You can also take images in RAW format, but so far, DJI hasn’t made any tools available to actually read these images in Photoshop or other photo-editing suites (chances are it will at CES this week). The 14 megapixel camera doesn’t exactly rival a DSLR, but does a nice job of keeping up with different lighting conditions and in a pinch, you can always set your exposure settings manually from the app. Using your phone, you can start and stop video recordings, but you can also take still images. All of the images are beamed to your phone, but also stored on a microSD card. When it comes to these kinds of videos, higher frame rates are often desirable, as the slowed-down video makes the recording feel quite a bit smoother. Thanks to the built-in vibration-damping platform underneath the vision, the video you get from this unit is significantly better than from an unmodified Phantom 1. Unlike the GoPro, it can also record 1080i at 60 fps. The wide-angle camera itself is comparable to a GoPro Here 3 Silver Edition and can, among numerous other settings, take 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps) and 720p video at 60 fps. The phone controls all the settings for the built-in camera. You can also use it to see a radar-like screen that tells you where exactly your quadcopter is in relation to your own position. It also includes a heads-up display with all the pertinent information about your flight, including speed, distance, height and battery life. The phone app comes in handy for more than just seeing the video link. With the USB-charged Wi-Fi extender, you should be able to keep the video going up to almost 1,000 feet (though all of this always depends on your local conditions, too). As the remote has a range of up to 1,500 feet, the Wi-Fi connection between the phone and Vision would likely break up after just a few hundred feet. To do this, DJI built a mobile app and added a Wi-Fi extender to the remote (which you have to charge separately). What makes the new Phantom stand out, though, is the fact that you get a direct video downlink from the camera that shows up on your iPhone or Android device. In the near future, DJI will release an app that will turn the Vision into an autonomous drone by allowing you to input GPS coordinates and have it fly a circuit without your input. Just like its predecessor, the Vision has a built-in GPS unit that allows it to fly back home if the connection to the remote controller is ever interrupted. This is not the kind of remote-controlled helicopter you can pick up at any discount store today. One thing to remember here is that you are looking at a prosumer device – and not just because of the price. As far as out-of-the-box quadcopters go, the $1,200 Vision sets a new standard for anybody who wants to get into aerial photography and is a heck of a lot of fun to fly. Now, DJI has launched the DJI Phantom 2 Vision, which comes with a built-in camera you remotely control through your phone. A few months ago, I looked at the DJI Phantom and that was already a lot of fun to fly, though the images you could get from an unmodified Phantom can be quite shaky. Getting really good results still often takes a bit more than just attaching a GoPro to a quadcopter. The advent of affordable quadcopters has made aerial photography accessible for almost anybody.
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