Hi Everyone,

I am new to RC flying. I am a freelance photographer by profession.I have Canon 5D mark II. I shoot weddings, industry, travel etc. I am interested in knowing if it is possible to shhot good quality video / photo with multicopters ?
I know I will have to take proper training in this. I am looking for ready to fly and safe solution. I will be happy if anybody can guide. I got negative feedbacks for using multicopters mainly due to --
1) Camera weight 2)Lipo battery problems (I was told if not handelled properly it explodes and life is very less).
As a newcomer I am completely confused. I need clear-cut advice for--
1)where to get the training, 2)Should I learn to fly small multicopters first before trying to fly big one ? 3) Which one to buy and exactly what accessories ?

Thanks,
k.milind

Start learning with flying small copters.. then move to bigger ones..

Hello Milind

We cannot comment on what others might have told you. We certainly doubt the idea of explosion by lipo!!!!
Lipo batteries are used world over and are known for its qualities like light in weight, excellent discharge, good storage capacity, multiple applications etc..

Regarding use of multi-copters for aerial footage, it is one of the best solution you can think of. Please go to youtube.com and you"ll find excellent videos.

Sphere Hobbies specializes in multi-copters. We have solutions which can lift DSLR and work as very stable platform.

And yes, if you need training... simply call us
Below are some video links you would enjoy. Equipment used for these video is available with us.



https://vimeo.com/dji/zenmuse



(favorite)


Regards,

Sphere Hobbies
+91-99251-20630

That is exactly my question--Where, how and who will take risk of train me ??

Thanks for the details. Since I am into photogragraphy I am aware that whatever looks simple may not be simple & proper training is a must and then lot of practice.
A few questions:1) Normally what is the life of these multicopters (hexa, quadra or octa) for safe flying in terms of flying hours or otherwise ?
2)Is it possible to "see" on hand held control, what the camera is Seeing ? If yes, at What cost ?
3)Is it zero vibrations with gimbal ?
I am complete Zero in knowing the accessories That are a must for smooth non jerky video. I need advice in this respect also.

Dear Milind,
flying multi rotor itself is a long way to go. As told earlier in this thread start with smaller qauds and go larger gradually.

Sellers sell dreams also.

Ashok

It makes me (and hopefully all other multi-freaks here) to know professional photo/videographers *of India* are venturing into this field and expanding horizons.
Yes, the same suggestion goes for anyone who wants to venture into serious Aerial photo/videography : start with flying a smaller, fun-fly quadcopter and AP/AV comes next. Because in no case would you want to lose/damage all your precious and expensive gear.
You can buy a small quadcopter-toy like a walkera ladybug, or the blade MQX, but a better option is to buy a quadcopter combo (not a toy) and start flying it. (check out rcdhamaka.com)
Then go for a more expensive quadcopter setup like DJI, etc. etc. (check out www.spherehobbies.com/india)
Buy a Gimbal with it if you want and attach your cam to it.

Off late i keep getting a lot of calls from photographers and cinematographers wanting to hire my Helicam services and ALSO learn to fly Helis and Mulits......  One such incident i recall is the most hilarous one.  A cinematographer (movie camera man) called me on one monday and asked if i can teach him how to fly a heli and he was ready to invest on a 50 size machine and he wanted to start learning from the very next day, for which out of curiosity I asked him whats the hurry for which he replied, he's got a shoot on Thrusday and he plans to take up a Canon 7D camera on a 50 size heli and shoot for a movie.  For which my only answer was                  
so in two days he wanted buy a heli, learn how to fly them, put the camera on the heli all in two days 

Milind: Try getting the most simplest quad and get a lot of experience in flying first....... I'm into professional Aerial Photography and Videography, we shoot for movies from a Canon 5D camera, believe me, the kind of flying the AP/AV needs is much much beyond an average flier.  Hence practice practice and practice is the only thing which'll take you there............  Or else, hire someone like me for your work 

Heres a small video of us just having fun........  no serious flying of shooting thou... just flying around. Was shot on a small hexa with a gopro.




Regards,
Adarsh

Adarsh -  Are you primarily using multirotors or helis for the 5D work ?

Hi Anwar,

I primarily use a electric 800 size heli for my 5D and similar heavy load camera. Also Getting a Octo ready for the 5d aswell for small and restricted places where it's risky for such a big heli to fly around.
Also got a small hexa to fly around with a Gopro and similar cameras.

Regards
Adarsh

Thanks ! 

It is good to see heli flying skills put to good use, as in a full time profession

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for all the suggestions by all of you.

When I purchased a small steadicam & started using it with my 5D mk II; I came to know the difference in seeing a video of an expert using it and a newcomer doing it. So no doubts that I need lot of practise but my point of view was- is it wise to get a best multicopter (that I can afford) to start with or buy a cheaper one to start with; just learn and then buy a good one that I need.

As a beginner in photography I did not buy a toy camera first, I purchased a film SLR (secondhand).I can understand that flying something and buying a camera are two different things.

Adarsh: I will be happy if you let me know on my e mail "ketkarmilind@gmail.com" which are the good options for 5D mk II, it will help me. Since you are doing this type of work you know how a beginner is cofused due to different views from the people doing this or "Sellers sell dreams also". You may suggest two three options. As a photographer; I have no plans of doing ONLY aerial video and photography, it is more of learning a new skill and adding one more skill to existing ones. Any urgent assignment will have to be done by someone like you who is doing it regularly. So I am not keen to invest huge amounts in this.

Thanks again to everyone !!!

Milind.
www.milindketkar.com

Milind you can call me on 9845066007.  I'll have to write a huge mail if i have to tell you the things needed for a 5D and to convince you to go for a smaller cheaper machine to learn how to fly rather than go for an expensive one and.............. god forbid................
so its better if you call me.

Regards,

Adarsh

Hi,

I am looking to build a RC QuadCopter For Aerial Photography.

I already have a "Mini Sky Surfer" and have a 7 Channel Avionic Radio Transmitter, Receiver & Simulator... http://www.rcbazaar.com/products/1773-avionic-rcb7x-7ch-tx-with-7ch-rx-and-wireless-simulator.aspx

I am looking to use "GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition" for shooting the videos, I am looking to use the above (7 Channel Avionic Radio Transmitter, Receiver & Simulator) for the QuadCopter I wanted to build.

Can anyone with the relative experience please suggest which are the best Parts, Spares, Motors, Gimbal, Board, and technical aspects etc I should use to build for a capable and perfectly working QuadCopter?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Nilesh Shinde (Nagpur)
nilshinde@yahoo.com
Call: 07588578939

[Admin Note] Merged into existing thread on the same topic.

Check these out :
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mycopter/806984532664654

http://www.muav.in/?wpsc-product=quad-board-from-rcforallmy-copter

Full tech support as its completely made by here in India .


Sai

I'm not sure if Go pro's are a good choice for AP because of there default fish eye view,usually Compact super zoom or DSLR cameras are used for the purpose. So it depends if you want it for professional or personal use.

Whats your budget? as it plays an important role in selecting setups because sky is limit.

Then do you have any experience in flying/building multirotors because you would be ending up with a multirotor which is going to be expensive & carry expensive equipment, so its always preferable to first try out a smaller multirotor before jumping onto heavy stuff. There are simulators but I dont find them useful enough in terms of multirotors.

Are you willing to ship items internationally, preferably through lil expensive shippers(dhl,fedex etc) because otherwise you will have to face the wrath of customs department via registered international post. Items are available locally but you wont find everything.

I can go ahead and suggest you a setup , but details help to tune it according to your needs.

@SideWinder:

Thanks for pitching in. I don't know anything about cameras but I can help Nilesh sir with building and flying. Once he's decided with the cam and budget, it'd be great if you could suggest an appropriate setup.

Hi,

Thanks "SideWinder" for your reply.

I was just thinking of the GoPro Hero, but may be I can use DSLR, I have 2 DSL Camera's One is Nikon D7100, and another Nikon D60, but I think they are much heavier to use on

Qauds, I am searching for spares internationally, but my main concern was "Customs" as I read much regarding customs issues I am not sure I will be ordering it from internation

websites.

As far as budget is concerned, I may be spending 25K (+ -)

I found a "DJI Phantom FC40 RC Quadcopter Drone UAV WiFi Camera GPS 2 RTF Spy Aerial Vision" on ebay.com but again the issues is import duty, so not sure about that, here is the

link... http://www.ebay.com/itm/221352102486?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Checked some parts on www.rcbazaar.com   &  www.quadkopters.com  but not sure which exactly I should order.

At first I have just shortlisted some to get an idea of the total cost, below are links of the spares...

Board... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/apm-2-52/
Motor... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/sunnysky-2212-980kv/
Frame... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/z450-flamewheel-flame-center-without-circuit-board/
Propellers... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/sf-propeller-104-5-sf104-5-black/
Battery... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/qk-lipo-3300mah-11-1v-25c50c/
Low Voltage Alarm Indicator... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/1s-8s-low-voltage-alarm-indicator/
ESC... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/simonk-esc-30a/
Gold connectors etc...

Do I need?...
1. Male to Male Servo Lead (JR) 10CM... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/male-to-male-servo-lead-jr-10cm-10pcs/
2. JST battery pigtail 10cm length... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/jst-battery-pigtail-10cm-length-5pairsbag/
3. Nylon Deans Connectors... http://www.quadkopters.com/product/nylon-deans-connectors-10-pairs/
4. MultiCopter Multi-Quad Copter Power Battery Control Board... http://www.banggood.com/MultiCopter-Multi-Quad-Copter-Power-Battery-Control-Board-p-78608.html

Please suggest.

As I have already mentioned, I have "Avionic 7 Channel, 2.4 Radio, Transmitter & Simulator" can I use that to build the quadcopter? Below is the link...
http://www.rcbazaar.com/products/1773-avionic-rcb7x-7ch-tx-with-7ch-rx-and-wireless-simulator.aspx

I am not an expert, so not sure what other spares I need to build the quadcopter. Could you please suggest what other things I need to buy?

Thanks for your help.

Regards,
Nilesh Shinde (Nagpur)
nilshinde@yahoo.com
Call: 07588578939

Okay, you have done your research well for someone new to multirotors.

Regarding your setup....its good but my suggestions would be.

The board you selected is a complex flight controller to setup, you will have lot of moments where you would think"why did I get it". Also there are some issues(blown regulators,sparking while connecting battery,power module failures etc) which leads to failure of APM's, so personally I would suggest something other than APM. My choice would be Naza controllers as they are user friendly to a very good extent but costly (169$+ shipping for Naza lite). If you are not looking for Auto Pilot right away then there are many other cheaper/easier options out there and then you can always upgrade to more advanced FC's. Swapnil is there otherwise I live 2 hrs away from Nagpur so can help you out anytime if need be.

The frame you selected is alright but lacks real estate. An H-shaped frame is more suitable as it would have enough space to mount stuff on it. Either you can build a frame yourself, its fairly simple if you have access to materials and fabricating services(cutting,drilling etc) or import it as I haven't seen any at LHS'es.

With a 3300mah battery, you will get 10-15 mins flight time, max current draw shouldn't exceed 60-70 amps with 10" props and rest of electronics. Using a separate smaller battery (300-500mah 3s low discharge)to power fpv system is better or you will need to use a power filter. 

You completely missed the FPV system which is essential if you want do Aerial Photography. Also APM without GPS and telemetry is pretty much same as rest of the basic FC's listed on quadkopters.com with some exceptions.

Yes you would need all the items you listed such as deans etc, along with that few items you missed for the setup you proposed are:
FPV system(with or without camera): http://www.quadkopters.com/product/fpv-kit-5-8g-200mw-av-txrx-system-with-sony-ccd-420tvl-camera/
Antenna(stock ones's would give 200-300meters while these would give 1-1.5kms) : http://www.quadkopters.com/product/cloverleaf-antennas-for-5-8ghz/
UBEC: http://www.ebay.in/itm/TURNIGY-3A-UBEC-w-Noise-Reduction-/190931950061?pt=IN_Toys_Games_School_Stuff&hash=item2c746e59ed
Silicon wire: http://www.quadkopters.com/product/18-awg-black-wire-1mtr/
Zip ties, Soldering kit, heat shrink
You would need a 4.3"/6"/7" screen as display or video goggles or can use a Laptop with USB DVR(I use it and don't like it much).

Some optional items you can add are:
Telemetry: http://www.quadkopters.com/product/3dr-radio-telemetry-kit-433mhz/
OSD: http://www.quadkopters.com/product/minim-osd/
Power module: http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__43764__HKPilot_Power_Module_with_T_Connectors_and_6_Pin_150mm_Cable.html
Gimbals: http://www.quadkopters.com/product/dji-phantom-gopro-brushless-camera-gimbal-wmotors-controller/
GPS Module: http://www.quadkopters.com/product/ublox-6m-gps/

Yes the DSL cameras you mentioned would need bigger setup, the cameras weigh 675 & 495 gms respectively(body only), So think with batteries ,lenses etc it would weigh <1kg. So adding four more motors and battery respectively with a bigger battery should do it i.e you instead of Quad, you go for Octocopter. Its just a suggestion tho.

DJI is costly, and available at Spherehobbies, locally @ approx Rs50000.

Edit: You can use the radio you currently have with most of the FC's, but incase of APM, I'm not aware how can 6 flight modes specific to Ardupilot can be programmed on your radio. Since the radio is not widely used,there is very less help available. If guys at RCB can help you out,it would be great. But you can still fly an APM albeit with less modes.

Hi,

Thanks for your analysis and suggestions, but I am getting confused a bit.
You seems to be based at Chandrapur? Yesterday I was in Tadoba & Chandrapur.

Can you please give me your mobile number and I will talk to you.

Thanks & Regards
Nilesh Shinde
nilshinde@yahoo.com
7588578939

Just go through this..
Www.octographers.com
Will find something interesting

Yes, thats my town 
Pm'ed you details.

Thanks

Hi,
i build a quadcopter , now i want to add wireless video camera for a recording ...
so what should i use for video TX - RX ..and which camera i can use ?
i want some good range wireless camera..
so suggest me some wireless camera with recording and good TX RX range.
Thank you.. 

Basically You would need a Video Transmitter and receiver, a camera and a screen to watch the out from receiver.

You will find everything that you need here: http://www.quadkopters.com/product_category/fpv-kit-and-accessories/

A best FPV kit (IMO) for beginners: http://www.quadkopters.com/product/fpv-kit-5-8g-200mw-av-txrx-system-with-sony-ccd-420tvl-camera/

Comes with
1 x 5.8Ghz Transmitter 8 Channel
1 x 5.8Ghz Receiver 8 Channel
1 x 420TVL Sony (Original) Board camera