Notice a lot of you post 'drone' shots. Advice on buying one, please.

Keep in mind the cheaper the drone, the harder it probably is to fly. Bought a cheap one with a camera for my son and it was a bear to fly. Had to get it off the ground and fight the controller to "trim" the controls to get it to fly level. It was fun but not very safe. I upgraded to DJI Phantom 3 and there is NO COMPARISON. Take it up off the ground and it will sit where you want it. The wind can try to move it but it will stabilize itself. That is what you are getting when increasing your budget. More features, better software, better controls, etc. With lawyers around every corner, you really don't want to take chances on a cheap drone from Walmart.

 

Same thing happened to me when I posted a question about a suspension lift for my Taco on a drone site. Was shocked just like you are at the low quantity and quality of replies....Go figure!

 

Lots of decent replies already, but I'll add my 2 cents

Don't go for the cheap ones, they'll only disappoint you. However, you don't need to spend thousands for good results either. I've been flying them for a number of years and moved to them as a good mix of my favorite hobbies (RC Aircraft and photography). I went through 2-3 "cheap" drones (aka, under $300) before my first DJI. Started with a Phantom2, then Phantom3 and a Mavic and now I have a Mavic 2 Pro.
Whatever you get, get one with GPS and decent range (avoid WiFi as the connection type, range is VERY limited). If you're over 250 grams, you need to register with the FAA (quick and painless) and pay attention to where you can fly as the FAA regulates certain areas.
As others have said, if your intent is to use any images commercially (even for your own business) you'll need to get FAA Part 107 certified. It's not that expensive or hard (about to take my test), and in addition to allowing commercial use it also helps open up some of the FAA restricted areas for you (the primary reason I'm getting mine).
I use mine primarily for still pictures https://imgur.com/a/VlNLdQ6 but they take some amazing video as well https://youtu.be/xoavGuxQC8U https://youtu.be/7zPTyn0O0u0 even if like me, you're not that good at editing .

My advice would be to either pick up a used Mavic or Phantom 3/4, or go for the Mavic Mini or Mavic Air , either of which can be had for a "fairly" reasonable price.

 

No you should have posted on a drone forum.

 

Here is a link to DronePilots. It has links to discussion forums for all the major drones...not just the manufacturers, but the individual drones they each make. I have a fleet of (3) 3DR Solo drones. I do NOT recommend that drone for your use. It requires a lot of "tinkering" to get things done. I would recommend one of the DJI products. Simply set your budget, and go get the DJI drone that fits that number. You might consider a used one, because many people tend to "move up" and sell their older one for cheap. Someone mentioned..."the cheaper the drone, the more difficult it is to fly"...this is pretty true. I hope this helps.

 

Get a $30-$40 one and learn to fly. Once you demolish it get a nice one that won't allow that.

 

Always following me

 

Purely for the entertainment.

 

careful using DJI and where you fly it. The drone syncs with a database in China and is shared with the cyber section of their military (PLA). The metadata from the drone is databased and is used for their purposes.

Granted, for most commercial and personal use it's not a big deal but just something to be aware of.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/20/politics/dhs-chinese-drone-warning/index.html

This is one of many reasons military installations don't allow drones to fly along with creating a risk to air traffic.

 

Truth. I deal with this at Knox, our Range division owns a couple that are not even allowed to be powered up because they contain Chinese parts.

 

I think you gotta hit up a drone board. You would get better info.

 

I've been enjoying watching R/C crashes on Youtube - watching these Boomers with 100s of hours into a Piper Cub made of Balsa, hit the grass at full throttle after that propeller noisedive whine is just pure pleasure. Sorry OP.

But I agree with the others, start with a cheaper drone to learn the sticks, then get a MavicPro with a Hasselblad.

 

Does this belong here?

 

I disagree. We got some bad-ass experts up in here.

 

My coworker who does GIS, remote sensing, aerial photogrammetry bought himself a Spark. Seemed like a nice little drone he said it was 500. I dont know much about them but Im sure he did research before buying it

 

True dat

 

My nephew had a DJI MAVIC that was amazing and well designed. I received a wal-mart type one as a gift a while back and could see the difference that more $$ gets you. Definately worth doing right if you are going to do it. The DJI return to launch point was really cool. I lost control of mine cheap one on a windy day and ended up finding it sitting in the street about 1/2 mile down from my house. yikes.

 

Very good advice. I would bet that almost everyone that owns a "higher end" drone, started with a $30 - $50 drone...these are the ones that are a little larger than your hand, can be flown in the indoors, no camera, no return-to-home feature, etc. They are a ton of fun and definitely a gateway drug to the more expensive drones.

 

I went through three $20-$40 Amazon junkers indoors before getting a Spark.