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Central Illinois | My thoughts on this from what I have flown / tested.
DJI
Mavic Pro - $$ Small, compact. Flies well in under 10mph winds. Specs are very similar to the Phantom 4. More of a hobby drone than anything. I could see it being used for roof inspections, but would be concerned about sending it 1/2 mile away to the end of a field.
Phantom 4 - $$ The old industry standard that things are being measured against. It just works. No longer being sold from DJI.
Phantom 4 Advanced $$- I think Im calling it the right name....Basically a Phantom 4 with a screen integrated on the controller. Eliminates the need to buy a separate tablet, but as of the time when I flew it, it also eliminates the ability to use various apps with it.
Phantom 4 PRO - $$$ the new industry standard. Flies well, does what its supposed to. Obstacle avoidance works 90% of the time...It can see buildings, trees and radio towers? Not so well. Both the PRO and Advanced come with slightly larger batteries and will get you 20-22 minutes of flight time in real world conditions.
Inspire - $$$$ Awesome platform, getting more towards a commercial ship.
Autel
X-Star Premium - $$ Spec for spec comparable to the Phantom 4. I like it a bit better than the 4. Case is better, batteries are a bit less expensive, customer support is WAAAAYYYY better! AS of right now, I am not aware of any aftermarket software that supports Autel (DroneDeploy, Drone Control, etc.)....yet. That will change quickly.
Crop Copter
Tuff Scout - $$$$ Earns its name! I had a controlled descent after a mid air collision with a Turkey Vulture at 200', back in the air in minutes after a quick check of the rotors. Multiple sensor packages available, flies very smoothly.
Maxx Flight - $$$$$ a full blown commercial ship. Multiple sensor packages, easy to fly. The only commercial ship that I have come across that will consistently fly and complete missions without having to re-fly the field 2-3 times.
DJI's customer service is notoriously bad. Problem with your ship? 2-3 weeks minimum if it needs to be sent back in. But they work. DroneDeploy, Drone Control and other software packages are available to increase functionality (with the exception of the 4 Advanced)
Autel customer service is excellent. The ships fly and do what they are supposed to do. Their app works well, but no aftermarket apps for them yet. Pricing is less than DJI for the ships and accessories and they are bright orange. Much easier to see a flying pumpkin.
Crop Copter has great customer support and a pretty extensive dealer network. They are also DJI authorized sellers for the ag market, so they can (and will) trouble shoot and repair DJI ships. Much, much faster than sending them to California or China!
Help this helps, opinions are my own and most of my theories have been proven wrong. | |
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What drone should I get
