When drones first hit the South African market, the image quality from their cameras was worse than that of most smart phones. This has since changed with the Phantom 4.
The Phantom 4 has cameras that are capable of shooting in RAW format. This means that all images are captured and recorded by a sensor when a photo is taken. No information is compressed or lost when using the RAW format and this translates to higher picture quality.
This drone boasts a 30-minute flight time as opposed to the standard flight time of 23 minute on most drones. It is equipped with a built in “fly home” option that will prevent the drone from flying off into the distance when the signal goes low – the drone will GPS its way home without being remote controlled.
Operators of the Phantom 4 have access to the Software Development Kit in order to conduct 3D mapping, search and rescues or creating alerts when certain images are captured by the drone. Using this kit, mobile applications can be developed which allow operators to instruct the drone on how, where and when to fly.
The Phantom 4 can be used in commercial work such as agricultural surveys and can be used in wedding photography. At a retail price of about R30 000, the Phantom 4 provides one with good quality at a fraction of the price.
