Dipping, lifting, banking and floating with the currents and with it so did I.
Every since that first paper airplane took wing, I have longed to fly with the birds. Perhaps that’s why, when the Phantom first came out I pounced on it. It wasn’t supposed to be difficult, but honestly, it never felt like it did with that first folded flier.
I was never totally comfortable with the seemingly rigid controls. I felt the craft was too light and too easily swayed by the shifting air currents. The resulting videos were not what I wanted.
Frankly, I was disappointed.
I love aerial video shots.
They add a truly unique perspective to any production. Up till now, that meant spending a big part of my budget on a helicopter. Unfortunately, that price tag was usually too rich for my budgets.
The conundrum, find an easy to control craft that would be stable enough to give that wonderful immersive quality of aerials without blowing my budget.
So it was with great hope that 3DR sent me the Iris+. Maybe I was too eager but on my first test flight, I experienced a frightful crash. It was totally my fault, but I was crestfallen.
That is really where the true story begins. You see once I received the replacement parts, generously supplied by at no charge by 3DR I needed reassurance that all was well with my Iris+. That meant contacting 3DR customer service.
Throughout the years I have dealt with a wide variety from the very best to the very worst. It must be said that 3DR sets a whole new standard in customer service done right.
At this point, I want to give a big shout out to Diego, my 3DR customer service rep. Not only did he patiently take me through each step, but he did it in a way that is becoming all to rare in most companies. He did it like he really cared. It was a conversation, not just a barely informed “reader” of pre-written replies like we have all experienced too many times before. You end the conversation relieved, just because the agony of indifference has ended. Diego and I had an honest to God, conversation that happened to also solve my issues. I even got an email back after I sent word the next day that all was indeed well after my test flight.
But that’s not all, from Chris Anderson to Colin Guinn to VuTran who is the Director of Support to Diego, these guys actually take the time to talk to you, not at you. This really what separates a company from the pack. Everybody has a product, but how they handle their customers is what makes 3DR stand out above the rest.
That is not to say that they don’t have the most intelligently designed and executed flying machine out there. Am I gushing, yes, with good reason. The open source technology behind the Iris+ has enabled these wizards of the air to create a fantastic piece of ever growing, ever evolving aerial technology.
Here are the specs:
16-22 minutes flight time*
Payload capacity 400 g (.8 lbs)
Integrated LEDs on all arms for trouble-free directional awareness
Remote controller with on-screen telemetry for instant data as you fly
Screw on, self-tightening propellers for easy assembly
Features:
Ready to Fly – Inside the IRIS+ box is everything you need to fly. Simply attach the props, charge the battery, and you’re ready to fly manually with the included remote controller autonomously with a Mac, PC or Android device.
Follow Me – 3DR’s 3rd Person View (3PV) Follow Me technology turns your IRIS+ into your own hands-free aerial camera crew that puts you in the middle of your own adventure. IRIS+ can be easily setup to follow any GPS-enabled Android device with OTG compatibility. Not only will IRIS+ follow you, but this advanced technology controls the gimbal to keep the camera centered on you, capturing sweeping cinematic video from a perspective unlike any other.
Automatic Mission Planning – Using the free DroidPlanner app, IRIS+ users can plan flights by simply drawing a flight plan on any Android tablet or phone. This allows for hands free flight control, your drone will go where you tell it to go, with virtually unlimited waypoints – even keep IRIS+ pointing to the same location via a Region of Interest (ROI) waypoint throughout the entire flight. This enables fun autonomous journeys, and automatically stabilized video capture that would be otherwise impossible.
Flight Protection – The IRIS+ can land itself automatically, or return to a home point if it travels out of range or runs out of battery.
*Flight time varies with payload, wind conditions, elevation, temperature, humidity, flying style, and pilot skill. Listed flight time applies to elevations less than 2,000 ft above sea level.
The new Droid Planner 3, called the Tower App is another remarkable tool that is an integral part of the total package. Download the free app along with 3DR Services and Tower Wear from Google Play Store. The next step is to be sure that the Android device is compatible.
Here is a list of Android device know to be compatible with Tower:
A13 tablet (cheap at deal extreem)
Acer Iconia A510
Acer Iconia A500/A501 – 10″ tablet, full size USB port, no adapter needed
Archos 80 Cobalt – need OTG cable and rooting
Asus Memo Pad 7 – OTG cable with power needed and rooted kernal with USB Host Diagnostics app
Asus Fonepad 7 (ME372CG)
Asus TF300T and TF300TG – I don’t recommend the 300T as the GPS is truly lousy….BUT it does run Droidplanner
Asus TF101 (original transformer tab)
Chinese V30 VIA WM8880 1.5GHz 7 inch Tablet PC Android 4.2 Dual Core Capacitive Touch Screen 800*480 512MB/4GB . Full size usb host port, work great out of the box.
Dell Venue 7
Dell Venue 8
Google Nexus 5
Google Nexus 7 (2012)
Google Nexus 7 (2013) – Reference tablet used by developers –
Hisense sero 7 Pro – needs rooted kernal
Hisense Sero 8 (runs out of the box) change GPS sensitivity to track better.
Huawei MediaPad 7 via OTG cable. NOT rooted, Works perfectly.
Huawei Ascend G630 smartphone (original firmware) via bluetooth works perfectly.
HTC One M7 dual SIM
iview 754TPCII – comes with OTG cable. Works out of the box.
kobo Arc 10HD – works out of the box with 3DR usb cable
Lenovo A8-50 A5500: $139 on Amazon
LG G Pad Tablet (Verizon)
Motorola Droid Turbo (Verizon 2014) – works out of the box with 3DR USB cable
Motorola Xoom
MSI Primo 81
Nvidia Shield Portable
RCA 7 Voyager – needs OTG cable. Make sure to update Google Play Services
If your phone usb connection doesn’t work you can try this out: Usbhostcheck
Tower has an amazing list of features:
* Transmitter-free control: You can fly your 3DR drone with just a phone or tablet.
* Create flights by drawing the paths on your tablet or dropping waypoints.
* Because we give you over 10 different waypoint types to choose from, you can create flights that suit your specific purpose:
** Fly in smooth curves with spline waypoints.
** Circle waypoints allow you to orbit an object and keep the camera pointed at it.
** Region of Interest (ROI) points allow you to keep the camera centered on a subject regardless of the path you’re flying.
** “Survey” will automatically generate the flight pattern you need to fully cover a region of the map.
* 3PV™ Follow Me keeps the camera centered on you while the copter follows you as you move. You can also adjust the copter’s position while it’s following you.
* Easily make 3D scans of large structures with our automated building mapper.
* The one-button Dronie lets you quickly capture a one-of-a-kind selfie that reveals the scenery around you as the copter flies up and back.
* Adjust parameters within your flight controller to get a custom feel.
* Supports both copters and planes.
Now for the best part, let’s talk about flight and show you the video.
Rising before Dawn, coffee in one hand and drone in the other we headed to the car. Batteries fully charged we were ready. Bouncing along the gravel roads we headed to our destination. Our advance scouting really paid off the day before. Using a great little app called TPE (The Photographers Ephemeris). We surveyed the area discovering the precise location to capture the fleeting morning sunrise. Having marked the spot on our GPS we returned to witness a stunning full moon setting.
Set up was amazingly quick and simple. I did not have time to purchase my Android device so this first flight was all me at the controls. But unlike my previous drone, the thrill was there. I can only say that this bird flew smooth as silk responding instantaneously to every move.
The GPS locked down much faster than my previous drone. Take off was different as well. The Phantom had always seemed stiff taking off. Not so with the Iris+, it was powerful and smooth and responded to the controller beautifully. Once in the air it continued to exhibit exception control and quick response to the commands of the joystick. My FPV system was not 3DR and it did occasionally glitch while sending the signal. I would really love to get one of 3DR’s FPV to fully evaluate.
As is in evidence from the video…
I was able to capture some fantastic images. Most importantly I felt totally relaxed at the controls. It was an incredible day of flying and the Iris+ batteries gave me plenty of fly time, almost 16 minutes out of each battery.
The Tarot 2 axis gimbal did an magical job of keeping the video silky smooth.
Since then I have acquired a Samsung Galaxy S4 and installed all the apps. The next flight I will test out Tower and report back with a step by step tutorial on creating my mission. As much as I love my Iris+, I will admit that I can’t wait to go “Solo”. That’s coming soon.
Love my Iris+ and can’t wait for my pre-ordered Solo to come.
Great review and video!