Snaptain SP600N

[Chaosrider]

Has anyone flown one of these? I've had a couple of Snaptain drones before going full-DJI, and I liked them.

This is a candidate for my buddy's son. She has a price range of $200 - $250.

This is less than that, $170.

It only has a 2-axis gimbal, but that's better than nothing. It says it has GPS, but I haven't yet found out what that means in this case. For this application, the ability to hover in non-zero wind is critical, and everything else is optional.

I'm thinking of recommending this one (below her price range),the Mini SE (above her price range), and something that's actually in her price range. Suggestions for that one be appreciated.

Thx!

TCS

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Took a bit of finding on their website.

SNAPTAIN SP600N GPS Drones with Camera W/2-Axis Gimbal

✈Anti-Shake Technology✈ Built-in 2 axis advanced gimbal helps absorb unwanted movement，keeping the camera in the same position regardless of the motion of the drone ✈2K Ultra HD Camera✈ Featured with 2K (2048X1152) pixel, SNAPTAIN takes you an intimate photography partner. 90° camera tilt and...

snaptain.com

Looks ok to learn on, low specs, a new drone pilot would really have to stay well inside VLOS and very still days I’d say.

 

[Chaosrider]

Took a bit of finding on their website.

SNAPTAIN SP600N GPS Drones with Camera W/2-Axis Gimbal

✈Anti-Shake Technology✈ Built-in 2 axis advanced gimbal helps absorb unwanted movement，keeping the camera in the same position regardless of the motion of the drone ✈2K Ultra HD Camera✈ Featured with 2K (2048X1152) pixel, SNAPTAIN takes you an intimate photography partner. 90° camera tilt and...

snaptain.com

Looks ok to learn on, low specs, a new drone pilot would really have to stay well inside VLOS and very still days I’d say.

What I'm trying to find, and have been unable to find, is a quantitative wind resistance value. Is there a site that lists those?

So my current list for my $200-250 buddy is:

1) Snaptain SP600N ($170, below the range)
2) Roku F11 ($221, in the price range)
3) DJI Mini-SE ($299, above the price range)

I'm going to lobby for the Mini SE, but I want to give her 3 legitimate options.

Any suggestions for replacements for #1 or #2?

Thanks!

TCS

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I looked at the fimi range of drones, but could only see AUD pricing, maybe check those.
Have read a few accounts of them being a good starting drone.

It'd be nice to have the motor kva specs for any of them, to compare to say any of the phantom / mavic aircraft.
Unfortunately very hard to find this, most seem to hide it making me suspicious of ability to handle anything more than light wind.

It'd seem an easy choice for any of us here to just spend the extra $50 and get something solid from the proven DJI range, like the SE.
The mini SE only suffers a slight drop in video (2.7k is still great though) and lesser range but still up to 4km transmission range, but more than ample for safe vlos flight.

You just know the RTH, landing, gps, failsafe features, when set properly are going to be of huge trusted benefit to anyone, let alone a new drone owner.
Try and convince them with that, should be an easy upsell.

 

[Chaosrider]

I will definitely lobby for the Mini SE, but I'm not going to presume to know what her financial flexibility is.

My trainer drone was a Snaptain S5C, about $75. A fully acceptable no-wind trainer, and seemingly indestructible. I banged it into bushes and trees, and even the garage a couple of times. I'm sure the prop guards contributed to it's longevity!

It had a decent camera for a toy-class drone, but it had no gimbal, and most importantly for me, had no GPS. I spent all of my time simply controlling it against the almost constant wind here in my little canyon..

At one point, I went to fly it in a wind stronger than I should have, and it ended up down the canyon somewhere. Not all bad though; a couple of days after that I got my first Mini-2, and never looked back!



TCS

 

[old man mavic]

when someone is learning to fly a drone ,on a limited budget then the main things to make sure that the drone has is GPS , return to home feature ,and is easy to see in the air
the problem is that to combine all of those features ,plus a 3 axis gimbal ,and a decent camera ,then a lot of DJI lookalikes struggle to make the grade,when the price drops below the £300 mark ,another thing to consider is how interested in pursuing the hobby is your friends son
it is very addictive and time consuming and once the bug bites ,then the costs involved can become a problem ,i started off with a £30 Aldi drone that flew for about 5 minutes on its built in battery ,took an hour to recharge and had no altitude hold or GPS was only good to fly indoors
but boy did it teach me stick control and when i was able to keep it in the air for the whole of the battery to discharge in one flight ,i was a very happy man,there are many good slightly used original Mavic minis for sale at very reasonable prices since the mini2 came out and one of those would be a good starting point ,or if as you say ,new is the way to go then the Mini SE would also fit the bill

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

another thing to consider is how interested in pursuing the hobby is your friends son
it is very addictive and time consuming and once the bug bites ,then the costs involved can become a problem

We see this with a younger member here, getting a birthday drone is fraught with ongoing affordability, especially if they don't learn 'the ropes' properly and need costly repairs.

Maybe the cheapest GPS drone is the way to go, make sure they fly VLOS, calm weather.
If they like it, then a couple of birthdays time the DJI drone will be a much safer investment, and more likely not to get crashed / lost etc.

That's a catch 22 of course, a cheaper drone might be lost unless the risks of flight are understood, and the drones flight systems are solid and suitable.

 

[old man mavic]

maybe the way to go with your friends son would be to give him some lessons,and advice on what drone ownership involves and perhaps allow him to fly your drone with supervision ,to see if it is really his cup of tea ,

 

[Chaosrider]

when someone is learning to fly a drone ,on a limited budget then the main things to make sure that the drone has is GPS , return to home feature ,and is easy to see in the air
the problem is that to combine all of those features ,plus a 3 axis gimbal ,and a decent camera ,then a lot of DJI lookalikes struggle to make the grade,when the price drops below the £300 mark ,another thing to consider is how interested in pursuing the hobby is your friends son
it is very addictive and time consuming and once the bug bites ,then the costs involved can become a problem ,i started off with a £30 Aldi drone that flew for about 5 minutes on its built in battery ,took an hour to recharge and had no altitude hold or GPS was only good to fly indoors
but boy did it teach me stick control and when i was able to keep it in the air for the whole of the battery to discharge in one flight ,i was a very happy man,there are many good slightly used original Mavic minis for sale at very reasonable prices since the mini2 came out and one of those would be a good starting point ,or if as you say ,new is the way to go then the Mini SE would also fit the bill

Your early experience sounds a lot like my initial training with the Snaptain S5C. Simple control of the aircraft in any breeze was a source of great joy!

I talked with my buddy again yesterday afternoon, and it turns out that she has three sons, and is now looking at getting a drone for each of them for this Christmas. Her sons are fully grown, late 20s - early 30s.

I told her that I had found some options, which I described, and she's clearly leaning toward the Mini SE. Apparently, the more she thinks about it, the less she wants to go half-assed.

Updates as developments warrant!



TCS

 

[tlswift58]

Your early experience sounds a lot like my initial training with the Snaptain S5C. Simple control of the aircraft in any breeze was a source of great joy!

I talked with my buddy again yesterday afternoon, and it turns out that she has three sons, and is now looking at getting a drone for each of them for this Christmas. Her sons are fully grown, late 20s - early 30s.

I told her that I had found some options, which I described, and she's clearly leaning toward the Mini SE. Apparently, the more she thinks about it, the less she wants to go half-assed.

Updates as developments warrant!



TCS

Maybe a HolyStone (Mavic clone) will work. See them advertised all the time and a low price point; but never went beyond that.