Intrigued from UK

[Cyclonetog]

Hi,

My son has asked Santa for a drone for christmas, true story, the first we heard of it was in Santas grotto...

I have ordered him a drone, however I now need one for myself
He (we) has a YouTube channel, so drone footage will soon be a feature of the channel. I've been watching every MP FMCombo on eBay, they're all selling for £550-£650 depending on condition etc, but currently I'm stuck in the cycle of "for.another £50 can get this". Drones Direct here have the Platinum for £779 (was £749 yesterday), but as an ex-freelance photographer, I like the idea of owning a 'blad, so looking at MP2's also.

With rumours of an MP3 on the horizon, I wonder if it's worth waiting for prices to drop in the new year?

Sorry for the ramble!

 

[old man mavic]

Hi,

My son has asked Santa for a drone for christmas, true story, the first we heard of it was in Santas grotto...

I have ordered him a drone, however I now need one for myself
He (we) has a YouTube channel, so drone footage will soon be a feature of the channel. I've been watching every MP FMCombo on eBay, they're all selling for £550-£650 depending on condition etc, but currently I'm stuck in the cycle of "for.another £50 can get this". Drones Direct here have the Platinum for £779 (was £749 yesterday), but as an ex-freelance photographer, I like the idea of owning a 'blad, so looking at MP2's also.

With rumours of an MP3 on the horizon, I wonder if it's worth waiting for prices to drop in the new year?

Sorry for the ramble!

is that price you quoted for the flymore combo mavic platinum if so thats a really good deal,its really what you want to spend and need from your drone ,what did you order for your son a MM i suspect ,you are really better off getting a new drone if you can as you dont really know how someone has looked after the second hand one ,good luck

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching .

 

[old man mavic]

sorry in my haste to answer your question i forgot to welcome you to the forum

welcome to the forum from Wales not very far from where you are

 

[Thomas B]

Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy

As far as the M3.... all rumor so far and not from sources who should know. Get your bird now and then fly and learn with your son.

 

[MacCool]

With rumours of an MP3 on the horizon, I wonder if it's worth waiting for prices to drop in the new year?

A perennial question, but there is always a MP (X+1) on the horizon.

 

[Cyclonetog]

is that price you quoted for the flymore combo mavic platinum if so thats a really good deal...

Yes its the Platinum combo. It's so much cheaper than anywhere else that I don't know what the catch is...

Ordered the boy a Visuo as I saw a really helpful review that pointed out that young kids just like to do stunts etc


Thanks all for the replies and welcome!

 

[FoxhallGH]

Hi,

My son has asked Santa for a drone for christmas, true story, the first we heard of it was in Santas grotto...

I have ordered him a drone, however I now need one for myself
He (we) has a YouTube channel, so drone footage will soon be a feature of the channel. I've been watching every MP FMCombo on eBay, they're all selling for £550-£650 depending on condition etc, but currently I'm stuck in the cycle of "for.another £50 can get this". Drones Direct here have the Platinum for £779 (was £749 yesterday), but as an ex-freelance photographer, I like the idea of owning a 'blad, so looking at MP2's also.

With rumours of an MP3 on the horizon, I wonder if it's worth waiting for prices to drop in the new year?

Sorry for the ramble!

Welcome to the forum ... The next gen' DJI drones are going to include ADS-B for reporting positional information to CAA Air Traffic Control - so I don't think we'll see them coming in as a direct replacement somehow ... they will be expensive - even though DJI will be struggling to keep the range pricing as close as it can to what it is currently.
The bottom line is that it depends on what you will be using the drone for. If it's going to be purely recreational, then UAV's like the MP Platinum are a great machine and will give you hours of fun with excellent video and still photo's. You do need to get familiar with what you are allowed to do in a commercial sense, however. I'm not sure what you want to do with your YouTube channel, but if the footage you use is helping you make money, then the CAA could come down on you and insist that you have a PfCO (Permission for Commercial Operation) qualification ... Without knowing your plans, it's difficult to give you a full suite of advice ...

 

[Cyclonetog]

I'd love the channel to make money, however that's a LONG way off.

I've had a couple of things niggling at me for a few years in terms of career moves, the first is car detailing, and the second is drone pilot.

I'm a relatively talented model car racer, I've made the GB team a couple of times, raced 2 world championships and 1 European championship.
Actually the association has offered me a place for the upcoming worlds in 2020, but I've declined.

I think my mix of rc and photography knowledge make me a good candidate for commercial drone operation, but I haven idea how to go about it.

My current job takes up a lot of my time and energy, but I'm not a high earner by any stretch of the imagination...

 

[FoxhallGH]

This is just my take on it - but if you are already a good photographer, then the Mavic 2 Pro would be good for you, as the Hasselblad camera is a big step up from the standard unit on the Mav Pro and Platinum drones. I think that DJI [along with other manufacturers] is under pressure to produce drones that are going to be able to do the type of object avoidance that's being demonstrated by the 'Skydio 2' drone at the moment - that's going to introduce a new breed of 'action' drone that autonomously follows you through any terrain - but for outright photography, you need a good camera, a rock-steady platform, and good battery life. The Mav 2 Pro seems to provide all that.

 

[old man mavic]

Yes its the Platinum combo. It's so much cheaper than anywhere else that I don't know what the catch is...

Ordered the boy a Visuo as I saw a really helpful review that pointed out that young kids just like to do stunts etc


Thanks all for the replies and welcome!

i have purchased a lot of my stuff from DD and they have been great value ,the MPP i purchased from them was on offer at the time and i saved a considerable amount over a year ago they probably have a lot of stock of the MPP and are therefore able to discount them to move them on my friend and flying companion purchased a MPP combo from them 2 months ago and he had a good saving on the list price as well ,just to let you know ,i have no affiliation with DD just speaking from my dealings with them

 

[Cyclonetog]

That's great old man,

This is what forums are for, sharing real experience, they currently have an open box MPP combo for £720. Very tempting.

 

[johnbirt]

I have the Visuo XS812. If that is what your son is going to get from Santa or the newer one then he should be very pleased. Brilliant little drone for learning. 200g with battery so no flyer id or op needed. Don't even need a phone and perhaps better to learn without and then when competent use the phone for the extra facilities. Range is 100m-200m depending on conditions which is more than enough for learning LOS operation.

If you have a 3 battery version should be enough but I got a further 3 from BangGood about 2 weeks delivery.

I would go for the flymore combo mavic platinum at that price but if you can stretch to a M2 Pro then get that but as oldmanmavic says get new definitely. The extra expense of a M2 Pro flymore is worth it IMO but if too much then get the platinum would be my choice. I also have an Air and a Anafi which also in their way are brilliant. The Anafi is a dream to fly and to my eye the camera is pretty good but I know zilch about professional photography so others would say not good enough quality but the ability to point the camera vertically up is cute and useful for going under stuff.

Enjoy whatever you get. Your lad will be happy - at least for now! Could prove ultimately expensive.

 

[Cyclonetog]

It's an XS809, got 3 batteries with it.

Funny enough it's looking at batteries that led me to this forum initially. I hate that they're proprietary, that's something we don't have in RC cars, you can take your pick and there is little to zero difference between a £35 pack and a £90 pack.

Putting the power switch in the battery seems a little bit like sharp practice to me.

 

[msinger]

Welcome to the forum!

With rumours of an MP3 on the horizon, I wonder if it's worth waiting for prices to drop in the new year?

Rumors of the next best model are always circulating. Nobody knows if or when an MP3 will be released.

 

[MacCool]

Welcome to the forum!


Rumors of the next best model are always circulating. Nobody knows if or when an MP3 will be released.

Or what it's features will be, but release is likely to be sooner rather than later, given DJI's public commitment to ADS-B in ALL of their drones beginning January 1, 2020.

ADS-B Receivers In Consumer-Grade Drones Will Set A New Standard In Drone Safety - DJI

DJI strengthened its role as the drone industry’s safety leader by committing to install airplane and helicopter detectors in new consumer drones, part of a 10-point plan to ensure the world’s skies remain safe in the drone era.

www.dji.com

In that regard and given their track record for reliable, trouble-free technology implementation ..I'm not sure that the Mavic 3 is the drone to buy. Maybe the Mavic 4 would be a better choice. Of course, with "AirSense" and given DJI's "Big Brother" inclination, that technology may, sooner or later, include some kind implementation that your Mavic 3, 4, or 5 is automatically landed wherever it happens to be if the drone senses an aircraft within 5 miles of your flying location.

Airsense will likely be a great "feel good" marketing tool for DJI, but I see no way this ends up being good for DJI drone pilots.

 

[johnbirt]

It's an XS809, got 3 batteries with it.

Funny enough it's looking at batteries that led me to this forum initially. I hate that they're proprietary, that's something we don't have in RC cars, you can take your pick and there is little to zero difference between a £35 pack and a £90 pack.

Putting the power switch in the battery seems a little bit like sharp practice to me.

You mean each battery has a switch? Not sure I follow. All the Mavics have the power switch in the battery. It is the different sizes and connectors that bug me needing different chargers etc.etc. .

The xs812 has a power switch on the underside and the batteries just slot in. Must say I don't think I have ever used 3 in 1 session so 3 of the 6 never used so far.

 

[Cyclonetog]

You mean each battery has a switch?

All the Mavics have the power switch in the battery.

Exactly, DJI have made the batteries in a way that you don't have free choice to buy your preferred battery.
I have a supplier that would do me a very good price on spare batteries (he just gave me 2 to test for car racing), but I won't be able to use him.

The Mavic Pro battery is a 3S Lipo with less than 4000mah.
This sort of thing can be found for less than £20
here for example

I also won't be able to use my expensive Lipo charger, which I'm convinced would give longer flight times. We've put a lot of effort into battery management in racing.

 

[old man mavic]

Exactly, DJI have made the batteries in a way that you don't have free choice to buy your preferred battery.
I have a supplier that would do me a very good price on spare batteries (he just gave me 2 to test for car racing), but I won't be able to use him.

The Mavic Pro battery is a 3S Lipo with less than 4000mah.
This sort of thing can be found for less than £20
here for example

I also won't be able to use my expensive Lipo charger, which I'm convinced would give longer flight times. We've put a lot of effort into battery management in racing.

the main difference with the lipos you use and DJI ones is the built in battery management of the DJI ones,it does all the things that your special charger does over charge protection cell ballance over discharge protection charge cycle counter,and feeds that info to the app so you can see whats happening,and its that part of the battery that costs the money you pay for them i think they tried to make the batteries safer to use for new flyers ,battery care is a subject in its own right i have used 3 cell lipos for my early drones and they do require a different approach and are more hands on

 

[Cyclonetog]

Yeah but I can also charge a pack in 7 minutes