Hello Everyone. I'm a Newbie. I'll list everything, hopefully, you need to know to help me decide which drone to buy this week. I am a former fashion photographer. I was a pro photographer for 15 years and I know my way around Lightroom and Photoshop pretty well. I am retired from that field now but am wanting to stay active in photography. Today I am wanting to shoot more scenic photography, hence the drone. I want to be able to shoot in aeb mode. I will probably do some video but I don't have a lot of experience in video yet. i do a lot of photography work for my church youth group and other ministries and I think that aerial photography would be a nice addition to what I'm already doing. We are going to a camp, as a whole church, in the coming weeks and the drone would make that trip a lot of fun. I have several friends that are realtors that will want to hire me to take aerial photos of their listings. I am currently a middle School teacher and I think the drone would be fun shooting some of the outdoor sporting events. This is why I want the drone. Here is what my research tells me so far. If I'm wrong let me know.
Mavic Air - Small, fast, short battery life, decent video but ok photos. Three sensors, front, back and bottom for avoiding object. Under $900 for the Fly More Package
Mavic Pro Platinum - Larger body, similar video to Air but less info collected. Good photos. Good battery life. Two sensors, front and bottom, for avoiding objects. Quieter that Air. Fly More package is $1100
Mavic 2 Zoom - Similar body size but more aerodynamic than Mavic Pro Platinum. Better video and better photos with zoom. Same battery life as Platinum. Sensors everywhere and smarter object avoidance. Fly more package is $1628.
Mavic 2 Pro - Hassleblad camera... better videos and photos than the others No Zoom. Other than that, same as the Zoom. Fly more kit - $1878
Here's my dilemma(s)
If I want to go cheap, for what I want is the Platinum better because it is quieter, has longer battery life and takes better still photos? Do I want to go cheaper? The few time I have picked the cheaper investment I've regretted it later (but that was when I was making a living doing it)? If I go more expensive, is the Hassleblad camera worth the extra $250 over the zoom? Should I start with the 2 Zoom or Pro because I've never flown a drone before and the accident avoidance is so much better? The zoom is a stretch financially for me so the pro seems out of my price range... but I could possibly make it work, just don't want to spend $2K on a drone.
Given this information why should I select one over the other? Thank you for your advice.
Mavic Air - Small, fast, short battery life, decent video but ok photos. Three sensors, front, back and bottom for avoiding object. Under $900 for the Fly More Package
Mavic Pro Platinum - Larger body, similar video to Air but less info collected. Good photos. Good battery life. Two sensors, front and bottom, for avoiding objects. Quieter that Air. Fly More package is $1100
Mavic 2 Zoom - Similar body size but more aerodynamic than Mavic Pro Platinum. Better video and better photos with zoom. Same battery life as Platinum. Sensors everywhere and smarter object avoidance. Fly more package is $1628.
Mavic 2 Pro - Hassleblad camera... better videos and photos than the others No Zoom. Other than that, same as the Zoom. Fly more kit - $1878
Here's my dilemma(s)
If I want to go cheap, for what I want is the Platinum better because it is quieter, has longer battery life and takes better still photos? Do I want to go cheaper? The few time I have picked the cheaper investment I've regretted it later (but that was when I was making a living doing it)? If I go more expensive, is the Hassleblad camera worth the extra $250 over the zoom? Should I start with the 2 Zoom or Pro because I've never flown a drone before and the accident avoidance is so much better? The zoom is a stretch financially for me so the pro seems out of my price range... but I could possibly make it work, just don't want to spend $2K on a drone.
Given this information why should I select one over the other? Thank you for your advice.