TBS Discovery Pro Review

If you have been thinking of purchasing a Team Black Sheep Discovery Pro quadcopter for capturing aerial cinematography, this review may be for you. This review really covers the pros and cons of the Pro's gimbal system with a lot of comparison to a Zenmuse. As well I cover the motor, esc setup and how well it performs .

Intro/Outro Music by:
Kevin MacLeod | "Early Riser"

[brunobl]

Thanks for posting the video. Some thoughts:
1. Fully agree with GoPro strap issue. A quick release and/or some form of recess cut into the gimbal frame allowing recharging and card removal/reinsertion without removing the camera would be great. In all, some more thought should go into the gimbal frame.

2. Slight bumps every once in a while are not normal. Something is wrong with your gimbal and is worth being checked.

3. Hard banking is more of a sport FPV thing, mostly not in the realm of videography or cinematography. I guess there are situations where you might want to show a quick turn in film, but that is surely not common outside of the sport/hobby scenario.

4. Horizon tilt is not normal with the Discovery Pro. Once calibrated you should be good to go with no tilted horizons. Still, you may include a roll adjustment control (much like the tilt control) and trim that out remotely in flight whenever necessary.

If anything, what I really miss in the TBS Discovery Pro is a yaw gimbal axis. With a 3-D gimbal this would be a killer quad for videomaking. But I do understand this is more of a multi-role aircraft, aimed at the hobbyist with a casual interest in filming - hence no yaw gimbal, and impeccable flight performance.

If TBS is listening - there is probably an excellent market for a gimbal upgrade, not only addressing the Velcro strap, charging and card removal issues, but also including a yaw axis. This would sell like hot cakes within the Discovery Pro community.

[Fedable]

I feel that most of your complaints can be solved with a little more knowledge of the software. I've been using mine for a couple a months and like anything you need to put some time into learning how it works. I also have a mac and have never had a problem. If your gimbal isn't dialed in it could also have to do with the fact that you bought yours used and could be using settings that have been input by someone that doesn't know what they are doing. Any decent videographer would never go into the field without knowing their equipment. Take the time to do your homework your results will reflect your knowledge. 
One of the best things about the TBS Discovery Pro is that everything open to the user. Unlike most DJI that keep their owner in the dark about a lot of things they should know about TBS does a great job of taking something, that could be insanely complicated, and making it open and accessible to the pilot. The way it should be with any professional equipment. 
The same way professional photographers don't buy professional cameras then just keep in "auto mode", UAV videographers should be no different.

[photorocket]

I have to say that the Zenmuse h3-2d and the Phantom 2 + have had uneven horizon issues as well.