Quadcopters - Video shooting

[hoppy]

In the Cruise ship thread I posted a video of the Costa Concordia shot from a Quadcopter and mentioned my plan to build one myself. So I didn't get OT on that thread I thought I would start a dedicated thread for it.

My plan is to use it to shoot footage when cruising to get some more interesting footage. When I get brave enough I would like to launch & land from my yacht whilst sailing (lots of issues with that ) but to start with I think I will be happy to launch from shore and shoot around the anchorage. I have all of winter to figure it out

I will write more about the copters later but here are some videos which inspired my plan

Costa Concordia

COSTA CONCORDIA | Team BlackSheep - YouTube

This guy flies off a commercial ship at sea. In both of his videos he mentions losing two seperate quadcopters to Davey Jones locker.

Cruddcopter sleeps with the fishes. R.I.P - YouTube

Cruddcopter FPV - Seaman Style (GoPro 3 Black) HD - YouTube

[cruise]

This makes two of us, I am also building one

[hoppy]

Until recently only knew about the expensive octa/hex/quad copters used by film companies and the flimsy toy quadcopters like the AR-Drone.

Originally Posted by cruise

This makes two of us, I am also building one

What are you building?

I'm building the TBS Discovery, the same as seen in the Costa Concordia video Team BlackSheep - The R/C Daredevils

I was looking at first getting the DJI F450 DJI | The Future of Possible but decided the TBS is better suited to my needs as I can upgrade to the Pro frame with the gimbal on the chassis rather than having it hang under the camera and fitting long legs.

This is the sort I things I want to shoot when I have it with me whilst cruising

Aerial Vava'u, Tonga
https://vimeo.com/74350051#

Rinella & Fort Ricasoli Grand Harbour Malta

Team Stealth Rotors over Rinella & Fort Ricasoli - YouTube

MV Maldives Princess, Malaysia
https://vimeo.com/61733783#

[Carlisle Spirit]

What is the practical range of these professional versions ? It looks extensive

I have tried the parrot drone and it's just a toy - very difficult to get it stable except in perfect conditions

Thinking about upgrading as well

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Carlisle Spirit

What is the practical range of these professional versions ? It looks extensive

I have tried the parrot drone and it's just a toy - very difficult to get it stable except in perfect conditions

Thinking about upgrading as well

About 5 miles with first person viewing

Dave

[hoppy]

The quads used to film all of the videos I posted are probably best considered high end amateur machines. They can do about 10-12 minutes flight time. I have read that the proper pro units can do 20 minutes but I guess if they reduced the camera payload and added battery the could go much longer.

[hoppy]

woops I posted this in the wrong thread.

I will repeat it in the correct thread..


The CC video is from the Team Blacksheep and shot by them. There is some guy called Trappy at TBS and seems to travel the world shooting videos for them and I think it is his. He seems to be very well known for his flying exploits
and at the moment is in a little trouble for them Trappy

sUAS News | Small Unmanned Aircraft System industry news for professionals

As well as the Quads, TBS also have a flying wing with a gopro camera mount. It has a range of 20km (10km out and back).

some cool video from New Zealand with the wing

Team BlackSheep in New Zealand [Part 2] - YouTube

and from Thailand... a good example how tough it is at the start

Team BlackSheep in THAILAND - YouTube

The wing is hand launched and can be caught by hand also.

[MaryEllenCarter]

When I retire, 832 days from now, I plan on living aboard a yet to be determined sailboat and doing small business for financial augmentation. Photography has always been a hobby for me and I am planning to use that and some other skills to keep me busy (beyond maintenance) and make a little money too.

I WANT A QUADCOPTER!

I've never flown a RC airplane, but now I really want to learn.

How difficult is it to fly?

How do you get the pictures that you want? Is there a video feedback to the operator?

What wind speeds can these things fly in?

What unit can you recommend for learning to fly/crash before I plunk down a couple of boat bucks on the one that I really want?

I thank you very much for bringing this idea to my attention!


"My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention!"

[DeepFrz]

What are the legalities of flying these machines?

[hoppy]

I believe (hope) they are easy to fly. They have control units which can keep them pretty stable and can be fitted with a GPS and have a return to home functionality which will allow the quadcopter to return to where it took off and land automatically. It also allows them to hold position even with the wind blowing.

It looks like they can handle high winds, but it depends on the unit.

The quad I am building will use a Gopro3 for video and photos. I will eventually get a headset (FAT SHARK RC Vision Systems-FAT SHARK RC Vision Systems) for video control and camera framing.

One new unit just on the market that looks a good all in one package for video shooting is the DJI Phantom Vision. I would probably have bought this except I wanted a project to build and the option to play around with customising.

DJI | Phantom 2 Vision

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

What are the legalities of flying these machines?

It seems to vary by country and state and whether it is used as a hobby or professionally. Plus as it is so new governments are probably still trying to figure out what to control.

This site may have some info for your location sUAS News | Small Unmanned Aircraft System industry news for professionals

[hoppy]

This video shows what amazing things a group of nerds can achieve with quads quite amazing

Raffaello D'Andrea: The astounding athletic power of quadcopters - YouTube

[DeepFrz]

Thanks Hoppy. I see that Canada/US are working on joint regulations.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Work Plan | Canada's Economic Action Plan

[RonRock]

I haven't flown in a couple years, but will return to RC helicopters someday. Not sure how involved you guys are with RC helis, but there is a very helpful forum targeted at RC helicopters.

RunRyder RC Helicopter Community and Forum

They have a separate forum for the multi rotor helis.

[hoppy]

After being grounded by winter, two weeks ago I finally managed to get my quadcopter off the ground for it's first flight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZV7ejeXv4k

with disastrous results