A lot of people have been asking if you can get pro quality video with the Phantom, or if it's really just a toy. This is a video I made to address that question. Let me know what you guys think. My goal is to fly with a DSLR someday, but I wanted to master something smaller and less expensive first.

DJI Phantom - Professional Edit - DJIguy (1 min 57 sec)

Unless you can mount a DSLR, or a pro-grade camera on it, it's a toy, period. The Phantom is, in fact, just an overpriced toy for people wanting a shortcut, a dumbed-down and uninvolved way to think they can fly multirotors.

Also, GoPro is not a professional tool. It's a good toy, but nowhere near anything that can be used for professional recording.

A custom-made octo carrying a RED Epic, operated by an experienced pilot and camera operator is "professional quality". DJI plastic frames, tiny motors and unreliable electronics are toys, or, at most, "amateur quality for noob pilots".

But, as I can see, you are either a DJI fanboy or you are commercially connected to them. I hope they at least pay you good money for advertising

@DJIguy
So the only requirement to be professional grade is to be able to carry a camera? The video basically explains that dampening, hardware/software tuning, payload capacity and camera quality are irrelevant.

Wow! A Walkera Hoten-X is professional Grade!

I didn't want to buy the Phantom because - in my opinion - it looks the most like a toy of all quads out there.

I don't think it was ever advertised as a professional platform, it's perfect for beginners and those that want to record some aerial shots with a GoPro camera.

Also, in case people have missed this.. GoPro cameras are frequently used in productions out there because they are cheap, durable and the video quality isn't bad at all. (You'll see them all over the place in shows like Mythbusters) I don't think having a DSLR cam is a requirement for "pro" work.

Still, Phantom is great for those wanting to get a taste of what multirotor flying is like.

Why the harsh replies? Professional quality is a subjective term. For feature film work probably not. For broadcast and internet video it is perfectly acceptable. The GoPro is already being used extensively for professional work. The recent X games broadcast is a perfect example. Gopro cameras were everywhere. Fine results can be achieved as shown here.

DJI Phantom - The spirit of winter (0 min 0 sec)

. As an affordable solution the Phantom is a great platform. Another example here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=rHT2nn6tNhI

A common misconception is that "professional" is just about video quality. It's not.
It's about being able to deliver the type of shot the costumer wants, when he wants it. For this you need a flexible robust solution that works every time, that can be operated under non ideal conditions and still produce acceptable results.
A true professional could not care less about the price of the tool (within reason). Predictable results is all that counts.

Originally Posted by n3mo

Unless you can mount a DSLR, or a pro-grade camera on it, it's a toy, period. The Phantom is, in fact, just an overpriced toy for people wanting a shortcut, a dumbed-down and uninvolved way to think they can fly multirotors.

Also, GoPro is not a professional tool. It's a good toy, but nowhere near anything that can be used for professional recording.

A custom-made octo carrying a RED Epic, operated by an experienced pilot and camera operator is "professional quality". DJI plastic frames, tiny motors and unreliable electronics are toys, or, at most, "amateur quality for noob pilots".

But, as I can see, you are either a DJI fanboy or you are commercially connected to them. I hope they at least pay you good money for advertising

So I've never had any problems with my DJI plastic frame, the tiny motors, and the electronics are very reliable. I don't own a Phantom but I do have an F450 and it indroduced me to the wonderful world of multirotors. The Phantom is designed to get someone in the air quickly, and it does that at a good price point. Not all of us have a Master's in electronic engineering...

@BH flyer
We didn't focus on the Go Pro at all, considering todays tech, the camera is probably factors the least, in fact good quality cams are so small they make camera mounts that give it back the same profile as the shoulder mounted cams to get them steady. There are all the post processing he had to do to get it to look good. Granted, all videos go through post processing to look their best, but how good can you get it to be when the source is sub par. Like i said, if being able to carry a camera is all it takes to be called professional quality hardware, then a Hoten-X or any cheapo quad will also qualify, and would mean the DJI NAZA is nothing special.

Would you be able to achieve the same or better for less money? What exactly did the NAZA quad bring to the table?

Originally Posted by jab

A common misconception is that "professional" is just about video quality. It's not.
It's about being able to deliver the type of shot the costumer wants, when he wants it. For this you need a flexible robust solution that works every time, that can be operated under non ideal conditions and still produce acceptable results.
A true professional could not care less about the price of the tool (within reason). Predictable results is all that counts.

My point exactly. For the price of one custom built octo and a Red Epic. You could fly a whole fleet of Phantoms carrying GoPro cameras.

BTW, i've worked for a photostudio and photoshop can only go so far. I can make someone look good, but if the source material has defects (i.e. bad lighting, blemishes, red eye, an open window, etc.) it really affects the end result. You want me to make you look like adonis? Get me a good, steady picture.

I would imagine the guy given the job of fixing that RAW footage would have his work cut out for him.

Originally Posted by BH flyer

My point exactly. For the price of one custom built octo and a Red Epic. You could fly a whole fleet of Phantoms carrying GoPro cameras.

With enough post processing you can make a cellphone video look like art. But then again, how does that make the NAZA special?

Originally Posted by Thai

I didn't want to buy the Phantom because - in my opinion - it looks the most like a toy of all quads out there.

It looks like a ceiling fan from Ikea

Originally Posted by Mike_Then

So I've never had any problems with my DJI plastic frame, the tiny motors, and the electronics are very reliable. I don't own a Phantom but I do have an F450 and it indroduced me to the wonderful world of multirotors. The Phantom is designed to get someone in the air quickly, and it does that at a good price point. Not all of us have a Master's in electronic engineering...

The fact that they worked for you doesn't prove anything, does it? Judging from a number of naza/wkm flyaways and other accidents I wouldn't call them reliable. And yes, some of them can be attributed to bad configuration, but most can't.

Which leads me to another point - is it really good that people can just jump into multirotors with minimal knowledge? When you do something potentially harmful to you and others around you, it is wise to learn about it first. My first motorbike wasn't a 1100cm^3 monster, just as my first mountain bike wasn't a custom-made Balfa DH bike.
And yet people start learning multirotors with big meat grinders, without thinking about possible consequences even once. When I hear stories about people flying their f450 from hand, above the crowd "to get some cool pics", I actually hope someone will crash one into a crowd, just so others can see the consequences.

Plus, I personally dislike lazy people always looking for a dumbed-down shortcut.

I've been a working photographer/videographer for 30 years, so I do understand the concept of garbage, in garbage out and what can and can not be done in post processing. I didn't say the NAZA was special. I was just answering the question asked by the OP. In the right hands, with steps taken to achieve stable smooth video, the Phantom can provide perfectly acceptable video for some professional applications.