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What Kind of Drone Pilot Are You?

Started as a solid #1 - still learning my flying and making new moves in my head but with an eye to moving to #2

Started learning to fly in lockdown so was confined to my local area and don't currently have transport so getting anywhere exciting for shots is not possible atm.
 
I was going to create a similar thread, so rather than do that, I'll revive this one. It was very interesting to read through everybody's responses.

I started out squarely as #1, a drone pilot and it happened to have a camera attached. I was very interested in the footage and filmed all of my flights, but I enjoy the flying experience. I also enjoy flying toy drones around my yard and my tiny whoop FPV drone.

After a year and a half of MA2 ownership, I find I'm moving toward #2 where it's all about the camera and getting those shots. I only shoot video in clips to capture something good. I take lots of photos now and I find that more challenging that video. Framing the shot, getting the exposure right, and getting things to look their best in post-processing...it's tougher for me than video but I'm enjoying the process.

It's to a point that I'm considering getting myself a beginner DSLR setup. Photography has always interested me though I never dove into it.
 
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I'm still a hardcore #1, but I have started to get more interesting footage with my DJI FPV. I have it set to start the video recordings as soon as I lift off.

But the objective of the flight, is still almost always the flight. Particularly with the FPV, where I get to ride along!
 
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#1 here. I also have a t shirt that reads "I not only fly drones, I crash them too"
 
Unapologetic #2 - hobby landscape photographer for 59 years who bought a drone as the next camera. I normally have at least 2-3 camera bodies and 4 or 5 lenses in my bags. Now I have one that flies :cool:
 
Neither one. I check my aircraft every time I fly it. I might as well be loading up the wife and kids in it. After lift off, I check everything that is going on, even the sound. I gain altitude and do not fly into trees, fences and houses. From the looks of the board we have a major aircraft crash every day by those that are not paying attention.
True. Why do you fly? If you fly to take photos or videos this puts you in group 2 :) ( I think 🤔)
 
Type 1 pilot also, I can't even tell the difference between a photo taken from the Spark or the Mavic 3 (nor do I care either) 😜
 
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I think I'm both, I really love flying my drone but I really love taking photos and video with it to.
 
Play with me on this one for a little bit. Are you:

1) A pilot of a drone, which has a camera attached, or
2) A photographer with a camera, that happens to be attached to a drone

?

I know it's not binary, and that many people have aspects of both, but I think there may be a pattern in how people respond to things, based around this distinction.

I'm definitely "Type 1".

This occurred to me specifically in the context of the choice between the Mini-2 (which I have) and the Mini Se (which I don't yet have). I think the Mini SE would be just fine for a Type 1 drone pilot like me. If you're primarily a photographer, I think the Mini-2 is the only choice, between those two, based on the specs that I've seen.

The one thing I think I'd miss with the SE is the control range. I really like to go out and explore the other side of the canyon, or up the mountain in the other direction. If in my environment I can only get 3000-4000 ft control range on the Mini-2, how much less would that be with the Mini-SE? The specs I see only talk about video transmission range, not control range.

Thoughts?

TCS
I am 100% Type 2. I'm a serious photographer, and while I enjoy the flying, the reason I have a drone is for photography, and getting angles and locations that I couldn't otherwise get with my normal camera setup. I also use it predominantly for still photography, as I'm not a huge video guy, though I enjoy the drone footage enough that I am doing a small amount of video every time I go out. Most of my time is spent doing photos, and I've been amazed at the stability of the Air2S for longer exposures in low light too.
 
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lol 2 for sure, it really amazes me flying around even capturing video and seeing the way light plays on a scene from slightly different angles, rather than just waiting for the light to come to you :)
 
All I gotta say is, the volunteers in the flower planting group I do photography for, really love those overheads of the beds.
 
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