DJI Phantom 4 Pro Drone Review: Active Tracking

The many capabilities of this advanced quadcopter are much more than can be demonstrated in a single video. Buy it here and use coupon DJI4Pa to get it for $1461.98 . This is the second in a series of demonstration flights that examine the features and capabilities of the Phantom 4 Pro. This particular flight focuses on demonstration of Active Tracking Intelligent Flight Mode.
The below short list of pros and cons are limited to the features demonstrated or discussed in this video. Follow-on videos will expound on additional features and limitations of this quadcopter.
Pros
- Most quadcopters with follow-me tracking require the use of a second GPS system that must be carried by the object to be tracked. This Phantom 4 Pro does not require such. Active tracking is solely achieved through optical lock-on of just about any target. This means that just about any reasonable sized moving object can be tracked. You want it to keep track of your dog or kids? This drone can do it, and it seems to do it very well. It's very easy to apply. Just select active tracking, and on your tablet screen swipe your finger diagonally over the object to be tracked to define its tracking box.
- At altitudes less than 10 meters above the ground, the Phantom 4 Pro apparently senses the ground beneath it using its acoustic sensors, and adjusts its altitude to maintain a relatively constant height above the ground while in Active Tracking mode. This is applied when active tracking is used at altitudes less than 10 meters. Not sure if this is still true if active tracking is applied at greater than 10 meter height above ground, where acoustic sensor input is not applied?
Cons
- Although the quadcopter and its camera can be entirely manually controlled via its controller, advanced features and telemetry information require use of the "DJI Go 4" app.
- DJI Go 4 app requires the use of tablets or phones with high end processors. It's very likely that you will need to also invest in a new tablet with this drone. However, there are some lower cost (~$200) tablets that work very well with the Phantom 4. In this video I use the NVidia Shield K1 (find it here on Amazon )
Affiliate links: At no cost to you, I do receive a small commission for sales resulting from these links.
This video along with every video of the Quadcopter 101 channel was produced and edited with VSDC Free Video Editor. You may download this excellent, and no kidding "free" video editor here
MUSIC LICENSE
"Awel" by stefsax
is licensed under a Creative Commons license:
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music was shortened to fit length of video.