3DR IRIS+ (915) Quadcopter

I own two of these. It is best to learn on something smaller and cheaper. Knowing the piloting basics will go a long way. Yes, there are many autonomous features on the Iris+, but you still need to know how to handle it because this is not just a toy. The best advice I have is to be conservative and do not get cocky. I would tell you how I know this first hand, but it would be embarrassing.I bought specifically for the follow-me function which works very well. Using the Tarot gimbal, it even tilts the camera to keep the subject being followed in the frame. The flight stability and handling is terrific. In GPS (Loiter) mode, I find it rather slow compared to my Phantom, but the point of GPS mode is not to zip around like a maniac. Use one of the many other modes for that and it becomes very quick.I tried to use the Tower app on my Samsung Galaxy 3, but found it did not have the proper USB control host, so I am using on a Galaxy 5 which works well. It is probably best to use a 7 inch tablet. I like connecting to the app because it gives you all of the flight stats via audio so I can focus on getting the shot I want. It is really easy to program and send on automatic missions.I got the Pebble watch so I could control the app. It is nice to have the extra control to pause or return without fumbling around on the phone. Later I learned there is also a Droid Wear version. But I am happy with the Pabble in general and like that I only charge it once a week. I am wearing it all the time now and love it, an unexpected benefit for someone who swore I would never wear a watch. The app has crashed a couple times, but the IRIS+ pauses when this happens.I added a video transmitter and a second power cable to power my gopro and transmit the video to my FPV monitor. This all adds extra weight which kills flight time of course, but it is not bad. It is nice that batteries for Iris+ are cheap compared to others on the market. They will also be replaceable long into the future regardless of the manufacturer. I am not a fan of the expensive, custom molded, specialized battery packs that you might be fighting over on ebay someday. Hopefully the quad it will last that long to be an issue, but the odds are against it depending on piloting skills. On my second Iris+, I dont use the gimbal. The video is still nice, but is not production quality, especially when in the follow-me modes which are VERY jerky, especially the circles.The Tarot gimbal is designed for the IRIS+ and super easy to install with 2 screws and plugs in. It could not be easier. But to power your gopro, you need to buy the tarot gopro cable Amazon ASIN B00XHUCT5Y. (I used the power from the FPV video transmitter 5V out and ground to power the gopro, the gimbal power would probably be way too much for the gopro, but I am not an expert on this.). This gopro cable has 4 wires. video, 2 grounds and a power. I spliced the 2 grounds together to connect to the video transmitter from ImmersionRC. There are lots of diagrams on the web, it was easier than it sounds. I have a GoPro Hero3+ which can be powered on without the battery when connected to power, (unlike the 3). HOWEVER, this seemed to raise hell with the gimbal because of the weight difference. The gimbal expects the full weight of the GoPro and jerks and kicks when it is not there. I need to experiment with this more to see if I can figure this out because it is pointless to carry around the extra weight for no reason. If you are not using the gimbal, this would work well and you can shed the weight of the gopro battery, gimbal and long legs for considerably more flight time.I am VERY happy with IRIS+. I could have waited for SOLO. By the time you add all of the extras as I did, the investment adds up and is comparable to Solo to be honest.IRIS+ $600 + Gimbal $200 + Video Trans w/antennas $150 + FPV monitor $250 = $1200Plus you still would need a phone/tablet to have the advanced app features that you have on the SOLO.SOLO is $1000 + Gimbal (someday in future) $400 = $1400 (plus the same phone/tablet)..So for $200, you get the benefit of having your FPV video and app combined with the SOLO. But if that is really a benefit depends on how you use the follow-me mode which is why I bought it. I dont want to take the controller everywhere. With the Iris+, I can give my phone to the subject I am filming and let them go, while keeping the controller. I can also pause it at any time from my Pebble watch. With SOLO, I imagine you can also give the phone to the subject and it would do the same, but I cannot confirm this. However, you would lose you FPV with it and have to trust that the gimbal is smart enough to keep the subject in the video frame, which it is in follow-me mode for the most part. With Iris+ and gimbal in follow-me, you don't need FPV in theory, for some applications, you will be able to just send it off and trust it got the shot.Another benefit I mentioned before, the batteries are a fraction of the price. To buy as many SOLO batteries as I have for IRIS+, I could buy another IRIS+ with the difference. All that said, I will surely buy a SOLO one day. But I do not regret the IRIS+ for a second.I should also mention why I picked 3DR IRIS+ over DJI Phantom 3 or Inspire. Both are solid options. I need to use a GoPro with a customized IR lens for my project, so the built-in cameras of DJI were a deal breaker. I also really wanted the follow-me mode for my project, so the Phantom 2 for GoPro was also out. This narrowed my options considerably. I also added 2 infrared LED lights so I can film at night which works well.CONS.It is wide and big. I never worry about it tipping, it is very stable, but also feels large when I lug it around in a case.I wish the battery lasted longer. It is sufficient. This is because I added a lot of stuff to it from stock, so it is to be expected.Pic attached.

I really wanted to like this quadcopter - I did a lot of research comparing the Iris+ to other qc's on the market and based on all my criteria this one would have appeared to be the best one on the market. So I read the instructions (yes I am one of those people) and set out to my local high school football field and...out of the box the first flight was a disaster. One side lifted of the ground while the other side remained still and it flipped over and became a lawn mower (and yes my props were on correctly). By the time I shut the engines down the damage was done. -1 propeller. Ok, at this point I figured it was something I did, so I re-calibrated the compass, ESC and all the other tidbits of trouble shooting I could find in the 3DR web site which by the way mostly refers to the original Iris and not the Iris+. Anyone with some common sense can probably figure out the differences between the APM software that the videos show and the actual version you can download but in the end it's indicative of a sloppy company who does not pay attention to details and it really shows in every aspect of owning an IRIS+So I wait a week to get my new set of propellers, do the recalibration dance again and I have a successful take off. Trick is to firewall the throttle because I found out it always takes off crooked and if you don't give it enough juice - voila, lawnmower and minus 1 and sometimes 2 propellers. The flight was uneventful for the most part. I did not have a camera on the first flight so I could get used to the flight characteristics but it was not a stable flight leading me to believe the camera video would be jumpy at best. The GPS mode is not very accurate - you must still provide some stick input to keep the Iris+ in a stable position. This is probably the most disappointing aspect of the Iris+, no matter how hard you tune it, it will not keep its horizontal position using just the GPS. Next up, the landing - I brought the Iris+ down for what I was expecting the most gentle smooth landing possible, so with the Iris+ hovering just a few feet above the ground I gently lowered the throttle and the Iris+ touched down. I cut the throttle and what should happen but the Iris+ went into lawn mower mode again and flipped over and of course I am on line again buying more propellers. Whats even more irritating is that there is at least a 3-4 second delay between the time you put the throttle in shutoff position and the actual time the motors turn off. During that time its not if the props get damaged its more of a decision of whether you are replacing 1,2 or 3 propellers.I tried new firmware, more recalibration, bought a prop balancer (waste of money), checked blogs for suggestions and to no avail, more than half of my landings required new props unless you do like I finally did - just gently lower it to a position where you can safely grab it out of the air - what a pain - by the way, I don't really recommend this because it actually could be very dangerous. So at this point in time I figure the Iris+ has a few quirks that I can live with and I am not willing to admit I wasted $750 - surely I think, they will release new firmware over time that will correct these quirks. So I continue to fly it maybe 3 or 4 more times and the only thing that happened was one of the legs fell off at some point during one of the flights - a whittled pencil fixed this but now my 750 dollar qc is looking like a late model car with bondo.Then came one fateful flight where I take off as normal as I can, level it out, breath a sigh of relief I didnt have to buy new props...when all of a sudden it shoots forward uncontrollably and I mean uncontrollably, pressing the RTL (Return To Landing) did nothing. Eventually the Iris+ hit a tree about 50 yards way with a resounding smack and the only cool thing was that the Iris+ was smart enough to play its death tone. 2 broken propellers, 1 broken arm, 3 week wait for 3DR to deliver parts (and that was only after I called them to inquire what was taking so long) and 3 hours of very tedious repair. By the way, you will need a soldering iron to repair a broken arm - its not easy and you will need to be very patient.Remember when I said the company is sloppy with their documentation? Well the inside of the 3DR is a site to behold, wires seemingly randomly routed everywhere, giant globs of solder that terminate some 6 to 7 wires. This is not a well designed quadcopter. Wires are taped to the plastic shell instead of properly secured. If you need to repair the Iris+ you will need to be very mechanically inclined and have a proper set of tools and soldering iron. But eventually the repair was complete, except for the clips that hold the wires snug to the arm would never go back on again no matter how hard I tried. Oh and something else that's very irritating - no matter how hard you try the battery "hatch" simply will not close without a struggle - this is a major design flaw. The is not enough room inside the battery compartment for the battery and thick wire leads to close the hatch without feeling like something is going to break - again, sloppy design on the part of 3DR.To make this long story short, I had one successful flight after the repair and took it out again and yep, the Iris+ took off uncontrollably again, this time the RTL had some effect but not instead of landing in the original takeoff position it attempted a canopy landing in the trees next to my house with the usual predicable results: -4 propellers, 1 broken arm, 1 broken antenna, 1 broken battery cover, 1 broken shell. I give up, the Iris+ has won, I simply can't take it anymore.I have contacted 3DR support, I will post an update with their response. I would strongly recommend delaying any purchase of the Iris+ until they have worked out the quirks. Perhaps I just got a lemon, it happens, I get it...but the real test will be how well they stand behind their product. Stay tuned...based on their response I will change my rating - I still think the Iris+ has the potential to be a 5 star product but now its completely in the hands of 3DR.

It worked for 5 minutes. Then, it just started beeping and would not stop unless I took out the battery. I tried everything. Charged the battery. It would not fly. I called the company (3D Robotics), and was told that if I did not buy directly from 3D Robotics, they could not help me. I said I bought from Amazon. She said maybe I got a refurbished one. I said I don't think so. Anyway, I have had to return it. I love buying from Amazon, and if that means no Iris+, then that's OK.

The media could not be loaded. The IRIS+ is a good quadcopter, but definitely not for beginners, or for people wanting to take aerial video...Even with GPS lock, mine points from side to side, like a dog trying to decide what to sniff. It is also very bouncy from propeller vibration. As such, and video taken is pretty much unusable.Remember it's just the 'base' quad. There is no camera, no gimbal, no FPV kit, nothing.. Factor in at least $1000 more for those.Even with those, and extra batteries, travel case, etc. totaling around $2000, I still kept needing to buy more things..There IS a gopro attachment on the front, however it gives unusable results, very bouncy, and even After Effects Warp Stabilizer can't stabilize it.Another thing which I think is not very professional on 3DRs part is that now they have the SOLO available, the IRIS+ and all parts are discontinued, while these are still being sold!!TL;DR I wasn't going to repeat my error and buy a 3DR SOLO, so I bought the Phantom 3 Professional instead, which is an AWESOME machine.