DJI S800 Options

[maverickfilms]

Hi all,

I am new to the forums although have read many threads here with great interest. We are a UK production company looking to expand into ariel filming and have decided on starting this venture with a DJI S800 alongside the Zenmuse Z15 gimbal, most likely carrying the GH2 on the assumption DJI don't bring a GH3 version out in the next month or so. We are currently putting together a bit of a kit list and would hugely welcome anyone to weigh in on the options open to us.

1) Batteries - Are these always run in parallel, and what specs are recommended, 6S we know about but is there any preference on the mah rating, have seen everything from 5000 to 10000 being recommended.

2) Radio - Conflicting opinions here it seems, based in part on what the supplier stocks. This is the first stage for us, we would like to eventually be able to 'upgrade' to a heavy lifter that can carry our C300 so we are happy to invest here, from my understanding you can use one controller for multiple drones as long as they have the corresponding receiver, is this correct? From what I can tell the choice is between Spektrum DX8 / Futaba 8FG Super / Graupner MX-20 for pilots controller and possibly gimbal op as well.

3) Video Downlink - We are hoping much of our work will be within the work we currently do already, that is to say films and promo/commercials. Therefore it is important to be able to offer a video feed for not only our camera op to work off but also for the director / DoP to visualise the shots that we are producing for them. I know DJI offer a 5.8 GhZ video downlink with the cloverleafs but these are cheaper than say the Yellowjacket Pro, what are the differences and is it worth the extra etc.

Any other points that you think we should be considering at this stage I would be grateful if you could mention. Am certainly looking forward to getting involved in the community and getting our bird in the air As mentioned before we are looking at this as a two tiered approach into the industry, starting out with the S800 whilst we learn the ropes whilst still achieving fantastic footage and being able to offer a commercial venture after having completed the relevant licenses. We then are tentatively waiting on Freefly to offer up their new Heavy Lifter that we would potentially look at purchasing to be able to fly our Canon C300 and ultimately offer Red Epic flight in the future.

Many Thanks,
Phil

 

[Langdale]

Hi Phil, have you any experience in flying RC?
I ask because some of the comments/questions you asked perhaps show that you haven't. If you have, I apologise but if you haven't you are going down the road that lots of people have, including me, in that you think it's just a case of unpacking the UAV and flying it. I had a video company and decided I wanted some aerial footage, bought a quad and GoPro and crashed it !! Lesson learned. Your starting at the top end of the equipment available and it's going to be an expensive journey.

I would get a small quad (DJI 450 or 550) and have fun practicing and then move on to the bigger ones when you're confident.

Sorry if I appear to be insulting your intelligence but there are many who tried to run before they could walk. Good luck which ever route you decide to go down.
Peter

 

[flyingbiscuit]

Hi Phil,
I am not sure where you are located, but before you consider buy the equipment at that level, please make sure you understand the laws in your country. Many on these forum don't understand the regulations. It takes us to prepare a 20 page document for every flight, it's not straightforward and assumes you have avaition training, but at least here we are allowed to operate a UAV for commercial purposes, (the dji 5.8 transmitter is not allowed for commercial operation) , and a HAM licence doesn't work for commercial operations either. The regulations vary but none are easy or cheap.
in America I believe commerical operations is still not allowed

 

[r44heli]

Hi Phil,

The advise given by flyingbuscuit and Langdale is very good stuff. I have been flying radio controlled helicopters (and full size) for 25 years and am a BMFA Examiner,
but having spent the last 3 months building a S800 with Zenmuse+Sony NEX5R, retracts, I can safely say it is quite a complex task, and the flying of
it requires a not only a thorough understanding of RC helicopter operation, but some full size practices also. The assembly and configration to get it flying correctly
also takes time, close attention to detail and a good knowledge of computer configuration and computerised radio control systems operation.

A good start would be a DJI Phantom and GoPro, they are easy to fly, and you can at least see some video footage and explore the possibilities ahead of an S800 build.


If you need any further info just shout.

Cheers

 

[maverickfilms]

Thank you all for your advice so far. With regards to actual demonstrable experience then you are correct, this is zero however we do accept this and certainly dont expect to be able to take it out the box, quickly put it all together and immediately go out and fly like a pro getting commercially viable footage. As a company we totally understand there is much more to it than that and it wont go in the air until we are totally happy everything is how it should be and even then it wont go above 5 or 6 feet. We do understand that this craft takes time and practice but there is an element of moving forward as an investment.

As we progress and even as we look to be putting together this kit list we are not taking our responsibilities lightly, I want to learn everything there is to know and not just take peoples word for a specific downlink or radio but WHY they would recommend that as well, for us its about balancing quality with practicality and to a certain extent we have already taken to advice to start small. We own and reguarly use a Canon C300 and our ultimate aim will be to fly this camera as well both as an ariel service but also within our own productions. Putting up a £15k Skyjib with a £10k camera is a very different proposition to the S800.

With regards to the country specific laws this is something I know about, have done a lot of research into already and absolutely plan to follow as we position ourselves within the industry. I am in conversation both with the CAA and another production company we know who are going through their BNUC-S licnencing process at the moment. We are aware of the requirements both in terms of obtaining this licence in the form of operations manuals and the such but also in the regulartions and requirements of each flight itself. Again though I am more than happy to ingest any advice you may have in this area flyingbiscuit as you certainly seem to know your stuff here.

I was at BVE today and im curious to know where you have the information that the dji 5.8 transmitter isn't allowed for commercial operation? is this in the UK? Would be great to get some feedback on this before Thursday as will be going back again and can ask them about it.

If I could also bring you guys back to the opening post I would love for you to weigh in on a few points. I think I am fairly clued up about batteries now after a long chat with a DJI rep today. With regards to radio's as I thought the advice here seems to come down to personal preference, thoughts? and the video downlink....well where would you be dropping your money here? I will be running the GH2 zenmuse version and most likely have the iOSD also, potentially going to a seperate monitor with a small 'pilots cam' as well.

Apologies for the slight ramble....

Cheers,
Phil