Should I start with a cheap drone before getting a DJI drone?

[GoBigGuy]

Hi All,

I'm on the fence on what to get for my 1st drone. Right now I'm in between the Mavic Pro or the Mavic Air but thinking maybe I should just get a toy starter drone until more real world test on the Air are done.

Thoughts?

Here are some of the cheaper drones I'm thinking about:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXBDWZC/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IUK1SDU3526IO&colid=3AA12MI8PLRWZ&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071S18J8K/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I253E5R7PLMQP7&colid=3AA12MI8PLRWZ&psc=1

Amazon.com: Customer reviews: SYMA X5C-1 RC Quadcopter With Extra 4 Rotating Blade, 2 Li-Po Battery, 4G Micro SD Card, 4-in-1 Battery Charger

 

[Anthony Viscomi]

Folks have varying opinions on this question. I am of the opinion that the Mavic is perfect for beginners. That's why it offers a "beginners mode"

 

[Tommytucka]

No, just buy yourself a Mavic Pro it’s really easy to fly

 

[JamesA]

I would go with your 2nd or 3rd choice. I would definitely do this first to give you some experience.
Do not fly when there is wind. I would advise you to download the UAV Forecast app. At times it might seem apparent to you that there is no wind but if you go up 100 feet the wind could very well be 20 mph or more.
Then when you do purchase the better drone you will have some skills that will get you out of trouble.
Happy flying to you!

 

[AeroMirage]

A GPS enabled drone is by far easier to operate than one that is not. Go for the Pro or the Air. Why waste the $ on a piece of crap?

 

[joejaxvic123]

Yes.

 

[Plawa]

No.

"Pretty much flies out of the box" Opinions Please...

 

[microlinux]

There's little to no skills cross-over between the el cheapo drones and a Mavic. About the only thing they have in common is that they have props.

The Mavic goes where you point the sticks. That's the basic knowledge you need to fly once it's in the air. If you can read a manual, you can launch, fly and land a Mavic.

 

[joejaxvic123]

You could also figure out if the hobby is for you, before you spend a grand on a mavic. I thought I felt bad crashing my Holystone (numerous times), that was nothing compared to banking the mavic into a scrubby tree resulting in a 8 foot tumble to the ground.

 

[BD0G]

If you do get a cheapo drone so you can fly in ATTI mode then I suggest the Eachine e58
$18.39 on eBay Its the Mavic Pro's little brother.
Eachine E58 WIFI FPV 2MP Wide Angle Camera Foldable RC Drone Quadcopter RTF | eBay

 

[pixl]

Cheap drones teach you to fly cheap drones. They really won't give you a leg-up on flying your mavic. Plus they have small batteries and short flying times.

Save yourself that money and apply it to spare batteries for your Mavic.

 

[AC Flyer]

I started on a SYMA quadcopter (I wouldn't call it a drone). pixl is right: cheap drones teach you how to fly cheap drones. And flying a DJI drone is actually much easier because of all the technology packed into them. I wish I'd have skipped the cheap SYMA and gone directly to DJI - it would have saved me money and frustration.

As for being torn between a Mavic Pro and Mavic Air, it's hard to go wrong with either one, I'd imagine. I have the Mavic Pro, but if I was buying something now I can't guarantee that I wouldn't get the Air.

I'd recommend this:

If you want the very best flight time, range and camera control and you are fine with a higher cost and the need to actually put some thought into how you operate the camera, get the Mavic Pro or Pro Platinum.

If you want to spend a little less, get a few more sensors, have less control options for a still very good camera, and want the maximum performance+portability in a smaller form factor, go with the Air. And don't be too afraid that it just came out - I'm sure there will be some bugs at first but hopefully they are minor and DJI will address them quickly.

If you want to start off with a lower spend and still get a great drone that blows away the ones your are considering (though admittedly at a significantly higher cost) go with a DJI Spark. Make sure to get the Fly More bundle. Or at least the remote.

 

[AC Flyer]

To follow up to my own post, I'll add that my recommendation to stay away from the cheap toy quads assumes you know you want a Mavic and just want something to learn on first. If that's the case, skip the quad and get the Mavic. But if you are trying to figure out if you even want to fly a drone, then getting a quad is a cheap way to get started before dropping $800+. But still, it's generally a lot harder flying a SYMA 5 than anything from DJI.

 

[joejaxvic123]

Oh no! It's gone into ATTI Mode!!

 

[MavicCF]

I would disagree with most people here, a cheap 4 channel drone has all the same controls as a Mavic it just won't hover as well. Even though the Mavic is easy to fly and with FPV you don't have to worry about the direction its facing, there will always be that one time when your phone crashes or you lose GPS and go into ATTI where knowing how to respond appropriately beforehand can save your Mavic pain and you $$$. I think it is worth spending $30 and learning to actually fly a quadcopter, then buying the $1000 Mavic with the extra confidence and safety your practice has provided.-CF

 

[MavicCF]

O, and in answer to your question, either the Syma X5 or the Eachine E58 that BD0G mentioned would be my two choices.-CF

 

[BobAld]

I had a cheap drone that was extremely hard to fly. Landed it in a neighbors tree and it was stuck up there for months. When it finally fell down it was useless. Around the same time my buddy had purchased a Mavic Pro and was letting me try his. It was like night and day. So much easier to fly the Mavic. Saved my $ and got the Mavic just recently. Been loving it.

 

[CCTjohn]

My experience with a very cheap Hubsan taught me nothing about what a Mavic could do other than I knew it had to be better than the Hubsan. It was and wish I would have did this first.

 

[ac0j]

I just got a syma x21w FPV drone for in the house flying. It is not as easy to fly as the Mavic, but a must have when you cant fly outside! Small and has prop guards to protect the wifes "pretties" Auto alt hold and headless modes. Does pretty well outdoors too! About $40

 

[Akoztha]

No, start with the Falcon 8 by Intel.
Shoot for the [emoji287]