Drones

[tabbibus]

I'm thinking of getting a DJI drone, for general fun with the family, some boating footage, and some biking footage. Looking at the Mini 3 Pro vs the Air 2S.

Does anyone have any experience with them? What are the US laws regarding drones?

 

[biffdotorg]

Owned a number of drones over the years and tested a number for manufacturers for reviews as well. Ronnie probably has the most drone experience of any of us.

I started with a DJI Phantom 2 with GoPro. And a year or so ago, my wife bought me a Mini 2. The Mini 2 was an ideal drone for the casual flyer. It has all the features and picture quality without the cost. Starting well under $500. I have loved the flight time and easy of transport (obviously compared to a phantom)

The Mini 3 is very new, and I doubt you will find many with experience with it so far. Other than the youtubers that got pre-production units. It looks like there are some great upgrades to the Mini 3. Not sure if it's worth the extra money yet. If you have never owned one, start low end, and you may lose the first one, HA!

I have flown a couple Mavic Air's and they are a great drone. The Mini 3 will easily replace any of the AIr models. As it really filled the gap on features.

Good luck.

 

[Bluewater272]

I've been flying drones since 2015 and have had many models produced by DJI (Phantom 1, 2, Inspire, Mavic, Mavic 2 Pro, Mini 2), but for recreational use on the boat - the Mini 2 is my favorite without question.

Its not as fast, the pictures aren't as good, doesn't have as many features, it gets beat up a little by strong winds, but its the easiest to keep with you and use often. Its ideal for boat use as its much easier to hand catch than the Mavic line. At under 250 grams, there are no regulatory registration requirements. The Mini 3 Pro looks awesome, and if you've got the extra budget for it, do it. I'll probably upgrade to it later, but I got the Mini 2 for <$400, so its hard to justify the upgrade price. It fits in the water bottle sleeve of my boat backpack, or in a hoodie pocket. I love it.

As to the laws - keep it under 400' AGL, don't fly over people, stadiums, etc, keep away from airports (DJI App will force this). Generally just don't do anything obviously stupid and you're good.

 

[2kwik4u]

I've been flying drones since 2015 and have had many models produced by DJI (Phantom 1, 2, Inspire, Mavic, Mavic 2 Pro, Mini 2), but for recreational use on the boat - the Mini 2 is my favorite without question.

Its not as fast, the pictures aren't as good, doesn't have as many features, it gets beat up a little by strong winds, but its the easiest to keep with you and use often. Its ideal for boat use as its much easier to hand catch than the Mavic line. At under 250 grams, there are no regulatory registration requirements. The Mini 3 Pro looks awesome, and if you've got the extra budget for it, do it. I'll probably upgrade to it later, but I got the Mini 2 for <$400, so its hard to justify the upgrade price. It fits in the water bottle sleeve of my boat backpack, or in a hoodie pocket. I love it.

As to the laws - keep it under 400' AGL, don't fly over people, stadiums, etc, keep away from airports (DJI App will force this). Generally just don't do anything obviously stupid and you're good.

Super good info. Thanks for this. I've been considering getting something with video capabilities for awhile. Oldest has a Syma something or the other, and has been flying it around the backyard since Christmas. It's fun. Would be great to get some images with it while it was up in the air!

Also, saw your post in that other thread. It's easier to ignore than you think.

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

I own two DJI Air 2's and they are exceptional. I have also drowned one of mine. (thank the maker for DJI Care Refresh plan). I now only fly with an aftermarket flotation device so it can land in the water if necessary. This has been instrumental in getting water level footage too which can add something to your video's. Droning from a boat is super cool but does come with perils especially landing and finding yourself when you are running low on battery power and you are trying to spot yourself amongst others.

Tip 1: Practice Practice Practice on land before attempting to fly from a boat.
Tip 2: DJI uses GeoFencing and it can hamper your ability to fly if your boating area is near "no fly" zones...this part is a problem out here.

Attached are videos using the DJI Air2.

 

[Miitch]

Mavic mini has been my go to. Ive been flying it since about 2019 now and it hasn't caused me a single issue. Id recommend a second or third battery for the smaller drones though. Theyre only rated for ~20 minutes of flight time. The mini is a perfect size to come on our boat and not take up much storage. and for at-home-videos the quality is stellar. nobody is really going to notice the difference between 2.5K (mavic mini) and 4K (flagship models) when theyre watching your videos from their cellphones or dated laptops.

 

[Julian]

Drones are an expensive hobby. I had a Gopro Karma that they bricked (had to sell it for parts). Then I bought a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The Mini probably would have been a better buy for me. The smaller the better as you will be more likely to take it with you. If you do get into this, ideally you will also want a PC that can edit video well, otherwise you end up with tons of footage that you do little with (or just capture images with it).

I enjoy my drone, but really don't get enough use from it to justify the $2k I spent on it.

Flying over water is a heart pounding trip.....

 

[Wicked92]

anyone use a skydio 2+?

 

[Ronnie]

I think drones are like boats in that the one(s) you buy depend on your intended use(s). If videography is your thing and you need long flight times it’s hard to beat dji. If you want a follow me drone that does most of the flying for you (e.g. you want footage of you behind the boat) look at the sky dio (sp?) or something similar to the air dog ii. If you want a racing drone build one from a kit and get some light weight VR goggles. If I was just starting out I’d shoot for one of the smaller dji models and would try to purchase from Costco assuming their basic returns process applies.

The big thing to consider is not really the flying, if you are into videography think about how much time it takes to download, edit and upload videos. Lack of time is what got me out of the hobby. When I was in it I realized that I was missing out on a lot of the fun of the activity that I was filming. All good if you don’t go all in.

The prices have really decreased over the last few years but I got a lot of better footage once I accepted That every time I put one in the air I was risking loosing it. If you fly over water it’s worth putting on a floatation device (usually self inflating for dropped fishing poles) but only to recover the memory card and for spare parts. The electronics are likely toast.

 

[LoWeLL216]

I have a Mini 2 - it's an awesome first drone.

If I were you I'd go with the Mini 3. It has a lot of real upgrades over the 2 (Camera sensor, some obstacle avoidance, true follow-modes, longer flight duration). As others have noted its brand new and I don't even know if you can get one yet.

I don't know if this is a factor for you , but you also don't need to register the Minis as they're under 250 grams.

 

[BlkGS]

Do they still have drones that will follow you automatically to shoot video? I assume that's probably a fairly standard feature now, but the only drone experience I have is with an inexpensive one I got for Xmas one year, it's a total Amazon lightning deals kinda thing.

 

[LoWeLL216]

Do they still have drones that will follow you automatically to shoot video? I assume that's probably a fairly standard feature now, but the only drone experience I have is with an inexpensive one I got for Xmas one year, it's a total Amazon lightning deals kinda thing.

Talking DJI, the Mini 2 doesn't out of the box. The Mini 3 and other higher end DJI models mostly all do.

 

[Can0n11]

Airmap and B4UFLY are good apps that will keep you out of trouble airspace wise.. Part 107 is for commercial operators but good basic airmanship info.. https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_airspace_authorizations/

 

[tabbibus]

Man, ok, so I didn't realize the Mini 3 is not out yet. I had decided to go that route. I guess I'll just wait now.

 

[1BadTundra]

I've also had multiple drones over the years. I currently have a DJI Mavic Air 2. We take it everywhere, it's always in the trunk. DJI is a great off the shelf drone, great support and most user friendly.

 

[biffdotorg]

I have a Mini 2 - it's an awesome first drone.

If I were you I'd go with the Mini 3. It has a lot of real upgrades over the 2 (Camera sensor, some obstacle avoidance, true follow-modes, longer flight duration). As others have noted its brand new and I don't even know if you can get one yet.

I don't know if this is a factor for you , but you also don't need to register the Minis as they're under 250 grams.

Agree 100%. The mini line is the best bang for the buck. I have not seen where the entry level Mini 3 is coming in for price. Or if it can replace the value of the Mini 2. But the upgrades are amazing. Watch which battery you put in the Mini 3, as it will determine if you are at or below the 249g cutoff for registration. Worst case, you register, it's not a big deal.

 

[tabbibus]

Just put an order in for the new Mini 3 Pro. Looking forward to this new toy! Won't arrive till mid July tho.

 

[LoWeLL216]

That's great! Be looking forward to your review. It looks awesome .

 

[Bluewater272]

Just put an order in for the new Mini 3 Pro. Looking forward to this new toy! Won't arrive till mid July tho.

Awesome, keep us posted on how it performs.