DJI put me in business, and is taking me out...

[Old Man]

The level of injury, although devastating to the injured, is not what defines safe or unsafe operational practices. That is at the complete control of the operator. The type of equipment used is not relevant since virtually anything can cause injury. The root cause of many injuries is the individual making bad decisions and using poor judgement. Unfortunately there has not been a day in thousands of years where man used good judgement as often as he should. We hurt ourselves and each other, intentionally or accidentally, with extreme frequency and that's not going to stop any time soon. The tools involved are unlimited in selection. We should all try to do what we can to use good judgement and make good decisions in everything we do. It's not possible to force others to carefully consider the possible outcome of their actions, no matter how much we want to.

 

[Carapau]

Mods- please close this thread.

I wont close the thread as what is being discussed is still above board.

All- the thread has gone off topic somewhat- can we either get back on topic or start up a separate thread on the safety element of flying. Thank you.

 

[Old Man]

Back on topic, It appears most of the MR makers are moving more and more towards products that require little in the way of talent or intelligence from the operators. Even 3DR has started making quads for the "any man" that the user needs little than the ability to flip a switch and look at a few colored lights to operate. To me that means anyone with a desire to excel needs to rise above levels of minimum or average. They need to not just deliver a high end product but develop the ability to sell the difference between average and high quality to the customer. MR outfits will also need to diversify and sell products beyond color pictures and video.

Most of the RTF units available will remain restricted to general video applications because expanding beyond that scope will add to the RTF product cost, which the "average" user will be less willing to pay after manufacturer mark ups. The average user is already resistant to developing knowledge or skills beyond what is necessary to fly a near fully automated system, also reducing their desire to purchase a more capable or more complicated system. The customers that can appreciate differences in quality or have needs beyond general video will more often than not be buyers of the product if they had intentions of making a purchase either way to begin with. It will be tough going initially but things will shake out pretty quickly, much the same way things happened with the military end of the UAV market. In the mean time, develop your customer base, make them happy, and avoid providing a reason for them to make a change. Under promise and over deliver.

 

[janoots2]

....and they are "Winn-nning" http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac...dji-seeking-to-raise-at-10-billion-valuation/

 

[janoots2]

I've heard many of my colleagues and even myself compare DJI to the "Apple" of what we do, probably due to the 'plug and play' nature of their products. But the more I think about it, that is really unfair to Apple. The more I put their early entry/success into perspective, I believe they are the Microsoft of what we do. (Broadly speaking here of course) 'First' to the mass market and smart enough to make the technology accessible. But not very product driven - I mean look at some of the issues with their products and disregard to fix them. It leaves me to wonder who WILL be the 'Apple' of the industry. (Because 3DR seems to be the Android) Unless.........View attachment 24305

 

[Stacky]

This week I was doing some photography work for a Maseratti car launch and there was a crew of 3 guys with a DJI Inspire. I doubt any of them were over 25. I got to chat to them for a while and found out they were part of a small multi media company and they had only had the Inspire for about 4 weeks. Previous to that none of them had any RC experience of any kind. They were young, intelligent, switched on guys doing their work in a completely professional manner. I got to see the footage they produced and it was superb. They werent a full time aerial filming crew but their jobs required that they be able to handle all forms of media, photography, video, audio, web, print media, tv and the aerial stuff. They were there producing work for Maseratti which included web and advertising use.
I think one of the issues for many is that the various industries we work in are merging and the lines between different disciplines have become blurred. I dont think DJI is taking work away from anyone now, I think that the requirements to be successful now mean we have to be able to use all tools available and the need for specialists at certain levels has reduced.
The footage these guys got was as good as any I have seen from some of the rockstars out there in aerial filming and they were able to do this on just a months flying. 2 years ago I would have been pissed off at that, now i think its great. The key thing with these guys was that the flying ability wasnt the important bit because the Inspire helped level that playing field, what mattered was the creativity and quality of their output and ultimately thats what matters most to clients. Clients dont care if you can fly manually nose in or that you have 5 years experience flying or building, they just want the best imagery possible. These guys didnt take any work away from anyone else, they created the work within the parameters of the levels of creativity they are offering their clients.

Going forward if you are not working for the ultimate high end of the industry then you will have to adapt to the fact it will be very difficult to to earn a living just flying and filming. For the most part he only people who will be able to make a decent living outside of the highest end of things will be those working within the umbrella of a multimedia company or film company.

 

[Gary Seven]

I can't believe you "mods" deleted my post. I put *** in the swear words...what the hell is the matter with you??

 

[Carapau]

It wasn't just the use of the f word but the whole abusive tone of the post. Just because you use a couple of **s doesn't reduce the offensive nature of your language. Move on and show more respect.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dazzab]

@Stacky - Well said. I couldn't agree more.

 

[Carapau]

+1

 

[DucktileMedia]

I wrote my "opinion" on the phantom 3 video on You Tube and man I got an ear full from all the loyal, brain washed, about to be angry, phantom phuckers. I ended up erasing my post because I grew tired of all the responses. At the same time you can easily scroll through the other comments and clearly there are TONS of unhappy DJI customers.

They are a big business, they are NOT Apple and they are in China. for those that chose to go their route, be prepared to be left in the dark. They may seem like the best that's out there but their business ethics leave a lot to be desired. I have come to realize I am better internalizing my personal gripes with them and how they have affected the industry as a whole. I will say that one of my biggest annoyances with them was/is when they post new products yet NEVER once respond to peoples infinite questions on the forums. They abuse this forum by using it as a cheap means to advertise yet make it very clear that they only care about sales. Look at the people who get offended by our rebellious comments. They are generally people who are profiting from DJI sales.

 

[Old Man]

I don't think you'll find as many that disagree with your concerns here. Some of us have also experienced the "love" customers receive from DJI.

 

[gregg gargan]

Wait till best buy and all the major stores start selling the 3D Robotics solo! This thing does preprogramed video moves that usually takes two operators on a bigger drone. supposed to give the phantom 3 a run for the money! Frightening!