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Talk me out of it...

Squirrel!

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Well, the rebuilt P3S is complete and flies better than ever with zero video loss with the antenna upgrade. Getting dang near the same distance with the P3S as the XSP. The photos look better on the P3S. The P3S video doesn't have moments of jello. The P3S flies better...flat out, it just plain flies better. In other words, the Phantom 3 Standard seems to be a more stable machine all around. At least for my expectations anyway.

But I do love Jack. I just don't want something that will sit around that costs so much, because the pic/vid (at 1080p anyway) isn't as good as the P3S which is definitely my work horse. But the touchy controls makes Jack take longer to setup for a shot. The P3S absolutely is faster to get in the air, no question. Stows away faster as well. A big part is the because of the lens cap/cover gimbal brace of the XSP is still a pain with that clip that goes around the yaw motor.

I don't know...I bought the XSP believing it was a superior machine. And I DO enjoy it! I have said since the get go, however, if I could take the 2 (P3S & XSP) and take what I like from each to make one drone, it would be fantastic. But as is, I need to make a choice. The P3S isn't going anywhere soon. We've got history. ;) But the XSP, if I am going to return it, I need to do it within the next few days.

So please, is there any reason not to stick with a brand that honestly hasn't let me down in the least? I did try the XSP customer service and got a recording and though I left a message, I didn't leave my number. Fifteen minutes later, I got a call back and an answer to my question. Oh yeah, this was on a Sunday afternoon. BEST customer service I've encountered...period. But I really don't expect to be utilizing CS often, if ever, again. In comparison, I've never attempted DJI contact so can't say. But that is due to the abundance of spare parts as opposed to the lack of parts by Autel.

Autel has the build quality and bang for the buck down pat. But the flying isn't as stable as it needs to be, in my opinion. Talk me out of returning it...what am I missing?
 
Well, the rebuilt P3S is complete and flies better than ever with zero video loss with the antenna upgrade. Getting dang near the same distance with the P3S as the XSP. The photos look better on the P3S. The P3S video doesn't have moments of jello. The P3S flies better...flat out, it just plain flies better. In other words, the Phantom 3 Standard seems to be a more stable machine all around. At least for my expectations anyway.

But I do love Jack. I just don't want something that will sit around that costs so much, because the pic/vid (at 1080p anyway) isn't as good as the P3S which is definitely my work horse. But the touchy controls makes Jack take longer to setup for a shot. The P3S absolutely is faster to get in the air, no question. Stows away faster as well. A big part is the because of the lens cap/cover gimbal brace of the XSP is still a pain with that clip that goes around the yaw motor.

I don't know...I bought the XSP believing it was a superior machine. And I DO enjoy it! I have said since the get go, however, if I could take the 2 (P3S & XSP) and take what I like from each to make one drone, it would be fantastic. But as is, I need to make a choice. The P3S isn't going anywhere soon. We've got history. ;) But the XSP, if I am going to return it, I need to do it within the next few days.

So please, is there any reason not to stick with a brand that honestly hasn't let me down in the least? I did try the XSP customer service and got a recording and though I left a message, I didn't leave my number. Fifteen minutes later, I got a call back and an answer to my question. Oh yeah, this was on a Sunday afternoon. BEST customer service I've encountered...period. But I really don't expect to be utilizing CS often, if ever, again. In comparison, I've never attempted DJI contact so can't say. But that is due to the abundance of spare parts as opposed to the lack of parts by Autel.

Autel has the build quality and bang for the buck down pat. But the flying isn't as stable as it needs to be, in my opinion. Talk me out of returning it...what am I missing?
 
If you like it as it stands, keep it and enjoy it. If not get rid of it and move on.
I have read the opposite on camera quality than what you described and don't suffer any of the problems you have put forth but hey that's just me, your milage may differ.

At this point I am "droned out" - meaning I have enough equipment to do anything I want to do. What I need now are some new places and things to photograph. Even though I live in beautiful areas, I have already filmed a lot of the obvious spots.
 
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Ran in to a good friend of mine on Sunday who was flying his new mavic Pro. It was hands down Superior in every way to everything we're talking about here. I realize we're talking 1100 bucks but I would seriously consider if looking at something new. What was amazing is how stowable that thing is and the stability and picture quality is superb
 
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@Raymond Townsend - like Agustine eloquently put "your actual mileage may vary"...I have a friend who returned his Mavic Pro for just the opposite reason you are stating...the video quality and stability were bad compared to my video from the XSP flying the same routes on the same day. Even with all the technology on-board there is still a human at the controls. The one thing we saw was that during changes in direction the Mavic's gimbal was not able to stabilize the camera as well as the Autel gimbal. I was going to buy a Mavic until all of the DJI challenges with the NFZ's...now I won't buy one unless they get rid of that automatic NFZ BS and leave that to the responsible pilot where it should be...China of all things is not going to tell me where I can fly my drone...cause I can fly it just about anywhere I want as a hobbyist and not per what they say (the reason I say this is that there is a FAA Warning Zone right near my house, actually 1 block away...per DJI the drone wont fly there unless I ask them to unlock it EVERY TIME I FLY...whereas the FAA has directly responded that I can fly there anytime I want, just to be careful of low altitude single engine flyers that like to buzz the sawgrass in the everglades because it is a special training area).

@Squirrel! I like the Phantom & Mavic Pro and their feature sets, albeit for the price of the Mavic it should already have had rear and side obstacle avoidance when it came out...and not have been in the P4 series. I think that there is also a familiarity aspect happening here, driving a DJI for a couple years then driving an Autel for 30 days would not seem to be enough time to me at least to really get a sense for the flight characteristic differences and how you adjust...but maybe you fly every day and expect that in a shorter time period. Most people are still not used to their new cars after 30 days and don't know where some control is or how well the breaks work...just saying. I think you would be best returning the Autel at this point and continuing down your path with DJI...you may become more hypercritical over time to any small issue with the Autel causing you just more frustration than enjoyment out of flying a drone.
 
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Flight characteristics aside, here are 2 pic from today, 1 from XSP and the other P3S. Both on automatic:

XSP

MAX_0002.JPG

P3S

DJI_0001.JPG

XSP

MAX_0005.JPG

P3S

DJI_0002.JPG

I still say the XSP looks Blue-ish, not realistic at all.

The video ticks me off because as soon as I press the remote button for record, the picture zooms in and I have no clue how to make it not do that.
 
Oh yeah...I was using a ND16 filter with the XSP. The P3S is just the stock camera.
 
Oh yeah...I was using a ND16 filter with the XSP. The P3S is just the stock camera.
You wont get good pics with a ND16 filter on. Just not the right tool for that job. Slows down the shutter speed too much in auto mode and you will get blur. Take the filter off for stills and only use the filters for video. For what its worth i have never used more than an ND8 on my XSP and never filters at all on a still photo flight. Spend some time learning how to shoot in manual and your photo quality on both your P3S and your XSP will improve dramatically.
 
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No I wouldn't be satisfied with that, something is drastically wrong there. My images are not that far off on colors like that...its not a Nikon D500 strapped to the bottom of a drone either. Here are two shots of the same subject matter from the XSP and my Nikon:

nikon1.jpg Nikon
XSP1.JPG XSP

IMHO the XSP is picking up the objects more naturally (look at the details in the feathers on the eagle and in the shield) than my Nikon is (I set nikon on auto and just let it take the pic, no adjustments)...but a real camera person would tell my I am crazy for sure...LOL. Everyone has to be their own judge of colors as we all see very differently.
 
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You wont get good pics with a ND16 filter on. Just not the right tool for that job. Slows down the shutter speed too much in auto mode and you will get blur. Take the filter off for stills and only use the filters for video. For what its worth i have never used more than an ND8 on my XSP and never filters at all on a still photo flight. Spend some time learning how to shoot in manual and your photo quality on both your P3S and your XSP will improve dramatically.
Blur? No blur, just colors all wonky. And the ND filter doesn't do anything to colors:

Quick Tip: When and How to Use a Neutral Density Filter
 
Permission? You misunderstand...Read the thread/topic title.

You are asking us to talk you out of returning it. I wouldn't ask you if I should return something.

As to pic quality there are some great photographers here that can offer advice for improvement. Which is a separate issue.

Hope it works out for you.
 
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Made the executive decision to keep it. Several reasons beyond what has been mentioned here, but basically it comes down to the fact that should I crash the P3S again, I need a backup drone. Plus, I have everything for it already, it is a really wonderful flyer, if not a bit 'erratic' at times (hence, displaying 'personality' the P3S doesn't have - haven't decided if it is a good thing or not yet) and built like a tank in comparison. Ultimately, returning it would cost me more than I am willing to accept as a loss.

So, I'll be around here awhile longer I think. ;)
 
You are asking us to talk you out of returning it. I wouldn't ask you if I should return something.

As to pic quality there are some great photographers here that can offer advice for improvement. Which is a separate issue.

Hope it works out for you.
I wasn't asking if I should return something. Again, you misunderstand. The question posed was phrased in a way to encourage responses telling me the good, wonderfulness of the XSP and why I should NOT return it...and it failed miserably. No one really praised the XSP which is a tad disheartening to me. I honestly expected more enthusiasm for this drone.

I agree, I do need to work on my photography skills, no argument there. But what I need are quality pics from the get-go, I don't have alot of time to 'practice' my photography skills. So the P3S will be my workhorse and the XSP will be the backup and picture taking practice drone. It wouldn't be fiscally wise to return this and start over with another.
 

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