Any recommendations for starting out?

[romanrich0124]

Hey everyone! Thank you for your replies on my last post. I started doing more research and developed a game plan. However, if someone could help me out real quick that'd be perfect.

So I began researching different drones and their different applications. I think I'm interested in inspections/real estate and I'm currently looking at the DJI Mini 2 as my first drone.

What's your guys thoughts of this model? Is it as good as the YouTube reviews seem to make it? Is there anything that may be a little better if I spend a little more (my budget is $1000)?

Something that sparks my interest is a thermal camera. Is the Mini 2's camera able to be swapped out to a thermal camera? Is a thermal camera needed in order to stand out from the rest when doing inspections?

Also, what do you guys recommend for video/picture editing? Is there any free downloads out there worth it, or do you guys do something different?

Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you guys for helping me out in this journey

Roman Rich

 

[BigAl07]

Hey everyone! Thank you for your replies on my last post. I started doing more research and developed a game plan. However, if someone could help me out real quick that'd be perfect.

So I began researching different drones and their different applications. I think I'm interested in inspections/real estate and I'm currently looking at the DJI Mini 2 as my first drone.

What's your guys thoughts of this model? Is it as good as the YouTube reviews seem to make it? Is there anything that may be a little better if I spend a little more (my budget is $1000)?

Something that sparks my interest is a thermal camera. Is the Mini 2's camera able to be swapped out to a thermal camera? Is a thermal camera needed in order to stand out from the rest when doing inspections?

Also, what do you guys recommend for video/picture editing? Is there any free downloads out there worth it, or do you guys do something different?

Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you guys for helping me out in this journey

Roman Rich

If I was going to have ONE single UAS (what about backup etc, in business one is NONE and TWO is ONE) it would be the Mavic Pro 2. Nothing less.

The Mini's are decent aircraft but due to size etc they don' tend to handle mild winds very well. In fact one of the biggest issues we see over at www.MavicPilots.com with the Mini's are "Fly Aways" due to the operator not realizing how light and underpowered they are.

When you go to a job as a professional you don't want to have to refuse to shoot because of mild breezes. Now HIGH winds is another story but mild breezes shouldn't stop a professional.

The Mini and the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom do NOT have any thermal capabilities. These are purpose built aircraft and the factory camera is your only option. Move up to an Enterprise level Mavic 2 and you have more options but they aren't that impressive tbh.


Editing Software - This depends on what platform you're using (iphone, Mac, PC etc). Also it depends on your current skill level with photo editing. Some have minimal learning curve (may not be as feature rich) and some have a BIG learning curve but you can do almost anything with them.

 

[romanrich0124]

If I was going to have ONE single UAS (what about backup etc, in business one is NONE and TWO is ONE) it would be the Mavic Pro 2. Nothing less.

The Mini's are decent aircraft but due to size etc they don' tend to handle mild winds very well. In fact one of the biggest issues we see over at www.MavicPilots.com with the Mini's are "Fly Aways" due to the operator not realizing how light and underpowered they are.

When you go to a job as a professional you don't want to have to refuse to shoot because of mild breezes. Now HIGH winds is another story but mild breezes shouldn't stop a professional.

The Mini and the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom do NOT have any thermal capabilities. These are purpose built aircraft and the factory camera is your only option. Move up to an Enterprise level Mavic 2 and you have more options but they aren't that impressive tbh.


Editing Software - This depends on what platform you're using (iphone, Mac, PC etc). Also it depends on your current skill level with photo editing. Some have minimal learning curve (may not be as feature rich) and some have a BIG learning curve but you can do almost anything with them.

What makes the Mavic 2 enterprise not that impressive? Is the camera just not that great on it, or are there other issues?

Also I have both two computers. One has windows 10 and the other is a chromebook. The chromebook is definitely a lot more convenient, but has some limitations (I'm a computer science student and couldn't download the necessary program to run NetBeans for Java programs).

So is there anything you recommend for a chromebook (preferably) or a PC running windows 10?

 

[BigAl07]

the THERMAL payload available on the ME is decent for Public Safety type of imaging but not for Industrial Solar/Heat Evaluations etc. Those cameras get expensive in a hurry. Big difference between picking out a warm body on a creek bank and doing radiometric reports for a client.

I'll defer to some others here with more experience in various editing programs. I still use the easy ones like MovAvi and Filmora because I don't need anything fancy or flashy for my clients.

One warning about editing... it can be a HUGE and DEEP rabbit hole. It's easy to spend hours perfecting that shot/clip but unless you're getting paid by the hour you need to refine your workflow and set reasonable expectations on your final product. I could EASILY spend an entire weekend on a Real Estate video and only make $250 for it. When I should make many MANY more times that in a single weekend.

 

[Glhs958]

I totally agree with all that BigAl07 said. I know with the inspection type work I do the client requires a min 1 inch sensor like on the Phantom 4 Pro, Mavic 2 Pro or equivalent. For the editing photos/video I personally use adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Davinci studio.

 

[JimD]

Hey everyone! Thank you for your replies on my last post. I started doing more research and developed a game plan. However, if someone could help me out real quick that'd be perfect.

So I began researching different drones and their different applications. I think I'm interested in inspections/real estate and I'm currently looking at the DJI Mini 2 as my first drone.

What's your guys thoughts of this model? Is it as good as the YouTube reviews seem to make it? Is there anything that may be a little better if I spend a little more (my budget is $1000)?

Something that sparks my interest is a thermal camera. Is the Mini 2's camera able to be swapped out to a thermal camera? Is a thermal camera needed in order to stand out from the rest when doing inspections?

Also, what do you guys recommend for video/picture editing? Is there any free downloads out there worth it, or do you guys do something different?

Any and all help is appreciated. Thank you guys for helping me out in this journey

Roman Rich

Well I gave you my recommendations on the other pretty much identical thread you started.
As for thermal jobs first of all you’ll need to become a certified thermographer. That’s a couple grand right there. As has been stated the Mavic enterprise is not useful for thermal inspections the resolution is too low.
You can splice a decent thermal camera onto a Mavic two pro but there you’re talking about $3500 min.
When I looked into it I figured it’s a minimum anti Of about 10 grand. And then you need to find jobs. I couldn’t see any way to even come close to making back my investment. If you’ve never run a business before you’re going to find out there’s a ton of other expenses that you don’t think about.

@BigAl07 is correct about wind handling. the Mavic two pro has amazing wind handling. The mini not so much. You can’t just bail on a job because there’s a little wind. He’s right about if you have just one drone the Mavic two pro is the one.

Not sure why you’re worried about running net beans and Java but to do video editing forget the chrome book. You need a reasonably high end PC or Mac for that.

 

[Vic Moss]

As @BigAl07 said, the most versatile drone on the market is the Mavic 2 Pro. But since your budget is $1K, you should go for it's little brother, the Mavic Air 2. A good overall drone, and a ton better than the Mini 2.

Realistically, thermal is out of the question for you. As others have mentioned, the cameras are very expensive, and to really make any money at it, you'll need to be certified.

Real Estate is the low hanging fruit in this industry, but it's hard to be just a drone guy. You'll either need to team up with another shooter who doesn't offer aerials, or learn how to shoot ground imagery too.

 

[skiptv]

The Mini 2 is a great drone/price if you are just going to do residential real estate vid/photos or events such as weddings / local sports etc. It can provide professional looking results without a big ip front purchase. On a limited budget you would be best to go with the Mavic Air 2, its has many of the "professional features" of the Mavic 2 Pro without the steep price point, this would allow you to up your game to say Commercial Real-Estate, Concerts, Bigger Sporting Events, even local TV Commercials. But.. These drones and drones like these are designed for Photography and Video, Not really for inspection, or thermal imaging. You are going to have to spend a lot of money to go in that direction. Last but not least, forget starting out doing imaging and inspections, unless of course you are already in those fields, say you might be a solar inspector or insurance adjuster.... Most companies are hiring from within and just teaching their current inspectors how to fly drones. How do I know this I am a flight instructor for a high end training organization that trains current employees of big corporate clients. However you can make money taking video and pictures with your drone. Just look at your drone as another type of 'camera' and go after photography jobs in your area.

 

[Heed]

I stumbled onto DaVinci Resolve video editor. 100% free and if you want the few extra features, the paid version is a flat $299. I haven't needed it. Their business model is to hook professionals (movie makers, etc.) on their software and get them to buy into their hardware - pricey. I am running DR 16.2.7 on a MacBook Pro (2.3GHz Quad Core i5, 8GB RAM) and it works decently. More RAM would certainly be a big help. Not an optimal platform and I need to use Optimized Media (aka proxies) while editing M2P 4K video. It's as powerful as Adobe Premiere. There is a steep learning curve (like Premiere), but they host training materials on their site and tons of YouTube material out there to get you going. Worth the effort to learn IMHO.

For the photos, I have been using Lightroom. Fortunate that an old copy of Lightroom 2 still runs on this MacBook and current OS. I bought it a number of years ago when I was actively shooting/editing photos for personal use as a hobby. I remembered that and resurrected the install files off an old backup. I didn't expect it to run. I've tried several other less expensive programs out there, but they simply aren't as good. Affinity was one of them and very affordable, but I didn't purchase. I will probably break down and purchase the Adobe Lightroom subscription once I start making some money for access to the newer features. But, for now, the old Lightroom is more than sufficient for photo post processing.

 

[romanrich0124]

I stumbled onto DaVinci Resolve video editor. 100% free and if you want the few extra features, the paid version is a flat $299. I haven't needed it. Their business model is to hook professionals (movie makers, etc.) on their software and get them to buy into their hardware - pricey. I am running DR 16.2.7 on a MacBook Pro (2.3GHz Quad Core i5, 8GB RAM) and it works decently. More RAM would certainly be a big help. Not an optimal platform and I need to use Optimized Media (aka proxies) while editing M2P 4K video. It's as powerful as Adobe Premiere. There is a steep learning curve (like Premiere), but they host training materials on their site and tons of YouTube material out there to get you going. Worth the effort to learn IMHO.

For the photos, I have been using Lightroom. Fortunate that an old copy of Lightroom 2 still runs on this MacBook and current OS. I bought it a number of years ago when I was actively shooting/editing photos for personal use as a hobby. I remembered that and resurrected the install files off an old backup. I didn't expect it to run. I've tried several other less expensive programs out there, but they simply aren't as good. Affinity was one of them and very affordable, but I didn't purchase. I will probably break down and purchase the Adobe Lightroom subscription once I start making some money for access to the newer features. But, for now, the old Lightroom is more than sufficient for photo post processing.

Which would you say is best for a windows 10 computer?

 

[Glhs958]

Davinci Resolve 17 is still in beta but I have not found any issues that has kept me from using it. That being said Davinci Resolve 17 is free Davinci Resolve Studio 17 will cost $295

 

[Heed]

Davinci Resolve 17 is still in beta but I have not found any issues that has kept me from using it. That being said Davinci Resolve 17 is free Davinci Resolve Studio 17 will cost $295

I've personally stuck with DR 16, the free version.

I think they might be close to officially launching v17. I noticed they are offering a special - "Free" speed editor with the purchase of DR studio on their website. The speed editor lists for $295. The software, if you purchased a license today, is $295.

When I visit an authorized reseller site, it specifically lists DR Studio 17 for sale with the speed editor for $295 and that it's currently a pre-order.

This is probably enough to get me to pull the trigger on the purchase. There was one feature (Speed Warp - Frame interpolation/motion estimation) that I would like to have access too that is a studio only feature.

It wasn't worth $295 to me at the time and there weren't any other "studio" features I was after.

Seriously considering the purchase now to try out the speed editor. Getting access to Speed Warp would be nice as well. I've been using the software since October and I am sold on it and using it for my startup.

I don't mind paying $295 just for the software anyway and frankly I had expected to be spending $21/month for Adobe Premiere.

 

[Glhs958]

I noticed they are offering a special - "Free" speed editor with the purchase of DR studio on their website. The speed editor lists for $295. The software, if you purchased a license today, is $295.

Yes great deal and can't wait to try the speed editor. I have been waiting for my speed editor since Nov. Not that it won't eventually come but from what I understand is that covid slowed up manufacturing of the speed editor.

 

[Heed]

Yes great deal and can't wait to try the speed editor. I have been waiting for my speed editor since Nov. Not that it won't eventually come but from what I understand is that covid slowed up manufacturing of the speed editor.

Yep, speculation on the Black Magic forum says Covid related slowdowns. I was thinking they were waiting to release v17. I can’t believe they ship hard copy licenses for the software. You should be able to download and get a digital license and be up and running in a few minutes.

Ordered my copy/speed editor tonight from Core Microsystems. It was the only reseller that said in stock. Bet I get an email saying it is back ordered. There were recent posts at Black Magic forum saying everyone is back ordered.

 

[Glhs958]

@Heed I wish you luck on receiving the speed editor in a speedy manor. Mine was finally shipped yesterday and suppose to arrive tomorrow.

 

[Heed]

@Heed I wish you luck on receiving the speed editor in a speedy manor. Mine was finally shipped yesterday and suppose to arrive tomorrow.

Better lucky than good. Mine shipped Friday - day after yours. Should be here tomorrow!