DJI Phantom 3 Advanced - Initial Impressions - Part 1

I believe I've posted that I've been interested in the new(ish) Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E lens. At the beginning of the new year I almost got it but then another idea started competing - to get a drone that would take decent still photographs. I've had this idea for a while, at least since reading about it in Outdoor Photography magazine.

I did a bit of research and the name that kept coming up in the price range I was interested in was the DJI Phantom 3 Advanced. It has a camera on a 3-axis gimbal that shoots amazing HD video and I found a number of decent stills taken with the unit too.



DJI HD Camera on Phantom 3 Advanced

The camera is made by (or at least branded) DJI using a Sony EXMOR 1/2.3" sensor that will shoot 4000 x 3000 pixel images in JPEG and, more importantly to me, DNG! If you don't know, DNG is an Adobe open, lossless RAW image format, supported of course by Adobe Photoshop (PS) and Lightroom (LR). So you get a 12 MP image in a RAW format that can be shot from a very stable platform at up to a (legal) height of 400 feet!

I thought this would open up some new perspectives for images! I also hope to be able to stitch together shots in PS or LR to get larger shots if desired.

I've also mentioned in the past how I have a hard time imparting the sense of height from the top of a ridge or cliff and I have wondered if having some additional height for the camera might make a difference. Alternatively, shooting from off of the cliff might do it too. A drone would allow those types of shots, and many more! Like shooting a saguaro from more than 6 feet off the ground! The rocks at Chiricahua National Monument!

On the other hand, the Nikkor lens has received nothing but wonderful reviews, even from Ken Rockwell, and that's not very often that he likes something! It's reported as having better image quality (IQ) than the competitive 150-600mm lenses from Tamron and Sigma, as well as better build quality than either of those lenses. However, the Nikkor has 50mm less reach on the short end and 100mm less on the long end. The smaller magnification factor allows for tighter tolerances and better performance from the Nikkor - it's just a matter of which is more important, focal range or IQ.

Not long after I got into photography I determined that IQ was my main motivation and trying to achieve sharpness and clarity and color saturation were what I was interested in and still am. Consequently, along with my attraction to genuine Nikon gear, I really wanted this lens.

Around the beginning of 2016, both of these items were hard to find at times, an indication of how popular they are. At the same time, DJI celebrated their 10th anniversary and offered a 20% savings on the Phantom 3. I decided to take the plunge and go for this instead of the lens. They are both in the same ball park as far as cost (the lens was about $1,400; the Phantom 3 Advanced was $799 but with an extra battery at $150 and a case at another $150 you're up at $1,100).

I ordered mine directly from DJI (Adorama and B&H Photo also carry them, with no tax to Arizona residents and free shipping, but they were out of stock). DJI had the same deal (no tax, free shipping). It took about 3 days to arrive and all of a sudden I was a drone owner!

I'll continue my thoughts on my drone and my decision in my next blog or two...

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced w/ Apple iPhone 5