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ALTA 6 drone package selling now in Los Angeles, shipping worldwide

Discussion in 'Sale / Trade' started by Michael Newman, Sep 16, 2023.

  1. Michael Newman

    Michael Newman New Member

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    Summary: very good condition Alta 6 package available now, includes Alta, Futaba RC, 2x Battery Chargers, 2x power supplies, FPV camera, transmitter and wireless fpv monitor receiver

    I'm selling it via a video broadcast equipment company that is holding an auction now, so the whole kit could sell for very cheap- at the moment of writing this it only has 2 bids and is currently cheaper than what I paid for my dji mavic 2.

    I chose to sell the Alta with this video company because they make it easy for both USA and International buyers around the world to bid on and purchase their items, and they have a very long / well-verified track record which is much safer than buying something from someone you don't meet.

    The link to the item is here:

    https://josephfinn.hibid.com/lot/16...rone--15lb-cap----includes-futaba?ref=catalog

    Here is my sad (and way too long and honest) backstory:

    After a few years I'm finally selling my Alta 6.

    It was a project drone for me and, unfortunately, something I flew probably less than 10 times, mainly tests for a 360 camera setup back in the day.

    I say project drone because with a little investment (namely a bunch of batteries and some camera AKS) you could easily fly a RED Komodo, Blackmagic pocket 6k, Sony A1 or any number of incredible compact pro cameras.

    Technically you can fly an Alexa mini but by the time you put a proper lens and all the accessories on it it would likely exceed maximum payload of 15 pounds.

    If you are reading this you must be interested in Freefly and pro drones- and obviously the ideal move for the highest quality aerial video would be to invest in something like an Alta X, or even a DJI inspire three if you are okay with being limited to DJI's cameras and recording formats... but a fully equipped Alta X package with accessories is probably going to be close to 25-30k when you're fully outfitted (and inspire 3 isn't that much cheaper).

    I think the emergence of powerful tiny cinema cameras like the 2.2 pound RED Komodo or even something like an FX3 make the well-established Alta 6 still quite relevant.

    I personally used the drone only with a couple of small / simple 360 camera setups- weight was less than 5 pounds.

    I purchased a Movi m10 gimbal to fly more mid range cameras but I never became comfortable with the Movi gimbal platform because I never invested the time into really learning how to use it, and I was mainly working on small video productions where there wasn't a budget to justify me bringing the Alta to set versus just pulling the DJI mavic out of my camera bag.

    I think that's often what we're competing against- does a professional cine drone still make sense when so many clients are happy with a cheap consumer drone?

    Maybe.

    Is your production budget $5000 or 500,000?

    Regardless of the scope of resources, what do you want the visuals to look like?

    If the budget is close to zero then maybe a small sensor off the shelf consumer drone is fine. But if you're doing a pro commercial, movie, music video- maybe even a proof of concept or spec. project that you want to look like a high-end production- then having a customizable aerial platform with a pro camera would be a big help.

    I would have liked to have built out this kit to make it really usable- I probably would have wanted to upgrade to a Movi pro gimbal and added a lot of bells and whistles- maybe the DJI transmission system to preview camera feed and maybe a 19" atomos or osee 21.5" monitor for operator.

    If you are in the same boat that I was in for the past couple years- where there was often little to no budget for drone and the client didn't care if the drone matched our A camera- then you probably should not buy an Alta.

    But- if you enjoy pushing the limits of what you can do technically and want your drone footage to match a lot closer to A camera, have a lot more control over your image- an Alta 6 might still be a great gateway to higher end cine drones- you could figure out the workflow and everything you need for quality aerial cinematography with an Alta 6 and then upgrade to an X or different platform later if you need to carry more weight.

    In conclusion, I'll repeat that the Alta platform is not really comparable to a DJI mavic or similar consumer drone- you don't just pull it out of a bag and fly 30 seconds later. It's a much bigger commitment that offers much greater potential.

    If you are a one man band I don't think it's realistic to be in charge of regular cameras and then think you will fly an Alta for aerials- not without some help / extra hands. If you have a full crew- or control over schedule, where you can plan dedicated drone shots with setup and wrap time- then there are a lot of possibilities.

    Please let me know if you have any questions about this Alta kit.

    I'm truly sorry to sell (it's been a challenging year for many in the Los Angeles production community) but I like to think this drone could be a great tool for the right kind of creative.
     
    #1 Michael Newman, Sep 16, 2023
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2023

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