Hi guys, I'm a newby here, I come from France. Not long ago, I decided to get into FPV, and since I was also getting into RC, I had to decide whether I would buy a multi-rotor or a plane. In my article, you will see what factors made me choose one or the other, and I hope this will help you choose as well. I will go over he advantages and disatvantages of each possibilty. If my english is bad, please, it's not my first language so please forgive it.
Multi-Rotor
Advantages:
-You can hover
-Easy for the heli guys
-Has a wider speed envelope than a plane (generally), it probably won't be much faster than some planes, but can go really slow and some multi-copters can go pretty fast.
-As you move on to some bigger multi-rotors, you can put bigger cameras and get really beautiful shots that you probably wouldn't get on a plane since you can't hover and most planes wouldn't carry a Sony NEX-5 for example.
-Can fly in smaller places
Disadvantages:
-Short flight times (in general)
-You need an expensive (or not) flight controller that you don't need planes (you can have one)
-Need bigger batteries if you want to put FPV gear and other "stuff" on it
-When batteries die, it falls out of the sky.
To conclude about Multi-Rotors, I think they are a great platform but they have some big disadvantages and for me, the thing I really "hate" about them is their really short flight times. A tricopter gets about 12 minutes of flight with its recommended battery when a Multiplex EzStar can go up to (+/-) an hour with the right setup. I really like multi-rotors and they are what I personnally went for, I am building David's Tricopter V2.6 no HV. However, before you go for a full scale multi-copter, I would recommend getting a small one like the Blade Nano QX (Flite Test Episode) or a Hubsan X4 (FPV Version), I have an X4, and have (still today!) lots of fun.
Planes
Advantages:
-Longer flight times
-If you have already flown RC planes LOS it will probably be easier for you
-More space to set up your gear (ex: the wings)
-A little cheaper
-Can glide if battery dies
Disadvantages:
-Can't hover
-Can't carry bigger cameras
-Needs more space to fly
To conclude about planes, I think they are a better platform for people who want to go on longer ranges, have longer flights, and also aren't interested in aerial photography/videography. To get started with FPV on planes I would recommend getting a simulator and a FPV dedicated plane such as the Bixler II (Flite Test Episode) or a Multiplex EasyStar II (a little more expensive, but definitely worth it).
Conclusion
I think both platforms are great, everything depends on what you want, and maybe you won't even like FPV at all! (I doubt that.... :p) I started with a Tricopter, i loved it and then got an EasyStar and loved it as well! The only thing you have to remember, choose what you need and what you want. Don't get involved by "fanboys" ;-) !
Links I would recommend checking out:
FPV Route to Success from IBCrazy
Thank you very much for reading my article, I hope you enjoyed it, also hope this article can also help to choose!
Log In to reply
Log In to reply
They do have the disadvantages you listed, but I find the spaces and scenarios they can fly, and that they can hover, beat the cons.
Log In to reply
Log In to reply
It likely depends on what you're trying to film. Anything close up, or needing still shots, is going to require a heli of some sort (you can put cameras on a 5-6 channel or coax heli, if it's big enough) I've only ever had the Estes rocket that had the camera in it, and that wasn't 'live' FPV.
Log In to reply
Log In to reply
Log In to reply
Log In to reply