Thereโs a popular quote about the value of tools: โGood equipment ainโt cheap, and cheap equipment ainโt good.โ Neither part of this quote applies to the Phantom 3 Standard.
Just under $500, this model is the entry point in the Phantom lineup. Released a few months after the Professional model, youโd be forgiven for looking at whatโs missing. Yes, there are a few features absent, but unless youโre comparing them side-by-side, you may never notice.
The Standard only uses the U.S. GPS satellites for positioning, and drops the visual positioning entirely. Hover stability suffers a little, especially in wind, but the aircraft remains incredibly easy to control. Live video and telemetry is achieved via a Wi-Fi downlink instead of DJIโs Lightbridge technology, and youโll see some latency and frame drops, especially in a saturated network area. The view is clear enough to set up a shot, but you should hesitate to use the live view alone to navigate through close obstacles. Recorded video footage is stable and clear, even if it loses the 4K resolution.
Conclusion
Aside from its cheap-feeling controller and weak mobile-device clip, everything about the Standard smacks of quality. If youโre on a budget and need a camera in the sky, the Phantom 3 Standard offers incredible value.
