16Jan DJI Phantom GoPro Quadcopter w/ Sony RX100 MOD
Just showing a quick video of me setting up the DJI Phantom Quadcopter designed specifically for the GoPro Hero cameras. The directions are a little weird, but I got through the user manual and was able to get it off the ground in less than an hour. The Phantom is Ready-To-Fly with no setup required except for a few AA batteries in the remote. Once you place the battery into the Phantom you go through a series of system calibrations and then off you go. Though many will not consider this a professional Quadcopter – THIS IS STILL NOT A TOY.
Video sample of GoPro Hero3 with Phantom
I’ve already modified a special mount for the Sony RX100 Camera because it has better video quality than the GoPro and built in Image Stabilization. I basically took an old GoPro mount and modified it with a little hacksaw. It fits natively to the Phantom, and the right angle mounts under the RX100 (upside down). The camera is short enough so that it doesn’t touch the ground as the Phantom lands.
The test flight was a success and the Phantom has no issues carrying the Sony RX100. It’s dark right now so I don’t have anything worth showing, but tomorrow i’ll try to give her a test flight in an open field and share some of that footage. You can find the DJI Phantom Quadcopter following the link via eBay (click here).
DJI Phantom GoPro Quadcopter Kit GPS + NAZA-M – eBay
If you’re lucky and they are still in stock, the DJI Phantom Quadcopter Ready-to-Fly kits are also available via Amazon (click here)
DJI Phantom QuadCopter for GoPro Video Cameras – Amazon
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January 16th, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Nice Emm!
January 16th, 2013 at 8:35 pm
So keen to see a video and review, I’ve got an Ar Drone and am looking forward to getting something more reliable and compatible
January 16th, 2013 at 10:26 pm
Sony RX100 can have built in Image Stabilization but no way it has better video quality than the new GoPro 3 black edition. Why you say that? Prove it
January 16th, 2013 at 10:27 pm
if it can take the sony maybe the eos-m would work its like 30 grams difference in weight. but the power shot N in white is lie the perfect match for this copter
January 16th, 2013 at 10:46 pm
You continually out do yourself. I love it. Can’t wait to see your RX100 footage.
I wish I could get one of these for my RX100. But living in NYC, I’d be shut down pretty fast, trying to get some street shots, or park shots, or harbor shots, or other streets, or anywhere.
January 16th, 2013 at 11:42 pm
It does look jerky. I wonder if image stabilization will make a difference.
January 16th, 2013 at 11:44 pm
Emm – here’s a quick second test I did with the RX100 on my Phantom
You might find without something between the camera and the Phantom you’ll get some jello even with active stabilization on – I used Sorbothane and a vibration mount on mine to get it that smooth. Also try coasting in ATTI mode to get the smoothest video, there are also some 2 axis gimbals being developed for the GoPros.
January 16th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
I wonder what other cameras it can hold, just ordered one.
January 16th, 2013 at 11:50 pm
@Kaz – That’s totally wicked. Your video looks very smooth already compared to what it looks like Out of the box. I know it doesn’t take much to DIY something that will get better performance, I just have to spend more time playing with it.
January 17th, 2013 at 12:19 am
Emm,
Can this support the weight of a GH2 with wide angle pancake lens?
January 17th, 2013 at 12:22 am
@Shah101 – No it won’t. That would be too big for this little copter. I find this one has the right features for someone to practice with before stepping into one for a larger camera. It’s stable and easy to maneuver.
January 17th, 2013 at 1:15 am
Hey Emm,
how about trying to capture some aerial footage over the windy part of Lombard Street …zoom past a trolley going up Hyde Street on the way.
Maybe some footage of the submarine (USS Pampanito?) down at Fisherman’s Wharf …catch it going out into the bay …maybe submerging, if it does it near shore. Buzz around a few sea lions, if they’re around this time of year …laying around the pier.
Flying over a vineyard or the San Francisco National Cemetery at Presidio(?) might be a cool effect.
An elevator shot of some of the big trees in the local parks (Muir Woods?) of San Francisco.
Buzzing around Alcatraz would be something.
Man! …there are a ton of cool spots in and around San Francisco. Haven’t visited since 1986 or 1987.
January 17th, 2013 at 3:19 am
Looks still kinda shaky.
I think IS can do with vibrations but for big unvoluntary twists and tilts you will need an “air steadicam”. If not invented, it’s time to invent it now!
January 17th, 2013 at 4:39 am
@Emm – Thanks! Really appreciate the feedback. An avid follower of your site.
January 17th, 2013 at 4:56 am
that’s a really good thing for practice and i would prefere to use it with the gopro. because when you start flying you will crash. another thing what i miss on that little thing is a gimbal with gyro control. because if you want to fly fast forward the camera is nearly pointing down.
you can get good footage with a quadrocopter a bit bigger, if you know how to build one. i use a nex5n for my aerial stuff.
here is what it looks like:
https://vimeo.com/57288595 shot with a hexa, but not expensive + cheap ebay gimbal
https://vimeo.com/49634005 shot with quadro and cheap ebay gimbal too
but as i say, start small to feel comfortable when flying. fly circles, fly eights… without crash
January 17th, 2013 at 5:55 am
guys, I just got my phantom with a GO PRO 3 but I’m having MAJOR Jello issues, could you please post details on what you used to reduce vibration? Its driving me CRAZY!
January 17th, 2013 at 5:57 am
Emm I love the Phantom. Saw it first on your blog and agree, I hate the way the GOPRO video looks. Lots if guys working in a custom gimble but I like your setup the best. I’m going to pick up an RX100 and do the same mod. Thanks
January 17th, 2013 at 6:43 am
I live in one of the windiest parts of the country. I wonder how well that little quad will do down here. I would definitely invest in a 2axis gimbal if they were to ever develop one.
January 17th, 2013 at 7:22 am
@Marcus – Thanks for sharing, footage looks awesome. I think eventually people want to achieve the best footage possible, but we all have to start somewhere small and affordable.
January 17th, 2013 at 9:41 am
@Emm
i know, that’s why i wrote that this thing is perfect for beginners. but i wouldn’t put a rx100 on it when i start flying things like this. when you crash the gopro nothing will happen,maybe the case get’s some scratches.
@buster
the key is to balance your propellers. you can buy some propeller balancer and use tesa to put it on the side which is lighter.
January 17th, 2013 at 9:58 am
I got my Phantom 2 weeks ago and have learned a lot, here are my humble short tips from a 2 week newbie, to brand new newbies waiting to get theirs:
1-read up on LiPo battery safety and fires, just get at least a LiPo battery bag or just charge outside. The stock batteries are high quality but, just be safer than sorry. A search on YouTube for lipo fires should explain everything
2-balance your props (search YouTube) this will allow the use of the stock GoPro attachment and greatly reduced jello -this in addition to Sorbothane, earplug platforms, etc. will get you great video. To get the roll and pitch out of the video you will need virtually no wind, and be barely touching the throttle or coasting in ATTI mode.
3-use the Naza assistant software via USB to active IOC (go on the DJI website) this will allow you to have the Course Lock mode and Home lock mode activated. Out of the box these are not turned on.
4-remove your props when the Phantom is plugged in with power, and you are working on it via USB or any other reason – it’s basically a flying lawnmower, if you’ve never seen a modern day quad spooling up for flight, the blades are almost violent when up to speed and they make mincemeat out of skin and fingers(that’s a fun google search)
5-this one is common sense, but fly away from people in general, not over strangers heads…the normal stuff that you tend to forget because it’s pretty exciting to fly this thing. In dense city areas like LA, NYC, you are going to get stopped by public safety patrols and police, a lot. Go to the country side or park, big soccer fields, etc. I flew mine very high above the pool in the middle of downtown LA, and if one of the props had broken mid flight or the flight controller went haywire it would have landed on top of a person’s head 2 blocks away most likely…got amazing video but I won’t be doing that again lol.
6- there are amazing forums from highly experienced fliers who can help all of us newbies, I’ve been on rcgroups.com in the multiprop section, there are many other communities. The most expected result of you getting into this via the Phantom is you will want at least 2 more quads…a tiny one to fly indoors (I got the RC Logger Eye One), and a larger one that can have more stable footage – have fun! (ordering a QAV500) and anyone who is not a newbie pointers are welcome, still learning.
January 17th, 2013 at 10:22 am
Wouldnt the way to go be to create a shock mount like you would for a microphone, only big enough for a gopro or preferably a hx9v or rx100?
January 17th, 2013 at 10:58 am
Kaz was it beneficial to swap props? Or did you find the stock props to do just as well?
January 17th, 2013 at 11:33 am
@pops – the graupner 8×5 e-props gave me noticeably smoother video using a GoPro, using the RX100 it was slightly better but not night and day. It’s more important to just balance whichever ones you are using…the Graupners are more to have rigidity for sport flying, not exactly what the Phantom is built for (though you can do it). Especially when playing around you will most likely crash, or bump, or fall over when landing in high winds…no need to break $40 in props, just use the stock ones and balance them.
Here’s Tony at RC Drones sport flying his Phantom (he changed props, added rx/tx, turned on manual mode) Like
January 17th, 2013 at 11:55 am
Whoa this looks like a pretty sweet setup. Leaning toward getting an RX100 for a walk-around but this might be a great use for it if I need some aerial footage. Look forward to more updates on this.
January 17th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
That nice that it’s NAZA equipped. Can one add the GPS module?
I just started my build of a Ecilop Easy and Nex5 or GH3 combo.
January 17th, 2013 at 2:14 pm
Good God Emm, you’re breaking me.
January 18th, 2013 at 1:46 am
question: Why didnt you use the gopro tripod mount to mount the sony cam instead?
January 18th, 2013 at 4:17 am
@Marcus
The video you shot using the hexacopter, what is the setup? You mentioned it is not expensive one but the cheapest I can get is the DJI S800 with Zenmuse in order to produce something that stabilized. Care to share?
When you told @Buster that to buy some propeller balancer, may I know which site did you get these reliable propeller balancer from?
I have no quadcopter, but interested in investing in one and might go with something in the range of USD 1000 – USD 3000. This DJI Phantom is looking more interesting and more stabilize that the last time I saw the footage coming out of it.
January 18th, 2013 at 4:51 am
Just to add one more thing to what Kaz touched on and to counter what some others have said…please DO NOT fly over public areas where there are cars, trolleys, trains, or people! Don’t fly near or over a submarine unless you want to get a visit from the marines. Flying over wildlife is probably generally ok, but depending on the area and animals might get you a visit from the humane society.
Always fly with safety in mind, and remember that for professional use it is currently illegal to do aerial photos / video from an unmanned aerial vehicle. Rules and regulations are currently being discussed to make it legal, and while that is happening no one wants there to be any significant (or significantly stupid) situations that occur to cause more limitations or outright bans on doing this type of work.
So please think before you fly. Don’t put others into harms way. Don’t fly over crowds, in dense urban areas, or over military or civilian vehicles (without explicit permission). And always let those around know how dangerous the copter is before you show them how cool it is.
January 18th, 2013 at 7:51 am
Hi all,
Be careful where you fly these. In the city of LA it is illegal to fly these things. With or without a permit.
January 18th, 2013 at 10:16 am
Has anyone tried mounting an iPhone on this? With the Luma camera app there is a pretty decent stabilizer and the phone does pretty good video. I ordered one but wondering in the meantime
January 18th, 2013 at 10:17 am
Has anyone tried mounting an iPhone on this? With the Luma camera app ther is a pretty decent stabilizer and the phone does pretty good video. I ordered one but wondering in the meantime
January 19th, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Can’t wait to hear more! KAZ, interested in hearing more about the QAV500 set up. Looks pretty sweet. email me at stephendiazproductions@gmail.com if you have a quick sec
January 22nd, 2013 at 11:32 pm
Looks like you have caught the multicopter cam bug Emm! I have been experimenting with them for the past 2 years. Progressed from KK board flight controllers to my current Arducopter APM2.5.
Here’s my KK2 board equipped Tricopter with the GoPro Hero 3 shot video.Props and motors still need some balancing.
Here’s another one shot with my TBS clone quad. This one is on a GoPro hero 1 though.
January 22nd, 2013 at 11:45 pm
@Weelian – I doubt i’ll ever get as serious as you, but you never know. I see the problem that most people have with the Phantom out of the box is ‘jello’ footage. I still have to balance the props on the Phantom, but I just tried some vibration absorbing material and it worked amazingly well, even without balancing the props. Instead of trying to work on just the camera mount, i’ve actually absorbed vibration through the entire frame. I’ll have more information this week.
January 28th, 2013 at 6:04 pm
I think the video here is more than comparable with lots I’ve seen using way larger & more expensive lifting rigs. (I’m guessing any jerkiness is due to the vimeo player) With the Sony weighing what it does, did you have any problems lifting it and any throttle left to play with?
I know the AR Drone groans with anything like 200g attached, and reduces flightime so much that’s it’s not worth the bother. The phantom looks great. I’m no RC guru and the idea of a plug and play system appeals.
Thanks for putting up the article.
Cheers
January 31st, 2013 at 7:20 am
@Emm Could you please send some information about how you absorved the vibration of the frame, some footage. thanks and congratulatios for this great Blog
January 31st, 2013 at 7:59 am
@Gonzalo – I am still working on my own Phantom, but others have been able to create a better mount for the GoPro, but first and foremost you need to balance the propellers. There is a small kit that that will help you do this, and you can find many tutorials on YouTube. You basically sand down each propeller until they are balanced so one is not heavier than the other. Here’s a good propeller balancer kit (here).
January 31st, 2013 at 11:33 pm
I see the supplied gopro mount has alot of sideways rocking slop. I will change it for a stick on gopro mount which should eliminate alot of jello and use the gopro case.
February 3rd, 2013 at 1:14 am
Is there a way to shoot stills rather than video with one of these? I know the gopro does stills but it doesn’t seem to the the best quality stills camera. The rx100 looks like it would do the job but there is no way to trigger the shutter and it doesn’t have an invalometer.
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:16 am
FYI this looks smooth to me:
February 5th, 2013 at 3:26 pm
been seeing A LOT of bad reviews for gopro3
should i follow emm and get Sony RX100 MOD =)~
February 5th, 2013 at 5:57 pm
Speed and Timing (11.00)
The RX100 supports both a burst mode and true continuous shooting with no buffer limit. In this same menu, you’ll also find a lightly customizable self-timer with options for self-portrait, as well as exposure and white balance bracket settings.
Using Speed Priority mode, which triggers a 10 shot burst followed by slower shots that continue indefinitely, we clocked the RX100 at exactly 10 frames per second for the initial burst. Continuous shooting, which does also slow down eventually, is slower at only 2.5 frames per second.
RAW drive modes are also supported, at the cost of reduced speed. The fastest RAW burst the camera can manage is a little over 4.2 frames per second. Not bad.
February 7th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
May I ask which GoPro mount was modified in order to use the RX100 with the Phantom?
Thank you.
February 18th, 2013 at 10:59 am
Emm, I purchased the prop balancer but awaiting a modified gopro mount to absorb more vibration than the standard mount. I hope you can use your giant computer-like brain to come up with a solution for us mortals.
February 21st, 2013 at 10:45 pm
@buster #16
> MAJOR Jello issues
This page has some very useful tips that might help:
http://www.helipal.com/dji-phantom-gps-drone-rtf.html?gclid=COyHhai7xrUCFU8a6wodUDoApQ
This idea is a possible option for a servo controlled mount (not sure of the dimensions though, and it might become too heavy)
You could try and modify just the GoPro gimbal part of
http://rc-drones.com/NazaFlame-Landinggear.php (download the .pdf @ the bottom of the page)
February 26th, 2013 at 7:08 am
Great quality, much better then with Gopro. Have to test it!
Thanks
March 9th, 2013 at 7:04 am
I exchanged my Gopro 3 Black due to endless freezing problems. Quality of the Sony RX100 is a least equal.
When cloudy even far better than Gopro.
I’m now developing a crash protection frame around the Sony in case of..
March 9th, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Hey Holland
I’m glad you are on this
Please keep posting
thanks
March 25th, 2013 at 4:25 am
I’m planning to attach new Panasonic DMC-FT5 (in Europe) as it is shockproof and has time lapse . I’m taking mainly photos. I would prefer camera wit RAW (under 250g and time lapse) but I have not found any which would be suitable for Phantom. If somebody has any ideas it would be great to hear. Btw there is some kind of gimbal coming out from DJI in the future.