Pro video blog…Produced by Philip Johnston DoP/Editor

Amazingly I was all set to write how much I do not like the “Heath Robinson” Mavic controller that works with the iPhone when DJI decided to bring out a dedicated Smart Controller.

When you arrive at your position it takes forever to setup the controller making sure you have the lightening connector correctly positioned then scrunching the phone into position and lastly showing the iPhone X your face this all takes a horrendous amount of time.

The wiring from the controller to the iPhone is definitely a weak spot and the iPhone perched on two rubberised posts is asking for trouble.


Now this looks a lot better and your not relying on an Apple iPhone, scrunched either side. Plus DJI claim its twice the brightness of a smartphone so viewing the live feed should be far better. At £579 its not cheap but for budding pilots like me its well worth the money.

author

Having been working in the video business since 1988 I have amassed a great amount of knowledge of both the kit and production values over the last 30 years.

One thought on “The DJI Controller “Possibly the weakest part of the chain” till now !

  1. I totally agree with you, yes I have used my crystal sky with my drones very successfully but I have sold my fleet and have not renewed my PfCO because the high costs of a commercial flying operation in my situation. After all, in film and video productions your aerial footage needs to be used sparingly, so it is only a small part of the whole production. Incidentally, I am planning to purchase a Mavic 2 Pro, (I’m glad I’ve waited), because it’s convenience combined with image quality etc. My Inspire 1 pro with the x5 camera although producing excellent footage was so inconvenient in practice. The Phantom 4 was pleasing and on the other hand the Mavic Pro was only really was acceptable in image quality thanks to the Film Poets advice and LUT. Will I renew my PfCo? We shall see.

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