I want to buy a decent-quality drone, and have read quite a bit about them lately. Drones seem to break down into one of two categories -- those with 3-axis gimbals, and, toys. You also really need to have wind level-5 resistance. The best of the bunch so far, costing less than a Rolex, seems to be the DJI Mini SE. Does anyone have a recommendation?
Nothing? Hell, by now I had the impression that I was the only person left in the country without tattoos and at least one drone....
My nephew has been educating me a little on drones. I took a picture of his last fall so I wouldn’t forget the company name and model——but apparently it’s been deleted and I can’t find it. I’ll keep looking.
Thank you! The DJI line of drones are very highly-regarded, but they're pricey. Some people get very concerned about having to register heavier drones (which often cost less) with the FAA. but that wouldn't bother me at all if I could save a hundred bucks.
LOL. I couldn’t find the pic because it was from 3 months earlier than I thought. It is in fact a DJI. I know he did a lot of research and he had a cheaper drone before he got this one that he wasn’t happy with. He saved some by using his phone for the controller screen but you can buy them with their own screen which is what I would do. Taking his phone in and out messes with software updates etc. He had it out here a few weeks ago on my home place that is just under 600 acres and flew it a lot out of line of sight. Went down behind tree lines to get close to animals and barns (I’m interested in a drone to check cows and other animals during calving/birthing season) and the visuals were ok but not great. There is a model with a better camera available he says. As far as navigation it was great. It has obstacle avoidance that functioned well and the return to base feature solved any problems with getting lost or disoriented (he’s not real familiar with my place). Just go up to a safe altitude and tell it to go home and it does. My dream would be a drone that could fly in high wind and inclement weather. I would want it to fly a programmed pattern so all I have to do is observe (remotely from anywhere on my phone) unless I see a problem and want to take control to zoom or move to a better position to see what’s going on. It would need to return to base and dock with a charger. Until I can get that out of the box at a cost that is recoverable in a decent time period I think I’m out. Although I should buy something to get familiar with them. The ability to get them to track you and follow you would be great in my business as well for many reasons. Having a simultaneous aerial view to augment what I’m seeing on the ground would make life much easier in certain situations. Hope you get what you want and let us know how it works out.
Wind is a big concern, and so any drone I buy must be certified for 'Level 5', which is described as 19 - 24 mph. It blows that much often here in Colorado, and I don't want someone in Kansas to get my expensive drone! My sense after reading so much about drones is that those without 3-axis gimbal-equipped cameras are nothing more than toys. And all of them seem to sport VERY hefty profit margins. At the rate the whole economy is going today, I'm thinking there may be big price cuts coming to the whole non-military drone market... so, I'll wait it out.
* Any recommendations for a cheap drone... say around $100, just to play with and 'learn the ropes'? * After going over all this information about drones until I've started dreaming about them at night, I've decided to do one of two things: either buy a cheap 'toy' drone for around $100 and get some experience, or, just wait until the prices come down on much better ones, and they may come down a lot before the end of the year. When you dig into all this drone-lore, you see quickly that there are LOTS and LOTS of drones on the market, and that the competition is fierce! These things are at a market-saturation maturity standpoint where the profit margins are most likely still at several hundred percent, or even more. So, it makes sense to wait a while and play with a cheap one.
