Solo Gimbals

[DronesForHire]

I will be purchasing the Solo once it is launched and I had a question regarding the gimbal.

After watching some footage taken from the Solo, as well as reading some reviews online, I am concerned about the gimbal quality of the $399 gimbal offered with the Solo.

I am looking to capture the smoothest footage possible, and I was curious if there were other gimbals which might be better than this $399 gimbal which would work with the Solo and a GoPro4 Black?

I am happy to pay more money, if that is all it takes to get the best quality footage.

I appreciate any suggestions from knowledgeable members about how I might best achieve the best footage.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[SleepyC]

Do you have a link to this gimbal? Never heard of it.

 

[econfly]

It looks like the 3DR Solo is going for $999 but that does not include a gimbal. 3DR is offering a GoPro gimbal for the solo for an additional $399.

The obvious 3-axis GoPro gimbal alternative is the DJI H4-3D for $399. But why do that when the new DJI Phantom 3 advanced is out there for just $999 total including the camera?

Personally, if I were going the 3DR Solo route I would be sure I liked their gimbal and total price of $1400 (and you still have to buy a GoPro).

Otherwise, look at the Phantom 3 advanced for $999 or Pro for $1259 (both including camera). The pro has the same 4K camera specs as the DJI Inspire.

 

[Old Man]

I'm not wanting to start a P3 versus Solo debate but the Solo should prove to be a far more capable and expandable platform. The H4-3D is a great unit but you have to be flying DJI to use it. I've been flying a Pixhawk for close to a year and would not trade it for 10 A2's. Unless I had immediate buyers for the A2's anyway.

The Solo will accept gimbals other than the special $399 version. I don't know about the 3 axis versions but the pair of tarot 2D's I've been using work perfectly. Perhaps their 3D's function well.

 

[cootertwo]

3DR is/was having some problems with the release of the new Solo, and the move to China, at the same time. I also suspect there were some problems with the Solo, that they are trying to work out, before release to the world. Where other companies are known for throwing stuff out there, followed by weeks later, forced upgrades, etc. etc. that go on forever. It's kinda like a new drug. Do you want to be a guinea pig, or wait for FDA approval. Just my humble opinion. Just stumbled upon this page. Interesting take on things going on.
http://aerialstrategies.com/open-letter-3drobotics/

 

[Motopreserve]

Wow. That was a harsh take on the 3DR release .

He made some good points though. The intro price for the Solo seemed great to me - but I failed to recognize it did not include the gimbal. The fact that the FC of the Solo will most likely be a robust system may be lost on the market they're targeting.

 

[cootertwo]

I like 3DR, I own 3 Iris+ machines. But with this new Solo deal, they almost seem like a new start-up, rather than the old 3DR we used to know. Perhaps too much, too fast. Once again, 3DR is trying to play catch-up with DJI. while DJI smiles all the way to their communist controlled bank.

 

[Motopreserve]

It seems to me that 3DR could set themselves apart by taking care to control quality, keep innovative and move forward at a steady pace. Heck, having customer support that actually answers questions or tracks the issues customers are having would be a huge leap over what DJI currently offer.

I can see the point of the author in the linked article. 3DR had an opportunity to set themselves apart - and perhaps the roll out of the Solo is a missed opportunity....

Frankly, I don't care what "ism" controls the bank that the company uses, as long as the product serves my needs, and the company does right by the consumer.

 

[cootertwo]

Apples to oranges, millions to billions. I just had a funny thought. Maybe DJI has bought out 3DR, hence the so called move to China, and once all the 3DR inventory is sold, that's it. Hummm, I'm really surprised that someone from 3DR has not jumped all over these forums, with some news.

 

[Motopreserve]

While the size of the companies may be apples to oranges, customer support and good product planning need not be.

If a tiny company releases a well thought out, well designed product, they'll be in the game and respected. At this point I think any company actually treating their customers with respect and keeping them up to date in an honest fashion, will be worlds ahead of the competition. And while that may not be able to financially compete with the financial advantage and market share dominance that DJI enjoys right now - it would certainly put them in a healthy place.

 

[econfly]

While the size of the companies may be apples to oranges, customer support and good product planning need not be.

If a tiny company releases a well thought out, well designed product, they'll be in the game and respected. At this point I think any company actually treating their customers with respect and keeping them up to date in an honest fashion, will be worlds ahead of the competition. And while that may not be able to financially compete with the financial advantage and market share dominance that DJI enjoys right now - it would certainly put them in a healthy place.

Completely agree. DJI owns the market. But they have one big weakness and that is quality of new offerings / support. The way to compete with them is to offer products that work, full-featured, from day 1, along with excellent support. Nothing out there is even close to a Phantom 3 when it comes to features for the price. Trying to win that game is near impossible at present.

But, classic DJI behavior is to rush to market, and the tell is their almost inevitable firmware update only weeks into a product release, usually following by a few more updates to fix the errors in the initial updates, and then the shiny new platform is ignored as focus turns to the next product release.

3DR (or any other competitor) has to compete in the space available. Right now that space is reliability and responsive support.