Auto Recording / Smartphone Apps

[Wild4Fly]

Hey thanks for having such an amazing forum with tons of information just took a look around and thought id ask my first question!

I have a cheaper gps drone to see if this is something i would be interested in. Started using some different android apps due to the one i have the original app that came with it just doesnt do the gps tracking and such that i wanted.. i managed to grab a copy of the old android app called Tower. But this app doesnt have any video features (Or i havent figured it out) ive been playing with some settings. ive figured out how to send a KM away and return. WIth that being said
with the internal software to most drones is there a setting in config that will auto record everything? say every time it launched it starts a new video file?

also is there a great universal smartphone app or a app that can be adapted to most drones? i got just a 720p Camera nothing fancy.

what was your starter drone? how is it different from the one you got now?

Thanks for reading

 

[I B Spectre]

Spark is my first and only drone so far, but I researched the choices for months before I bought it ( a used one). To me it seemed to be a major cut above the others, although those abilities come at a higher price tag. I wanted a drone that had GPS, return-to-home upon signal loss or low battery, at least 1080p video and a gimbal mounted camera. Additional functions such as Active Track (some call Follow Me), Tripod mode (slowed input response for clearer pans/tilts), camera control (ISO, exposure compensation, etc.), gimbal pitch control and other features are icing on the cake. The native DJI Go 4 app is very capable, but there are many 3rd party apps (Litchi, Drone Harmony, Red Waypoint, Dronelink) that expand the capabilities such as mission planning for the Spark to execute flights autonomously and even photogrammetry if desired.

I don't expect there to be a universal app that would work for "most drone" due to their wide variation in programming commands. The variety of consumer drones available is considerable at a wide range of price points. I recommend you go to YouTube and go through the reviews by reputable people like Captain Drone and Quadcopter 101. They do pretty comprehensive drone tests and will help distill those worth considering.

Some apps, I believe Litchi is one, that can be set to begin/end video recording automatically on takeoff/landing, but most of the ones I've seen require the pilot to initiate recording. I am by no means an authority on drones, but I read and view a lot online to help me make an informed decision. The Spark has been discontinued by DJI and there have been tremendous clearance sales on them by some big box chains, but I think most of those are gone by now. DJI just introduced the Mavic Mini to replace the price point that Spark occupied. You can read a ton of posts and opinions on that subject in these forums. I have been very happy with my choice. Good luck on your quest and decision.

 

[Mtntrogger]

Litchi definitely has a setting for this. I have mine enabled to auto record so I have personally used this feature. I like it, but for me its most useful while executing a waypoint mission flight. For normal FPV flights I prefer to stop and start recording at will.