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llbaker2

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Not a Pilot yet but hope to be soon. Thinking about getting a drone for recreational use. Have been debating whether to get a a cheap starter or skip the starter and invest that money on a unit that I can grow into. Have pretty much decided on the latter. Like what Ive read on the Mavic 2 (except for the price that is) and strongly leaning toward it. Thinking maybe the Zoom. Been spending lots of time lately on Google reading up on them. Debating if the Fly More kit is worth the money. Fore that matter debating if I want a drone bad enough to spend two grand on one. Figure I would do a little homework and give it a little time before jumping in with both feet. Hoping that this site will provide me with a little better insight, educate me a little and help me make the right choice for me. Also hope to get some insight on where to buy to get best bang for the buck.
 
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 .Thumbswayup
 
Welcome to the forum. Lots of useful information here. I do agree going with the latter. If it was me I would go with the mavic pro or mavic 2 zoom. You can get a new mavic pro platinum for around $850 or new zoom for around 1500 (factoring in a additional battery for both/fly more would be slightly higher) ofcourse whatever you go with just start off slow and feel free to ask questions.
 
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Welcome to the forum! :)

Thinking about getting a drone for recreational use. Have been debating whether to get a a cheap starter or skip the starter and invest that money on a unit that I can grow into.
If you eventually want to fly DJI drones, then it would be best to buy a DJI drone (rather than a cheaper brand). Other drones don't fly like DJI drones, so you're not going to gain much (maybe motor skills?) by flying other drones.

Have you considered a Spark or Mavic Air? Both are less expensive and could be sold later if you ever want to upgrade.

If you're not sure which DJI drone model would be a good fit, you can compare them all side-by-side here:

DJI Consumer Drone Comparison
 
Welcome to the forum, and almost being immersed into the new hobby.
I have a slightly different view to most above, having got my M1P first, then inheriting a Spark.

As msinger above says, the smaller Spark (or Air) is a great intro, they fly as good as the larger DJI products and film very nicely.
A smaller drone is always good to have for quick light travel options, or fly in places a little too tight to risk a larger drone.

Who knows, you might end up not having time to fly it, and sometimes (rarely) some people have found they don't actually enjoy it like they thought they would, or feel too encroached / uncomfortable with flight restrictions / rules to fly, nervous etc.

I love taking the Spark on work trips when I fly, as it works in great with lighter travel, being quicker to get into the air is also good.
Have a few batteries, so get reasonable flight time of around 40 mins.

Go and have a look at the M2P and M2Z, I have flown with another member with one . . . they are pretty big, even compared to a M1P or MPP, either of which might be another good entry drone, but I'd choose a smaller one to start with as the lower cost initially and size versatility later is good to have.
 
Welcome to the forum, and almost being immersed into the new hobby.
I have a slightly different view to most above, having got my M1P first, then inheriting a Spark.

As msinger above says, the smaller Spark (or Air) is a great intro, they fly as good as the larger DJI products and film very nicely.
A smaller drone is always good to have for quick light travel options, or fly in places a little too tight to risk a larger drone.

Who knows, you might end up not having time to fly it, and sometimes (rarely) some people have found they don't actually enjoy it like they thought they would, or feel too encroached / uncomfortable with flight restrictions / rules to fly, nervous etc.

I love taking the Spark on work trips when I fly, as it works in great with lighter travel, being quicker to get into the air is also good.hing
Have a few batteries, so get reasonable flight time of around 40 mins.

Go and have a look at the M2P and M2Z, I have flown with another member with one . . . they are pretty big, even compared to a M1P or MPP, either of which might be another good entry drone, but I'd choose a smaller one to start with as the lower cost initially and size versatility later is good to have.

Thanks for your input but think I've pretty much made the decision to invest my money up front in something that I can grow into. Like the idea of beginner flight mode, obstacle avoidance sensors and the tripod mode which should all be advantageous entry level functions.

Im retired so time to fly shouldn't be much of an issue for me. If I find that drones aren't my cup of tea think it would be easier to sell a nicer drone than an entry level unit. I imagine its pretty common for people looking to upgrade from entry level machines. Guess I will invest in the DJI Care service plan just in case.
 
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Guess I will invest in the DJI Care service plan just in case.

Care Refresh is a great idea for years 1 and 2, gives 2 aircraft replacements over that first and / or second year if needed, as long as the aircraft is recoverable.

Enjoy the new drone when you get it.
Small steps are good in learning to fly, then film / photography, but they pretty much fly themselves when all is operating correctly.
 
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Thanks for your input but think I've pretty much made the decision to invest my money up front in something that I can grow into. Like the idea of beginner flight mode, obstacle avoidance sensors and the tripod mode which should all be advantageous entry level functions.

Im retired so time to fly shouldn't be much of an issue for me. If I find that drones aren't my cup of tea think it would be easier to sell a nicer drone than an entry level unit. Im imagine its pretty common for people looking to upgrade from entry level machines. Guess I will invest in the DJI Care service plan just in case.
Many don’t like DJICARE because of needing the hulk which is sometimes difficult or impossible to recover. However I will note that the one time I had to use it paid for the price I paid to have it on all 4 drones. Check it liability and other ins free with AMA membership, and State Farm also
 
Care Refresh is a great idea for years 1 and 2, gives 2 aircraft replacements over that first and / or second year if needed, as long as the aircraft is recoverable.
y
Enjoy the new drone when you get it.
Small steps are good in learning to fly, then film / photography, but they pretty much fly themselves when all is operating correctly.
Kinda my line of reasoning. I figure after a couple years under my belt I will drop DJICare. Im a cautious, detail oriented kind of guy with nothing to prove. Plan to take lots of baby steps. Will spend a few days with the manual and software before I even fire it up. Imagine I wont even get out of beginner mode for my first dozen or so flights.
 
Care Refresh is only available for the first year, and an option to renew for a second year, if a pilot has not had more than the 2 new aircraft claims allowable on the plan.
There are of course the 2 replacement fees payable on using Care Refresh, but a lot less than handing over the full cost.
Here is DJIs full Care Refresh info and terms etc . . .

State Farm type insurance doesn't have the need for aircraft 'body' to make a claim, but usually once a claim is made, the policy is then completed, and you don't have cover any longer . . . plus some reports that State Farm will not cover a pilot again after a claim, or be reluctant to, which is understandable.

Get onto YouTube tutorials too, they are awesome, from unboxing, to setting up, to first flight.
Search youtube for each of those terms following Mavic 2 Pro.
 
Care Refresh is only available for the first year, and an option to renew for a second year, if a pilot has not had more than the 2 new aircraft claims allowable on the plan.
There are of course the 2 replacement fees payable on using Care Refresh, but a lot less than handing over the full cost.
Here is DJIs full Care Refresh info and terms etc . . .

State Farm type insurance doesn't have the need for aircraft 'body' to make a claim, but usually once a claim is made, the policy is then completed, and you don't have cover any longer . . . plus some reports that State Farm will not cover a pilot again after a claim, or be reluctant to, which is understandable.

Get onto YouTube tutorials too, they are awesome, from unboxing, to setting up, to first flight.
Search youtube for each of those terms following Mavic 2 Pro.
Been spending way to much time on Youtube lately.
 
Not a Pilot yet but hope to be soon. Thinking about getting a drone for recreational use. Have been debating whether to get a a cheap starter or skip the starter and invest that money on a unit that I can grow into. Have pretty much decided on the latter. Like what Ive read on the Mavic 2 (except for the price that is) and strongly leaning toward it. Thinking maybe the Zoom. Been spending lots of time lately on Google reading up on them. Debating if the Fly More kit is worth the money. Fore that matter debating if I want a drone bad enough to spend two grand on one. Figure I would do a little homework and give it a little time before jumping in with both feet. Hoping that this site will provide me with a little better insight, educate me a little and help me make the right choice for me. Also hope to get some insight on where to buy to get best bang for the buck.
I agree with your leaning toward a Mavic 2. I was in a similar position as you a tad over a year ago. I actually bought a cheap toy and tried to learn to fly with it. Boy, was that a mistake. It was so frustrating because any small wind, even the air from my house heater vent would cause it to travel uncontrollably, which is difficult when you are still trying to figure out which stick makes it go up and down, etc. I ended up throwing it in the trash. A few months went by and I ended up going for it and bought the Mavic 2 Pro. It is a dream to fly, even for a complete novice because it does exactly what you tell it to do, and nothing else. I remember when I was doing my research, someone called it a “tripod in the sky”. Very apt description.

Oh, and it takes fantastic videos and stills.
 
I keep going round and round but think Ive decided now is not a good time to buy. Gonna wait a while to see how things pan out before buying a drone. Seems like lots of unresolved issues with FAA regulations. Possibility of lots of additional expenses (registration fees, test fees, data fees associated with remote-id etc.) The initial investment for a nice drone is bad enough but not sure I want to pay a reoccurring data connection fee for remote-id. Dont like the possibility of remote-id info being accessible to the public and/or hacking of data. Worry about additional fight restrictions. I fear the FAA may destroy droning as a hobby with its overreaching regulations and fees. Guess I will wait until FAA publishes new regulations before spending over 2 grand on something that may become so strongly regulated that its pretty much useless.
 
Not a Pilot yet but hope to be soon. Thinking about getting a drone for recreational use. Have been debating whether to get a a cheap starter or skip the starter and invest that money on a unit that I can grow into. Have pretty much decided on the latter. Like what Ive read on the Mavic 2 (except for the price that is) and strongly leaning toward it. Thinking maybe the Zoom. Been spending lots of time lately on Google reading up on them. Debating if the Fly More kit is worth the money. Fore that matter debating if I want a drone bad enough to spend two grand on one. Figure I would do a little homework and give it a little time before jumping in with both feet. Hoping that this site will provide me with a little better insight, educate me a little and help me make the right choice for me. Also hope to get some insight on where to buy to get best bang for the buck.
Welcome to Mavic Pilots from Dayton, Ohio USA! Fly safe and have fun!
 
Welcome to the forum.

Getting a cheap drone will really help. Even just one of those micro quads for about £€€20. They really help with orientation of the craft, and it’s good to learn to fly something without gps, just in case it fails on your big drones.
 
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