# The Ruff Life on Houston River - Filmed with drone



## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

Very, very cool!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Great video, beautiful scenery. 
How lucky are you to live in such a great place.


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## SWLAmarshrunner (Oct 7, 2013)

Thank you both. Jack loves it and even likes to go for rides on the Seadoo lol! I have a 5month old son and he is starting to interact with Jack. I can't wait to see my son Benjamin grow up with Jack by his side. Here are a couple of my favorite pics of Jack. You could definitely say he is spoiled, but aren't they all?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Jack's beautiful, pictures are really great. 

Your son and Jack will grow up together and have a very special bond.


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

Your pictures are amazing! Love the quality. How do you make them look that way? They look like paintings!


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## SWLAmarshrunner (Oct 7, 2013)

Thanks! There is an app called "simply hdr" where you can choose through many different hdr filters. I took some pics with my gopro and the last one with my phone then just put a filter on it.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

That video is *awesome*. What kind of drone are you using?

I have had the same idea for a while now. I ran across an ad for lilycam which is an autonomous drone that tracks and videos whomever is wearing the transmitter. I really want to get some airborne video of my guy Axl doing the disc thing. The Lilycam basically flies itself which would be ideal for us since I am the guy gripping and ripping the discs that Ax catches which requires all of my attention in order to throw them 80+ yards. The only problem is that this product is brand new and won't be available until spring of '16. Ax is going on 8 years old now and I don't know how much longer he is going to be able to perform at this level. I want to get drone video of him while he still can as in this summer. I am thinking of just getting a drone and having a friend fly it with the go pro mounted. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## SWLAmarshrunner (Oct 7, 2013)

The drone I am using is the Yuneec Q500 with its own camera that films in 1080p/60fps. I know the Lily cam you are talking about and have done some research on it.... It looks like the company is really a one man show and he is pre-selling to raise money to fund the production of the Lily. Now, I am not saying this is the case, but I've seen where a product never gets developed and the buyers on the pre-sale items never get the product or their money back. So be cautious on buying one before it comes out. Also, if you search on YouTube about the Lily, you'll see where the inventor met up with a 3rd party to do a review and there were many issues with it. It did not perform like the promo video says it does. Maybe they will work out all the bugs and get it going, I hope they do because it is a really cool concept. Only other negative I have about the Lilly is that the battery is not interchangeable so you will have to completely recharge. 

I've seen other mount the gopro to drones and the only thing about doing it like that is you cannot change the settings while flying, so you pretty much takeoff while filming video. There is also alot more hardware needed in order to see a first person view of what the camera is seeing. And lastly, the gopro can take awesome images no doubt but something from 20ft away can appear to be alot further away on the screen. I take alot of gopro videos and it just looks like what you film is alot further away than it actually is in person. 

The Yuneec Q500 I fly offers alot for your money. The transmitter has a built in screen around 5" and has its own camera mounted to the drone. It really has good quality and it's simple to fly. There is a switch on the transmitter and if you put it in smart mode, you can bring it up to whatever height you want and if you walk away, the drone will follow you. Also in smart mode, no matter which direction the drone is facing, the forward control will always make it go forward, same with left right and rear. You do not have to account for what angle it is facing.... Makes it really simple to fly. There's also a gps switch to where it will return to home if you lose sight, control or if your transmitter loses signal to the drone. There is alot of built in technology to make it simple to fly, yet affordable. It also comes with a handheld gimbal that you can mount the drone camera to. That way you can have your own handheld steadycam. Let me know if you have any other questions.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Wow! That is such a beautiful movie! I am so glad his test came back clear!


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## Bwilson (Mar 25, 2014)

Great video and photos. Looks like a great area. So great to hear Jack is on the mend and able to play again.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

Yes I agree with your concerns regarding Lilycam. 

I was looking at the DJI Phantom for $399, but again it provides no first person view. I can probably achieve decent results with it but it sounds like your suggestion would provide the best video with less trial and error. It's $1299 eh?


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## SWLAmarshrunner (Oct 7, 2013)

alphadude said:


> Yes I agree with your concerns regarding Lilycam.
> 
> I was looking at the DJI Phantom for $399, but again it provides no first person view. I can probably achieve decent results with it but it sounds like your suggestion would provide the best video with less trial and error. It's $1299 eh?


Yeah, I would go ahead and spend the money so you can be set up to make some really nice films easily. Check out the 2nd hand market like craigslist and you may be able to score a used one for around $600-800. I believe there are some companies like Lucky7Drones or CarolinaDronz that may sell used ones that people traded in to upgrade. May have to call them but it's worth a shot!


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

I go to work today and I was looking at drones on the sites you recommended and several others. I was watching a video on the dji website when my boss happens to walk by and says oh, I guess you saw what is sitting on the CEO's desk. I said actually no I haven't, so he says come with me. I walk with him and there sitting on the desk is a brand spanking new dji Phantom 3 Professional drone still in the box with 4k uhd video. 

I work at a heavy equipment dealership and apparently they have decided to update our web site with aerial views of our different locations and all of the heavy equipment we sell, rent and repair. I haven't been told yet, but that sure sounds like a project that would involve the IT Manager which I just happen to be. 

How cool is that? It looks like I'll have the opportunity to learn to fly and use this thing to it's full capability at work.

Do you have any experience with this particular drone?


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## SWLAmarshrunner (Oct 7, 2013)

Wow, that is awesome! What are the chances? lol. I do not have any experience with that particular one but the camera is top of the line with its 4k capability. I did read that the iPad mini 2 has no lag in the FPV screen where as the iPad mini 3 was reported to have some lag... the 3 is also more expensive so if you do end up having to buy a screen, recommend the mini 2. They are simple to fly, just make sure to do any of the orientation programming on it before the first flight and ensure all settings on the transmitter are correct. Look forward to your film.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

Had an opportunity to test fly the phantom 3 pro today. Very simple to fly, got the hang of it right away. Used it in safe mode which is limited to 100' altitude. Hooked a full size ipad to the controller and it was great to be able to see exactly what you are shooting. You were 100% correct, having FPV capability is the key. I think it will be very easy to capture the UHD video of Ax doing his thing with this drone.

I decided to snap a pic of traffic conditions on the highway...


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## SWLAmarshrunner (Oct 7, 2013)

Have you got to use the Phantom drone yet with your golden?


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