QuadCopter recommendations?


 
I got a new (& proper) drone

my black Friday / Christmas came early - I got a shiny new DJi Mavic 2 last Thursday. I had it in beginner mode for the first 4-5 flights, today I took it off beginner mode (100' height & distance from the remote, plus it moves slowly).

I've been spending a lot of time reading @ FAA, started a study course for the FAA 107 Remote Pilot Operator license (not needed for hobbyists, I just want to know the rules).

I've watched more youtube videos than you could shake a stick at about flying, best practices, mistakes (crashes etc), & I'm still watching a ton of them.

I came across this video @ the DJi website/forum, it's a video technique called a "hyperlapse" (no clue what it means or how it's done) and thought others might enjoy it as much as me.


After watching so many videos, I'm sure I've made some mistakes (I've been ~1 mile away, 400' above my neighborhood; initially the limit was set to ~1700' distance but I disabled the distance limitation). Probably time for me to get some drone insurance.
 
Clint said:
my black Friday / Christmas came early - I got a shiny new DJi Mavic 2 last Thursday.
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Did you get that drone at Costco? I’m just starting to do my research but that looked like a great starter drone and maybe even a good mid range model.
 
Jerry N. said:
Did you get that drone at Costco? I’m just starting to do my research but that looked like a great starter drone and maybe even a good mid range model.
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No but the Mavic Air @ Costco is last year's model of what I just got, unless I'm mistaken:

https://www.costco.com/DJI-Mavic-Pro-Platinum-Aerial-Camera-Bundle.product.100411600.html

Not a bad choice.

Edit:>>>>> How much are they selling it for? The goggles alone cost >$400, I don't have them.

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Have you flown quads or helicopters before? (((what kind?!)))

Here's a pic of my current quads ((one's been in pieces, it's supposed to be a new build, since 2014))

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Here's the first flight I took on a hike (last Sunday): https://www.skypixel.com/videos/loo...y-dji-go-197accab-eb0a-4024-b25c-87b354a1d9ba

I popped it up last night to check out the camera @ night: https://www.skypixel.com/videos/dji-0024-0ff12638-a4a1-4fe9-aa2a-f71b347c5705

My neighbor ordered the DJI Spark (with fly more kit) yesterday, it'll be here Friday so I'll be able to see that too....
 
No. I’m as newbie as can be. I’m taking a class in January to get some instruction and get a sense of whether or not this is something I want to get into. From my cursory review, it seems like the DJI products do well in the reviews. I think the class I’m going to take uses the phantoms to train with. My main concern is dropping a lot of money and then finding out that my choice was bad and if I just would have gotten the next model up, it would do everything I would ever want. So, I need to do more research or at least get comfortable that I’ll probably need to buy a couple and to just make sure my first is good enough to learn from so that the next one can be a better, well thought out purchase.

Those are some nice videos. Hard to believe how stable those shots look given they’re from an in flight camera. Thanks for sharing. I probably need the find the “Virtual Weber Board” of drones.
 
I just saw this - I'm not sure how current the prices/models are, it's probably coming up on a year old:

(blade inductrix RTF, Phantom 3 4K, Phantom advanced & professional, Phantom 4, & DJI mavic)

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**people need to be aware that these bigger drones need to be taken seriously! Manned aircraft, people, & property can be affected more than the smaller toy-like quads.

I joined a local drone fb group & they just posted this, which is where I found the above info.
https://courses.droneproacademy.com...UlDyGDhmAj0wv2gnrSoTCy04gWLUJujO-pYsTqIG322z4
 
Jerry N. said:
No. I’m as newbie as can be. I’m taking a class in January to get some instruction and get a sense of whether or not this is something I want to get into. From my cursory review, it seems like the DJI products do well in the reviews. I think the class I’m going to take uses the phantoms to train with. My main concern is dropping a lot of money and then finding out that my choice was bad and if I just would have gotten the next model up, it would do everything I would ever want. So, I need to do more research or at least get comfortable that I’ll probably need to buy a couple and to just make sure my first is good enough to learn from so that the next one can be a better, well thought out purchase.

Those are some nice videos. Hard to believe how stable those shots look given they’re from an in flight camera. Thanks for sharing. I probably need the find the “Virtual Weber Board” of drones.
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Sounds like you're going about it the right way! I tend to learn the hard way.

Here's the drone forum I've been checking out - it's not as easy to navigate/read as here but there's a lot of good info.

https://forum.dji.com/

Get a cheapie first!!! You'll want to get familiar with it's controls - start with the drone on the ground facing away from you, lift off just a little & figure out the controls, then face it towards you, then it facing right, then left. These are pretty easy compared to helicopters.

The Husban X4, Blade nano qx (I don't think it's quite as durable but it'll take a lot of abuse), the Syma X5 (bigger, lighter, still good for indoors but keep it away from your tv).

I've watched a ton of training videos & have had the realflight sims for years but haven't done a whole lot with the simulators).
 
Thanks. Maybe I should get one of those practice drones and work on my skills before spending any more money. I do like the prices of those lower end Phantom 3s. I thought they were all over a grand. Lot to learn and think about befor I get into another hobby. Thanks.
 
This is how I show people how to practice - this is a good series if it's the same one I tried to follow:


https://www.rchelicopterfun.com/rc-helicopter-training.html

Pretty much everything's similar (less a few concerns and compensations) and will carry over, the heli guys are much more careful than any drone demo you'll ever see. The copters are expensive and hard to fix!

I'd suggest looking into realflight too.

My cousin told me yesterday that he borrowed a drone to film his new house's construction, he had RC cars (I think), but he didn't have nearly as much exp as me. He commented how easy the mavic was to fly.

- - - Updated - - -

NP! Hope you enjoy!
 
Jerry N. said:
I have a small helicopter that I'm actually pretty good flying. Are the quads that much different? I thought they would be easier. Different but easier.

FWIW, my helicopter is a Blade MCX2


http://www.bladehelis.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdId=EFLH2400
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oh yeah quads just don't have to correct for the tail rotation of helis -- they're not constantly trying to pull you to the left or rotate. If you can fly a heli then you're ready for a quadcopter - they fly the same, the only difference is the shape.

and if you can fly a quadcopter, then a drone is even easier than that.

The Phantoms or mavics will surprise you with their stability. You'll love it.

If you get that one from Costco (same price at the dji store or amazon I think), when you go to activate it when you first fly it, you'll have an option to sign up for DJI Refresh where it's like a cell-phone insurance program: they'll replace your drone twice in the first year (don't lose it) for a fee......check the details on whichever you get.

I just popped into the official dji store & they don't have good prices (or even sell) the phantom 3 or earlier, just phantom 4.



Just be aware that it gets serious(ly fun!), our little Helis & Quads are pretty much toys that won't go much higher than 100-150' and direct line of sight.
 
Thanks for the help and information. Now I’m just perplexed as to whether to pull the trigger now given that it’s Black Friday pricing or wait until after my class n January.

First world problems for sure.

For now, I’ll focus on getting the turkey cooked. Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Top Video Editing Software for Drone Owners: Paid and Free

Jerry N. said:
Thanks for the help and information. Now I’m just perplexed as to whether to pull the trigger now given that it’s Black Friday pricing or wait until after my class n January.

First world problems for sure.

For now, I’ll focus on getting the turkey cooked. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Thx, you too!


I found a thread on video editing software, I just downloaded Davinci Resolve 15 (free)
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/


Top Video Editing Software for Drone Owners: Paid and Free
https://forum.dji.com/thread-110283-1-1.html


I should quit fooling around here & head out for T day in a min. Maybe one more coffee with baileys ;)
 
After dinner and of course been surfing the dji site. Was looking at the Spark, but the sweet spot for me seems to be the Mavic Air with the fly more combo pack for $899. I’d appreciate your thoughts. Seems like the step up in capabilities is worth the extra cost but it is still an extra $400+.
 
Jerry N. said:
After dinner and of course been surfing the dji site. Was looking at the Spark, but the sweet spot for me seems to be the Mavic Air with the fly more combo pack for $899. IÂ’d appreciate your thoughts. Seems like the step up in capabilities is worth the extra cost but it is still an extra $400+.
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I'll see the spark tomorrow & Saturday so I'll have a better idea - I saw some Phantom 3s from $550-$650 @ Amazon. I've only seen one in person once, never flown one. I keep looking & I think I'd avoid the phantom & stick with the mavic series (love mine so far). You want my non-cost-conscious, not my wallet opinion: I say get the mavic pro with the goggles :)

I went out a little this afternoon and got a pretty cool but short hyperlapse (didn't know what I was doing).

One thing: since the drones you're looking at weigh between .55 & 55 pounds you're going to have to register it with the FAA - not a big deal, I believe the registration belongs to the person kind of like a drivers license, so you don't have to register each drone. Mine expires sometime in 2019, and I still need to attach a label to mine. https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/registration/

If you're on fb, I'd recommend searching "your state drone club" and join a couple of them - they seem to have fun flies, there's people popping in looking for real estate photographers, people showing off their clips featured on TV, and then the cool shots in your state parks (most national parks are off limits).

I got the FAA 107 study guide: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1619546663/tvwb-20?tag=TVWB-20


https://youtu.be/ZrgDWBFhA4k
 
Let me know what you think of the Spark. I appreciate your opinion on the Mavic with goggles. That, however, leads me back to the Spark. I think the Spark might be good enough to help me learn and help me evaluate whether or not this is something I want to get into. It’s not too cheap to frustrate me and it’s high enough up on the technology scale to help me learn and be able to determine what’s important to me. Then I can jump up to something like the Mavic with goggles. The goggles do intrigue me.
 
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