It really helps that, in the Phantom 3's camera, DJI has eliminated nearly every pain point that plagued the Vision series. I already mentioned the landing gear has been widened to prevent it from getting in shot. To further help with this, the camera now has a narrower field of view -- 94 degrees, down from 140 (with a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 20mm and infinite focus). One bugbear remains, though, which is that it's still easy to get the propellers in shot when flying forward at speed -- but that's a harder problem to solve. The Phantom 3's FOV also helps with something else: fisheye distortion. The Phantom 3 barely has any.

For the technical fans, DJI tells me this is because "it is a 9-element rectilinear lens which is designed specifically for aerial and long distance shooting." This is also why the close up focus isn't so good (see samples in the gallery), it was designed for aerial, and not general purpose. The color balance also seems much improved from the Vision+, and the gimbal it hangs from keeps it steady as a rock. When you factor in a bunch of new shooting modes (burst, time-lapse, etc.) and manual exposure settings (via that app), you've got a really comprehensive photography tool.

Talk is one thing; the video should speak for itself. And it does. Watching back the 4K video clips on a 55-inch UHD TV is a delight. I had my technophobe, hard-to-impress parents-in-law slack jawed as I showed them their own (metaphorical) backyard as seen from the sky, and in pin-sharp resolution. Below is a short edit of some footage obtained over a weekend. The player won't show it in 4K, but I've uploaded one of the unedited clips here so you can download it directly and see for yourself.

The question many people might have right now is whether to get the Phantom 3, and the proprietary camera. Or, go for a Phantom 2, and use a GoPro instead. That's a good question, as by far and away, right now, most people fly with a GoPro. I really expected to prefer the GoPro over DJI's own camera, but actually I'm torn. With the GoPro, you have many more video settings, so if you need something exotic like 960p at 120fps, then you need a GoPro, you can, of course, also use that GoPro for other things, too. If, however, you want 16:9 cinematic shots in high resolution it's a tough call. When you factor in the other benefits of using the DJI camera (first-person view, native controls, no-fuss setup), the case for a GoPro doesn't seem so strong. For most users, it'll come down to whether you want a more versatile camera, or, the extra features, and ease of use that DJI's provides. Below are two clips for comparison. One is shot on the Phantom 3 (top), the other on a GoPro (bottom), both originally at 4K.

In use

I've been flying Phantoms for a while now, but it's still exciting every time. Nothing changes with the Phantom 3. That includes the annoying four "bleeps" when you switch it on, which lets everyone know you're about to creep on them from the sky. The first time I try it is inside my apartment. This thing has sensors to help it keep position; I have to test them. I'm nervous taking off, and my cat doesn't like it at all, but to my surprise it works well. I manage a lap of my modest front room without incident (typically a regular drone would have drifted into a wall in seconds). It also does an incredible job at stirring up all the dust/loose papers in your house!

I don't really want to fly indoors, though, so I spend the rest of the time outside, in the hills and coastline. Ya know, things worth seeing. I'm used to taking off manually, but I try the auto-takeoff out of curiosity. It works well, but I don't really feel much benefit. By the time I've pressed and held the button on the app, I could have taken off the usual way with the sticks. Once up in the air, the first thing that strikes me is the app, and the quality of the live feed. So much better than before, especially on a large display like an iPad Mini. I'd tried the app on several Android phones first, but I couldn't get any to work very well. DJI told me you need to close all other apps, but that didn't make much difference for me.

The live video feed is good enough that you can get much closer to landmarks or objects in the distance than would be possible using eyesight alone. That's not recommended, though, as you could easily miss some power cables, or other hard-to-see object. The real joy of the video stream is just knowing I got the shot. One time, I was flying over a lake in a small canyon. On top of one side is an old, disused building. I flew, or thought I flew, to a position with it in the center of the camera. When I checked the video stream, though, I was quite a way off. I also found it improved my general depth perception (and, in turn, my flying). Later on that same day, I took the Phantom 3 up into the hills. There was an interesting rock formation that I was able to fly to directly because I had a better perception of where the drone was thanks to practice with the video stream.

DJI gave the Phantom 3 a new flight controller, tweaked the moto tilt and added smart speed control. These improve the performance compared to previous Phantoms considerably. The whole flight experience feels tighter, more responsive, and this all feeds into better stability and battery life. A much improved beast.

Another benefit of an all-in-one setup like the Phantom 3 is that everything is designed to work together. The camera, the gimbal, the radio link for the video stream, et cetera. The result of which is longer battery life and flight time. With the Phantom 2, a gimbal, GoPro (taking its power from the drone) and a video downlink, vital minutes are shaved off your air time. Under the same conditions with the Phantom 3, I was getting 20 mins in the air, whereas the Phantom 2 was nagging me to (urgently) land it after 15. When the Phantom 3 wants you to land, you can probably keep it up for a few minutes more; it just plays things safe.

The competition

Drones, it seems, are big business. If you browse the dedicated RC web stores, you'll find more brands and models than you'd know what to do with. For a newcomer, it can be quite daunting. Then, of course, you could build your own. It's analogous to buying, or building a PC. You'll almost always get more for your money if you do it yourself. But, shock, some people don't want that hassle, and just want to open a box and go. It's for those people that the DJI Phantom 3 exists. But it's not the only one.

Perhaps the most obvious rival for your attention is 3DR's Solo. It was announced just days after the Phantom, and offers a lot more in terms of flight features (a follow-you option, exotic camera angle modes and so on). But, it also costs $140 more (with a gimbal) and you need to have your own GoPro (another $400-plus). This makes it a chunk of change more expensive, even more so if you don't want/need 4K, and can get by with the Phantom 3 Advanced. But, for those that already own a GoPro, the decision could be a lot harder, we're reserving judgement until we've tested the Solo ourselves.

If you really want something simple that'll do basic video, something like Parrot's BeBop is even cheaper still. But, it lacks the range, power, quality and control the Phantom 3 offers. If action sports are more your thing, then it may be worth waiting for AirDog, which is scheduled to launch in August, with a host of features specific to all-weather activities.

Wrap-up

I was a little underwhelmed when the Phantom 3 launched. I was hoping for a more radical redesign, and a few killer autopilot features (DJI say's these are in the works, just they're insistent on them being safe). Instead, DJI played it a little safe, opting instead for practical, functional improvement all round. Now that I've flown one, I get it. The Phantom 3 is a refinement. A huge one. That said, its proprietary design makes it hard to upgrade; it doesn't have some of the more intelligent features its rivals do; and the software is designed for simplicity over anything else. It's also pricier than alternative products of similar specification. But in exchange, it's accessible, reliable and excells at its core tasks of flying and video. Oh, and it's a heck of a lot of fun.

It's the quality of the camera and the controls that makes the Phantom 3 worth buying. If you want a hassle-free quadcopter that will shoot high-quality video, it's very easy to recommend this craft. You may not be able to (easily) program its flight path, or win a drag race through the woods, but you'll have a drone that grabs great video, and is a joy to use every single time.