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional?

Any advice on this?

cobalt · « **Reply #37 on:** October 08, 2015, 08:14 »

Is anyone using a drone to shoot video indoors?

I know that to do anything outdoors i need a license and permits, but in my own home or studio?

leaf · « **Reply #38 on:** October 08, 2015, 15:56 »

Quote from: cdwheatley on October 06, 2015, 18:34

Quote from: leaf on October 06, 2015, 02:54
Yeah the X5 raw is looking realling exciting. I have had a large drone to fly a Canon 5D Mark III camea but the Inspire X5R will easily outperform that setup in a much smaller, easier to fly package. Good things are coming for drones

It's about time someone makes a drone-dedicated camera like DJI just have. It really makes no sense sticking up a camera like a 5D in the air which has tons of features that you can't use while flying and take up unnecessary weight (screen, buttons, viewfinder, mirror, battery, magnesium body, audio support).

Right, love or hate DJI they are heading in the right direction:) also interesting would be the ability to detach the x5 and put the gimbal on a stick for hand held work. Looking forward to that option which should be right around the corner. Hard to imagine where the tech will be a few years from now.

Yep. They are one step ahead of you 😀
http://petapixel.com/2015/10/08/the-dji-osmo-is-a-handheld-12mp4k-camera-with-a-brushless-gimbal/

jjneff · « **Reply #39 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:07 »

This is my backyard :-) shot this with my drone this morning. This is a National Forest so drones aren't banned yet. Flying as much as I can while I can. Stayed below 400ft! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekfob4IcTUo

cdwheatley · « **Reply #40 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:15 »

Quote from: leaf on October 08, 2015, 15:56

Quote from: cdwheatley on October 06, 2015, 18:34
Quote from: leaf on October 06, 2015, 02:54
Yeah the X5 raw is looking realling exciting. I have had a large drone to fly a Canon 5D Mark III camea but the Inspire X5R will easily outperform that setup in a much smaller, easier to fly package. Good things are coming for drones

It's about time someone makes a drone-dedicated camera like DJI just have. It really makes no sense sticking up a camera like a 5D in the air which has tons of features that you can't use while flying and take up unnecessary weight (screen, buttons, viewfinder, mirror, battery, magnesium body, audio support).

Right, love or hate DJI they are heading in the right direction:) also interesting would be the ability to detach the x5 and put the gimbal on a stick for hand held work. Looking forward to that option which should be right around the corner. Hard to imagine where the tech will be a few years from now.

Yep. They are one step ahead of you 😀
http://petapixel.com/2015/10/08/the-dji-osmo-is-a-handheld-12mp4k-camera-with-a-brushless-gimbal/

Haha!:) Truth be told: I already typed my way over to B&H and pre-ordered one. Normally I would wait until the bugs are worked out, but couldn't help myself this time. Pretty excited about this thing with X5 for run and gun beach stock work. This might prove to be a one man band's dream! I have a ton of uses for this setup. Fly the drone, shoot from boat, shoot on the beach, everything in motion and all secure in one suitcase. Christmas came early this year:)

cdwheatley · « **Reply #41 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:22 »

Quote from: jjneff on October 08, 2015, 18:07

This is my backyard :-) shot this with my drone this morning. This is a National Forest so drones aren't banned yet. Flying as much as I can while I can. Stayed below 400ft! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekfob4IcTUo

Beautiful! Nice work!:)

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #42 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:33 »

Quote from: jjneff on October 08, 2015, 18:07

This is my backyard :-) shot this with my drone this morning. This is a National Forest so drones aren't banned yet. Flying as much as I can while I can. Stayed below 400ft! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekfob4IcTUo

Really gorgeous! Sort of a shame you can't fly over yourself - just your drone gets the amazing views

jjneff · « **Reply #43 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:35 »

Thanks and I am excited about the Osmo as well!! amazing tool and will be getting one myself!

jjneff · « **Reply #44 on:** October 08, 2015, 18:36 »

Have a model for next week and I will be using the drone as my main camera

noodle · « **Reply #45 on:** October 08, 2015, 21:15 »

Great footage man!

jjneff · « **Reply #46 on:** October 09, 2015, 09:20 »

Thanks! Still learning but it is a lot of fun :-)

Jonathan Ross · « **Reply #47 on:** October 13, 2015, 13:37 »

Hi all,

I don't want to spoil the party at all but before you drop 8K on this new DJI product I would be absolutely sure that not one rotor will go out on you. At 3K the first model was okay, losing 3K is a lot different than 8K. Many countries do not allow the use of 4 rotor systems as they can be dangerous. DJI horror stories are all over the place if you do a bit of google search. This industry is moving so fast unless you are ready to start making money tomorrow with your new flying camera I would wait it out. No rush for now they are all just getting things figured out and the changes are happening at light speed. Please read reviews at B and H, and everywhere for that matter, about the Inspire 1 and all DJI products. This new unit is the same Inspire with new optics but the guts of the bird appear to be the same as the 1. There are lots of good ones but there are plenty of bad ones and DJI is the worst for repair if you recover your crashed bird. You could easily be down for 2 months waiting on parts and for professional that makes business difficult. Best of luck

Cheers,
J

cdwheatley · « **Reply #48 on:** October 15, 2015, 11:40 »

Quote from: Jonathan Ross on October 13, 2015, 13:37

Hi all,

I don't want to spoil the party at all but before you drop 8K on this new DJI product I would be absolutely sure that not one rotor will go out on you. At 3K the first model was okay, losing 3K is a lot different than 8K. Many countries do not allow the use of 4 rotor systems as they can be dangerous. DJI horror stories are all over the place if you do a bit of google search. This industry is moving so fast unless you are ready to start making money tomorrow with your new flying camera I would wait it out. No rush for now they are all just getting things figured out and the changes are happening at light speed. Please read reviews at B and H, and everywhere for that matter, about the Inspire 1 and all DJI products. This new unit is the same Inspire with new optics but the guts of the bird appear to be the same as the 1. There are lots of good ones but there are plenty of bad ones and DJI is the worst for repair if you recover your crashed bird. You could easily be down for 2 months waiting on parts and for professional that makes business difficult. Best of luck

Cheers,
J

You make some good points. Dji does not have a great track record for customer service. One of the problems with DJI is they have captured a huge portion of the market. I would have to say out of the last 50 drones I've seen flying down here 90% of them are DJI, not sure what actual numbers are, but a lot of phantoms around. So, with that huge number of drones, a lot of mishaps are going to happen. A lot of those problems are due to pilot error, bad calibration of compass, or IMU, maybe not doing a solid pre flight check, battery failure, not reading the manual. I flew a phantom 2 over water for two years and never had any issues other than my battery failing which was my fault. Cost me my drone, but I'm moving on. I'm not saying there are not bad units out there like with any company, but a lot of these accidents should not have happened. Most of these people are relying totally on GPS also. I know the inspire 1 had some firmware issues in the beginning, but they have seemed to iron them out with the latest updates. Mine has flown flawlessly so far (knock on wood). I wouldn't fully trust any of these drones. There is always risk involved. $8,000 in the air is a lot of money. Not to mention the cost of a computer that can process the x5r files. The X5 however looks like a nice upgrade at $2,000 especially for stills if you are coming from an X3, or gopro setup. I'm impressed with the Inspire 1, it's quiet, handles very well, camera rotates a smooth 360 which really comes in handy for pans, something I always tried to do by rotating the drone, but never worked out well. Total control over camera and its functions while it's in the air is a huge bonus. Switch from 4k to slow motion on the fly. These features would cost a lot to build from scratch. I've been flying in 20 mph winds which I would never do with a phantom and it's pretty stable. These smaller drones with a large sensor and interchangeable lens are the future. Investing in a large model at this point, might not be the best option either with the way things are headed. As Leaf mentioned, why put all the camera extras in the air. Slim it down to a flying sensor. Waiting is not a bad idea, but not being late to the party has it's advantages too, especially when it comes to stock.

marquixHD · « **Reply #49 on:** October 22, 2015, 10:53 »

Quote from: Jonathan Ross on October 13, 2015, 13:37

Hi all,

I don't want to spoil the party at all but before you drop 8K on this new DJI product I would be absolutely sure that not one rotor will go out on you. At 3K the first model was okay, losing 3K is a lot different than 8K. Many countries do not allow the use of 4 rotor systems as they can be dangerous. DJI horror stories are all over the place if you do a bit of google search. This industry is moving so fast unless you are ready to start making money tomorrow with your new flying camera I would wait it out. No rush for now they are all just getting things figured out and the changes are happening at light speed. Please read reviews at B and H, and everywhere for that matter, about the Inspire 1 and all DJI products. This new unit is the same Inspire with new optics but the guts of the bird appear to be the same as the 1. There are lots of good ones but there are plenty of bad ones and DJI is the worst for repair if you recover your crashed bird. You could easily be down for 2 months waiting on parts and for professional that makes business difficult. Best of luck

Cheers,
J

fully have to agree. The kind of "service" from DJI is appalling in light of the fact that we are talking K$ products and multi-K$ products here (and with their inefficient way of handling requests and collecting fault data, they show how unnecessarily long these actual repair times are going to be right from the start).

As for the fast-moving part of that segment, again it's DJI who are the ones having demonstrated very bad product development policy -- this time with their larger copters and the infamous "flip of death" problem. Apparently they did not even care to test their expensive airships but (ab)used multi-K paying customers as "beta testers" who then had to foot the bill for crashed ones out of their own pockets, thank-you-very-much.

Indeed, I would not go for anything but small (and somewhat affordable) quadcopters from DJI in light of that. These haven't been overly changed and messed-with for a number of model generations and seem to be sufficiently "stable" as a product now. Phantom-2 to "vision" to Phantom-3 and all its variants (sold in large numbers) may be "reliable enough" to go for.

And yes, very pleased elsewhere with the overall experience and results from Phantom 3s (when you succeed getting a fault-free copy with working FPV and image data feed so you can actually shoot images with it, that is).

op · « **Reply #50 on:** October 23, 2015, 09:18 »

Getty now requires drone pilot license and permits for any drone footage...

rckirk · « **Reply #51 on:** October 23, 2015, 11:33 »

In the U.S. Getty now requires proof of an exemption granted by the FAA for your commercial use of a drone.

op · « **Reply #52 on:** October 23, 2015, 12:21 »

Not even in the US..

PeterChigmaroff · « **Reply #53 on:** October 23, 2015, 13:24 »

Quote from: op on October 23, 2015, 09:18

Getty now requires drone pilot license and permits for any drone footage...

What happens if you don't have the appropriate documents? Could the FAA fine Getty? The UAV operator?

op · « **Reply #54 on:** October 23, 2015, 13:32 »

They don't accept footages without those documents.

rckirk · « **Reply #55 on:** October 23, 2015, 13:46 »

Quote from: Zeus on October 23, 2015, 13:24

Quote from: op on October 23, 2015, 09:18
Getty now requires drone pilot license and permits for any drone footage...
What happens if you don't have the appropriate documents? Could the FAA fine Getty? The UAV operator?

Google FAA drone fines. There are reports of fines up to $10,000. In one case they deemed posting a drone video on YouTube commercial use because of an ad linked to the video. In another case selling stock images of cityscapes was deemed commercial and a heavy fine was assessed.

PeterChigmaroff · « **Reply #56 on:** October 23, 2015, 14:19 »

Quote from: rckirk on October 23, 2015, 13:46

Quote from: Zeus on October 23, 2015, 13:24
Quote from: op on October 23, 2015, 09:18
Getty now requires drone pilot license and permits for any drone footage...
What happens if you don't have the appropriate documents? Could the FAA fine Getty? The UAV operator?
Google FAA drone fines. There are reports of fines up to $10,000. In one case they deemed posting a drone video on YouTube commercial use because of an ad linked to the video. In another case selling stock images of cityscapes was deemed commercial and a heavy fine was assessed.

That's what I was wondering. Thanks.

Mantis · « **Reply #57 on:** October 25, 2015, 17:04 »

This is all bursting my bubble. I was looking into expanding my video to drone footage but the hoops one has to jump through to make footage "compliant" will only get more complicated. And to have a license and having to register will cost money just to be able to use the drone. Red tape, safety and overall government greed combine to make a powerful formula to discourage or prevent legitimate drone use.

PeterChigmaroff · « **Reply #58 on:** October 25, 2015, 17:10 »

Mantis, I don't think this is a government greed thing. They have the potential to be quite dangerous and are proving to be just that. I'm sure the government would like to forget about them as they have enough to do. But unless properly dealt with, they will eventually bring down something a lot bigger than them.

Mantis · « **Reply #59 on:** October 25, 2015, 17:26 »

Quote from: Zeus on October 25, 2015, 17:10

Mantis, I don't think this is a government greed thing. They have the potential to be quite dangerous and are proving to be just that. I'm sure the government would like to forget about them as they have enough to do. But unless properly dealt with, they will eventually bring down something a lot bigger than them.

I agree that safety is a necessity, which means properly using your drone in compliance with practical guidelines. The idiots who are creating a mess and misusing drones, though, will (or already have) triggered a governmental response. The government here in the USA is greedy. They will create unrealistic ways to levy fees around registration, training and/or licensing as a new revenue stream. Mark my words, the US government will make owning a drone lucrative for them as "an aside" to true safety and responsible flying.

So I do agree with you fully about responsible use, but I also see our government either making it easy to own a drone but impossible to fly it unless you are willing to pay up or seeing drone ownership as a means to new revenue. But I suppose that's a different story.

dragonblade · « **Reply #60 on:** February 12, 2017, 00:26 »

Ive been flying quadcopters for a little over three years. Most of that time was spent on cheap toy grade quads. I started with a Syma X1 - full manual control / no gps. First few months of flying weer really tough - I had three fly aways with three seperate Syma X1s and none of them were ever found. Later on, I acquired a Syma X8C which Ive had for a while now. It's probably the cheapest quad that can lift a GoPro. Ive done a few aerial videos with the Syma X8C and GoPro combination though it's not really suitable for stock footage - no gimbal and the landing gear is visible in the frame (despite using DJI wide skids.) Still great fun though. Two of my videos can be seen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9390lm0JXIc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKgMWGXqDxs

Maybe one day, I can purchase a more expensive quad for stock footage. I do have a second hand DJI Phantom 2 which came with a bad battery. No gimbal though. As for legalities, no problem here as I am in Australia. In this country, you can fly a UAV for commercial gain without a license as long as the craft weighs less than 2kg.

PigsInSpace · « **Reply #61 on:** February 12, 2017, 02:39 »

Old Thread Alert!

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #62 on:** February 12, 2017, 04:39 »

Quote from: PigsInSpace on February 12, 2017, 02:39

Old Thread Alert!

An old 'un, but a good 'un!

Brightontl · « **Reply #63 on:** February 12, 2017, 06:02 »

Yes, it would be interesting to hear updates about it from different parts of the world.
Here in the UK the situation seems particularly relaxed at the moment. Never had any problems, even in urban areas, but I am very strict about respecting the few rules

TSLphoto · « **Reply #64 on:** February 13, 2017, 12:13 »

Canada is fairly straight forward.
Have insurance, meet the exemptions from SFOC and don't fly too close to airports or restricted zones and you're all good.

obj owl · « **Reply #65 on:** February 13, 2017, 13:05 »

Quote from: Brightontl on February 12, 2017, 06:02

Yes, it would be interesting to hear updates about it from different parts of the world.
Here in the UK the situation seems particularly relaxed at the moment. Never had any problems, even in urban areas, but I am very strict about respecting the few rules

Not that relaxed.
"You must be in possession of a Permission issued by the CAA before you conduct any aerial work with your drone."
http://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Aircraft/Unmanned-aircraft/Unmanned-Aircraft/

For none commercial purposes.
http://dronesafe.uk/

Brightontl · « **Reply #66 on:** February 13, 2017, 14:57 »

On the other hand France is the most strict on the planet.
You must have a licence after three weeks (!) of intense training. communicate to the authorities your purchase of the drone, start a company, scarify 12 virgins before you can even put the thing in the air.
Afterwards you need to ask permission with a detailed map of where you want to fly every single time!
And most places are forbidden anyway

S. · « **Reply #67 on:** April 14, 2017, 17:46 »

Quick question:
what if I'm from a country A and get all the permits I need to fly a drone commercially, if I travel to country B will I need to get different permits?

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #68 on:** April 14, 2017, 19:17 »

Quote from: Stepunk on April 14, 2017, 17:46

Quick question:
what if I'm from a country A and get all the permits I need to fly a drone commercially, if I travel to country B will I need to get different permits?

More than likely, yes.

noodle · « **Reply #69 on:** April 14, 2017, 19:30 »

Quote from: Stepunk on April 14, 2017, 17:46

Quick question:
what if I'm from a country A and get all the permits I need to fly a drone commercially, if I travel to country B will I need to get different permits?

Of course, whenever you visit another country you have to obey all the laws of the land

Catakitkat · « **Reply #70 on:** October 18, 2017, 08:52 »

Hi,

Anyone can point me to a site where I can read the German regulations for drones and the commercial use of the images/footage made with it? I have found some myself, just not sure about the right ones?

Thank you! Maybe an official site?

Pixart · « **Reply #71 on:** October 18, 2017, 09:36 »

Since someone revived this post.... A jet hit a drone this week in Quebec. It didn't bring it down but it really agitated Canada's Transportation Minister. If a goose can bring down a jet, so can a drone. I don't really see licensing as a money grab by governments, the owners of these things really need the education that comes with getting a license. The only thing worse than losing a loved one in a crash would be the burden of guilt of uneducated drone operator who brought down the aircraft because they didn't know they were too close to an airport or flying too high.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/drone-collision-canadian-passenger-plane-063043433.html

Catakitkat · « **Reply #72 on:** October 18, 2017, 10:17 »

I think I have found something quite complex about using drones in Germany, so I leave the links here:

https://www.wbs-law.de/internetrecht/civilian-drones-legal-issues-surrounding-use-50459/ [nofollow]

http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/germany-new-rules-for-operation-of-drones-and-model-aircraft/ [nofollow]

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