First time buyer! Present for partner

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

Hi all

Complete newbie to this drone stuff! I was hoping one of you could help me

I’m buying my husband his first drone for his birthday this year! I would like to buy a decent quality one and was hoping for some suggestions

Thank so much!!

Hauptmann · Jan 27, 2021

Hi, Jess, and welcome to the forum, from Hauptmann, in the friendly skies of North Texas!

The way I see it, it's down to your budget. On the low side. the MINI 2 is a fine machine. Next up, is the Mavic Air 2. The highest (and best) is the Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom. All have great cameras and performance. I suggest getting the Fly-More kit with whichever you choose. Your partner will appreciate the extra batteries.

We have many, many members in Australia. They will welcome you!

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

Tha

Hauptmann said:
Hi, Jess, and welcome to the forum, from Hauptmann, in the friendly skies of North Texas!

The way I see it, it's down to your budget. On the low side. the MINI 2 is a fine machine. Next up, is the Mavic Air 2. The highest (and best) is the Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom. All have great cameras and performance. I suggest getting the Fly-More kit with whichever you choose. Your partner will appreciate the extra batteries.

We have many, many members in Australia. They will welcome you!

thank you so much! That is such a great and very clear advice really appreciate that I’ll check them out! Is it risky to buy them second hand at all? Or would you suggest just buy them new to be safe

Camino Ken · Jan 27, 2021

I agree with what @Hauptmann said. It might be best if you gave a target price range and then you could get more specific recommendations.

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

Camino Ken said:
I agree with what @Hauptmann said. It might be best if you gave a target price range and then you could get more I was thinking around $1500 aud max would be the budget

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

I was thinking around 1500 aud would be my budget!

Hauptmann · Jan 27, 2021

For 1,500 AUD you should be able to get a new Mavic Air 2 with Fly More kit. Some local dealers may have refurb units for less. I've found the refurbs to be good as new. Good luck!

Saladshooter · Jan 27, 2021

Hauptmann said:
For 1,500 AUD you should be able to get a new Mavic Air 2 with Fly More kit. Some local dealers may have refurb units for less. I've found the refurbs to be good as new. Good luck!

I second that....I would go with the Mavic Air 2 with Fly More Kit..... looks to be about $1899 in you country but if you work it you should be able to get it closer to your budget. It is the best drone in its class and is worth spending the extra dollars on.

Deleted member 103366 · Jan 27, 2021

I bought 2nd hand on ebay UK, Phantom 3 adv (I returned one for "not as described"), Mavic Mini and Mavic 2 Pro, but the buyer protections are fairly good in the UK. I do not have a clue what the buyer protections are like Down Under.
Definitely consider more than one battery.
If thinking of, or looking at 2nd hand, ask for the flight history (it's easy enough for the seller to lift that from the contol App via screen capture etc.) and the charge count on each battery (again in the App). A seller with nothing to hide shouldn't have a problem with that. If you buy 2nd via the www I would also ask for the serial numbers of the drone, the controller and the batteries, some will be stickers, others are listed in the control App. Check that those that arrive match what you have been told, it also protects the seller as it enables then to check any returns are actually their's and not a buyer trying to pull a "fast one".
If you are certain he will like it then you can afford to spend more, if you are uncertain that he will like it then spend less.
Do you want a collapsible/foldable drone or would a Phantom be ok?

Jay241 · Jan 27, 2021

Welcome Jess, do to my budget I went with the Air 2 and are very happy with it. Good luck.

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

Hi All!
Found this on my local Facebook marketplace. Although it’s out of my budget , Is this a good deal?

Deleted member 103366 · Jan 27, 2021

If that is 2nd hand it seems steep to me, I paid around £900 for mine which is about $1600Aus

icecoldgin · Jan 27, 2021

For your budget, the best bang for the buck would be the Mavic Air 2.

But do not count out the Mini 2. It is a decent drone for those starting out. Plus you get some extra AUD$ on the side for some neat accessories or other stuff.

Your husband is one lucky chap. I wish my wife bought me my drone, waaahhhhh ?

Camino Ken · Jan 27, 2021

Like @icecoldgin above, I think the Mavic Air 2 is a great choice. It’s close in performance to the top of the line at about half the price. The Mini 2 would also be a good choice for a first time flyer. One thing I should caution you is that this hobby can be a bit addicting and many of us buy a fair amount of accessories like a landing pad, sun shade, bigger phone or tablet, tablet mount, cases or backpacks, etc, etc, etc. In the end it could end up costing a bit more than you initially thought.

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

Thank you so much for your amazing advice and info! I am going to go with the air 2

You are all so so helpful!

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

icecoldgin said:
For your budget, the best bang for the buck would be the Mavic Air 2.

But do not count out the Mini 2. It is a decent drone for those starting out. Plus you get some extra AUD$ on the side for some neat accessories or other stuff.

Your husband is one lucky chap. I wish my wife bought me my drone, waaahhhhh ?

Truly appreciate this advice!
Haha I just love giving good presents ?

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

Camino Ken said:
Like @icecoldgin above, I think the Mavic Air 2 is a great choice. It’s close in performance to the top of the line at about half the price. The Mini 2 would also be a good choice for a first time flyer. One thing I should caution you is that this hobby can be a bit addicting and many of us buy a fair amount of accessories like a landing pad, sun shade, bigger phone or tablet, tablet mount, cases or backpacks, etc, etc, etc. In the end it could end up costing a bit more than you initially thought.

Thanks for the heads up ? I’ll make sure he buys any extras for it when he becomes addicted lol

jess.888 · Jan 27, 2021

PhiliusFoggg said:
If that is 2nd hand it seems steep to me, I paid around £900 for mine which is about $1600Aus

Great appreciate that! I’ll go with the air 2

Tufargon · Jan 27, 2021

I'll agree with everyone here on the Mavic Air 2 but you still have to remember that you'll need a compatible phone or tablet to work with the fly app. I've found that the Asus Zenpad Z8s seems to be the best value for the buck on the Android side. A lot of people like some of the Samsungs but a lot of them don't have a built in compass like the Asus I mentioned and they do cost more. Most people use IOS devices.
Here is a list of some of the compatible devices that DJI recommends DJI Fly- Download Center - DJI and another list here The Latest DJI Fly (DJI Mini 2 / Mavic Mini / Mavic Air 2) Compatible Phones list | Cult of Drone and another updated list here Best Tablets and Phones for DJI GO & DJI Fly (Updated Daily) | Phantom Help .
I need a partner like you lol.

Deleted member 103366 · Jan 28, 2021

Tufargon's point is very relevant, many people were caught out by the fact that the FLY app, which 'controls' the MA2, (Mavic Mini in my case) REQUIRES a 64bit phone and possibly certain "chips". I had tested before I bought a MM so knew I needed a 'new' phone. (Ebayed 2nd hand Samsung S6)
You can test whether the phone 'you' have will run the FLY app by, if Android, looking in the google play store. My 'old' phone doesn't see the FLY app in there.
If 'your' phone sees it TRY installing it and running it, you do not need the drone to do this.
.
I don't know how you test an iphone etc. (if you can)