Commercial Back up: To Nano or not to Nano - That is the Question

Dfly · Oct 3, 2022

I’m posting here vs the commercial site as I think I want to stick with Autel, due to familiarity, but more importantly, due to geofencing matters. I know that can be worked around, but I hear too many stories of hiccups with that process.

I currently use an Evo II Pro and run a small side business offering primarily drone photo and video work. So far, it has been more on the creative side, getting cinematic video and photos for other small businesses, some real estate, etc.

I’d really like to move into a little more technical kind of work like mapping/modeling/orthomosaics, construction progression and even some tower inspection, perhaps.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of spending a ton of money on expensive equipment (maybe gradually), can I accomplish at least some of this with the e2p and give a good, useful deliverable? Can this be done without an RTK model? If so, would the nano be a good secondary drone for some of the close quarter cinematic stuff, close to trees or even indoors (prop cages)? Or am I better off waiting and saving more for, say an enterprise model with RTK? Or just e2p RTK?

I’m sure these are only questions I can answer in the long run. Just curious if any other commercial users have had similar thoughts or experiences.

trontar · Oct 4, 2022

I have a few tens of hours with the nano+ under my belt and i love the quality of footage. Big step up from my Autel Evo. The damped controls also make for a much better camera platform than the Autel Evo.
But If I had to deliver footage for a client on a schedule, I'd be concerned about moderate to high winds preventing me from delivering a scheduled flight.

herein2021 · Oct 4, 2022

Dfly said:
I’m posting here vs the commercial site as I think I want to stick with Autel, due to familiarity, but more importantly, due to geofencing matters. I know that can be worked around, but I hear too many stories of hiccups with that process.

I currently use an Evo II Pro and run a small side business offering primarily drone photo and video work. So far, it has been more on the creative side, getting cinematic video and photos for other small businesses, some real estate, etc.

I’d really like to move into a little more technical kind of work like mapping/modeling/orthomosaics, construction progression and even some tower inspection, perhaps.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of spending a ton of money on expensive equipment (maybe gradually), can I accomplish at least some of this with the e2p and give a good, useful deliverable? Can this be done without an RTK model? If so, would the nano be a good secondary drone for some of the close quarter cinematic stuff, close to trees or even indoors (prop cages)? Or am I better off waiting and saving more for, say an enterprise model with RTK? Or just e2p RTK?

I’m sure these are only questions I can answer in the long run. Just curious if any other commercial users have had similar thoughts or experiences.

The Nano+ sized drone with blade guards is great for indoor work, but outdoors as @trontar mentioned and IMO it is way too small to trust on a commercial job. I live in FL where wind gusts can easily exceed 20-30mph. Even if it does not blow it away, the precision you need for certain camera movements would be difficult to perform with the Nano with any kind of wind.

Personally, for close cinematic footage I use traditional cameras, drones are only useful for showing the big picture with their wide angle lenses, fixed aperture, lack of lighting, no audio, limited battery life, small sensors, etc. What drones aren't good at is getting those fine details. Too many people try to do everything with them since they are so easy to fly and provide a stabilized camera platform, but for complex jobs they are just one part of the big picture.

volatrics · Oct 4, 2022

Dfly said:
I’m posting here vs the commercial site as I think I want to stick with Autel, due to familiarity, but more importantly, due to geofencing matters. I know that can be worked around, but I hear too many stories of hiccups with that process.

I currently use an Evo II Pro and run a small side business offering primarily drone photo and video work. So far, it has been more on the creative side, getting cinematic video and photos for other small businesses, some real estate, etc.

I’d really like to move into a little more technical kind of work like mapping/modeling/orthomosaics, construction progression and even some tower inspection, perhaps.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of spending a ton of money on expensive equipment (maybe gradually), can I accomplish at least some of this with the e2p and give a good, useful deliverable? Can this be done without an RTK model? If so, would the nano be a good secondary drone for some of the close quarter cinematic stuff, close to trees or even indoors (prop cages)? Or am I better off waiting and saving more for, say an enterprise model with RTK? Or just e2p RTK?

I’m sure these are only questions I can answer in the long run. Just curious if any other commercial users have had similar thoughts or experiences.

You can do more technical work with the equipment that you have right now is just a matter of learning and knowing the limitations of your tools. I currently have the E2 enterprise and work mainly in construction and inspections. 70% of my work does not involve RTK for the purpose of getting absolute positioning for mapping. Most clients when they need absolute accuracy will not hire an individual drone pilot/photographer to perform these surveys (not mentioning is also illegal to do it without being directly hired and supervised by a licensed Surveyor (in USA). Also unfortunately the rolling shutter is not ideal for mapping . it is still doable but you will need to fly very slow 7 to 11 mph to avoid issues in the data.

If you want to stay with Autel and upgrade, i would recommend going with the E2 enterprise over the E2 rtk , the carbon fiber arms,larger motors, and props do make a significant difference in flight characteristics.

Some technical work you can do right now with your evo 2p. without RTK

3d Modeling (rtk not required, you can always put scale constraints or GCPs)
Construction Progress (Repeatable Flight Paths and Photos ,Timelapse , General Documentation, Aerial mapping for reference)
Assets inspections
360 Virtual Tours
Aerial Mapping with Relative Accuracy
Aerial Mapping with Absolute accuracy (using GPCs )
Roof Inspections

It's a big learning curve to know it all so personally, i focus on 1 or 2 areas.

Hope it helps.

herein2021 · Oct 4, 2022

volatrics said:
You can do more technical work with the equipment that you have right now is just a matter of learning and knowing the limitations of your tools. I currently have the E2 enterprise and work mainly in construction and inspections. 70% of my work does not involve RTK for the purpose of getting absolute positioning for mapping. Most clients when they need absolute accuracy will not hire an individual drone pilot/photographer to perform these surveys (not mentioning is also illegal to do it without being directly hired and supervised by a licensed Surveyor (in USA). Also unfortunately the rolling shutter is not ideal for mapping . it is still doable but you will need to fly very slow 7 to 11 mph to avoid issues in the data.

If you want to stay with Autel and upgrade, i would recommend going with the E2 enterprise over the E2 rtk , the carbon fiber arms,larger motors, and props do make a significant difference in flight characteristics.

Some technical work you can do right now with your evo 2p. without RTK

3d Modeling (rtk not required, you can always put scale constraints or GCPs)
Construction Progress (Repeatable Flight Paths and Photos ,Timelapse , General Documentation, Aerial mapping for reference)
Assets inspections
360 Virtual Tours
Aerial Mapping with Relative Accuracy
Aerial Mapping with Absolute accuracy (using GPCs )
Roof Inspections

It's a big learning curve to know it all so personally, i focus on 1 or 2 areas.

Hope it helps.

The E2 enterprise has a bad reputation on this forum, I've read many posts from owners with buyers regret. IMO nothing Autel makes is truly enterprise, the cost difference just isn't worth it. But I do agree, many jobs can be done with the E2 Pro and for those rare jobs that need more I would just rent what is needed and add the rental fee to the services proposal.

My cinema cameras with enterprise support have extended warranties, free expedited shipping, a priority 24/7 support hotline, loaner options, etc. Enterprise prices are supposed to include more than just a few upgrades. Autel has none of that.

Dfly · Oct 4, 2022

All good points, much appreciated!

I think I’ll hold off and consider something other than the nano. I’d like to have a back up rig in case of who knows what, but would also like to diversify at the same time.

Any Autel users here also fly the Inspire 2?

herein2021 · Oct 5, 2022

Dfly said:
All good points, much appreciated!

I think I’ll hold off and consider something other than the nano. I’d like to have a back up rig in case of who knows what, but would also like to diversify at the same time.

Any Autel users here also fly the Inspire 2?

When I was in the DJI camp I had the Inspire 1 for awhile and it was a total PITA. The case was huge, the batteries are expensive which BTW still only last around 100 cycles or 1yr whichever came first, and it was really bad at wind handling; worse in fact than the DJI P4, DJI Mavic Pro, and Autel EVO II. Almost no one seems to talk about it, but because of the large surface area of the Inspire, a crosswind is very difficult to overcome when it is in the air.

The only real benefit of the Inspire is its lifting power and the only real way to take advantage of that lifting power is to use all of its advanced features such as dual operator and the X7 camera. The X5 camera is only marginally better than the current EVO/Mavic series but lifting it in the air is expensive. The X7 on the other hand is significantly better but major overkill for most photo/video jobs. Lets not forget you will also be dealing with DJI's invasive data collection and ridiculous geofencing.

The only way the I2 makes sense in my book is if you live in LA and will regularly shoot 4 and 5 figure video jobs for Hollywood. If you want to go with a second drone from a different vendor then the Mavic 3 makes the most sense. You will still be sending all of your information to China, and you will still have to deal with geofencing, but at least it would be at a more acceptable price point.

It would be great to have a 3rd vendor to pick from, but for now IMO DJI and Autel are it. Skydio keeps trying but isn't even close in my book. I get that you want more gear, but since you are just starting out I recommend just sticking with what you have and letting your business needs dictate what you need next; and there can be a big gap in needs vs wants. If you just want more gear that's fine, but if there aren't real and demonstrable business drivers behind each acquisition then the business is being ran more like a hobby than a business.

gschulzuio · Oct 5, 2022

Dfly said:
I’m posting here vs the commercial site as I think I want to stick with Autel, due to familiarity, but more importantly, due to geofencing matters. I know that can be worked around, but I hear too many stories of hiccups with that process.

I currently use an Evo II Pro and run a small side business offering primarily drone photo and video work. So far, it has been more on the creative side, getting cinematic video and photos for other small businesses, some real estate, etc.

I’d really like to move into a little more technical kind of work like mapping/modeling/orthomosaics, construction progression and even some tower inspection, perhaps.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of spending a ton of money on expensive equipment (maybe gradually), can I accomplish at least some of this with the e2p and give a good, useful deliverable? Can this be done without an RTK model? If so, would the nano be a good secondary drone for some of the close quarter cinematic stuff, close to trees or even indoors (prop cages)? Or am I better off waiting and saving more for, say an enterprise model with RTK? Or just e2p RTK?

I’m sure these are only questions I can answer in the long run. Just curious if any other commercial users have had similar thoughts or experiences.

As a backup for my E2P I have an E2 thus have a common pool of batteries, props, cables, controllers, live decks, prop guards, and ability to swap cameras (have done when one aircraft sent in for service). The downside is the ND filter kits are different between the 6K and 8K which is not really that big of a deal. For compatibility with 3rd party apps (e.g. DD, Litchi, etc) a Mavic 2 Pro is used, might get another one for its backup and have common batteries, controllers etc. For indoor, have used the E2/E2P for many projects and for tight spaces have a DJI Avata. If you can afford it, an E2P RTK could make for a good companion to a E2P using common batteries etc.

flyingfool · Oct 5, 2022

i would of went with the Autel Light if i had to do it again..

Just say NO to DJI products kids!

Dfly · Oct 6, 2022

herein2021 said:
When I was in the DJI camp I had the Inspire 1 for awhile and it was a total PITA. The case was huge, the batteries are expensive which BTW still only last around 100 cycles or 1yr whichever came first, and it was really bad at wind handling; worse in fact than the DJI P4, DJI Mavic Pro, and Autel EVO II. Almost no one seems to talk about it, but because of the large surface area of the Inspire, a crosswind is very difficult to overcome when it is in the air.

The only real benefit of the Inspire is its lifting power and the only real way to take advantage of that lifting power is to use all of its advanced features such as dual operator and the X7 camera. The X5 camera is only marginally better than the current EVO/Mavic series but lifting it in the air is expensive. The X7 on the other hand is significantly better but major overkill for most photo/video jobs. Lets not forget you will also be dealing with DJI's invasive data collection and ridiculous geofencing.

The only way the I2 makes sense in my book is if you live in LA and will regularly shoot 4 and 5 figure video jobs for Hollywood. If you want to go with a second drone from a different vendor then the Mavic 3 makes the most sense. You will still be sending all of your information to China, and you will still have to deal with geofencing, but at least it would be at a more acceptable price point.

It would be great to have a 3rd vendor to pick from, but for now IMO DJI and Autel are it. Skydio keeps trying but isn't even close in my book. I get that you want more gear, but since you are just starting out I recommend just sticking with what you have and letting your business needs dictate what you need next; and there can be a big gap in needs vs wants. If you just want more gear that's fine, but if there aren't real and demonstrable business drivers behind each acquisition then the business is being ran more like a hobby than a business.