Flying a GH-4, would you go for a DJI S900 or a well built Skyjib 6?
- Thread starter domx
- Start date
Pumpkinguy
Member
The answer will be pretty obvious here. Your comparing a Chevy to a Beemer.
Pumpkinguy
Member
I'm just learning so not a great wealth of knowledge. If you are saying money is no object then I'd say the skyjib because many of the pros use that. I think the 900 is more of a prosumer grade. Those red plastic arm lockers scare me. I am not really sure what type of plastic they are. If I knew they were a high tech plastic like a glass filled nylon I'd feel a lot better.
dazzab
Member
Either of those frames will suit your stated need. But what might influence your decision is what gimbal you are going to use? If you can afford to pay more than the copter itself for a Zenmuse then you are probably better off sticking with all DJI gear as much as I hate to say it. It also depends on how you plan to use it. The DJI might be easier to transport although I fold my XM6 down in a pelican case just fine and used it for international air travel without any problems. For the time being I'm sticking with Aeronavics as I don't want to give DJI any more of my money than I have to in protest of their insulting lack of customer support and what I consider seriously inflated prices. But you can't beat a Zenmuse so what are you going to do?
Av8Chuck
Member
Although build quality is important its not the reason to choose one over the other. Sure the fit and finish of the Skyjib is much better but their both Hex's and will perform the same type of mission comparably. Where the quality comes into play depends more on how often and in how you use it. Keep in mind that as a general rule of thumb good quality is heavier and more expensive.
If you put a DJI controller on the Skyjib performance wise it will be essentially the same as the S900 - if the S900 is as rigid as the Skyjib. I think a Skyjib with something other than a DJI controller would be far superior to an S900. I also don't think a good way to make this comparison is by stating that "professionals" use one or the other. Not all "Professionals" are created equal, there are a lot of "professionals" flying Phantoms shooting with GoPro's. It really depends on what type of footage your trying to capture, who your capturing it for and how well you can provide aerial footage that will fit into the rest of the productions workflow which has little to do with wether your using a Skyjib or S900.
If your just starting out in AP I's suggest you start with a Phantom and a GoPro so that you can experience the euphoria of getting decent quality aerial footage and the the "agony of defeat" moment when it flies uncontrollably into the side of a building and then decide if you can trust that type of controller, because regardless of which frame you choose it all comes down to can you trust it.
If you put a DJI controller on the Skyjib performance wise it will be essentially the same as the S900 - if the S900 is as rigid as the Skyjib. I think a Skyjib with something other than a DJI controller would be far superior to an S900. I also don't think a good way to make this comparison is by stating that "professionals" use one or the other. Not all "Professionals" are created equal, there are a lot of "professionals" flying Phantoms shooting with GoPro's. It really depends on what type of footage your trying to capture, who your capturing it for and how well you can provide aerial footage that will fit into the rest of the productions workflow which has little to do with wether your using a Skyjib or S900.
If your just starting out in AP I's suggest you start with a Phantom and a GoPro so that you can experience the euphoria of getting decent quality aerial footage and the the "agony of defeat" moment when it flies uncontrollably into the side of a building and then decide if you can trust that type of controller, because regardless of which frame you choose it all comes down to can you trust it.
Pumpkinguy
Member
FYI there is a skyjib x4 in the classifieds that IMO is very good value. I looked long and hard at that but really wanted the experience of building my own so I ordered a gryphon x6 frame. A choice that I may regret after finding out there has been a couple problems with the gryphons folding mechanism.
Thanks for the feedback guys. I guess I should have added more 'colour' to my initial post.
I have a couple of years experience playing with a DJI F550 with a Go Pro in a brushless gimbal. I'm now looking to start an AV business focusing on TV, commercial, property and events. The Skyjib option comes with a Zenmuse Z15 gimbal for the GH-3, but that will be changed to a GH-4 gimbal. The controller is Wookong and everything else is Droidworx. It's over 1 year old (non-folding frame) but very well built and with a lot of additional modifications to make it a better platform.
The S900 option would be a brand new build with Z15 gimbal for GH-4, A2 flight controller and other bits and pieces like iOSD, etc.
I may need to pack it down and take it abroad.
Hope that helps fill in the gaps a bit
Oh, and I'm in the UK, so the fact that the S900 can come in JUST under 7kg and the Skyjib weighs 9.5kg is a consideration.
Thanks,
Dom.
I have a couple of years experience playing with a DJI F550 with a Go Pro in a brushless gimbal. I'm now looking to start an AV business focusing on TV, commercial, property and events. The Skyjib option comes with a Zenmuse Z15 gimbal for the GH-3, but that will be changed to a GH-4 gimbal. The controller is Wookong and everything else is Droidworx. It's over 1 year old (non-folding frame) but very well built and with a lot of additional modifications to make it a better platform.
The S900 option would be a brand new build with Z15 gimbal for GH-4, A2 flight controller and other bits and pieces like iOSD, etc.
I may need to pack it down and take it abroad.
Hope that helps fill in the gaps a bit
Oh, and I'm in the UK, so the fact that the S900 can come in JUST under 7kg and the Skyjib weighs 9.5kg is a consideration.
Thanks,
Dom.
Carapau
Tek care, lambs ont road, MRF Moderator
Dom, you have answered your own questions here. If you need to travel and want to keep under the 7kg limit then you shouldn't even be considering the Skyjib. The Skyjib is without doubt a nicer frame than the S900 but what does it do for the business over the 900? Simple, nothing. You will get equally good imagery from both rigs so go with one that fulfills your requirements. S900 is a no brainer from what you have said.
