3DR Sight Gimbal for SOLO arrives at Bestbuy.com

[Bartman]

View attachment 25916

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/3dr-solo-sight-gimbal-black/5352061.p?id=1219650467156&skuId=5352061

3D Robotics product page for Sight gimbal
http://3drobotics.com/3-axis-gimbal/


fyi

 

[Aerialmediaone]

I think maybe the reviewers are biased lol


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Old Man]

Perhaps it's just a matter of "wait and see". There has been much too much anti 3DR-Solo vitriol generated by the DJI community. Some deserved, much not. One could almost view some of what has been taking place as slander and deliberate attempts to discredit to damage 3DR sales volume. 3DR made a tremendous mistake in following DJI's "release untested, rush to market" sales technique. What remains to be seen is how 3DR addresses that mistake, and how reliable the Solo can be as things move forward.. DJI has yet to acknowledge their mistakes.

 

[Motopreserve]

I have not really seen the 3DR vitriol that you mention, but I have seen plenty of positive feedback here on MRF for the APM line in general.

I'm curious to see how 3DR moves forward as well. There was a lot of hype about the Solo, followed by a lot of excitement, followed by.....crickets. I've yet to speak to anyone personally who owns one - and haven't read too many things either.

I would imagine the delay in releasing the gimbal probably let some of the air out of the bag for many consumers. Be interesting to see how they feel now that they have a true, complete competitor to the DJI line.

 

[Old Man]

Over at that "other" site there is a massive level of attacks/slurs, slanders, and disparagement being made against the Solo, 3DR, and the users by people that appear associated at various levels with DJI. It's absolutely vicious. Most of it appears to revolve around newbie errors with new copters, people not bothering to read instructions, and people trying to do real long range stuff, which the Solo is not designed for. The new 3DR forum, (not 3DR sponsored) is also seeing a lot of negative posts. I'm very much a 3DR user and waiting to see how it all unfolds. I will say Guinn stepped on it hard by announcing early, releasing late, and not having the ducks in a row. That was a pattern that did not need repeating.

 

[Motopreserve]

Ah. That makes sense. I knew I hadn't seen much of that here. But in fairness, I find this forum to be generally more tempered and constructive, rather than outright bashing, for all brands.

The move to announce early/release late certainly didn't help matters. I'd like to see them succeed - but if this is their experience in the full-scale consumer market, I could see them bailing for other possibilities completely. Consumers are hard to please, and new pilots are even harder as the level of expectation increases with every new "trick" a manufacturer offers - whether it works or not.

 

[dazzab]

I saw one of these at my flying club last weekend and it really impressed me. I've yet to fly the Solo because too many other things are happening but there are now a couple of them around at the club so it shouldn't be too long before I get the chance. It's a shame the Solo has been lumped in with the Phantom as it's really a much different class of technology.

 

[Bartman]

I will say Guinn stepped on it hard by announcing early, releasing late, and not having the ducks in a row.

i thought Guinn's the marketing guy and not the production guy. I'd say investors in 3DR need to take a long hard look at what Chris Anderson brings to the table. This is a company with a ton of financing and they've basically released their version of a Phantom 2 Vision+ with a few extra software driven features.

i don't see how anyone at 3DR would think that this is the path to success.

 

[Bartman]

It's a shame the Solo has been lumped in with the Phantom as it's really a much different class of technology.

yes but there is what it does for most people and what it's capable of for some people. i don't think most people will seek to get everything out of the Pixhawk 2 FC system that it is capable of.

 

[Bartman]

IMHO

 

[Motopreserve]

While I think that the capabilities are there to put it in a class by itself, I agree with Bart that it'll be most likely utilized like a Phantom.

3DR definitely pushed the 'ease of use' factor with this product - which stands in contrast to the experience I had with APM. So I was happy to see that they had broadened their scope to those that might not want to mess with the more intricate features of APM. Nice to have it when you're willing and able to figure it ouT, but possibly not a requirement for those that want to practice and fly?

 

[Old Man]

yes but there is what it does for most people and what it's capable of for some people. i don't think most people will seek to get everything out of the Pixhawk 2 FC system that it is capable of.

I very much agree with you.

Most buying a "consumer drone" (I REALLY hate that term) do so for "a quick fix". Cable Cam and selfies distinguished the Solo from the Phantom for most of those people and some of them really think that kind of aerial imagery is the hot ticket. Many limit themselves to places like YouTube, and believe a little real estate photography defines a high level of success, especially if they can turn $100.00 for a day's work. A very large number of them are clueless, as seen when it was suggested they review their own problem logs before sending them on to 3DR. Mention Mission Planner and you are greeted with crickets. Suggest using different flight modes from those already set up in the Tx and you receive a massive lament about possibly voiding the warranty. Pixhawk-2 has vast capabilities wide open for exploration but 99.9% of Solo users will never consider taking that trip.

Sorry to so lambaste the "consumer drone" buyer but the vast majority of them are looking for instant gratification, and reading the damn instructions is more of a delay than tolerable for them. Hence they crash a lot, blame the system or the manufacturer, and start threads that ultimately cause more harm than good. It doesn't help that most of the negative press we receive is generated by "consumer drone" operators. Making them so easy to operate a monkey could do it did not make them ready for prime time.

As for Anderson, if it was his idea to release before the system was vetted he did more damage to 3DR than anyone could have imagined, and assured his company will have much to overcome to remain competitive. What was destroyed or severely damaged was the one thing most difficult to earn once lost...trust.

 

[hjls3]

Man I wish I could like this a couple hundred times - Well said, Old Man!!! Kudos.

I very much agree with you.

Most buying a "consumer drone" (I REALLY hate that term) do so for "a quick fix". Cable Cam and selfies distinguished the Solo from the Phantom for most of those people and some of them really think that kind of aerial imagery is the hot ticket. Many limit themselves to places like YouTube, and believe a little real estate photography defines a high level of success, especially if they can turn $100.00 for a day's work. A very large number of them are clueless, as seen when it was suggested they review their own problem logs before sending them on to 3DR. Mention Mission Planner and you are greeted with crickets. Suggest using different flight modes from those already set up in the Tx and you receive a massive lament about possibly voiding the warranty. Pixhawk-2 has vast capabilities wide open for exploration but 99.9% of Solo users will never consider taking that trip.

Sorry to so lambaste the "consumer drone" buyer but the vast majority of them are looking for instant gratification, and reading the damn instructions is more of a delay than tolerable for them. Hence they crash a lot, blame the system or the manufacturer, and start threads that ultimately cause more harm than good. It doesn't help that most of the negative press we receive is generated by "consumer drone" operators. Making them so easy to operate a monkey could do it did not make them ready for prime time.

As for Anderson, if it was his idea to release before the system was vetted he did more damage to 3DR than anyone could have imagined, and assured his company will have much to overcome to remain competitive. What was destroyed or severely damaged was the one thing most difficult to earn once lost...trust.

 

[dazzab]

I'd say investors in 3DR need to take a long hard look at what Chris Anderson brings to the table.

I've been watching and playing in the 3DR pool from almost the beginning. From what I can see Chris Anderson has the vision, the smarts and the guts to do what no one else has. I'd put my money on him over Colin Guinn any day.

 

[RCJardin]

I look forward to getting a Solo+ Gimbal+ Batts but not until I can buy a complete package in one go. The latest 'Sicilian' Solo promo is impressive but was the GoPro fitted with different lens? There are some 'iffy' quality shots so perhaps the fisheye was sorted in post.

I trust 3DR kit as I fly with Pixhawks on a few machines including their quad. This whole Solo launch nightmare is presumably to beat DJI's new Phantom/Inspire feature set. A 2016 spring launch with everything in place (still developing gimbal after 2015 NAB!) would have been better - but who am I to say.

Anyway hopefully a Solo Kit for Christmas.

 

[Motopreserve]

Like any product, much of it comes down to how it is marketed. Aiming their feature set at selfies and follow-me etc places them squarely in the new pilot market. Surely this fact could not have been lost on the management at 3DR.

The timing and mishap with announcing a drone marketed with gimbal and then no gimbal available I'm sure will hurt their rep a bit. But hopefully the experiences that pilots have will outweigh the negatives of the release.

 

[Bartman]

I've been watching and playing in the 3DR pool from almost the beginning. From what I can see Chris Anderson has the vision, the smarts and the guts to do what no one else has. I'd put my money on him over Colin Guinn any day.

Chris Anderson seems to do a great job of sharing his vision but so far what has he really created in terms of consumer products? The multi-rotor kits that 3DR produced were kind of weak compared to what was in the market and while 3DR brought order to the APM universe it's an open source system that was already out there to be co-opted and branded by 3DR, no?

Iris+ has been great and I'd still recommend it but it's not sophisticated by consumer electronic standards and SOLO is not cutting edge in terms of what it offers compared to today's RTF multi-rotor helis.

If 3DR had GoPro's execution then there'd be something there but so far a lot of investment hasn't translated into a well managed company with an effective pipeline of product development. SOLO's gimbal is effectively an H4-3D which has been on the market for at least a year now.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm not a DJI fanboy by any means so I'm not saying this to skew the crowd away from 3DR. It just is what it is that 3DR has investment capital and they're not rolling out cutting edge tech which will bring money people back to the guy in charge and we know who that is.

FWIW, looking at the 3DR website pages the emphasis is on the tech instead of the functions which I think is an extension of the DIYdrone website mentality where finding an answer can be tough at times if you're not a developer level user.

IMHO.

 

[dazzab]

3DR is about a lot more than just a few products. They literally have opened up the world of UAVs to the world by bringing together a lot of very clever people doing amazing things. It's much like personal computers in the 80's and the IBM vs Apple or Windows vs Mac debates. Both have their place and bring different things to the table suitable for different purposes and needs. We live in interesting times. Stay tuned for more and more excitement.

 

[Old Man]

I completely agree. They have some incredible products and services in the development pipeline. Hopefully the early Solo situation will not be a lasting concern.

 

[Old Man]

FWIW, looking at the 3DR website pages the emphasis is on the tech instead of the functions which I think is an extension of the DIYdrone website mentality where finding an answer can be tough at times if you're not a developer level user.

IMHO.

Bart,

You last paragraph very strongly describes what happens when tech companies, heavily populated with young engineers, lack the ability to have vision beyond pure numbers. What you end up with is engineers trying to build a product for themselves, using the language they typically speak, while having little comprehension of any world that is outside of engineering disciplines. I work for one that started out that way and they very nearly shot themselves in the foot doing much the same thing 3DR has been doing. History is very good at repeating itself.

It required a restructuring of management with people that were not engineers, that understood marketing at a specialized level, that could build a critical path schedule and adhere to it, identify and develop a niche market, and divest the company founders from the company to enable building a customer base to provide a profitable revenue stream. The short version is that engineers make really bad managers and you have to convince them, one way or another, to get out of their own way. They generally fail to speak the language necessary (dumb it down or simplify) to entice people to buy their developments. This is where DJI has it together with their "we have what you want, we sell entire package, cheaper than the other guy" sales pitch.