The DJI Phantom 2 is one of the most popular and successful quadcopters on the market today. It is a second generation Phantom RC quadcopter belonging to the DJI family. This article will guide you through the pros and cons of this drone to tell you why you may or may not to explore the Phantom 2 as an option.
Note that there are other models of the Phantom 2 (Vision and Vision+), which are the same core technology, just with some added features for photography. In April 2015, DJI announced the Phantom 3 which you may also want to consider.
Phantom 2 Pros
- Battery Life – One of the biggest upsides about the Phantom 2 is the improved the batteries you’ll find compared to cheaper drones. It gives the pilot up to 25 minutes of airtime, which is double that of cheaper drones.
- Quick Change Batteries – You can swap out batteries in a matter of seconds, making it easy to fly this drone for hours.
- Portability – It weighs just over 2 pounds, and is 12x12x7 inches big, making it easy to stow in a dufflebag or large backpack if you need to trek out to your launch site.
- Add-Ons – There’s a wide variety of add-on hardware for your Phantom 2, so you won’t outgrow it or be stuck with old technology. This includes cameras, gimbles, first-person viewing, and more. The GoPro Hero 3+
is the most popular add-on you’ll find for the Phantom 2. Check out the below footage captured via Phantom 2 and GoPro.
- Safety Functions – The DJI Phantom 2 has some nice built-in safety features to help you from losing your drone. One is the “return to home” feature. If you lose connection with your drone, it will automatically fly back to the place it took off from. You can also manually invoke this feature if you need your drone to quickly return to you, or if you lost sight of it.
- Firmware Updates – DJI is committed to continually improving the software that runs their products, and they frequently release improvements you can quickly download.
Phantom 2 Cons
- Not Newbie Friendly – As you may expect from a higher-end quadcopter, the Phantom 2 shouldn’t be your first drone unless you’re flush with cash. While it does have some great stabilizing technology and other helpful features, you should really know how to fly before investing in such an expensive drone. Check out the best beginner drones if you’re just looking to start out.
- Cost – Although you get what you pay for, some may see the Phantom 2 as simply too expensive for a hobby, and may be just as happy with a cheaper quadcopter.
Conclusion
As you can tell by the list, the pros heavily outweigh the con for the DJI Phantom 2. As long as you’re serious about drone flying, have some experience as a drone pilot, and have the funds, I highly recommend investing in one. You’ll have a ton of fun flying it, and if you choose to add a camera, make some really memorable footage.