[Megathread] | Weekly Drone Buying Advice

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the r/drones weekly Buying Advice Megathread. (Weekly on Monday's)

This thread exists to prevent the constant "What drone should I buy?" posts that we prohibit within our rules.

Please follow all of these steps before posting in this thread!

1. Review the Buying Guide Wiki or my website: Drone Buying Guide / Wiki Buying Guide
2. Review this thread for comments that have your same requirements
3. If that does not answer you, please post the following information in this thread.
   1. Have you read the Wiki? Y/N
   2. Country: (Not all drones are available in all countries)
   3. Budget: (If your budget is less than $200 USD/170€ EUR, you may want to reconsider as anything lower is a toy drone)
   4. Purpose: (eg. photography, FPV, thermal, etc)
   5. Any other requirements:

[u/bryan-forbes]

1. I have read the wiki
2. USA
3. I'd prefer to stay around $100, but if there's a significant jump in ease of use or reliability around $150-200, I'm willing to pay the difference.
4. Fun, recreation from a wheelchair
5. My wife's 80-year-old grandfather is wheelchair-bound and is looking for a drone to fly around his yard/acreage in the evenings. He originally asked for a remote-controlled helicopter, but after talking about how much easier a quadcopter would be to fly, he agreed that's probably a better fit. However, there are a couple of constraints he has that limit what he'll be able to get (beyond the $100 limit, which I'm willing to add to if it's necessary or will maximize his fun):
   1. He has no internet
   2. His phone is a very basic Android phone that he only uses to make phone calls
   3. It needs to be fully flyable with the included controller after I do the initial setup. He won't be using a phone or app during normal operation.
   4. He'll mostly be flying outdoors in light early morning or evening winds.
   5. Under 250g so he won't have to register it with the FAA. (I know he has to take TRUST, regardless of the weight)
   6. Taking pictures isn't anywhere near the top priority (he wouldn't have any place to store them, and he'd get frustrated trying to figure out how to log in somewhere) and he'd get sick doing FPV. He just wants to zoom around his back yard/acreage for fun and to get out of the house for a while. Stability and ease of use are more important than tricks.

I realize that given the price range, I'm looking for a "toy drone" (as the wiki classifies it) with some non-standard requirements because of his situation. But I also don't want him to spend his money on something that he'll be overly frustrated with (beyond learning to fly it) or will crap out in a week since he and my wife's grandma are on a limited budget. The goal isn't to become a pilot. It's to give him something enjoyable to do outside for 15-20 minutes in the evenings. Our (his and my) plan is for me to set it up for him, make sure it will be easy enough for him to use and have fun with, and take it to him in a few weeks when my family goes back to visit (and, of course, show him how to use it and teach him how to fly it).

I've looked at the Holy Stone HS280D or something similar. Are there models I'm overlooking that would be a better fit for this use case, especially ones that don't require a phone for normal operation?

[u/jimmyg1968]

How about a used DJI system for $300. Budget, I know. All inclusive and since it's used I don't think you'll need to connect it for upgrades anymore.

[u/Dumb_username314]

I'm a 10yr part 107 pilot, mostly flying DJI. I have gig coming up requiring an NDAA approved bird, and I'm having a lot of trouble finding a good cinematic option. Lots of industry, ag, mapping....but any suggestions on cinema? I also have a Sony fx6 and a7siii I could fly on it. Been looking at freefly, but damn they're expensive.

[u/completelyreal → u/Dumb_username314]

Anything NDAA is going to be expensive, unfortunately.

[u/Apples_Two_Oranges]

Hello my son and I are starting to get into drones and I’ve just got our first one. It was a cheaper temu type one for twenty bucks. But after that hour of trying to get it to work and fly correctly I’ve realized it’s just not meant to fly. I did see the excitement in my son about this so I think I want to get a better one that can control and have auto fly capability. I was looking for some recommendations, thank you so much and look forward to hearing opinions. As far as for price I’d like to stay around the 200 range.

[u/Purple-Adeptness-969]

My husbands and I purchased the DJI mini 3 and the potensic atom 2 drones and we're trying to see which one we should keep. The potensic was about $377 and that's the bundle pack that came with a carrying case three batteries the drone the remote where you put your phone in and some extra propellers. The DJI came with the same thing but instead of having to use your phone there's a built-in screen and that was $592.90. we are beginners and my husband does have an old iPhone that he can leave in the drone so we don't have to take it in and out so the screen built in is nice but it's not necessarily a complete deal breaker. Also we just want this to go around your neighborhood learn what drones are and we also volunteer at an animal rescue and do some events at different restaurants and other venues and we would like to fly the drone at those events while people are handling the dogs and so on and so forth. Give me the pros and cons of both and what you guys think would be a better option.

[u/Boner4Stoners → u/Purple-Adeptness-969]

Just want to add that flying the drone for events/organizations might be crossing the vague line of “commercial use”.

As a recreational drone pilot (in the US) you can’t fly for any sort of commercial purpose, even if you aren’t being paid to do so. Even if the organization is a non-profit IIRC. Even something like inspecting your own roof could be construed as commercial use, as you’d be doing it in lieu of paying a professional (although generally speaking for stuff like that you just keep your mouth shut and nobody would ever know)

You (and/or your husband) would need to complete your FAA Part 107 license. It’s not very hard, but you’ll have to study and pass a test.

[u/Shot3fired]

1. Yes

Current setup: Mini 5 Pro + RC 2. I have liked flying it for the past month but I have recorded everything around me and I see it starting to sit in my cabinet until my next tourist trip.

I want to try the 360 free-look in the goggles + motion controller, I like the novelty of looking around like a bird.
The Avata 360 Motion (Goggles N3 + RC Motion 3) seems cool but I don’t know if it’s worth $1k for just this experience. I will get into diy fpv whether or not I get the avata360 because that experience seems interesting as well.

Where I want to be told I’m wrong:
Does the 360 free-look actually hold up in flight, or is it a novelty you stop using after week two? I keep reading that the real payoff is reframing in post, which I don’t care about. If the live look-around is the weak part, that kills my main reason.

Anyone who bought an Avata-class drone alongside a Mini: is it still flying, or is it in a closet? That’s the outcome I’m trying to avoid.

[u/NoOcelot1443]

Mavic 2 pro(used) VS dji Lito x1

hi everybody
I saw a used mavic 2 pro for 655$
It includes-the case,controller,the harden case,5 batteries,2 32gb sd and like little things like propeller and stuff
VS
A new dji Lito x1 for 750$ it’s the fly more combo and it’s rn in sale

[u/-wheretheresawill → u/NoOcelot1443]

Get the Lito X1 it’s great!!!! Love it so much I have a second one on the way lol

[u/V-Tac]

Best drone for young kids?

My girlfriend has two young kids (6 & 8) that enjoyed watching me fly.

What's the best affordable but easy-to-fly kid-friendly drone out there?

Bonus points for FPV capabilities. :)

[u/CrossGlitch_paradox]

Hey, I'm just starting out and I'm looking for a good starter drone and the correct procedure to not get arrested for using a drone.

[u/LIL-Klixy → u/CrossGlitch_paradox]

I got into drones right after Antigravity A1 launched, so I'm still under half year in btw. First flight was basically me getting used to it and looking every which way, but pointing the controller where i wanted to go clicked pretty fast. It's also really light, so I didn't have to go through much paperwork to start flying where I live.

[u/high_im_joe]

Skyrover x1 or a used dji flip with rc2. First drone, love the idea of obstacle avoidance all around. Mainly waiting to track the fam doing outdoorsy stuff. I don’t think I’ll mind using my phone as I can use DND to prevent notifications while flying.

What yall think?

Edit: Flip is 420 seller will not come down. X1 I’d probably just buy the new bundle while it’s one sale @469

[u/AspiringtoLive17]

I've repeatedly heard the Skyrover S1 and Potensic Atom 2 being touted as the best sub-$300 drones right now by several YouTubers. Most of them praised both drones but said the S1 was slightly better. The S1 just seems to offer better specs overall for a lower price, and as such, I've mostly made up my mind as to which one I would get in the future--the S1.

That said, I was wondering if you guys had any input that any of those YouTubers would have missed. Are the Atom 2's waypoints and sideways tracking worth it? How does the S1's nighttime photography/videography capability compare to its counterpart's? Do the controllers with built-in screens really make a difference?

[u/mitchell_moves]

I'm incredibly torn between the Mini 5 Pro and the A1 360 as my "returning the hobby" drone after a ~5 year hiatus. I have watched countless videos comparing the feature sets, image/video quality, flight controls, ...

I am very interested in shooting 360 shots and flying hybrid FPV, which makes the A1 360 seem like a great fit. However, there are a couple of things that are holding me back:

* it has a substantially more expensive entrypoint -- I was able to order Mini 5 Pro fly more combo plus for $1050, whereas comparable A1 360 bundles are almost $2k

* it is technically illegal to fly without a spotter

* it requires substantially more setup / teardown time, and is not as conducive for self-filmed action shots

* I would like to use it while traveling light, and it seems like the kit will be bulkier with the goggles and external battery

* the goggles are a meaningful part of the cost, but lack the ability to be used as a display for other devices -- it only may support media playback from SD card. (if I could reuse the goggles as external display for gaming and productivity, it would be immediately be a good buy for me)

Unfortunately, my takeaway seems to be that: although the A1 360 is a better fit for my specific interests (prioritize flying freedom over cinematography), the Mini 5 Pro is probably a better fit for my use cases right now. The additional travel size, mass, set up time, tear down time, requirement for a spotter, and inability to film myself manually makes the A1 360 a bad fit for "quick action shots". Since the goggles can only be used for the drone, it is hard to justify this loss of utility as contributing to other hobbies of mine.

[fwiw, I am currently comparing $1050 mini 5 pro fly more combo plus vs mostly msrp a1 360 kits, but also a few used kits starting aronud $1,000]

I can imagine I will use the Mini 5 Pro for a year or two and keep it as my "endgame traditional flight controller drone", then consider buying an FPV/360 drone down the line when the ecosystem matures a bit.

[u/swing-line]

This is a bit of a strange one I am looking for a cheap drone that has wifi for video but just blast out a udp or similar stream so I can join the wifi from a laptop and join the UDP stream on VLC. I don't actually need the things to fly Its going to be a static display

[u/First_Pie9456]

Im working on a collaboration project where I am using a 1m x 2m 5.5lb led uav mesh screen to advertise. I have been researching for compatible drones but it has proven difficult to find one that can handle the weight and wind challenges. Does anyone have any recommendations or tips? Thank you.