I tested and compared dozens of accessories for the DJI Phantom 4 Series (including the Advanced and Pro Model). After I sent back most items, I kept the ten very best ones and want to share them with you.
The following ten accessories for your DJI Phantom 4 drone as must-have gadgets, every pilot should call their own.
If you don't want to read the article, feel free to watch the video:
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We’ll get started with a very basic accessory.
Get yourself a super fast MicroSD card.
You will see how much better it performs when you are, for example, taking photos in burst mode or creating long exposure shots.
Next to that you almost eliminate the chance of having faulty 4K or high frame rate video footage.
Finally you will save a lot of time when copying the files to the computer.
I recently tested and compared the speeds and durability of ten MicroSD cards and there are two clear winners: I highly recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro, it is the best of the best cards or alternatively the cheaper Toshiba Exceria Pro Card that surprisingly made it to the second place, only slightly behind the SanDisk, but is noticeably cheaper.
You find all competitors, test videos and detailed results HERE.
CLICK AT ONE OF THE CARDS TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING (AMAZON):
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Second in line is another basic tool: a lanyard for the remote controller.
It doesn’t sound spectacular at all, but it really is helpful, especially if your drone is airborne for a longer time.
The recommended lanyard consists out of a comfortable and cushioned neck strap and a durable carbine for attaching it to the remote controller.
Next to that you can easily attach a pilot ID to the neck strap.
It is not a necessity of course, but you won’t believe how great it’s impact on people is.
Many take it as a proof that you are flying legally and that you know what you are doing.
Of course you should be flying legal at any time (just as a reminder).
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING:
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The next gadget is a must-have.
And nothing but that, if you want to take breathtaking photos or record stunning videos.
You need to invest a few dollars into ND filters.
They basically function as sunglasses for your lens, allowing less light to enter.
That again leads to a lower shutter speed, which finally means that the image is not over sharpened, but contains a good looking amount of motion blur.
Every filmmaker uses ND filters and they partly make films look cinematic (even though they don’t replace proper camera and post-production skills).
Plenty cheap and faulty ND filters make it complicated, choosing the perfect ones.
Some are too heavy and ruin the gimbal, others effect the colours or are not a hundred percent clear.
Since years I recommend PolarPro when it comes to drone filters (ND and CPL).
They are not the cheapest, but they are the go-to solution until famous brands like Tiffen or B&W enter the drone filters race.
The multi-coated PolarPro ND filters are available for almost all DJI drones.
You can study the basics, watch a comparison video and find a graphic that explains when to use which ND filter, because they are available in different strengths, by clicking HERE.
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING (AMAZON):
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Intelligent flight batteries are expensive. We are all aware of that.
They need to be stored correctly in order to function well for a long time.
It therefore is important to know that storing them either fully charged or completely empty harms them badly.
DJI intelligent flight batteries should be stored at a power level of approx. 30 - 50 percent.
You can enable the self-discharging function within the Go 4 App, but it takes several days until the batteries have reached the desired power level as well as it does waist the energy, which, in times of climate change and raising power prices, isn’t smart at all.
DJI therefore sells a tiny USB connector that can be attached to the Phantom 4’s batteries.
Simply turn the battery on as you usually would, plug in a smartphone cable and power your hungry mobile device for free and enjoy long lasting and safe intelligent flight batteries.
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING:
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Talking about DJI batteries: the multiple batteries charger is a blessing and my next recommendation.
Never again get up at night just to attach a new battery to the charger.
You basically insert three batteries all at once, attach the power cable and the device charges them peacefully, one after another. Simple, effective, again a must-have.
By the way: it even has a storage mode, in which it only half-charges the batteries.
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING:
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Next in line is a device that I found to be very useful on my travels.
The DJI car charger get’s plugged into the cigarette lighter, while the other end goes right into either the battery itself or into the multiple batteries charger that we just talked about.
Charging a single DJI Phantom 4 battery takes approx. an hour and ten minutes.
You can recharge your batteries while you are driving to a new location. I love the trouble-free car charger and won’t give mine away anymore.
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING:
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Have you ever had problems using your smartphone or tablet in the bright daylight?
Oh my, it almost ruined so many shootings of mine.
Only seeing a reflection or, due to the dark max brightness, nothing at all really isn’t helpful.
Let me present you two solutions, my favourite ones goes first:
You can buy DJIs brand new CrystalSky monitor.
It is available in two different sizes and two different brightness setups.
I am owning the 7’’ monitor with a display brightness of 1000 Nits.
It is a lot brighter than my iPad Mini 4, iPad or iPhone. About two times as bright.
But it is not even the brightest. The 2000 NITS version of DJI Crystalsky is even twice as bright as my monitor, meaning, that it is about four times brighter than an iPhone.
Watch my review on DJI CrystalSky here and CLICK HERE to check out the current pricing:
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If you are working on a more limited budget though and can’t afford CrystalSky, why not checking out a well working sunhood?
I tested plenty and never really found a well working one, they always had some big disadvantages to them. They couldn’t really darken the surrounding well and some even dropped my iPad, as all the clips and attachments were giving up.
The only sunhood I really liked is made by Hoodman.
It is not the cheapest, unfortunately, but it does the job well. I used it in plenty countries and it accompanied me faithfully.
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING (AMAZON):
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Have you heard of "Gnarbox"? It’s a really cool device that was crowd funded on Kickstarter.
I recently received a unit and tested it myself.
First things first: it’s basically a data back up device, super rugged and ready for the outdoors, specifically designed for drone pilots, GoPro enthusiasts and even professional photographers.
After shooting a video or taking photos, basically insert the MicroSD (or any other) card into one of the inbuilt readers and the Gnarbox safes the files to it’s internal ssd.
Remember: SSDs are a lot safer than normal HDDs.
You won’t need a computer, but a smartphone only to control the Gnarbox.
And it can do so much more than only saving files: it has a tiny computer installed to it as well.
You can connect it to your smartphone and start editing your aerials in true 4K with the dedicated app.
It is awesome for on-the-go high-res editing, even though it of course does not replace a proper editing computer. It can even handle RAW photo files.
One downside: when heavily editing footage, the Gnarbox gets really hot. But besides that it is a fantastic device that let’s you edit and share your work on the go.
But even more importantly: it backs up your files and does not require a computer.
CLICK HERE OR AT THE PHOTO TO CHECK OUT THE CURRENT PRICING (AMAZON):
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One final product for all DJI Phantom 4 enthusiasts out there: you need to check out DJIs Goggles.
Using them is so much fun. You really feel like sitting inside your drones cockpit.
It’s an amazing experience.
The Goggles are equipped with sensors, you can make the drone or camera follow your heads position (“head tracking”) and you can easily play with all menus through the integrated touchpad at the side.
The goggles get quite heavy after an hour, but still they are cool, especially when wanting to impress friends and family.
Watch my review on the DJI Goggles here and CLICK HERE to check out the current pricing:
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