drone owners

[zendriver]

Anyone have one that they love or hate? How are they holding up?

Looking to get a mid priced one with good camera features. Maybe under $400.

Some of the ones I’ve been looking at are out of stock probably from the Christmas season. Just wondering also be like a onslaught of 2021 models. If that’s a thing.

Thanks





Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[PugetDude]

In before the lock.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

I have a DJI maverick mini with the fly more combo

It’s a great little drone for the price

Easy to fly with a decent camera

Here is a photo of my house in the fall

 

[Rabid Badger]

Yeah, if you're looking for a solid camera drone the Mavic Mini is pretty much the minimum viable. You'll want to get the kit with extra batteries and other accessories, which clocks in at $500. It would probably be worth it to drop the extra $100 for the Mavic Mini 2, though.

 

[will335i]

I also have the Mavic Mini. Great little drone and agreed its really the lowest you can go with a great combination of flight time, ease of flight, and camera. There are some sort comings with no follow me function or object avoidance sensors. The arms are a little weak too if it hits something too hard or falls too far but there are products out there that will stiffen them that you can buy or print if you have a 3D printer.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have both a Phantom 4 and a Mavic Mini. I would recommend the Mini to any first timer.

The Phantom has a few more features than the Mini, some of which are nice, but the Mini is much lighter, smaller, quieter, lower price, longer battery life, and shoots similar video.

 

[muguvian]

They are a couple generations old now but I've had the Yuneec Typhoon H and a DJI Mavic Pro for doing aircraft crash investigations. They were judged on portability in the field and quality of video/stills, so I chose the Typhoon 90% of the time because of the full 360 pan camera and lack of shadow interference from the blades on the lens when the sun was high. It was also more stable in wind and generally more pleasant to fly.

I'd take the Mavic when I had to fly commercial airlines to the crash site because it was easy to fit the whole kit in a small backpack. I used a MavMount in the controller with an iPad for the display, so there was an extra expense of the iPad. The Yuneec controller has an integral 7" tablet, so another plus in my book.

For the price you stated, you can get some second-hand "flagship" birds that are still very good if you know what to look out for.

 

[kelpaso1]

I had a DJI. I played with it for a month and then the novelty wore off. (Can only look at your house so many times). Lucky I sold it for 3/4 of what I paid for it. Unless you have a practical need for one, it is just an expensive toy.

 

[Packard V8]

Unless you have a practical need for one, it is just an expensive toy.

Even if there's a professional use, there can be downsides. Do you have kids? They can't/won't leave drones alone.

An acquaintance is a SoCal realtor and was an early adaptor of the drone views on the selling website. His teen-age son snuck out with the $2500 drone and he and his buddies were flying it around upscale Huntington Beach backyards perving at girls sunbathing ****. They made hovered a bit too over one pool and a pissed-off boyfriend blew the drone out of the sky with a 12-gauge ***** gun.

jack vines