Which drone?

[By-tor]

Brand new here and to drones. I'm looking to purchase my first one and think I have it down to these 2.

DJI Mini 2 or DJI Mini 2 SE both in the fly more combo package..

I have watched a ton of review videos on both and other than the 4K on the Mini 2 they look pretty much the same to me, but which would be the better one for the money?

Thank you
Mark

 

[Deleted member 170519]

Brand new here and to drones. I'm looking to purchase my first one and think I have it down to these 2.

DJI Mini 2 or DJI Mini 2 SE both in the fly more combo package..

I have watched a ton of review videos on both and other than the 4K on the Mini 2 they look pretty much the same to me, but which would be the better one for the money?

Thank you
Mark

If 4k is important to you... then Mini 2. If price is more important Mini 2 SE. Basically the same drone except for the 4k

 

[By-tor]

If 4k is important to you... then Mini 2. If price is more important Mini 2 SE. Basically the same drone except for the 4k

Thank you

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Crossroads of America By-tor

Nice to meet you Mark.

I don't fly a "mini" aircraft and some of the comments I read are how the lighter models handle the wind.

The mini 2 is better than the original mini for sure.

I'm a land locked Midwest flyer so I don't know how windy it gets along the coast line.

Not trying to talk you out of the mini 2, just throwing in my two cents worth, which isn't worth much nowadays.

No matter what drone you get, you should take the TRUST test and keep a copy with you when you fly.

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

If you do get something bigger, or if you add accessories to the mini 2 to make it heavier than 250g, then it will need to be registered with the FAA.

FAADroneZone

faadronezone-access.faa.gov

Good luck with your purchase and welcome to the Forum.

 

[By-tor]

Thank you for the warm welcome and advice.

As someone that normally flys a 5-10 lb RC Sailplane's I'm sure the winds will have some effect on the flying of a small drone and as they can adjust for this I hope not to have a huge issue. Most of our normal wind speeds are say 5-15mph, but can get much higher sometimes.

I want to stay below that 250g limit to not have to deal with the FAA anymore. I'm just wanting to give it a try for photographs/video.

What is this trust test you speak of?

6 years ago I mounted a small camera (Run Cam 2) on the wing and on the top of my 3 meter Prism electric assist to get it up to a good altitude to search for thermals. I wanted to see what it saw in flight and thought it was pretty cool.. I could not see though the camera inflight, but just looking up at it from the ground normally flying between 1000' & 2000'.

Here are those video's

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Thanks again

 

[MA2 317]

What is this trust test you speak of?

It's a simple, free, no fail test with basic information that is required if flying a drone.

 

[By-tor]

It's a simple, free, no fail test with basic information that is required if flying a drone.

Gotcha ty

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!
I would say that the DJI Mini 2 is the better option. Or, to throw another one in the mix, look at the Mini 3 pro

 

[By-tor]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama USA, welcome to the forum! We look forward to hearing from you!
I would say that the DJI Mini 2 is the better option. Or, to throw another one in the mix, look at the Mini 3 pro

I have been looking at the Mini 3 (not the Pro) as well, but the prices are starting to climb a bit for a first drone.

Thank you

 

[moldorf]

I have been looking at the Mini 3 (not the Pro) as well, but the prices are starting to climb a bit for a first drone.

Thank you

you might take a look at refrubised-by-DJI drones. That will save you some money, but you'll be getting a package that can includes the warranty and Care-Refresh policies of a new DJI drone

I'm on the DJI refurbished page...

DJI Refurbished Products - Up to 20% Savings, Certified Quality and Full Warranty | DJI.com

and I see there is the FMC for the Mini SE is $319:

https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mini-se-refurbished-unit?vid=115581&from=pages-refurbished

and the FMC for the Mini 2 is $479:

Buy DJI Mini 2 (Refurbished Unit) - DJI Store

you can also check authorized DJI resellers like Drone Nerds:

Buy DJI Refurbished Drones at DroneNerds.com - DJI Warranty Included - Save Big

you also need to consider what you want to produce with your drone. If it's just photos then the SE is probably good enough even though the Mini 2 has a bigger and better camera sensor

if you want to make and watch videos, it gets a little more complicated. As mentioned, the Mini 2 can produce 4K video. When I was deciding on my first drone, like you I was deciding between the SE and Mini 2. I wanted to watch the videos I was going to make on my TV(s). I had a 1080p TV so I had no way, other than a computer, to watch 4K. But I knew I was going to buy a 4K TV within the next couple of years because of the age of my TV so I decided to get the Mini 2

however, once I had the Mini 2, I spent a few months and a couple of trips recording in 1080. Those videos looked really good by the way. And look good on the 4K TV I bought later. But 4K looks a little better. That's why I started to archive my flights in 4K. I will still down-convert most to 1080 just in case some friends want to see the video on their TV

as for the SE's 2.7K mode....I don't know about it. But from my position it looks like a compromise that may not have a lot of function. I'd stick to 1080 recording, but again. maybe that's me being ignorant

something else to consider is post-processing of either your photos or video. Photos will be relatively easy and most computers/devices will be adequate for editing. Kind of the same for 1080 video. But 4K video has a lot more data per frame. I edit on a desktop computer and I had to buy a better graphics card because the card I had just couldn't handle the data rate

you're probably right to want to budget until you know how much you want to fly and record

My first drone was the Mini 2 FMC and I spent about $600 on it. And then, since I knew I would eventually upgrade from the Mini 2, I bought a Tripltek tablet as my RC screen. That was $800. And then I needed a mounting bracket & lanyard for the Tripltek, and hard case for the drone; there's another $100. And then I bought the Mini3 Pro FMC Plus combo with Care Refresh. That was another $1200. And of course, ND filters, extra batteries (for both Drones), USB cords, and Micro-SD cards; another $300. And a graphics card for my desktop to process the video. There goes $300. Finally, just recently, I bought a refurbished Mavic 3 FMC with Care Refresh for $2400. And a hard case for it for $100

geeeeezuz...that's the first time I added it all up and it's $5800. That's a cautionary tale for you... and a reminder to me to burn this post before my wife sees it

 

[By-tor]

I never thought of refurbished units. I noticed the SE only has a 40 mbps bitrate and the Mini 2 has 100.

That RC controller with the screen looks very nice, but it only works with the mini 3 series...

Thank you for all the information above.
Mark

 

[13_Dragons]

I would go with best you can afford. I have a Mini 2 and it is a great drone, I think you would be pleased with it. But If you want a drone that has ability to track you, then I would say the Mini 3 pro, or if you dont mind registering with FAA the Air 2 or Air 2S would be best in my opinion. But That is me depends what you really want to do with it.

 

[By-tor]

Between the Mini 2 SE FMC new price on DJI's site and the refurbished Mini 2 FMC on the drone nerds site there is only a $10 difference in price... These are both with the 2 year refresh plan. The big difference being the fly away replacement cost is around $100 more for the Mini 2.

Has anyone used this refresh plan and how well do they honor it?

Do these things have a habit of flying away while you are using them?

Thanks
Mark

 

[13_Dragons]

Between the Mini 2 SE FMC new price on DJI's site and the refurbished Mini 2 FMC on the drone nerds site there is only a $10 difference in price... These are both with the 2 year refresh plan. The big difference being the fly away replacement cost is around $100 more for the Mini 2.

Has anyone used this refresh plan and how well do they honor it?

Do these things have a habit of flying away while you are using them?

Thanks
Mark

I have never had to use care refresh. I have it on Mini 2, But air 2, and Air 2S I did not get it. DJI drones are so good I dont feel I will ever use it. Now I have a Holy Stone that everytime I flown it it ended in a crash. But I have 4 different DJI drones and never crashed any of them.

 

[moldorf]

Between the Mini 2 SE FMC new price on DJI's site and the refurbished Mini 2 FMC on the drone nerds site there is only a $10 difference in price... These are both with the 2 year refresh plan. The big difference being the fly away replacement cost is around $100 more for the Mini 2.

Has anyone used this refresh plan and how well do they honor it?

Do these things have a habit of flying away while you are using them?

Thanks
Mark

I haven't heard of anybody not having their Care Refresh honored by DJI. The policy language is pretty straight-forward. Maybe it's happened but I haven't seen it

as far as fly-away coverage, that's more of a generic label than specific situation. Yes, sometimes the drone just takes off, ignores signals, and flies away beyond recovery. But I think more often the drone crashes in a location you can't ever find. It might be stuck in the top pf a 200 foot tree, or sunk in the bottom of a lake. You are just left with no drone to return to DJI for replacement or repair so no way to verify

the more expensive fly-away cost is to protect DJI from people simply lying about losing their drone

 

[By-tor]

Thanks to everyone for all the information...

 

[SethB]

…I want to stay below that 250g limit to not have to deal with the FAA anymore. I'm just wanting to give it a try for photographs/video.

What is this trust test you speak of?…

Registration of recreational drones over 250g is $5 every 24 mos. To my way of thinking that’s not a huge impact of FAA on my life, but opinions & experiences may vary. It is one more online account, credit card transaction, etc.

https://faadronezone.faa.gov

On the rec side, that $5 covers as many drones as you have.

The TRUST training/exam is impossible to fail, it is free, and the 3rd-party providers are prohibited from keeping any records of your exam.

The result is the opportunity to print a wallet card, but do it before you leave the site as there is no record of your passing other than the wallet card.

Many recommend Pilot Institute’s version, that’s where I took it:

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

The TRUST covers the basics of regs and flying hazards. Highly recommended, and required by federal law. Some may think of themselves as not subject to laws and regs they disagree with, I’m not here to debate any of that.

In my own recreational flying I started learning with a Yuneec Typhoon H back in the day, it was over 250g so I registered.

I added a DJI Mini 2 to my $5 registration. Not required, but I already had paid my $5, and was experimenting with payloads that took it above 250g.

More recently, I bought an Air 2s and added it to the reg. Now, the Mini 2 doesn’t get much love. Hopefully it will be back in the rotation as hiking season resumes in May(?).

The A2s purchase was informed by my experiences with managing a small fleet of Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom drones for my employer. The A2s camera is very comparable to the Mavic 2 Pro. For drones flown non-rec in Pt. 107 it’s $5 per drone every 24 mos.

The point of sharing this detail is that I too wanted to start small… but, now I have the Mini 2 not flying much. This is what happens to some of us photograpers/videographers when we get a taste of flying on a small-sensor drone. Will it happen to you?

PS. to @By-tor have I seen you over at POTN? I’m user SailingAway over there.

 

[Starz]

Air2s.
Mini has several meanings. Wind resistance is one of them.
I’ve had one mini and would not have another one.
Your results may vary.

 

[shawgod]

I own the original Mini 1 and I have the Mini 2 as well. Looking at the quality of the Mini 1 compared to the Mini 2. The quality you get off the Mini 2 is far superior when you are looking at it on a 4K tv or computer monitor. I don't see the difference when I look at it on a small device like a phone or even a iPad. The reason I am comparing the two in this post is the Mini 1 is 2.7 K like the Mini 2 SE. So it all depends how you plan on using the video. Handling in windy environments they are identical in how they fly. They handle some wind but they don't handle as well as my larger drones like the Air2S or Phantom 4 Pro. As for the DJI Refresh Insurance program, I have it on the Mini 2 and Air2S. I hope to never use it. I have gotten into one accident in the last year with my Phantom 4 Pro and it cost more then what the DJI Refresh program would have cost me. But that drone is too old to have it anyway. I got it on the drones but that doesn't mean I am going to fly without any care. I baby my drones like a child and would rather not have them broken.

I bought the Mini 2 because I plan to travel quite a bit with it in the future and wanted something that had a higher resolution on it with a higher resolution. I wanted something in a smaller case, that didn't take so much room than my larger drones. This fit the bill. I didn't go up to the Mini 3 or Mini 3 Pro because it was to pricey for me.

 

[By-tor]

Registration of recreational drones over 250g is $5 every 24 mos. To my way of thinking that’s not a huge impact of FAA on my life, but opinions & experiences may vary. It is one more online account, credit card transaction, etc.

https://faadronezone.faa.gov

On the rec side, that $5 covers as many drones as you have.

The TRUST training/exam is impossible to fail, it is free, and the 3rd-party providers are prohibited from keeping any records of your exam.

The result is the opportunity to print a wallet card, but do it before you leave the site as there is no record of your passing other than the wallet card.

Many recommend Pilot Institute’s version, that’s where I took it:

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Get your FAA TRUST Certificate of Completion to legally fly drones for recreational reasons in the United States.

trust.pilotinstitute.com

The TRUST covers the basics of regs and flying hazards. Highly recommended, and required by federal law. Some may think of themselves as not subject to laws and regs they disagree with, I’m not here to debate any of that.

In my own recreational flying I started learning with a Yuneec Typhoon H back in the day, it was over 250g so I registered.

I added a DJI Mini 2 to my $5 registration. Not required, but I already had paid my $5, and was experimenting with payloads that took it above 250g.

More recently, I bought an Air 2s and added it to the reg. Now, the Mini 2 doesn’t get much love. Hopefully it will be back in the rotation as hiking season resumes in May(?).

The A2s purchase was informed by my experiences with managing a small fleet of Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom drones for my employer. The A2s camera is very comparable to the Mavic 2 Pro. For drones flown non-rec in Pt. 107 it’s $5 per drone every 24 mos.

The point of sharing this detail is that I too wanted to start small… but, now I have the Mini 2 not flying much. This is what happens to some of us photograpers/videographers when we get a taste of flying on a small-sensor drone. Will it happen to you?

PS. to @By-tor have I seen you over at POTN? I’m user SailingAway over there.

Thanks for the info...

Yep that's me on POTN and Fred Miranda (by a different name)