iPad Users Looking For Your Feedback

[SixStarsDrone]

I’ve been using my EVO II Pro for only a few weeks now and I’ve very quickly determined that a Samsung S10 is way too small. I’m considering an iPad mini and wanted to get some feedback from current and previous iPad mini users.

I’m not necessarily anti-Android, but I don’t like the idea that the RC charges the tablet. Options to address this seem to be an auxiliary power supply connected to the RC or a modified USB cable.

I’ve considered a Tripltek 8 Pro since that seems to be the “go to” drone tablet but like a lot of people the $800 price tag is a bit daunting.

What are the pros and cons of using an iPad mini? I know that some feel that an iPad mini is not bright enough but I’d have to imagine that brightness, like many other things, is very subjective. I’d also imagine that the environment that the iPad mini will be used in would be a factor.

Looks like the Generation 5 & 6 iPad mini has 500 nits where the Tripltek is 1200+. Looks like a new Generation 6 iPad mini is in the $400 range. Thoughts?

 

[kenautelevo2pro]

maybe at your high latitudes you have no issues with the sun but there's no way to see an ipad mini in the daylight sunlight around here. totally useless.

 

[SixStarsDrone]

maybe at your high latitudes you have no issues with the sun but there's no way to see an ipad mini in the daylight sunlight around here. totally useless.

Where are you located?

 

[kenautelevo2pro]

Where are you located?

in a state south of maine?

honestly, i don't believe the latitude isnt that much different across the country during drone flying season so regardless i think the intense sunlight is a brightness problem for most phones which is why i chose the tripltek. but it could be me since my eyesight is not the best.

 

[herein2021]

I’ve been using my EVO II Pro for only a few weeks now and I’ve very quickly determined that a Samsung S10 is way too small. I’m considering an iPad mini and wanted to get some feedback from current and previous iPad mini users.

I’m not necessarily anti-Android, but I don’t like the idea that the RC charges the tablet. Options to address this seem to be an auxiliary power supply connected to the RC or a modified USB cable.

I’ve considered a Tripltek 8 Pro since that seems to be the “go to” drone tablet but like a lot of people the $800 price tag is a bit daunting.

What are the pros and cons of using an iPad mini? I know that some feel that an iPad mini is not bright enough but I’d have to imagine that brightness, like many other things, is very subjective. I’d also imagine that the environment that the iPad mini will be used in would be a factor.

Looks like the Generation 5 & 6 iPad mini has 500 nits where the Tripltek is 1200+. Looks like a new Generation 6 iPad mini is in the $400 range. Thoughts?

I am in Florida, and it is literally called the "Sunshine State" and I personally have used an iPad mini since 2014 with no problems, in fact I am still using the same iPad mini that I started with and I have shot literally hundreds of commercial jobs and personal projects all over the country and overseas. I did get an anti-glare screen protector for it and that's it. Yes, it is definitely hard to see in bright direct sunlight, but I always stand in shade or turn my back to the sun and that's all I need to be able to see the screen. I don't even use a sun hood (too much of a hassle to deal with on set) and I shoot in LOG which is even flatter than a standard profile and I still have no problem with whatever project I am working on.

The battery life is fantastic and I haven't updated it since 2016 to prevent the possibility of any problems. It just stays in airplane mode once the drone vendor's app is installed (DJI or Autel). Yes the brighter Tripletek would be nice but I see no reason to switch after so many years of using the iPad mini. The only problem I had with it was I had to rig my own holding bracket for it since there was no good options when I got my EVO II 6K. But that was certainly not the iPad mini's fault.

I would say the biggest pros are battery life (literally lasts for 10hrs even after all these years), perfect size, and with the screen protector on it, it does work for me. The biggest cons are yes, you need some sort of shade to see the screen, direct midday sunlight won't work, but if you can use a building, tree, car, or just turn your back to the sun you are fine. Another small annoyance is you now need a USB-C cable to get files off of the drone (if you happened to use internal storage), a microUSB cable to charge the remote, and an iPad charging cable to charge or connect the iPad mini to the remote. I ended up just wrapping the iPad cable around the remote and I never take it off after getting tired of always trying to keep track of all of the different cables.

 

[SixStarsDrone]

I am in Florida, and it is literally called the "Sunshine State" and I personally have used an iPad mini since 2014 with no problems, in fact I am still using the same iPad mini that I started with and I have shot literally hundreds of commercial jobs and personal projects all over the country and overseas. I did get an anti-glare screen protector for it and that's it. Yes, it is definitely hard to see in bright direct sunlight, but I always stand in shade or turn my back to the sun and that's all I need to be able to see the screen. I don't even use a sun hood (too much of a hassle to deal with on set) and I shoot in LOG which is even flatter than a standard profile and I still have no problem with whatever project I am working on.

The battery life is fantastic and I haven't updated it since 2016 to prevent the possibility of any problems. It just stays in airplane mode once the drone vendor's app is installed (DJI or Autel). Yes the brighter Tripletek would be nice but I see no reason to switch after so many years of using the iPad mini. The only problem I had with it was I had to rig my own holding bracket for it since there was no good options when I got my EVO II 6K. But that was certainly not the iPad mini's fault.

I would say the biggest pros are battery life (literally lasts for 10hrs even after all these years), perfect size, and with the screen protector on it, it does work for me. The biggest cons are yes, you need some sort of shade to see the screen, direct midday sunlight won't work, but if you can use a building, tree, car, or just turn your back to the sun you are fine. Another small annoyance is you now need a USB-C cable to get files off of the drone (if you happened to use internal storage), a microUSB cable to charge the remote, and an iPad charging cable to charge or connect the iPad mini to the remote. I ended up just wrapping the iPad cable around the remote and I never take it off after getting tired of always trying to keep track of all of the different cables.

Do you set the screen to Auto or just manually set it to max brightness?

 

[herein2021]

Do you set the screen to Auto or just manually set it to max brightness?

I keep it manually set to max brightness, me and automatic modes for anything don't get along most of the time. They key though is the anti-glare screen protector, without that the iPad mini is unusable outdoors due to the glare; at least with my version of the iPad mini, maybe it is less shiny in newer versions.

 

[Brock Inspector]

One potential problem with all generations of iPads and iPhones (or so I hear) is that they can overheat and shut down the display (or turn off entirely) once they do. A black TPU case might worsen this, whereas a white or silver bodied tablet without one might stay coolest. If you regularly fly at temps >90 degrees this might be a concern.

Most of the iPads and Android tablets (and most current high end OLED or AMOLED phones) have one or another implementation of Adaptive Brightness . Often screens must be switched to auto (not set manually) to achieve maximum brightness. A sunshade that blocks the Adaptive Brightness sensor may cause it to sense it's in a dark environment and to dim the screen. If you can keep a phone or tablet above about 450-500 nits, it should easily be viewable in sunlight.

As a photographer first, I'm more impressed with color accuracy than maximum contrast. I'm generally not flying in the glare of the noonday sun, but rather when the light is more optimal. So absolute brightness is not my overriding need. I've been flying with a $300 refurb Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 with the Super AMOLED the past 6 months. It's just right- this Goldilocks size with a 10.5" screen. For precision flying it's a huge improvement over my 6.2" Pixel. This Tab S6 is also tremendously useful for any number of other tasks when not flying. (For instance it came bundled with an S-pen and is a drawing tablet that can be connected to a PC).

 

[herein2021]

One potential problem with all generations of iPads and iPhones (or so I hear) is that they can overheat and shut down the display (or turn off entirely) once they do. A black TPU case might worsen this, whereas a white or silver bodied tablet without one might stay coolest. If you regularly fly at temps >90 degrees this might be a concern.

I have heard of that as well, but I've shot nearly daily in FL where avg summer temps are 90+ and humidity is 90+ and never had an issue. I've also shot in California, Hawaii, and South America and didn't have an issue there either.

I feel like most modern electronic equipment is excellent at heat management (with the exception of the Canon R5 which is why I still don't own one but I digress), but when users of that equipment fail to take basic heat management steps to prevent overheating they blame the equipment when it happens.

Living in FL as a photographer/videographer everything you do must be done with heat management in mind during the summer or your equipment will overheat regardless of who makes it. I've had cinema cameras with built in fans overheat, my own iPhone overheat while I was on it, etc, but one thing I have never had is my iPad mini overheat.

Overheating can also be caused by a misbehaving app using CPU resources, that is why I don't install a single thing on my iPad mini except the drone apps, it stays in airplane mode, and I don't install updates.

In hot environments you simply have to keep the equipment cool, FL is particularly difficult because internal car temps can reach 130 degrees and you can't crack the windows when it is parked because it rains so much. I do everything from parking in the shade, only taking the equipment and batteries that I need for the project to covering my equipment with white towels if there is absolutely no shade around until time to use it. Simple steps like those will greatly extend the life of the batteries and prevent overheating.

 

[SixStarsDrone]

One potential problem with all generations of iPads and iPhones (or so I hear) is that they can overheat and shut down the display (or turn off entirely) once they do. A black TPU case might worsen this, whereas a white or silver bodied tablet without one might stay coolest. If you regularly fly at temps >90 degrees this might be a concern.

Most of the iPads and Android tablets (and most current high end OLED or AMOLED phones) have one or another implementation of Adaptive Brightness . Often screens must be switched to auto (not set manually) to achieve maximum brightness. A sunshade that blocks the Adaptive Brightness sensor may cause it to sense it's in a dark environment and to dim the screen. If you can keep a phone or tablet above about 450-500 nits, it should easily be viewable in sunlight.

As a photographer first, I'm more impressed with color accuracy than maximum contrast. I'm generally not flying in the glare of the noonday sun, but rather when the light is more optimal. So absolute brightness is not my overriding need. I've been flying with a $300 refurb Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 with the Super AMOLED the past 6 months. It's just right- this Goldilocks size with a 10.5" screen. For precision flying it's a huge improvement over my 6.2" Pixel. This Tab S6 is also tremendously useful for any number of other tasks when not flying. (For instance it came bundled with an S-pen and is a drawing tablet that can be connected to a PC).

What do you do to combat the RC charging the phone?

 

[Brock Inspector]

What do you do to combat the RC charging the phone?

My Galaxy Tab S6 which gets charged up before flight, does not have such a parasitic draw on the Autel Standard Controller that I've yet had to concern myself with this in the least. (That said, I have 3 flight batteries and tend not to fly for more than 90 minutes at a stretch. There's plenty of charge left on the controller after such a session, always >50%). I have an invertor and USB chargers in my truck to charge back up/top off in the middle of the day when I'm on the road.
For tablets with higher MAH needs you may want to look into custom USB cables with resistors/diodes that don't charge the tablet from the controller (Tripltek).

 

[LeeInMpls]

My iPad Pro M1 11" will not connect to the Sky app. The same is true connecting to my Insta360 app. It is due to something different that Apple has done to block the connection.

 

[Brock Inspector]

In my experience the Autel Standard controller can usually be topped off/recharged more quickly (from a USB-A "Turbo" wall wart charger) than the time it takes for charging just one flight battery on the Autel wall charger. That said, if you have to be flying constantly for many hours and expect to routinely run the controller battery to exhaustion, one solution would be to find a V1 Evo II and a second V1 controller, and to swap controllers out. (The V1 Evo II will bind to two devices, whereas the V2 will not).

 

[herein2021]

What do you do to combat the RC charging the phone?

That's another benefit of using an iPad.....my iPad mini lasts 10hrs, and I typically only charge my remote about once a month and sometimes only once every two months. I am typically only in the air for a single flight battery to get a few min of drone video for a larger project.

Even for all day projects, I run out of flight batteries long before I run out the RC battery.

 

[cappy]

Been using the same iPad mini since 2019in New England with zero problems. I have mounted it, with controller on a tripod using the LifThor mounting bracket for iPad's. Have not had any problems viewing the screen, althought in some sunlight conditions, I have to tilt the screen slightly away.

 

[LeadSledGirl-AP]

I’m in northern Nevada. iPad (mini or otherwise) doesn’t have a bright enough screen, even in the shade for detail work. General flying, general framing of a shot it can be fine. If you are inspecting a roof (or doing other detail work) and need to be able to see if there’s something more you need to fly in closer to, it’s going to be really difficult to see on an ipad. The 1000 nit Samsung phone (galaxy note 8) I tried was marginally better but it also will not stay on its brightness setting the entire flight.

I have also had the device overheat/shutdown and it was only 95 hour and I was staying in the shade. You see some serious lag on the screen before it conks out. Fortunately with the Evo 2 Pro you can just hit the button on the controller and keep on going.

 

[SixStarsDrone]

I’m in northern Nevada. iPad (mini or otherwise) doesn’t have a bright enough screen, even in the shade for detail work. General flying, general framing of a shot it can be fine. If you are inspecting a roof (or doing other detail work) and need to be able to see if there’s something more you need to fly in closer to, it’s going to be really difficult to see on an ipad. The 1000 nit Samsung phone (galaxy note 8) I tried was marginally better but it also will not stay on its brightness setting the entire flight.

I have also had the device overheat/shutdown and it was only 95 hour and I was staying in the shade. You see some serious lag on the screen before it conks out. Fortunately with the Evo 2 Pro you can just hit the button on the controller and keep on going.

So what do you use now?

 

[LeadSledGirl-AP]

So what do you use now?

I was [lucky enough] to get my hands on a v1 smart controller a few months back. For our uses it is extremely helpful. I had a crystal sky I used with the Autel and the M2P before that (dedicated the Crystal Sky to the M2P after getting the SC). The Autel smart controller is brighter than the CS. The CS I would describe as ‘good enough’, the SC is just better. Unfortunately the Skydio2 doesn’t like the android version on the CS so I’m stuck with an ipad for it. Hoping to add the drone edition BT-300‘s for the Skydio or figure out a connector box solution to use the BT-40S with the skydio. (How/Why epson missed the boat on the BT-40S and didn’t put two fully functional USB-C ports on it so it was multi-usecase-ready is a mystery.)

 

[scott.g]

I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab Active PRO 10.1"
It works well. I am in Arizona, days of 110deg and no clouds, so I would say I have the worst of it..
I do real estate photography.. Because I shoot in in RAW, no matter what screen, I think it is hard to see the greyish image, but as someone above said, I put my back to the sun or find shade and I can always easily get the job done.
The screen is heavy, so I created a harness that holds it at the right angle and I don't even hold the screen.. Battery life is awesome, set always to brightest, no auto screen rotation, and it lasts for a few days..
I would like to see an option to install a LUT to see color images when running in RAW... If anyone knows a way please let me know..

 

[SixStarsDrone]

I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab Active PRO 10.1"
It works well. I am in Arizona, days of 110deg and no clouds, so I would say I have the worst of it..
I do real estate photography.. Because I shoot in in RAW, no matter what screen, I think it is hard to see the greyish image, but as someone above said, I put my back to the sun or find shade and I can always easily get the job done.
The screen is heavy, so I created a harness that holds it at the right angle and I don't even hold the screen.. Battery life is awesome, set always to brightest, no auto screen rotation, and it lasts for a few days..
I would like to see an option to install a LUT to see color images when running in RAW... If anyone knows a way please let me know..

Since it’s Android how do you deal with the RC charging the tablet?