Aerial filming platform advice.

[Lynx.1677]

Hey guys,

So, I am looking at getting an aerial rig sorted but I don't have much of a clue where to start tbh.

I once tried a DJI flamewheel 450 and that was a disaster (crap electronics).

I have considered the Trex 800 Trekker as it's big and very stable but not the sort of thing to be buzzing about at a wedding!

So, a multicopter setup might be preferable but I can't really spend oodles on something like that git Dani R has (hehe).

Thanks all for the help and advice in advance!

Dan

[asomaro]

Dan,

First questions

- What camera do you want to lift and do you want stills or video?
- Do you have any idea of a budget?
- Will you be charging clients for the service?

Cheers,

[Lynx.1677]

Hey Si,

Camera would be a Sony NEX5 most likely to save on weight.
Video only.
Budget at the moment is about £2'000 (not a lot I know)
I will be chargin clients eventually so will need to do all the CAA hoops but for now it's for personal projects until I can get a stable working platform.

Cheers!
Dan

[dani_r]

Vulcan frame without a doubt.

Simon put me on to them and they're awesome. Gimbal choice is a tough one as they can be expensive (ask me how I know! )

[asomaro]

Dan,

Go with the Vulcan 900 - its bloody brilliant and extremely solid with very little vibration through the frame. I use a AV200 gimbal with either a sony cx730 for vid or a canon 650d for stills. I've tested the airframe with a simulated canon 5d weight (approx 1.5kg) and achieved 7 mins flight with 2 x 5000mah 4s lipos.

Our second machine is a quad - the glyder 600 which we use to lift a sony nex5 and we get excellent footage from it - total cost is significantly lower than the vulcan but the set up is challenging to get right. Bloody good footage though! The main issue is that it is a quad and it can't lift that much so it will be less flexible. We will use it for smaller shoots and for the more tricky/retrictive applications.

As for the gimbal an AV130 would do but an AV200 is better for the future but the biggest issue is the type of stabilisation system you use such as the photohigher skyline or others but all have issues that need careful set ups. However, I'd hang fire for a little while as the brushless gimbals are very close now (I know 'cos I'm developing them and I will be manufacturing the alex mos variant controller). Its in the same league as the zenmuse gimbal (they run at about 3 grand - phew) but a fraction of the cost.

Now for the controller - I know you had issues with the Naza but I still use it on all of our multirotor platforms including my full vulcan 900 professional rig which is working very well. I am playing with the Zero YS-X6 on a spare hex but that is currently proving to be a bit problematic.

If you really want to find out more then you are welcome to drop over and take a look at the set ups to see if they might work for you.

Cheers,

[Lynx.1677]

Thanks Simon. Yeah seems like the one to go for the Vulcan. The Naza was actually fine in the end, the trouble was all to do with motors. I had about 3 seperate motors (diff makes and from diff places that were iffy). Yeah, seen the test footafe of the Yuni and it looks stunning for the price point!!

Thanks for the info!!

Dan

[nigelbrogan]

Aerial filming platform advice.

Hi,
What would be a good gimbal for my rig? I have a dji s800 with wookong, I want to use my canon 550d for stills and video.

Nigel

[pgkevet]

balloon & string

[asomaro]

Hi,
What would be a good gimbal for my rig? I have a dji s800 with wookong, I want to use my canon 550d for stills and video.

Nigel

Nigel,

You have a reasonable choice but it comes down to how much you want to spend (as always). I use an AV200 with the Skyline stabaliser with some good success but others have struggled with the same platform. I'd suggest you take a look at the multirotor forum (Multi Rotor Forums) and do a little research on there to see what others are suggesting for the s800 as I can only comment about my Vulcan rig.

Cheers,