drones

[Art Haberland]

no, I am not talking about the ones in use in Ukraine. I am talking about the drones you can buy here in the US. I am thinking of getting one to enhance my sailing and kayaking videos. I know a few here fly them, anybody have any opinions on one that can shoot well, easy to use, and still be safe to use in a saltwater environment?

[Vince Brennan]

Spend the money! In drones, especially, a low price practically guarantees a thrilling experience, but NOT one you might have expected.

Bought a low-priced drone (under $150) which had an "auto-return" function supposed to bring the drone right back to the origin point. We wanted it to look at our (otherwise un-reachable) chimney to see the damper and top ten feet of chimney. As feared, it was in pretty poor condition and so I thought I'd then take it over to my neighbor's place so he could check out his roof and chimney for a similar report.

To my eternal befuddlement, when I pressed the key combo to have it return to us, it did come back to our location, hovered a moment and then slowly went straight up into the sky.

The neighbor was sure that I'd crashed it into one of the low-flying jets coming into our airport, my wife was conviced I'd had it shot down by an irate husband for peeking, and I kept waiting for the local constabulary to come banging on my door for doing such a damfool democratic yankee idiot move and scaring some poor farmer's cows into giving buttermilk, but... no one came, and so my neighbor bought one of his own (different model... he's a curmudgeon, not stupid) and promptly crashed it into my OTHER neighbor's barn/shed.

I suppose the entire thrust of this message is to take someone who owns and operated a drone with photographic capabilities out WITH you for a sail at first. That way, you can get the actual basics of the drone control down and, should the worst happen and your vict.... neighbo... former friend happens to explore Davy Jones Locker with the drone, well, it ain't your pig and it ain't your farm, y'know?

I can still see that damn thing soaring serenely into the azure sky and feel the bugs collecting in my open mouth. Thedrone company is still laughing at the report.

[LeeG]

thx Vince, gave me a chuckle.

[Jim Bow]

[Todd Bradshaw]

I own a DJI Air2 S and a DJI Air 2. The photographic and video capabilities of both are pretty spectacular. For water use, I usually run them with a set of detachable pontoons. they fly a bit better without them, but my first Air 2 drowned due to pilot error, so the pontoons are good insurance for potentially wet stuff. I'm not much of a videographer, but I do really enjoy the perspectives that you can get from the air, even in pretty raw footage. It does take a while to get used to flying one, but the best thing to know is that if you get in trouble, the best thing to do is often just to take your hands off of the control sticks. The drone will stop and just sit there while you figure out your next move. There is also value to flying laps around the back yard for practice, even at only six or seven feet of altitude.

I have seen video of those waterproof drones landing on the water and even shooting footage below the surface. Pretty cool, but I don't know what sort of video quality they offer.

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[AndyG]

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Are we not missing a few blades, there?

Andy

[Todd Bradshaw]

No, each rotor has two blades, but they can pivot individually for folded storage. Once folded, the drone is only about 7" long. Once you start the motors the blades automatically swing out and into position. The silver things on the arms are velcro attached strobes, for flying in twilight or night. They make it easier to find in the sky during daylight too, if it's far away. The pontoon frame just clips to the bottom of the drone. The "eyes" on the drone body are sensors. This one has upward, downward, forward and backward sensors to keep it from running into things. It's kind of fun (in a rather nerve-wracking way) to watch it snake its way through trees as it follows you. The camera is gimballed, and it is really amazing how steady the videos are from the moving drone.

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[Ted Hoppe]

buy the cheapest one decent one. I hate DJI for political reasons including spying and paying for Chinese government technology but they are good. Hard to beat the mini for what it does. Some of the french drones are good too.

I find drone shots overdone - so last decade. For that reason they are for 10 seconds of video but take much more effort than that.

PLEASE note - ask yourself - are you going out on your boat or bike for yourself or for the drone. If it is for the drone - it is not making what you want to show better by spending hours drone videoing it. It is far better to bring a friend with a drone - get the shot you want and not have to pay for the video toy.

Last year I lost a $2000 drone in the ocean when i couldn't land it on the boat. I had just shot a blue whale and dozens of race boats coming in in rough conditions in this lovely cove at Drakes Bay. Lost the footage too. Sucked big time.

[J.Madison]

Landing or catching the drone is the hard part. I only fly mine at anchor. The bigger models with full legs are easier to catch from a boat, still a two person job. I wouldn't attempt it from a kayak. Dji is the best, but yeah their software is Spyware for the Chinese. It's a good place for an old disconnected phone.

[gypsie]

When I think of AR15's I always think absurd, stupid and the rest of it.
Then at a quiet anchor off a quiet beach, along comes a drone.......

[hawkeye54]

"Jetskis of the skies (?) "

[robm]

When I think of AR15's I always think absurd, stupid and the rest of it. Then at a quiet anchor off a quiet beach, along comes a drone.......

I suspect a shotgun might be more effective. Unless you are Jed Clampett. (Cultural reference to the Beverly Hillbillies TV show, when the Clampett family went out shooting skeet, insisted on using their rifles, and didn't miss a shot. But were sorely disappointed to find they couldn't eat clay pigeons.)

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Sprog has a drone and enjoys taking videos on the Yorkshire Moors and with three years experience under his belt says that this is the most expensive form of photography....

Loss and damage runs at about a hundred pounds per outing.

[George.]

DJI Air 2 is very good - we switched to it from the Phantoms. But if you want to film from small boats on the water, I'd say get the cheapest one with a half-decent camera. That way you won't get too upset if it splashes during the "learning curve".

[Hallam]

When I think of AR15's I always think absurd, stupid and the rest of it.
Then at a quiet anchor off a quiet beach, along comes a drone.......

have a casting rod with a ball sinker on the end of the line at the ready. I very nearly snared a drone hovering off the back of our boat when anchored off Flinders pier a few years ago.......

[LeeG]

buy the cheapest one decent one. I hate DJI for political reasons including spying and paying for Chinese government technology but they are good. Hard to beat the mini for what it does. Some of the french drones are good too.

I find drone shots overdone - so last decade. For that reason they are for 10 seconds of video but take much more effort than that.

PLEASE note - ask yourself - are you going out on your boat or bike for yourself or for the drone. If it is for the drone - it is not making what you want to show better by spending hours drone videoing it. It is far better to bring a friend with a drone - get the shot you want and not have to pay for the video toy.

Last year I lost a $2000 drone in the ocean when i couldn't land it on the boat. I had just shot a blue whale and dozens of race boats coming in in rough conditions in this lovely cove at Drakes Bay. Lost the footage too. Sucked big time.

I kayaked in Drakes Bay a lot. Had a fun time around a seal pup. I recently saw a YouTube video of a bike race in Spain and they used drone coverage for the first time and it was awful compared to video from motorcycles and helicopters. Much too close, swoopy and disorienting.

[Ted Hoppe]

Hand catching drones is not smart. Lots of drone operators and those around them seriously injure themselves hand catching and releasing drones. They can also get your eyes. Danger to dogs and children as well.

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If you think you really want one and will use it over water - a used DJI phantom is nice and affordable. Their weight will ensure more stability and ease of use if winds increase. Use a dedicated old iPhone to run it to avoid lesser exposure to Chinese spyware to your other devices.
Since they aren't compact - easy to find on Craig's list or used on line for less than 400 dollars. Most have flight time use totals of less than 4 hours. A separate controller instead of a smart screen makes flying easier and gets the shots you want,

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Another thought is to get a insta360 camera or the like and a long folding selfie stick. A ton of fun to use catching what you are doing if that is your purpose. So simple to use and lots of a/b roll to get. Also would be a blast to load up on an old drone as a second camera. Also available cheap on Craigslist or facebook market place as folks get bored with last years model.

[Ted Hoppe]

I kayaked in Drakes Bay a lot. Had a fun time around a seal pup. I recently saw a YouTube video of a bike race in Spain and they used drone coverage for the first time and it was awful compared to video from motorcycles and helicopters. Much too close, swoopy and disorienting.

I love Drakes bay. It is glorious no matter the time of year or weather. I would love to kayak or paddle board there which i never have done. But I will take you up on and give thanks to your suggestion.

As for swoops drone shots covering live events - yeah they fall short. The grand shots you see prior in promo or intros are from double man teams flying - one pilot and one camera operator. The camera work from the motorbikes is exciting and makes the race more intense for viewers.

[Jim Bow]

Enough with the swoops already!
We’ve a local photographer who posts as OverTacoma. I don’t know what drone he uses, but it has an excellent camera. His still photos of impossible to reach views, or closeups of architectural highlights are wonderful.

As to the above comments. If you buy a drone to use while kayaking or sailing, you will end up concentrating on the drone, and the pleasure of the paddle or sail will become secondary.

[Breakaway]

Originally Posted by LeeG
I kayaked in Drakes Bay a lot. Had a fun time around a seal pup. I recently saw a YouTube video of a bike race in Spain and they used drone coverage for the first time and it was awful compared to video from motorcycles and helicopters. Much too close, swoopy and disorienting.

Why we often hire a helo and a shooter for that very reason. But, drone also have their place.

I am not licensed to fly, but flew some over water in the pre-license days. And, I work at least monthly on shoot with a drone pilot over water. Here are some thoughts.

1. Catching a drone while aboard a kayak is beyond my skill set. Practice well before trying this. ( see rule 2)
2. You will dump it in the water. ( see rule 1)
3. Many times, the pilot simply straps an empty water bottle with the cap glued on as a pontoon, or rescue float. Cheap, effective. (see rule 1 and 2)

Have Fun!

Kevin

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[John Meachen]

Have you guys seen the drone shots from the Ocean Race in the last couple of weeks?Superb quality and the operators are capable of returning them to a boat moving at close to thirty knots.I have a feeling they don't come from the bargain bin.

[Ted Hoppe]

Have you guys seen the drone shots from the Ocean Race in the last couple of weeks?Superb quality and the operators are capable of returning them to a boat moving at close to thirty knots.I have a feeling they don't come from the bargain bin.

You are aware the operators go through several in a race. They are in fact part of the social media and self promotion business for their sponsors. Some of the footage is downloaded before it tries to land. Many do not make it back to the boat.

[John Meachen]

I suspected some level of losses and I have also seen the videos showing the outstretched hand of the operator grabbing the drone.It has transformed the following of such a dramatic race.