Most of the time we see a drone as a tool that helps us capture amazing photos and video from the air or for use in some other job. But, they can simply be fun to fly too, which is what David Daly discovered. As a combat veteran, Daly has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for years, although he has learned to keep the symptoms at bay by taking his DJI drone for flight on a regular basis. His story is a fascinating one and another indicator that drones can play a number of roles in our lives.
Showing posts with label Drones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drones. Show all posts
Video: DJI Shows Off New Drone in Beautiful Video
Last week DJI added another new drone to its fleet, taking the wraps off of the awesome Mavic Air. This device sits between the Spark and Phantom drones in the DJI line-up, filling the gap between both models by sharing some of the best aspects of each. The video below was shot using this new drone, which offers up some spectacular footage of our favorite outdoor spaces. Even if you're not in the market for a drone of your own, the clip is well worth a look as it features some truly amazing shots of adventurers exploring the outdoors.
GoPro Exits Drone Business, May Be Seeking a Buyer
According to preliminary reports, GoPro lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 percent of its revenue in the all-important holiday quarter as compared to the same period in 2016. Part of that is due to decreasing demand for its high quality – but pricey – line of Hero cameras, as well as sluggish sales of its Karma drone, which was introduced to much hype back in 2016, but ran into problems when early production models began losing power while in flight, causing them to plummet from the sky.
It has been a very difficult couple of years for the action cam company. Revenues and profits have been a rare thing in recent memory, forcing GoPro to reorganize, simply its product line, and search for new ways to generate income. The Karma was suppose to be an important step in that process, but it entered the market late, was beaten in nearly every way by competing products from DJI, and received lots of negative press for its inflight power failures. That design flaw was ultimately fixed by a piece of tape that held the battery in place more securely, but the damage was done and Karma never really got of the ground, despite very positive reviews.
At one point it looked like the company was getting back on track as it reduced costs and saw growing interest in several of its products again. But, during the run up to Christmas, sales were sluggish at best, prompting this latest move.
It should be noted that GoPro founder and CEO Nick Woodman denies that the company is for sale, but there are plenty of reports that indicate otherwise. For now, the future of this iconic brand remains murky. Hopefully we'll still have it around in the future.
Video: Stunning Video of the Limestone Karsts of China
Shot by drone, this clip takes us to Guilin, China, a place that is well known for its limestone karst formations. These rock towers spiral high overhead, creating an otherworldly landscape that has to be been to be believed. This video is another great example of how drones have changed the way we make films. A few years ago, this would have been too expensive for a budding filmmaker to capture on video, but now it is possible thanks to improvements in technology and the proliferation of affordable UAVs. The result is some wonderful travel and adventure videos for the rest of us to enjoy.
Head in the Clouds from Ivan Bondarenko on Vimeo.
Video: Mountain Biker Takes Midnight Ride Illuminated by Drone Light
When mountain biker Loic Bruni set out to ride a trail after dark, he found a creative way to light the way for himself. In this clip, you'll see Loic descending down the mountain with a drone following close behind to illuminate the way. The rest of us probably would have just mounted a light on our bikes, or worn a headlamp, but hey, this works too!
Video: Drones Over Peru
The stunning and diverse landscapes of Peru are on display in this video, which was shot using a drone to get some of the best vantage points possible. In the short clip you'll see mountain, canyons, deserts, and other spectacular vistas. If you're needing an escape from the daily grind today, sit back and enjoy this clip. It is four minutes of bliss.
High Above Peru from Andreas Giesen on Vimeo.
Video: K2 By Drone!
There is no question that K2 is amongst the most dangerous and difficult mountains to climb on the entire planet. It also happens to be located in a remote and beautiful place that most of us won't have the opportunity to see for ourselves. But, thanks to this wonderful short film, you can make the journey, and get some stunning images of the landscapes around the mountain too. It was shot by drone pilot and filmmaker Petr Jan Juračka, who traveled to K2 with Czech climber Klára Kolouchová. The results speak for themselves. Check out the clip below to get a look at this incredible place.
Video: Introducing the GoPro Karma
Last week, just before I left for my backpacking trip to Bryce Canyon, GoPro introduced its first drone, the Karma. I barely had enough time to share some thoughts on this new UAV before I skipped town, but this video does a great job of showing off what it can do. While it doesn't look like a revolution in drone technology, it does appear that it will be an affordable solution that has a lot to offer those looking to add a drone to their collection of gear. From what I've heard, the footage that it captures is quite good, and the fact that it can fold up and be easily transported makes it a good choice for use in remote locations. Looking forward to learning more about it in the days ahead. It should go on sale on October 23. Here's a sneak peek at what to expect.
Adventure Tech: GoPro Unveils the Karma Drone at Long Last
By now, we all know what a drone is, and how it can be used in a variety of ways. Over the past few years, the drone market has matured dramatically, with companies like DJI leading the way. But this is GoPro's first foray into UAV's, and in order for the company to make a dent in the industry – and possibly reverse its flagging fortunes – it knew that had to deliver something different and unique. Was the Karma worth the wait? We'll have to hold on a bit longer to know for sure, but it certainly is intriguing.
The Karma is a small, sleek looking quadcopter with a foldable design that makes it easy to transport. It comes with its own custom built controller, complete with a touchscreen built right in. The controller is said to be very beginner friendly, and the drone has a number of autonomous features that help to make it easy to fly. Still, it doesn't appear to have anything close to the level of independent control as something like the DJI Phantom 4, which is equipped with a host of sensors to allow it to safely navigate on its own without a pilot.
Being a camera company first and foremost, GoPro clearly put a lot of thought into capturing outstanding footage from its other devices. With that in mind, the Karma comes with a specially built 3-axis stabilizer designed to hold an action camera. This stabilizer can also be removed and attached to a new product called the Karma Grip, which can be mounted on a vehicle or held in your hand to get great, super-stable shots as well.
One area that the Karma may score big over its competition is in price. The drone on its own will retail for $799, which is a good price for something as small and transportable as this UAV. There will also be a $999 bundle that will include the new Hero5 Session camera, and a $1099 version that will come with the new Hero5 Black, both of which were announced today too. It isn't clear when the drone will be available for sale, but it is expected to hit the market in late October.
In terms of what these new cameras bring to the table, those looking to upgrade will have some intriguing incentives to do just that. The Hero5 Black comes equipped with 12MP sensors, voice control options, a 2" touchscreen, electronic image stabilization, 4K video at 30 fps, and possibly even GPS baked right in. Best of all, it is now waterproof without the need for an additional housing. The smaller, more affordable Hero5 Session shares most of these same features, but has a 10MP sensor for photos and video instead. Both will ship on October 2.
Both cameras now have the ability to automatically upload video to the cloud for sharing and editing as well. This new service gives you access from just about any computer, smartphone, or tablet, but will require a subscription fee to use.
I'm looking forward to seeing how he Karma performs and get some reviews. It definitely looks intriguing. As for the new cameras, they received some nice upgrades, but appear to mostly be evolutionary steps. I'm sure they'll continue to perform up to GoPro's high standards.
Video: Remote Iceland as Seen by a Drone
Take a drone's eye view of remote Iceland in this video, which gives us stunning views of the landscapes that are found there. You'll catch a glimpse of everything from rugged coastlines, snowcapped peaks, and lush forests, with just about everything in between. You'll discover a place that is epic in scale and is calling out to be explored. After watching the 2+ minute clip you'll begin to understand why Iceland holds such an allure with travelers.
Gear Closet: Vivitar Air Defender X Camera Drone
Okay, before I go too far into my thoughts on the Air Defender, lets be clear what this drone is and is not. For example, it is not a competitor to the DJI Phantom line of drones, which are larger, more powerful and definitely more pricey. Instead, this is a lightweight, easy to fly, and very affordable entry-level drone that you'll probably have a lot of fun with.
Checking out the specs on the Air Defender you'll discover that it has a lot of options for the price. For instance, it comes equipped with 16.1 MP camera that is capable of streaming video and images to your smartphone when it connects to the drone via WiFi. It also has a range of about 200 meters, and a flight time of about 20 minutes when using the two supplied batteries. It is also wrapped in 64 individual LED lights, which makes it easy to spot even in dark conditions. This also gives it a fun, unique look that helps in navigation too.
Inside the box, you'll find the Air Defender itself, a full-featured remote control, complete with smartphone holder, two rechargeable batteries for the drone, a set of regular AA batteries for the remote, and a USB recharging cable.
It takes about 2 hours to charge one of the batteries using the proprietary USB cable, so when you get the drone home, you'll have to be patient for a bit before you start using it. I'd recommend charging both batteries before making your first flight, because you'll burn through the rechargeable battery pack quite quickly, and you'll want to be able to put the second one in and fly some more before you run out of juice.
Piloting the Air Defender takes a bit of time to master, in part because it is surprisingly quick. There is a switch on the remote that allows you to limit the speed on the aircraft to 30, 60, or 100% and I definitely recommend keeping it on the slower speed when you first start. I expected the 30% setting to be slow and easy to master when starting out, but it was surprisingly quick even on that setting. At 100% power you'll want to have plenty of room, because it is fast, fast, fast.
After some practice you'll start to get the hang of flying this drone, as the controls work as you would expect for the most part. The only issue I had was getting the drone to fly at a level hight, as the joystick on the remote that controls vertical doesn't have a "return to zero" setting. This would have come in very handy, but instead I often find myself having to make minute adjustments to the stick just to get the drone to fly at a height that I would like.
If you don't want to use the included remote to pilot the drone, you can also connect it to your Android or iOS device via an app as well. This gives you the ability to fly the UAV as well, and activate its camera. In fact, you can actually get a drone's eye view of the flight right on your mobile device's screen. This is of course a lot of fun, and gives you the option to snap photos or capture video footage as well. Personally, I preferred using the actual remote control, but would have still like to have been able to use my iPhone as a screen and to control the camera. I haven't figured out if it is possible to do this however, as it appears that only one of the remotes can be used at a time.
As you've probably noticed, there is one word that keeps appearing in this review over and over. That would be the word "fun." That's because it is the best way to describe what it is like to fly the Air Defender, and judging from the crowds that gather when I break it out, a lot of people seem to find it enjoyable to watch as well. While it may be true that this isn't a professional grade drone used for filmmaking and photography shoots, it is still just a blast to fly it around, capturing images of your own.
As fun as it is to fly, the absolute best part of the Air Defender just might be the price. The drone costs just $99, which is well below the entry fee for most other drones that have a decent set of features. Basically, for $100 you can get a UAV that gives you a taste of what the more expensive drones can do, allowing you to consider investing in something more sophisticated, or simply enjoying the aircraft for what it is. That alone makes this worth consideration.
You can probably tell that I have really enjoyed flying the Vivitar Air Defender X Camera Drone. Yes, it has some limitations, but it also has a surprising amount of technology packed in as well. As long as you go in knowing that, I'll bet you'll have fun with this drone too. Honestly, it's hard not to like it.
Video: Flying a Drone Through a Crevasse
There is no question that personal drones have been one of the real game changers for filmmakers over the past few years, but now these small flying machines are starting to see use elsewhere. Aside from the idea of using drones to deliver packages, they are now being employed in a number of other interesting ways, including mountain rescue operations. In this video, we see an experimentation flight, during which a drone was flown into a crevasse to explore the ways it could be used to search for missing climbers or skiers. The test footage was shot by a company called Flyability, who was working in conjunction with the mountain rescue team in Zermatt, Switzerland. As you'll see, there are still some fine control aspects that need to be worked out, but the drone does indeed give us an inside view of the crevasse itself.
Video: Falling Drone Nearly Hits Skier
We all know that drones can be great tools for filmmakers, and that their potential is fantastic. But what about when they malfunction? Yesterday, Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher was taking part in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Italy when he was nearly struck by a drone that was filming the competition. As you'll see in the video below, the small, unmanned aircraft plummets to the ground a split second behind Hirscher, who narrowly escapes disaster. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Well, except for the drone owner, who probably wasn't too happy with the crash.
Video: Exploring Iceland by Drone
If there is a place that seems perfect for exploring via drone, it is probably Iceland. The country is filled with spectacular landscapes that include mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. Those places are all captured nicely in this short video, which was shot using a DJI Phantom 3. As you'll see, the results are fantastic, giving us views of these wonderful places that we couldn't normally get on our own.
ICELAND from modern-atelier on Vimeo.
Video: More Beautiful Drone Footage From Iceland
Just in case you need further prodding to visit Iceland, this video may help in that regard. It features more stunning landscapes captured by a DJI Inspire drone and filmed in 4k. As usual, the footage features some of the most beautiful and wild places imaginable, in a country that is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty.
One of these days I'll go to Iceland myself. As with most places I haven't been to just yet, it is definitely on my list.
One of these days I'll go to Iceland myself. As with most places I haven't been to just yet, it is definitely on my list.
Video: A Bird's-Eye View of Iceland
We'll wrap up the week with this stunning video that provides some striking imagery from Iceland. It features wonderful shots of the lakes, mountains, and rolling landscapes that were captured by drone, giving us a bird's-eye view of this beautiful place. This is once again the type of video that will inspire you to want to visit Iceland, as it looks like a destination that is made for adventure. Enjoy.
Iceland: A Bird's-Eye View from Soaring Badger Productions on Vimeo.
Video: Drone Flights Over the Mountains of Brazil
This video takes us to Pico do Cristal, the 5th highest mountain in Brazil to give us a beautiful look at a remote region of that country that is seldom visited by outsiders. The filmmakers behind this project took a drone with them to capture footage from the landscapes that surround the peak, and the results are simply stunning. There is always something mesmerizing about hiking above the clouds, and watching them drift by below. Something that we see prominently here. Enjoy this tranquil look at an amazing place.
DRONE DA MONTANHA - PICO DO CRISTAL from DRONE DA MONTANHA on Vimeo.
Video: Utah's Desert Towers as Seen From the Air
Utah's desert towers are some of the most iconic places for climbers. Stretching hundreds of feet into the sky, this rock pillars have stood for thousands of years as monuments to geological change. Recently, climbers Brandon Fisher, Ken Schulte, and Luke Humphrey traveled to the Utah desert to climb some of the rock towers that dot the landscape there. They also took a drone along with them to capture some of their adventure. The result is this fantastic short film that will leave you breathless with its beauty. This is an amazing video of some of the most incredible landscapes in the entire U.S., and it should not be missed.
Video: Drones in the Mountains of Brazil
The combination of a GoPro camera and an aerial drone have given amateur filmmakers a set of tools that simply haven't been available in the past. As a result, we're now seeing some amazing videos that simply weren't possible a few years ago. Case in point, this clip that was shot in the Sierra Fina region of Brazil, where a series of mountains rise above 2500 meters (8202 ft). The landscapes are captured in a truly beautiful fashion thanks to the use of drone. This looks like a beautiful place to visit, and we get a wonderful three-minute tour of the place that is simply tantalizing.
DRONE DA MONTANHA - Alto Capim Amarelo - Brasil from DRONE DA MONTANHA on Vimeo.
Video: Drone Captures Amazing Footage of Scotland
As we head into the long weekend here in the States, I thought we'd end a busy week with this fantastic video. It was shot using a DJI Phantom Vision 2+ drone and features some spectacular footage of Scotland. The music is the perfect accompaniment to the great images as well. Very beautiful and tranquil. I hope you enjoy.
The Phantom of Scotland from Sulaiman Sibai on Vimeo.