Is the PHANTOM 3 STANDARD worth it in 2021 and 2022?

[adamkiwi07]

Just wondering.

 

[msinger]

DJI makes great drones in general. The P3 is pretty old these days and it's getting harder to find parts for it. If it fits your budget, why not get something more modern like the Mini 2?

 

[adamkiwi07]

DJI makes great drones in general. The P3 is pretty old these days and it's getting harder to find parts for it. If it fits your budget, why not get something more modern like the Mini 2?

Thanks. Yeah Im thinking of starting with MM1 at first. Thanks for your response

 

[old man mavic]

@adamkiwi07 hi Adam i sense you are trying to get into the hobby ,without spending to much, and because of this then the MM first gen drone would be a great way to go ,if only for the fact that there are plenty of them around due to other people upgrading to the Mini2 or MA2 at the moment
i have a MM and it is a good fun drone to fly,please dont go for any of the older phantoms for the reasons @msinger mentioned ,plus the batteries are costly and the transmission from RC to drone and back is patchy at best ,its bulky to transport as well ,if you could run to the Mini2 then you would benefit from the upgrades compared to the original MM ,at the end of the day it comes down to how much you are able to spend, hope you get air born soon good luck

 

[mavicn00b]

An alternate view, if you live in a windy area, the P3 might be a more suitable choice. It's also a great choice if you wish to learn flying in ATTI mode.

 

[msinger]

Im thinking of starting with MM1 at first

The Mini 2 is a pretty large upgrade over the MM1. If you're able to skip right to it, I highly recommend it.

 

[anotherlab]

Just wondering.

I have the Phantom 3 Standard (P3S) and it's a great machine to start with. But in 2021, I wouldn't buy a used one. The Mini 2 would be a better machine to learn on. Out of the box, the P3S has horrible range (I bought a kit to address that) and your phone/tablet connects to it via WiFi. The Mini 2 with Ocusync and the wired phone connection just beats the P3S.

 

[African wildlife]

You'd be better advised to look for a used P4P or P4P+. Amazing in the wind of Kent and one of the best drones ever made (which we still use as our primary drone). Yes, Mavic pilots will often describe it as "bulky" but we find it is easily carried in a P4P backpack. But a P3S? No. Not in 2021.

 

[Meta4]

Just wondering.

The P3 Standard wasn't very good when it was released.
It was a long way behind the other Phantom 3 models released months earlier.

 

[thewishy]

Just one other thing to ponder in the UK. Without an A2 CofC (approx £100 / 6-8 hour course) you're extremely restricted as to where you might fly it in the UK.
On the other hand, a Mavic Mini (2) has virtually no restrictions beyond the basic drone registration scheme.

It's just down to weight, and the risk associated with a crash

 

[Kilrah]

It was never worth it, the Standard was a lower cost model with really poor video transmission.

 

[Repaid1]

The issue right now is you had DJI's beginner drone with the P3S go to market back then. It was a scaled back/budget version of the P3P/A series. It got what was then a more budget friendly alternative for those wishing to get into the hobby.

But as mentioned times change and things have moved much further and much smaller as a result. DJI marketed the Mavic Mini to again bring a new era to beginning pilots. The mini had a good run and DJI came to find quickly that quite a few buyers weren't the newbies they thought they were targeting. So they redesigned all the shortcomings/requested feature set...and marketed the Mini 2.

The Mini 2 is what I would consider the bare minimum these days to enter the hobby and do so comfortably given a learning but capable craft. So I go with the others, nix the P3S idea, skip the MM1, and go with the redesigned Mini 2. The price difference for what you get is negligible. It has room to grow to a intermediate aircraft so should be a better choice IMHO.

 

[anotherlab]

It was never worth it, the Standard was a lower cost model with really poor video transmission.

At the time, it was a budget-friendly way of getting a cinematic drone. I paid $399 for mine and had a lot of fun with it. But yeah, the transmission link was horrible,

 

[CareyL]

Just wondering.

Do a search of "mini flyaway" and you will know why they are now being sold at huge discounts.

 

[old man mavic]

those flyaways as they are incorrectly called (should be blowaway) are for the most part the result of pilot error ,any drone can be compromised by sudden changes to weather conditions ,and the MM being so light has suffered more than most of the mavic family ,

 

[b52danno]

Beg, borrow or steal to get the MM2, anything else will not be a bargain.

 

[CareyL]

those flyaways as they are incorrectly called (should be blowaway) are for the most part the result off pilot error ,any drone can be compromised by sudden changes to weather conditions ,and the MM being so light has suffered more than most of the mavic family ,

Yes except "flyaway" is a searchable term and "blow away" rarely identified in this underpowered aircraft whose only justification for existence was to skirt the <250g drone regulations.

 

[Maviac]

Just wondering.

To answer your question, the answer is almost certainly NO, but we need to know what "it" is before answering. If "it" is more than maybe $100, then no. Even at that it's a stretch, but it does have GPS and is fairly stable.

 

[mavicn00b]

Yes except "flyaway" is a searchable term and "blow away" rarely identified in this underpowered aircraft whose only justification for existence was to skirt the <250g drone regulations.

Which is why it's highly dependent on what conditions the drone is flown in. In mild weather the mini is an excellent choice but if you're in a very windy environment a more powerful drone might be required. Mini 2 is marginally more powerful than mini 1 so may still be inadequate.

 

[toohighsky]

@adamkiwi07 hi Adam i sense you are trying to get into the hobby ,without spending to much, and because of this then the MM first gen drone would be a great way to go ,if only for the fact that there are plenty of them around due to other people upgrading to the Mini2 or MA2 at the moment
i have a MM and it is a good fun drone to fly,please dont go for any of the older phantoms for the reasons @msinger mentioned ,plus the batteries are costly and the transmission from RC to drone and back is patchy at best ,its bulky to transport as well ,if you could run to the Mini2 then you would benefit from the upgrades compared to the original MM ,at the end of the day it comes down to how much you are able to spend, hope you get air born soon good luck

@old man mavic i have a question. I just got the mini a few days ago. Used from a friend. 500 bucks with a lot of extra parts.And I lost it in the river. I have all these extra batteries and blades and remotes and parts but no drone. Is there a cheap way to replace just the drone itself? Or should I sell parts and move on?