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      What's great about the DJI Mavic Pro

      Posted by Action Gear ·

      What's great about the DJI Mavic Pro

      [Update] When did the Mavic Pro stock arrive?

      By Emmanuel Mudzielwana:

      Remember the Mavic Pro rumours? Well it's finally here.

      Spoiler alert people, I'm a huge DJI fan, so be warned, I will express my affection for DJI in this blog.

      The Mavic - tiny compact drone sized at Height -83mm, Width - 83mm, and Length - 198mm, weighs more than 200g less to a kilo - to be exact this tiny piece of scientific revolutionary art weighs 743g. In case you are not sure what that really means the height of a 750ml bottle of Coca-Cola and weighs less than that bottle itself. It is about just 3.8 cm longer than an average human hand.

      FLIGHT AUTONOMY

      This is the first commercial drone in the whole world with an acclaimed to have abilities to land just under 2cm from the point of takeoff if not the exact sport, how you wonder? Well, here is how - this tiny little thing utilises vision cameras underneath it to take a bust of photos without needing your command, and whilst on it on coming back to land use those very pictures to reconfigure itself to that position - now that's intelligence. The obstacle avoidance was taken from the Phantom 4, but they didn't leave it there, it has an advance reaction to obstacles and the location of the forward vision positioning system it is just perfect for it size. Hovers precisely using GPS & GLONASS, the 2 ultrasonic range finders and redundant sensors and the 24 powerful computing cores embedded in drone.

      FLIGHT PERFORMANCE

      Max ascent speed of 5m/s in sport mode, that means it can fly a height of 2 average human beings - with the other standing atop of the other's head in 1 second, that is fast. Decent 3m/s max speed. Max flight time of 27 minutes (well - know this, none of you will ever reach that time due to the fact that they stated you have to fly at 0 wind, with constant speed of 25kph) with that said, stop hoping for the 27 minutes.

      This thing has a range of 7km, and for a drone that fits in your hand, that is very far - believe me you won't see it at 400m from you.

      CAMERA

      Remember that rumour about the gimbal being 2 axis, DJI did it again - it is the tiniest 3 axis gimbal the company has ever made, and it carries a 4k Ultra HD video camera that shoot 4k videos at 30fps, it is a 12 megapixels with a maximum 8 seconds exposure time. DJI partnered with Adobe so this allows you to use DNG RAW from Adobe.

      As I have warned you before starting the blog that this will be a full expansion of my affection to DJI.

      The Mavic is the best drone in the world, it is compact intelligent, and not made of cheap plastic but composit material for that feel good moment - well that is all the times you fly the drone

      Video from Casey Neistat:

      Let's not forget the brilliant DJI video:

      You can also check out a bunch of new videos of the Mavic Pro on the DJI's YouTube channel

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      Our Predictions On The DJI Mavic (+ Teaser Video)

      Posted by Action Gear ·

      Our Predictions On The DJI Mavic (+ Teaser Video)

      [Updated 27 Sept '16] It has since been launched. Here's a quick overview & why we think it rocks!

      By Vhengani Emmanuel Mudzielwana
      As days crawl to DJI's big announcement, we all grow our anticipation levels on what's really coming up from the company. Rumours of the DJI Mavic grows bigger by the day,  a number of leaked pictures and a teaser video are already circulating around the net leaving the drone communities around the world drooling. 
      From just the pictures it is quite clear that the Mavic may be a pretty cold blow to the Karma (GoPro's answer to cameras in the sky), the Mavic appears to host a list of technical advances taken from the silk and intelligent Phantom 4, underneath the rumoured craft is a well lined Binocular sonic and vision sensors, and on the nose of the craft a set of front obstacle avoidance which will of cause help in assisting the drone to lend considerably smooth and we hope that the craft will have an increased distance and reaction time, together with the reaction speed when avoiding the obstacles.
      The battery life of the Mavic is still a mystery to us as well, though the leaked pictures have the battery's mAh reading to just a little over 3000 which is not the best of things battery concerned that DJI can do, yet with the Mavic being a compact and smaller unit compared the the big boys like the Phantom series and the Inspire 1 series, it may actually give us a considerable flight time compared to the drones that are in its size.
       

      The teaser video (see it below) that DJI released just a few days ago can only leave you marveled when you think of the agility and reaction speed of the drone, as always with a company like DJI trying to keep its throne in the drone industry, the best is what we look for.
      The Mavic also has one of the best features according to me of course, and protected 2 axis(rumoured of course) gimbal foldable propellers and arms for when you need to pack it compactly so, the top mounted battery for that quick assemble and disassemble which will the best thing ever (finally a drone from DJI that may fit in your backpack).

      27TH SEPTEMBER - HERE WE COME.

      What are some of your predictions? Comment below!

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      GoPro Hero5 + Karma Drone Launched

      Posted by Action Gear ·

      GoPro Hero5 + Karma Drone Launched

      [Update on prices, stock and arrival!]

      Written by Bernice vd Westhuizen

      Great Scott! How long have we been contemplating the release of the epic new GoPro cameras and the Karma drone. We even wrote a blog back in May 2016 with our predictions on the Karma Drone and Hero 5 cameras. With great anticipation and excitement, we (finally) introduce the Hero 5 Black, Hero 5 Session and the Karma drone.  

      Check out some of their key features!


      HERO 5 BLACK

      SO WHAT'S NEW:

      • Photo: 12MP/ 30 FPS BURST/ TIME LAPSE
      • Video: 4K30/ 1440p80/ 1080p120
      • Waterproof 33FT (10m)
      • Simple One-Button Control
      • Wifi + Bluetooth
      • Advanced wind noise reduction
      • Voice Control
      • Video Stabilization
      • Auto upload to cloud
      • Touch display
      • Location Capture (GPS)
      • RAW + WDR Photos

      Check out the product page with more information & bundle options

      You can also read more about the Hero 5 Black in this review written by Craig Rhodes-Harrison. 
      Quick GoPro Tip : Curious how the Hero 5 Black works? Like how to take off the front lens and side doors? Check out this video for some tips and tricks.

      HERO 5 SESSION

      SO WHAT'S NEW:

      • Photo: 10MP/ 30 FPS BURST/ TIME LAPSE
      • Video: 4K30/ 1440p60/ 1080p90
      • Waterproof 33FT (10m)
      • Simple One-Button Control
      • Wifi + Bluetooth
      • Advanced wind noise reduction
      • Voice Control
      • Video Stabilization
      • Auto upload to cloud

      Check it out

      SPECS AND OVERVIEW

      WHAT ABOUT THE KARMA?

      It's about time that GoPro took to the skies - this spectacular drone that we have all been waiting for is finally here! Here are some cool features:

      • It's a folding drone = compact and lightweight! 
      • Easy to Fly. whether you are a 1st time drone flyer or wanting to test out the performance.
      • Built in screen on the Remote controller
      • The GoPro Passenger™ App (Soon to be live)
      • Now you can have aerial and ground footage in one package. 
      • The Karma Grip
      [We ran a cool competition shortly before the launch, check out some of the answers to guessing the Karma features]

        WHAT ABOUT COMPATIBILITY?

        WHAT'S INCLUDED WITH THE KARMA?

        • Karma Drone
        • Karma Grip
        • Karma Controller
        • Karma Case

        Check it out

        YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT THE LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT AND LAUNCH:

        LIFESTYLE VERSUS ACTION

        Seems like GoPro are changing from simply being an action camera to capture more lifestyle rich content. The slogan "Capture Different" surely indicates towards this notion. 

         

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        Parrot Bebop 2 Drone Takes To The Sky Epic Video!

        Posted by Action Gear ·

        Parrot Bebop 2 Drone Takes To The Sky Epic Video!

        Like kids at christmas, the BlackSheep were super eager to try out the new Parrot Bebop 2 drone quad copter, with Skycontroller. 
        What a rad machine this drone is. Nifty and convenient, the time we spent with the Bebop was always completely awesome! Every flight, exhilarating! Every shot, mesmerizing! We wish we had another two batteries to extend the already long (25 minute) flight time that the Bebop has. The Bebop 2 is a fun drone to play with.
         
        Firstly, what comes in the box. 
        The Bebop 2 comes separately, and the Skycontroller is an add on package. we got the full package here, so:
        • 1x Bebop 2 drone
        • 1x Skycontroller (w/safety lanyard)
        • 2x Batteries (w/charger)
        • Plus a few extras, like spare props, prop tool, matte box (for sunny days), iPad holder etc. 
        FreeFlight 3 is the app to download to connect to your Skycontroller and/or Bebop 2 in order to gain access to the settings and view the FPV function. The app enables a person who hasn’t got the Skycontroller to be able to fly the Bebop 2, via Android or iOS. 
        The Skycontroller itself is an amazing contraption. With quite a cool aesthetic that makes flying the Bebop 2 tons of fun. Space in the centre of the controller to place either a smartphone or a tablet; A huge satellite antenna to increase it signal range up to 2km; Big but sleek controllers to create ease of flight control, we loved flying with this controller every time. and it’s very unique. 
         
        The Bebop 2. Incredibly easy to fly and outstandingly well poised in both good and windy conditions. With a push of one button it takes the air and just hovers there awaiting a command. Even at height the Bebop will just hover steady awaiting to be told its next move via inputs on the Skycontroller, all thanks to the stabilisation settings. Understanding the controls, Gaz, Yaw, Trim and Roll can be a bit tricky to learn, and keeping your orientation is the craft to master. But the Bebop makes all that quite easy to learn. It’s a great little machine to coax a willing learner into understanding the basics of quad copter flight. 
         
        The Bebop 2 like its predecessor has a built in camera designed in a way to make it quite sleak and slender and aerodynamic. A nifty little camera that shoots 1080p HD with it’s 14MegaPixel sensor, it’s capable of capturing some truly awe-inspiring imagery that this new age of drones has allowed us to capture. The camera has a digital stabilisation system that works wonders. It does compromise a bit of quality, but is quite effective. 
         
        Overall this is really great product from Parrot. With its ease of flight, great range and battery life, it’s easily a good choice amongst the market of drones out there. It’s small and convenient to quickly whip it out. 
        A couple downsides; it does take a while to connect to the sky controller, camera quality is not the greatest (but acceptable), parts availability is difficult, camera button on the Skycontroller was getting stuck and is not very user friendly, a few landing kinks including some hard landings, built in internal memory (8GB) without an option to increase, minor issues with dumping footage. 
        Compared to a professional drone, the Parrot Bebop 2 is really just an expensive toy. 
        BUT a really fun toy at that, with a pretty awesome cool factor! 
        We at BlackSheep certainly love it!

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        Why The Phantom 3 Is Still The Best Buy

        Posted by Action Gear ·

        Why The Phantom 3 Is Still The Best Buy

        All the hype in the last couple of days has been on the Phantom 4 with its cool new features, but we don’t think that upgrading from your Phantom 3 to a Phantom 4 is worth it at this point. Yes, the phantom 4 is an impressive new drone and is an excellent aircraft to buy if you have never flown a drone before.

        A lot of people feel that they need to get the latest technology as soon as it is launched, but we are going to tell you how great the Phantom 3 actually is and what impressive results you can get out of it which will keep you on par with the Phantom 4. After all it’s all about creating great aerial images in stunning locations. Here are the reasons why we think you should be happy with the Phantom 3:

        • From a film making perspective, very little has changed. The camera still uses the same sensor, the exact same processor and controlling the drone is still mostly done manually. While DJI have made a few minor improvements to the drone, such as a new gimbal and new motors, these changes do not result in better footage. 

        • The Phantom 4 has obstacle avoidance, but if you can already fly a drone, why do you need that feature? DJI implemented the obstacle avoidance feature so that anyone can fly their drone. It is definitely a nice safety backstop, and could potentially prevent some crashes, but is realistically not necessary for skilled experienced pilots.

        •  Batteries and accessories will become cheaper over time for the Phantom 3. This trend has shown itself before, with both the Phantom 1 and Phantom 2. There is also no reason to worry about discontinues spares, as DJI still produce spares for all of their models. 

        • DJI are still backing the Phantom 3. Previously, new models that were launched have replaced the existing models. However, this time DJI have released the Phantom 4 to compliment the existing Phantom 3 range. This tells us that DJI will still continue to promote and sell the Phantom 3, and will continue to release firmware updates to improve the drone's features. 

        • The Price. While the Phantom 4 is expected to sell in South Africa for around R30 000, the Phantom 3 range starts at less than half of that price. The most popular Phantom 3 models, the Advanced and Professional, have both received Price drops following the launch of the Phantom 4. This means that it is now more affordable than ever before to own a professional level drone. 


        Click here to view our DJI Range 

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