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Post by Candive on Apr 8, 2024 21:59:56 GMT
Hi everyone, tonyp and I started talking about drones in another thread - a bit off topic so I decided to start a new thread. Its quite timely since AdP posted this great video on the French forum; www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1n7sJWtbMSo my question is, any recommendations for 2024? Since it would be my first drone I don't want to blow a lot of money but I would like something that can handle the wind and be able fly over water. Waterproof would be nice since I know I will be crashing the thing into the sea but that may be asking too much! I don't currently shoot a lot of 4k so 60fps or faster at 1080p is fine. Price? Not more than $1000 USD unless something for say $1,200 gets me the best!! You know what I mean. Should I wait? Should I buy an older model? Any reviews I should read or watch? Are you happy with your drone? What would you upgrade to? |
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Post by micha56 on Apr 9, 2024 5:37:11 GMT
So my question is, any recommendations for 2024?.....
Since the selection of drones is now very large and somewhat confusing, I'll stick with the brand leader DJI.
Personally, I have been flying a drone since 2018 - I bought the new DJI Mavic 2 Pro back then and was very satisfied with this drone. It has a stable flight behavior due to its weight of approx. 900 grams and has a Hasselblad camera with excellent recording properties.
But I replaced this drone, which served me really well until last fall, with a Mavic 3 classic. and then I noticed that development had made great progress. The advantage here in Europe, it is C1 certified. This means that it can be flown anywhere (Europe) without an A2 driving license where it is not expressly prohibited or where local conditions prohibit it. There is a detailed set of rules for Europe. I paid around 2300 euros for this drone with RC Pro Controller. Roughly the same price as the Mavic 2 Pro in 2018.
There are of course a large number of DJI drones. The DJI Air 3, the DJI Mini 4 Pro and the DJI Mini 3 also catch the eye.
These drones are a little smaller, can also be folded, but are also more susceptible to wind due to their lower weight (closer to the sea, somewhat harsher winds can usually be expected).
Finding your personal drone is not that easy.
The best thing to do is to google and read about the characteristics of different drones.
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Post by saby on Apr 9, 2024 6:05:15 GMT
I've been flying a Mavic Pro 2 since 2016 and I'm still very happy with it.
In your range of budget I'd by the DJI Mini 4 Pro Bundle Fly More (drone + RC2, 3 batteries (34 mins flight each), charging dock, bag). Here it's €1129. Weighs less than 249 g => no registration nor driving license required in most contries. These machines are wonders of technology. Easy to fly and very secure (Return To Home, obstacles detection in any direction, automatic shots modes, ...) Wind resistance : 36 km/h Not waterproof, but except if you purchase a submarine drone, do not expect that any flying machine will be waterproof enough in case it falls into the water. You can susbcribe DJI Refresh Care. It is a comprehensive protection program providing coverage for a variety of accidental damage and natural wear and tear of DJI products. But if you crash the drone, you need to retrieve it before asking to DJI to fix or replace it. If it falls into the water it should not be difficult for a scuba driver like you to retrieve it !  |
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Post by micha56 on Apr 9, 2024 6:41:28 GMT
I've been flying a Mavic Pro 2 since 2016 and I'm still very happy with it.
In 2016 it was supposed to be a Mavic 1 Pro (?) - the Mavic 2 (Pro and Zoom) only went on sale in summer 2018. |
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Post by saby on Apr 9, 2024 8:47:48 GMT
Yes, you're right. It was a Mavic 1 Pro.
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tonyp
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Post by tonyp on Apr 9, 2024 12:44:23 GMT
I am going to get a refurbished Mini 3 Pro from DJI. The price is right. Under 550 euros here in Poland. I don't need the fancy controller. I can use my cellphone for the screen. I don't need to shoot 100fps 4K, 60 is good enough. A friend of mine has one and loves it. He has used it for corporate videos. The sensor is the same as in the Mini 4 Pro. I am just not willing to sink 1000 euros into a drone. I need something small, can fit in my backpack with my camera gear as the wife and I bike all over Poland. Candive there is nothing you can do to waterproof your drone. At least DJI. I plan on flying it over water, but basically rivers, so the wind isn't a factor. |
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Post by Candive on Apr 9, 2024 20:08:11 GMT
tonyp , you anticipated my next question. Is it worth getting a drone in the secondary market? Do people upgrade because they smashed their drones to hell or is the upgrade due to better specs, longer distance and battery life and the old drone that is being replaced still has a lot of life left in it? I don't tend to upgrade my gear often unless I lose it or its broken - thus I don't sell in the secondary market. Even my old cameras, I pull out and use for a day of shooting, just for nostalgic reasons. So is there any advice regarding the secondary market? - what to watch out for or don't even consider it. As for water, when we take the club dive boat out, the wind is usually under 10 knots. In Australia the wind always picks up in the afternoon but by that time we are heading home. No matter what, everything gets wet on a dive boat so I'm wondering how robust are these drones? I probably need a Pelican case. Can you fly them in the rain? Are they splash proof? Another thing, I think the cheaper drones don't use GPS but determine their altitude by sensing their relationship to the ground. Apparently water confuses them and they crash? I'm sure that learning to fly drones can be a lot of fun but my main objective is for it to take aerial shots of the dive site; fly out and follow the boat and accurately comeback and land in my hands (most important).
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Post by saby on Apr 9, 2024 20:20:23 GMT
Can you fly them in the rain? Are they splash proof? Consummer level DJI drones are not water-resistant. Some professional drones have an IP rating. Another thing, I think the cheaper drones don't use GPS but determine their altitude by sensing their relationship to the ground. Apparently water confuses them and they crash? Even the cheapest DJI drone uses GPS (or Glonass, or Galilleo or Beidoo or a combination of both). I'm sure that learning to fly drones can be a lot of fun but my main objective is for it to take aerial shots of the dive site; fly out and follow the boat and accurately comeback and land in my hands (most important). If you ever take off from a boat, it's very important to set the Return To Home feature to the RC and not to the location of take off. If the RTH is activated (automaticaly in case of signal loss with the RC or manually by the pilot), it will return where the RC is located, not where it took off. A boat is moving and it prevents the drone to land on in the water. |
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Post by tonyp on Apr 9, 2024 20:30:30 GMT
A refurb drone from DJI is suppose to be as good as a new one, except maybe a scratch or two. No big deal for me as long as the camera and everything else is good.
Would I take my drone on a boat? Maybe. Depends on the sea conditions. We dove off of 60 foot boats with a cabin and bunks. So there was plenty of dry areas to leave the drone.
If the seas were flat, if the boat was slowing down to the dive site, and if we are anchored in, probably. But I would really have to be comfortable with using it.
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Post by Candive on Apr 10, 2024 18:08:04 GMT
micha56 , tonyp , saby , Thanks for the advice, This has certainly narrowed my search. Obviously DJI still dominates the drone market and for my purposes the DJI Mini 4 Pro or Mini 3 Pro will probably meet my needs for my level of experience (zero). I'll also check into getting a refurb if that's an option in my area. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my query.
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Post by tonyp on May 14, 2024 9:07:42 GMT
Candive my refurbed from DJI Mini 3 Pro arrived. Looked like it was new. Same warranty as new. One thing though, this will go through batteries quite fast. The downside is, additional batteries are expensive. I didn't get the controller with the screen. I figured I have a cellphone. Well, that was a journey for sure. My few years old phone would not install the Fly App. Whenever I renew my cell contract, get a new phone and toss it into the closet with the other "new" phones I've never used. My cell needs are basic. So going through the hassle of moving apps, etc., over is not for me. But my wife, who's cellphone is permanently attached to her hand, she did it. But, with my new phone, that too wouldn't connect to the controller. The controller was paired to the drone. I could fly it, move the camera up and down, but no screen. 2 long headache filled days, finally I think I got it to work. USB Tethering. I can rant on and on about how it should have auto connected, but won't. Oh, the phone? An Oppo a57S Android. My wife's decommissioned 2 year old phone with the Fly app installed, worked without a hitch the very first time. But this drone is tiny. A good thing for me traveling.
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Post by Candive on May 14, 2024 12:42:42 GMT
Thanks for the update tonyp , I'm looking forward to seeing some drone videos around beautiful Lublin on your YouTube channel! (don't feel pressured  ). As for phones, Like you, my needs are basic and a long time ago I started with an Android phone but some of the apps I used didn't always connect or work well to other devices. Since my wife and daughters all had apples, I decided to go to the dark side and purchased an iphone 8. I've had it for years and have no reason to upgrade! The apps installed worked perfectly. This one came with 256 gigs of memory (since you can't add additional memory to the iphone  ) but that has been more than enough with all the photos and short videos I take. The memories app (slideshow) is basic but still very good with transitions and keeping the beat to music and I tend to use that to share short slideshow with family and friends on social media I also have an DJI Osmo Action camera and have the DJI Mimo app installed. I've never had any issues connecting the app to the camera. I guess what I'm saying is if you can get access to an iphone and test it with your drone you may have a better experience. Then again you're an "AMD guy" so you must love the challenge/pain of trying to make your hardware work with your software.  |
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Post by tonyp on May 16, 2024 7:54:50 GMT
The cellphone pain came from the brand. My wife's phone worked without a hitch the very first time. Mine took a lot of trial and error. Now, it's easy. But sadly, it's been really windy here so not taking the drone outside. Watching some tutorials to learn what I need and to understand what the UI on the cellphone means. I thought that this would be harder than the DJI Ronin I have. That sat in the box for a week after I got it. Looking at all the pieces, I thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea. but I can get up and running in a couple of minutes.
Back to phones... yeah, apple, the really dark side. We have Android phones, but the OS implementations built on it by various phone makers can be different. Settings and protection are different. So when I plugged in the DJI controller, it should have been recognized right away on my shiny, I really don't need all the features, phone. It wasn't. Wifey's? Yep. Her Xiaomi Redi Note "whatever", easy peasy. Oppo? 2 full days of frustration. I was thinking it might be the connecting cable between controller and phone. That since this was a refurb unit, there is a problem. Nope. It was the freakin phone settings. But I guess with all the security settings/features on phones now, it was set up to make it not easy to connect to your phone unless you know how.
Ahh... being an AMD guy. I hated the Intel stunts that they did against AMD when they ruled the roost. Sort of like how Nvidia was trying to coral all their vendors who sold both AMD and Nvidia to do as they say, especially with the naming of the GPU's. That got exposed and there was no love for them. Intel and their financial "incentives" to system integraters and laptop makers to use Intel only. Yeah, the EU didn't like that and fined them for it. It was mere pocket change for Intel considering how much they've made. But now look at how they are scrambling with CPU's that require a power plant to run them and how their top CPU's are degrading forcing people to return them because they've been running so hot.
Me? AMD is top dog right now in CPU's no doubt. In GPU's, within the price points, they are competitive. And I don't want anyone to have so much control that they dictate to everyone what prices we will pay. We see it now with the way overpriced GPU's.
But, that's me.
Now, just installed a new AMD GPU driver, time to run it through it's paces with software that I use. Oh, now I'm a NBFX beta tester too. I used to beta for them ages ago around S15 and Avid Studio days.
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). 
) but that has been more than enough with all the photos and short videos I take. The memories app (slideshow) is basic but still very good with transitions and keeping the beat to music and I tend to use that to share short slideshow with family and friends on social media