Railfan Technology > Drones for photography

Looking for some preliminary info on drones from those of you who may have them. I see several on the internet, no doubt there are new ones being developed all the time. I have a Go-Pro II, it works with many drones but I am looking for one that can Wi-Fi the camera view back to the operator. Go Pros don't seem to be able to do that (due to radio interference with the drone controls). Are the models that can do this? Are there models that can lift a DSLR? Which cameras are capable of sending back a live view?

TIA

Ed

This one has a "return home" feature built in but it's not mine so I don't know if it has what you are talking about.

Chico

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And it captures great images too. Love this fisheye view of Pine Lake, MI., from above. I think it may have transmitted the image but can't say for sure.

RR content: I'd love one for taking rail photos.

Chico



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/14 16:32 by chico.

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It is the latest rage.Several of my friends have them and the low (400')
views are great.There are some posters on TO that have them.

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.

The best article I've seen on the subject is from B&H Photo. I had seriously considered getting one. But the B&H article made me reconsider.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/hands-reviews/introduction-radio-controlled-aerial-photography?cm_mmc=EML-_-Holiday-ArticleRoundup-_-140107-_-Body_Indepth_Guide-to-Aerial-Photography

KG

PLEASE don't use them when anyone else is around shooting video. They would visually and probably sound wise ruin it for those of us who enjoy and take shooting video seriously.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> PLEASE don't use them when anyone else is around
> shooting video. They would visually and probably
> sound wise ruin it for those of us who enjoy and
> take shooting video seriously.

So if the guy with the drone is there 1st, you should just take your video camera and go someplace else?

Owe have a DJI Phantom Vision 2+. Amazing gizmo.
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PLEASE don't use them when anyone else is around
> shooting video. They would visually and probably
> sound wise ruin it for those of us who enjoy and
> take shooting video seriously.


"take shooting video seriously" I find that an interesting statement. I'm not picking on anyone in particular, but in general I'm talking to alot of video heads. I don't take someone as a "serious" when they cant get off their lazy butt and shoot from their car window at a grade crossing. Or they might get out and walk five feet. Do we need to hear the sound of crossing bells the whole damn time? Wind socks, hey heres another small thing, cant listen to the train if all we hear is the wind blowing on the mic. Another favorite is the dumb commentary and giggling behind the camera, and my all time killer, MUSIC. I for one don't care as much for your musical choices as you do. I know this is a carry over from slide shows in the 70s, but move on and quit bothering people with it. I want to here the train, not excess noise. Find a place to get your vid other than at grade crossing, catch the train in action in places you don't have along side a highway, its much more interesting for everyone.
I like the drone stuff i have seen so far, you cant knock the great iowa pacific drone footage on this site.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/09/14 11:07 by TomG.

I would think if it's high enough it wouldn't be an issue. And if the drone guy got there first, oh well. There is some great railroad drone footage out there, provided the panning is smooth and not often.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> PLEASE don't use them when anyone else is around
> shooting video. They would visually and probably
> sound wise ruin it for those of us who enjoy and
> take shooting video seriously.


define " take shooting video seriously ".
Alan

I have owned a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ for about two months now, and it is the only platform I have experience with currently. While not specifically obtained for rail usage, it does make a nice addition to the "camera bag".

First, specifically to your question Ed, look at something like the DJI Phantom 2 (http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2/feature). That model would allow you to integrate a Go-Pro and with some of the options, you could do a FPV setup it looks like. I thought the B&H article linked previously was a good overview as well, and once you start googling around, you will run across more information. There are models that can lift a DSLR, but they are at the high-end of the spectrum, and I think all in eight-rotor configurations. DJI does have some kit-based solutions that I considered (the Flame Wheel line), but I eventually decided to spring for a more ready-to-fly solution. For my first venture into the multi-rotor world, it was the right choice.

One thing that gave me pause are the numerous reports of fly aways with the Phantoms. I am in no position to say what caused issues for folks, but from my limited experience, I have NOT seen an issue. I am fairly cautious and ensure I calibrate the compass before most flights, and I ensure GPS coverage is good. I have not gotten into a questionable scenario such as flying in a canyon or woods or building that might cause GPS issues, and there is supposition out there that can contribute to the fly away problem. There are some solutions out there like the Flytrex Live that can help provide some peace-of-mind (for a price) for this issue. My opinion; there are factors that cause the issue, but following routine recommendations should leave you with many happy flight, do not let the fly away issue sway you away from a multi-rotor.

As for my Vision+, I am quite happy with it. I feel the build quality is pretty good. It has some mass to it so it is not blown around like a piece of paper. I feel the "ready-to-fly" aspect of this model is done pretty well. I had it out of the box and in the air within a couple hours. The FPV solution with a phone/tablet works pretty well, and I would say I have few if any issues. My only nits here would be it takes a minute or two to get everything started up and connected to work in harmony, but once that occurs, the experience is pretty good.

Definitely treat the propeller blades like a razor blades. While I have had mine take an unfortunate tip over or other malady and survive, I have had several develop cracks after usage. I do not see things as a fault here, and while no comparison to make, I consider this just a wearing item that you need to inspect and change routinely. I have some prop guards and I do like them, but the Phantom is a little bulkier with them. I do not view it as an uncontrollable monster, but is it like driving a pickup in the city versus a compact perhaps. I did have one incident where my Phantom tumbled out of the sky from about 80' up. It played pinball in a tree before thumping the ground, but I am still flying. I had the prop guards on it when it happened, and whether a blade made contact with one, some inspects or a bird made contact, or a propellor just failed, I am still unsure, but I do believe the prop guards saved things. I lost two propellers and two of the guards were damaged, but the camera and motors were unscathed.

The camera, while some say is a bit lower quality than a Go-Pro, is pretty good. I think it does a good job for a nimble flying machine, and the video is quite good. There are some videos out there you can google for that will compare the Vision+ camera and a Go-Pro. I will say for the first time foray into things, I like the simplicity of the Vision+ setup -- I spend my time taking pictures and video in the sky instead of tinkering. Mind you, I am a tinkerer and will probably get more into it, but for now, I am enjoying the heck out of it, be it trackside or other endeavors. One oddity to be mindful of perhaps -- the Vision+ does NOT record audio. I totally missed this. While yes, the sound would be dominated by the whirring blades, I would at least like the option to choose to cut that audio track or not. Better yet would have been some sort of mic jack and the ability to drop a small light-weight mic 20-25' down, but I digress, there is tinker time for that too.

As for railfanning etiquette with a multi-rotor...it is not a quiet machine by any stretch, even a good distance up in the air (although a passing train will drown it out), and personally, I would not use one around other folks (I have a hard enough time sharing the photo line for a rail-related event :) ). I prefer to find a nice spot away from people in general. What I usually do is to take the multi-rotor up in the air a minute or two before a train approaches and I find a suitable hovering spot. In my opinion, having your head down watching FPV, or anything not related to watching a passing train, is a good way to draw suspicion as well as a safety concern. One could argue the same for someone futzing with a video camera or SLR too, but at least in those scenarios you are usually focused on the train, and have an eye and ear open for anything such as dragging equipment, etc. Once the head-end passes, I may then choose to do some panning action, etc. At this point, I do not often fly over a train or get in close. As I get more comfortable flying, I am sure I will deviate a bit here, but also, I do not want to be a poster child for flying a multi-rotor into a moving train and causing angst or other issues.

Back to the tool in the camera bag comment for a second -- one of the most exciting things I like about the multi-rotor photography angle is getting to not just views that are above the normally accessible plane of vision, but getting those photos and video from places that are just not accessible any other way. For example, say the tracks are across a river -- one could fly across, situate the multi-rotor in a nice spot, and capture an image not otherwise possible. Perhaps the tracks curve away from your favorite spot through a thick forest of trees and there is an otherwise inaccessible bridge there that is only a short distance away, but photo angles for a mortal are difficult -- just get up in the air and snap/record away.

I'll end this with a snapshot from earlier in the month, August 5th just as the sun was about to climb over the mountains, from the BNSF Kootenai River Sub at Fischer River, MT. This view is from about 350' up above the trees if I recall as a passing empty oil train heads eastward.

Cody



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/14 23:01 by erben22.

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