The phantom 4 Pro adds identical sensors on the rear, preventing it from backing into objects. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone adds additional obstacle sensors and a vastly improved camera to the already stellar Phantom 4. Sport Mode – Probably the fastest setting on any camera drone, this allows the quadcopter to reach a maximum speed of 45 mph. When Beginner mode is switched off, the Phantom 4 will default to a maximum flight altitude of 390 feet above the takeoff point. Based on its altitude at the time of disconnection, the Phantom 4 Pro is also able to adjust its flight path to avoid obstacles it has seen during its flight.
It gives you a bit of a racing drone experience, too, and with an HDMI module for the controller you can connect FPV (first-person view) goggles to immerse yourself in the experience. The chunky body of the controller hasn’t changed, but it still feels incredibly responsive. The included touchscreen on the pricier Pro Plus model is incredibly bright and easily viewable in direct sunlight, and it puts all your flight and camera settings within easy reach.
It was very good at following a single person, but would lose them if they crossed paths with another person wearing similar colors, or if the person you chose wandered into a group. The time taken to make the GPS connections varies between a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the conditions, but I never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. Previous Phantoms have been constructed from plastic, and while this makes them lightweight it also makes them susceptible to damage if crashed.
The rolling electronic shutters of the Skydio, Parrot, Autel and even the most recent DJI Mavic models simply cannot provide the same level of still photo quality at typical flying speeds that the Phantom 4 Pro can. Third-party solutions like Litchi handle waypoint missions extremely well, and MapsMadeEasy MapPilot provides a terrain following solution. But I generally prefer proprietary software provided by the drone company since it has likely been the most tested and vetted for their own platform. I look for the universal basics – the offline ability to set flight line overlap, design polygon missions , set AGL, gimbal tilt, etc. Then I look for the camera settings crucial for successful photogrammetry missions. Once you’ve got your location set, make sure that the Pro’s firmware is up to date, and ensure that both the flight battery and remote control are fully charged.
If you’ve been bitten by the drone bug and are looking to buy one, then take a close look at the affordable DJI Pro drones. They’ve got exciting features, and you can find them for sale on eBay. This DJI accessory incorporates an updated 45″ Drone Parachute system. MARS has boosted the parachute size to aid safe recovery of the Phantom 4.
Automated flight features make it possible to fly places and get shots previous models could not. It’s harder to crash into stuff, with is safer for you and for your wallet. That said, the Autel Evo 2 Pro, with the exception of missing a mechanical shutter, now has the hardware and flight capabilities advantage. And, with the recently released SDK for third parties to build EVO II Pro mapping capabilities into their own mission planning software suites, this platform shows the most promise.