Newbie to Drone

[vensyd]

Hi Guys,

Am very new to whole Drone thingy and new here as well.

I been a still photographer for a while now (as a Hobby) and IT by profession, now looking forward to get into Drones.

I don't want to spend $$$ too much to get my first Drone. If I can handle well then can upgrade to top one.

For Beginner what is the best DJI Drone i should be looking into and should be something I can keep it for while to do some advanced as well.

By budget would be around 1000$

Thanks

 

[Dedal]

Well, there will be few kinds of recommendations, summed up like this: Mavic Mini, Mavic Air and (probably) Spark (although old, still an option). Your budget will get you Mini or Air Fly more combo easily. I would still vote for Air, simply because it is much better. Yes, mini is even smaller, it's battery is more capable, but it's more toy like, various non DJI like problems (please, go through forum, you'll find everything there). I wanted to get Mini myself, decided to hold after reading, seeing and hearing things I didn't hear about Air. Sure, Air is not perfect, just not that much... Fragile? Anyway, Air gets my vote. All the other drones are far more expensive and not beginner drones anyway.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Welcome the the forum vensyd.

AUD$1000 ? not going to get an Air here for that, even the basic drone and battery etc.

Maybe a Refurbished Mavic Pro Platinum (MPP) ?
Kogan have then for a touch over a grand .. .. ..

DJI Mavic Pro Platinum Drone - Official DJI Refurbished | Drones |

Buy DJI Mavic Pro Platinum Drone - Official DJI Refurbished from Kogan.com. This product has gone through an official DJI refurbishment process – performance is guaranteed! Includes a normal DJI warranty Refurbished to provide the same high-performance as a brand new DJI Spark Tested by DJI...

www.kogan.com

You can get the Platinum in the Flymore package for just under $1500 (highly recommended, one battery wears off quickly !).

DJI Mavic Pro 4K Drone Fly More Combo (Platinum)

With DJI Fly More Combo includes additional:2 x Intelligent Flight Batteries 2 x Quick Release Folding PropellersMavic Car ChargerMavic Battery Charging HubMavic Battery to Powerbank AdaptorMavic Shoulder Bag, DJI has delivered the goods once again. Buy online or instore today at JB Hi-Fi

www.jbhifi.com.au

That's just 2 that came up in a Google search pretty quickly, there may be more or better deals in Oz on the MPP or other.

The original M1P (Mavic Pro), MPP (Mavic Pro Platinum) are both pretty much obsolete now, the M1P is virtually unavailable here now, the Platinum looks like it's getting harder to find.
Both are very exceptional aircraft, well made and reliable.

I would certainly consider an Air if your budget can stretch a bit more.
The M2 Por Z are out of range by a fair way.

You mentioned 'handle it well', honestly, these things are so stable, practically fly themselves, you control a computer that flies the drone and keeps it totally stable in most conditions.
Sure, there's a learning curve to flying, but it's easy for a IT kinda person.

Check em out, don't be afraid of spending a little more if you're only worried about the stability.
If you like ground photography, you will go totally wild with aerial photography.

The honest truth ?
If you want to take the best photos from aloft, just into the M2P, the Hasselblad camera blows all the lesser DJI consumer drones away in that regard.

 

[Dedal]

"AUD$1000 ? not going to get an Air here for that, even the basic drone and battery etc."

OK, I was not aware of AUD related to USD, my bad... But, if you can get it for that money (or a bit more), I would still get Mavic Air.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

OK, I was not aware of AUD related to USD, my bad... But, if you can get it for that money (or a bit more), I would still get Mavic Air.

The AUD is pretty poor right now vs the US$, and we are also a small market, typically our pricing is above comparative conversion rates when buying drones and accessories too.
We commonly also get slugged what's affectionately known as the 'straya' tax by retailers, they make really large margins here.

Yes, the Air is a great drone, takes photos on par with any of the DJI consumer range with exception to the M2P.

There might actually be a price drop on them soon, if the new Mavic model (perhaps called the Air2) is released in the coming months.

I agree with you, I'd never be able to recommend a MAvic Mini to anyone coming into the market.
If the Spark were not obsolete here now too, I'd have said go for one of those, they are pretty much one of the best small drones ever made.

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum ,just out of interest there is going to be a new DJI drone being released at the end of the month a mavic air replacement so it seems maybe scrape together some extra funds and get the latest thing just a thought in light of the current lockdown situation

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi vensyd welcome to Mavic Pilots.
Got to agree with MAvic_South_Oz If you are a photographer you will end up wanting a Mavic 2 Pro.

 

[vensyd]

Thanks everyone for their valuable suggestion. $$$ is not an issue.

My initial intention was to get a basic / intermediate drone and see if i can handle it well.

As suggested i was looking at:

1. dji-mavic-2-pro-4k-drone ($2199 AUD)

2. dji-mavic-2-pro-4k-drone-with-smart-controller ($3099 AUD)

Do i really need to get the one with Controller or can i manage with Mobile App(s)? How flexible is the App(s)?

Thanks

 

[Thomas B]

Thanks everyone for their valuable suggestion. $$$ is not an issue.

My initial intention was to get a basic / intermediate drone and see if i can handle it well.

As suggested i was looking at:

1. dji-mavic-2-pro-4k-drone ($2199 AUD)

2. dji-mavic-2-pro-4k-drone-with-smart-controller ($3099 AUD)

Do i really need to get the one with Controller or can i manage with Mobile App(s)? How flexible is the App(s)?

Thanks

You don’t have to have the SC... might want to look at the CS for larger (7.5”) screen. It is still my preferred control device.. BTW don’t need the ultra right high end one.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Thanks everyone for their valuable suggestion. $$$ is not an issue.

My initial intention was to get a basic / intermediate drone and see if i can handle it well.

As suggested i was looking at:

1. dji-mavic-2-pro-4k-drone ($2199 AUD)

2. dji-mavic-2-pro-4k-drone-with-smart-controller ($3099 AUD)

Do i really need to get the one with Controller or can i manage with Mobile App(s)? How flexible is the App(s)?

Thanks

Trust me / us here, you will have no trouble controlling it, just take small steps in the process of first flights.

You use Go4 app on your device (phone / ipad / android tablet etc) to fly the M2 drones.

While you can fly wifi with phone only, but why would you ?
It's not as easy as using the controller.
The controller is much safer, no limitation on distance etc . . . not sure if the wifi / phone was what you referred to, but the drones come with a standard controller.

You can get the other option like smart controller (controller and screen in one), or just larger / better screens like crystal sky.
Both are really good for older eyes, but using an ipad mini is a good option, and you might even have one already.

If $ aren't an issue, I would go for the M2P Flymore package if possible.
The extra batteries alone make it a good deal, a few extras like more props etc are good to have, the case in reasonable, but most upgrade to a suitable backpack or hard case to carry all gear easier.

But ultimately, the extra batteries are great to have, and buying them later is more costly.

The standard M2P controller has great telemetry on screen, and works fine.
I would look at a mount for an ipad or other larger device, or, if you have an ipad mini 4 or 5, these fit into the arms of the controller and offer a much better flying experience than a phone screen.

I use a mini 4, have a Thors Drone World Lifthor mount, but most flights just use the mini 4 in the controller arms.
Generally if I'm going to be flying 3, 4, 5, or more batteries in a day, I'll set up the mount (a minute at most) to use.

The Thors DW Connecthor spiral cables are great . . . use these with my M1P and Spark with the mini 4 in the arms, or in the mount.

Tough choices I know, looking at the range of accessories etc, it's a hard thing you are going through.
All you can do is state your needs / purpose (aerial photography), and see what feedback you get, and then how much trust you can put into peoples opinions is the only thing to overcome.

 

[Fishman Dan]

Hi Guys,

Am very new to whole Drone thingy and new here as well.

I been a still photographer for a while now (as a Hobby) and IT by profession, now looking forward to get into Drones.

I don't want to spend $$$ too much to get my first Drone. If I can handle well then can upgrade to top one.

For Beginner what is the best DJI Drone i should be looking into and should be something I can keep it for while to do some advanced as well.

By budget would be around 1000$

Thanks

We like kindred spirits ... IT >> Photography >> drones. I literally posted in the newbie thread today. I'm on the NSW north coast.

To answer your question re: which drone, the Mavic Pro Platinum Flymore bundle is just under $1.5k. That gives you 3 x batteries and all sorts of additional extras that I believe should be the starting point for anyone. A battery will fly for about 25-28 minutes, but to be honest you don't want to be in the air when it hits 10-15%, it's just panic stations once that chime starts.

With the Flymore, at least you have 3x the flight time if you venture out. Believe me it's worth it.

One minor setback you will learn with the Mavic Pro (note: gen 1) drone is that the DJI Go app doesn't support waypoint flight planning BEFORE you take to the air. With that gen drone you need to fly the route first manually. Yesterday I bought the Litchi app and it's amazing - you can plan your flights well before leaving the house.

Right now I'm experimenting with a flight I will do near sunset around a local lake (on a farm). I have found that I can also Start/Stop video recording at these waypoints, as well as place Points of Interest, ascend/descend between points etc.

Litchi has taken my drone use to a new level, but definitely get your drone, learn a few basic flight skills, and get confident using Return to Home (RTH). One of my early panics was if I pressed this .... does it work?!

Anyway - welcome and enjoy!

 

[Fishman Dan]

Just another tip .... as others have said - the controller is excellent and has all sorts of feedback and detail. Learn to get the drone in the air and take your eyes off it. Learn where on that readout there is important data - drone battery level, controller battery, signal strength etc etc.

When I was getting used to it, I couldn't take my eyes off the drone and therefore was ignoring much of the information at my fingertips.

 

[vensyd]

I was about to go and get MP2 Pro last week. But the guys at store said there will be Mavic Air 2 out soon.

I was also following couple of thread on Mavic Air 2 release. Particularly this one => Mavic Air 2 (just confirmed by FCC)

Not sure ... should i wait for the Mavic Air 2 ... if I was in danger of buyers remorse

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I was about to go and get MP2 Pro last week. But the guys at store said there will be Mavic Air 2 out soon.

I was also following couple of thread on Mavic Air 2 release. Particularly this one => Mavic Air 2 (just confirmed by FCC)

Not sure ... should i wait for the Mavic Air 2 ... if I was in danger of buyers remorse

You're like me, too analytical, lol.
Really, they are 2 very different drones, so not really a case of possible buyers remorse, just got to work out what you really need.

If budget is open, and good photography is your #1 want, then straight out the M2P is the best choice (preferably for value the Flymore package).
You will take endlessly better photos with the M2P Hasselblad, and manual setting capability.

If you bought an Air 2, you might be ok too, not sure what the camera will be, but it should do 4k video I would think this time.
If it's the usual smaller sensor and 12mp, then you can still take reasonable photos with good composition, just not as good as you would be able to with the M2P.

If you are happy to learn the drone ropes on a more portable drone, learn to fly well, take fairly good photos, still very capable in wind, etc, then the current Air ticks those boxes, the new Air2 when released might tick photo quality a little higher, we don't know as yet (as far as I have heard).