Last week we run the DJI Phantom 3 accessory survey. And the reaction from the community was great!

We got 95 awesome responses from enthusiastic drone pilots (you can still fill-out the survey so we can update this article with your results!).

In this article, we’ll share with you the results and the list of most popular, most wanted and most dreamed accessories for your current or future Phantom 3 Advanced or Professional quadcopter.

If you’re looking for the Phantom 4 you can find our Phantom 4 review here.

This article is divided into several parts:

The respondents: who they are

The accessories: most & less wanted

Other accessories: what we didn’t expect

The respondents: who they are

The first questions were to understand who responded to our survey calls.

Do you own a DJI Phantom 3?

Yes, the Advanced 21 22.1% Yes, the Professional 56 58.9% I’m about to buy 13 13.7% No 5 5.3% Almost 60% of the respondents already own a Phantom 3 Professional. It’s interesting to see how the Professional model is owned by almost trice the people that own the Phantom 3 Advanced ( 22% of the respondents). It seems that the 260$ difference between the models is well-justified by the better camera and faster charging time (check the differences here). The remaining 18% is either about to buy or doesn’t own a P3, which doesn’t mean that they don’t have previous Phantom models or other similar quadcopters.

Have you already bought accessories for your Phantom 3?

Yes! 54 56.8% I’m choosing now 19 20% No 22 23.2%

More than half respondents already bought one or more accessories for their Phantom. This number, together with the other 20% of people choosing now which accessory to buy, indicates how big is the interest for accessories among Phantom pilots!

Which accessories have you bought?

Batteries 46 65.7% Propellers 18 25.7% Prop Guards 18 25.7% Travel Case / Backpack 44 62.9% FPV System 0% Led / light kit 0% Car Charger 1 1.4% Extra charger 2 2.9% Sun shade (for monitor) 18 25.7% Other 14 20%

Wow! While it’s not surprising to see batteries so high in the list, I’m shocked to notice that more than 65% of respondents already bought them. It seems that it’s THE accessory to order together with the quadcopter itself.

And what about the travel cases? A good 62% of the people bought one!

Which accessories are you considering buying?

Batteries 58 61.1% Propellers 30 31.6% Prop Guards 15 15.8% Travel Case / Backpack 45 47.4% FPV System 7 7.4% Led / light kit 5 5.3% Car Charger 24 25.3% Extra charger 19 20% Sun shade (for monitor) 28 29.5% Other 7 7.4%

It’s clear that batteries and travel cases/backpacks are the leading accessories for P3 owners. Propellers and sun shades are following with a 30% each.

Car charger was bought by a surprising 25% of respondents, or at least surprising for me at first. But it makes total sense when you’re driving to get to a safe place to fly and you don’t have a crazy amount of extra batteries.

If you could choose only ONE accessory, which one would you buy?

Batteries 62 65.3% Propellers 2 2.1% Prop Guards 4 4.2% Travel Case / Backpack 19 20% FPV System 3 3.2% Led / light kit 0% Car Charger 1 1.1% Extra Charger 1 1.1% Sun shade (for monitor) 1 1.1% Other 2 2.1%

Yeah, batteries, batteries and more batteries. It’s very clear that Phantom pilots are here to fly, and won’t take a mere 23 minutes flight time for an answer!

Travel cases are second with 20%… of course, you need a place to keep all the extra batteries, right?

The accessories: most & less wanted

How likely will you buy each accessory for your Phantom 3?

Batteries

Not at all 2 2.1% Maybe 7 7.4% Most likely 6 6.3% Absolutely 80 84.2%

No surprise here. You don’t take your drone out in a sunny day for 23 minutes. Everyone wants more fun and flying time, and so you’ll have to order more DJI batteries.

Propellers

Not at all 6 6.3% Maybe 24 25.3% Most likely 22 23.2% Absolutely 43 45.3%

Propellers is what they want. Propellers is what they break.

Recommended propellers: Genuine DJI Phantom 3 Series & New Phantom 2 Series Self-tightening Propeller 9 “Original props – great” – a not too chatty respondent.

Prop Guards

Not at all 31 32.6% Maybe 31 32.6% Most likely 13 13.7% Absolutely 20 21.1%

Here the opinions are well spread across the options. It’s (not surprisingly) a love-hate relationship: some want the prop guards to protect their quadcopter, themselves and the people around them – while others see them as an annoyance that is affecting the flying characteristics of the Phantom 3 (especially when the wind is blowing).

Recommended prop guards: Bestem BT-PHANTOM-GD PhantomGuard Snap-On Prop Guard for DJI Phantom, (Set of 4) “Bestem quick connect prop guards – yes, very happy. Easy to take on and off and protect the props. They’re also color coded (red&black) so it’s easy to see the orientation on the Phantom from a distance.” – an happy owner.

Travel Case / Backpack

Not at all 5 5.3% Maybe 12 12.6% Most likely 20 21.1% Absolutely 58 61.1%

I wonder what would have happened if DJI included (as many people thought it was) an hard-case in the Phantom 3 packaging…

It’s clear that for a quadcopter like the Phantom 3, people do want a travel solution.

Recommended travel solution: Think Tank Photo Airport Helipak Backpack – Fits All DJI Phantom Series Drones “Best backpack for the Phantom 3. I tried lots of them but the quality of Think Tank and the space available put this second to none” – an happy customer.

FPV System

Not at all 45 47.4% Maybe 37 38.9% Most likely 7 7.4% Absolutely 6 6.3%

To my surprise, respondents didn’t show much interest in FPV systems. Probably this explains why it’s still unclear which FPV system supports the P3. Since mid-July 2015, the long-awaited HDMI Output Module is available and 720P real-time videos can be sent to FPV goggles. Fatshark goggles are now available as well.

Recommended FPV system: Fat Shark FATSHARK Predator V2 FPV RTF Headset System Video Goggle When talking about FPV goggles, FatShark is the absolute winner…

Led / light kit

Not at all 54 56.8% Maybe 34 35.8% Most likely 6 6.3% Absolutely 1 1.1%

I wasn’t sure about adding this in the list… but you never know what can be the next hot accessory for Phantom owners. Surely won’t be light kits, but a good 40% is thinking about it.

Recommended light kit: Koozam LED Head Light + LED Decoration Night Flight Light Strip 81 LED Lamps Strip for DJI Quadcopter Drones

Car charger

Not at all 29 30.5% Maybe 32 33.7% Most likely 21 22.1% Absolutely 13 13.7%

Interesting that while 25% of respondents are considering buying a car charger, half of them finds it an absolute necessity. It’s clearly coming after more important accessories (read batteries and travel solutions!) but the car charger is still a nice thing to have for the majority of pilots out there.

Extra charger

Not at all 27 28.4% Maybe 40 42.1% Most likely 18 18.9% Absolutely 10 10.5%

More people are absolutely buying a car charger than an extra charger and quite some people are not even considering an extra charger at all

Where does this leave us? With a lot of maybes…

Recommended extra charger: SKYREAT Updated Extend Multi Battery Rapid Charger Adapter Plate Parallel Charger Board for DJI Phantom 3

Sun shade (for monitor)

Not at all 11 11.6% Maybe 28 29.5% Most likely 23 24.2% Absolutely 33 34.7% Related article: Introduction to FPV Racing Drones

This got me by surprise, most likely because I live in a place that doesn’t enjoy much sun during the year.

But the vast majority of Phantom 3 owners will get a sun shade, that’s clear.

Recommended sun shade: HoodiVision for all the iPad models. “The sun shade I got is way to heavy. Looking at getting a lite weight one from HoodiVision.” – an almost customer.

GPS localizer

Not at all 34 35.8% Maybe 36 37.9% Most likely 18 18.9% Absolutely 7 7.4%

I put this because every other week we receive an email from some manufacturer promoting their GPS track device. And I should start taking those emails more serious, because there’s definitely demand for this accessory.

Recommended GPS tracker: Trackimo trk12m Universal Personal GPS Tracker “This is a good GPS tracker that works as described.” – a customer.

Other accessories

The survey answers show that Phantom 3 users want few more accessories.

ND Filters

Few respondent mentioned filters to improve the camera recording operations.

PolarPro DJI Phantom 3 Filter 3-Pack “We need filters!” – a respondent shout.

Camera Lens Cover

It’s a shame that a quadcopter such as the Phantom 3 doesn’t come with something to cover and protect the camera lens. But we got you covered with this nice cap.

DJI Phantom 3 Advanced or Professional Camera Lens Cap Cover with Remove Before Flight Tag “LENS CAP!!! (Even though they say it has one, the glass will get scratched)” – he spoke the truth.

Camera Guard

This is a smart solution for an old problem: damaging the camera because of a collision during the flight.

Carbon Fiber Camera Guard for DJI Phantom 3 “Bits carbon fiber camera guard – I’m happy with it, it’s light, doesn’t interfere with any of the sensors and adds needed protection for the camera.” – a respondent.

Propeller Balancing Rod

A bit on the sophisticate side, this tool allows to keep the vibrations low and increase the motor life and efficiency.

Speedy Prop Balancer w/ Balancing Rod for DJI Phantoms 1 & 2 “Prop balancer rod. Perfect” – few words well spoken.

Camp chair with canopy

Spending long hours flying your Phantom in a sunny day? Why not having a comfortable chair that will even keep you in the shade!

Brylanehome Camp Chair With Canopy “a great optional to have when spending afternoons in the sun!” – a user.

And now, your turn. First subscribe to our newsletter (in the right-hand column) and then, let’s talk about Phantom 3 accessories a little more down in the comments.