Buying a drone. Questions

[RiverRat1]

Checking to see if it's a good time to buy a drone. Looking for a simple, easy to use one. Just want to fly up to +/- 5,000' away. I won't need tons of flight time at once. Don't need super great video either. It's usually pretty windy where I'm at if that makes a difference.

What are things to look for in buying a drone? I've never used one so ANY advice is welcome.

Prices range so much I'm assuming there are plenty of things that are ok to go cheap on and some that are not.

[RiverRat1]

Was looking at this one

https://www.amazon.com/DJI-Mini-Ultralight-Quadcopter-Transmission/dp/B08JGYF5W1/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Mavic+Mini&qid=1618265716&sr=8-2

But will I need to purchase other stuff to go with it? How long will batteries last before needing to be replaced?

[Shane]

Based on your first post, I was gonna suggest the Mini 2. The Fly More combo kit gives you 3 batteries and some spare prop blades. The DJI Refresh plan is insurance on the drone that will get you 2 replacements in 1 year or 3 in 2 years, in case you wreck it.

[glen]

Mavic Air2

[swanjts]

I have a DJI Magic Air and love it. Very small and super easy to fly.

[TKRanch]

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=803937&highlight=drone

[Box-R]

There are some FAA regulations on some drones (I think it begins at a certain weight).
There are other regulations that apply to ALL drones (altitude, proximity to airport, crowds, active wildfire fighting area, etc.).

[hoythunter]

I've got a Mavic Air 2 with the fly more kit. Easy to fly, good camera, good all around package. Easy to learn to fly and gives a warning when battery gets weak.
Turns out I didn't use it as much as I thought I would - I'd part with it if you're interested in a slightly used package. I've got the insurance on it also - not sure if it's transferable or not though.

[RiverRat1]

Mavic Air2

What does the Mavic Air 2 have that makes it twice as good as the Mavic Mini?

I'm really really ignorant on this topic.

How long does it take to learn to fly one of these drones?

[jkranchrstexas]

GREAT....now I want a drone!!! Think I like the Mavic Air 2 the best.

[Shane]

What does the Mavic Air 2 have that makes it twice as good as the Mavic Mini?

I'm really really ignorant on this topic.

How long does it take to learn to fly one of these drones?

There are loads of reviews and comparisons on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mavic+air+2+vs+mini+2

They're not hard to fly. I'm still new and learning, but they pretty much fly themselves. You just tell them where to go.

[tvc184]

What does the Mavic Air 2 have that makes it twice as good as the Mavic Mini?

I'm really really ignorant on this topic.

How long does it take to learn to fly one of these drones?

The MA2 has a better camera and more of a low end professional model.

I own or fly eight different drones (I think) personally and at work. I personally own 5 drones and fly other models at work where I command our Drone unit for what that’s worth.

It all depends on how much you want to spend and what the final product is that you want. Some of the drones will fly 4-5 miles away although that is generally illegal… Not that anyone really cares but it could come back to bite someone in the butt if the FAA gets involved.

I compare them to game cameras in a way. I almost never bought any extremely high resolution game cameras because I was not looking for photos to hang on the wall. I just wonder what the deer’s body looked like and how his horns looked. It is kind of the same with a drone. A drone is nothing but a camera in the sky. Do you want it just to see what is out there and maybe take some decent but not professional grade photos? If that is the case you do not need a 48MP flying camera like the MA2.

At one time the smaller and much cheaper drones had a very limited comparison flight time. Like maybe 10 minutes of flight as compared to 30 minutes of flight. With the DJI improvements (and other brands) to the small drones like the Mini, they are getting similar flight times as the big ones.

You have similar issues with the video where the more expensive one might have a much higher resolution video and/or maybe more frames per second. Also the big ones (According to model) might have more advanced features such as obstacle avoidance in more directions.

The Mavic Air 2 is an awesome little Drone with a lot of capabilities. For some missions something that nice simply is not needed however. It just depends on what you want to spend.

[tvc184]

... oh yeah, modern GPS drones basically fly themselves. Yes you can change the direction and altitude but if you panic and not sure what you were doing, you can just let go of all controls and the drone will stop at the location and hover. If you were flying full speed in any direction, you can simply take your hand off the controls and it will stop right there and hover until you decide what to do. Most of the modern drones also have a return to home feature so if you leave it hovering until the battery is running down, it will come back to the point where it took off from on its own.

They are absolutely nothing like flying model Radio controlled airplanes.

[glen]

Tim. Air 2 has great camera. Also to me it was a little advanced as well as ease of flying. It is almost impossible to wreck. I can fly it through house and it will not hit a door frame. It has sensors and kinda flies itself and I just tell it where to go. We also use it for photos. As good as any camera we own. Video quality is awesome and going to use it in trolling spreads as you just set it to track a target and forget it

[ofishil]

I have a dji mavic mini. Its a great little drone with one major drawback for me. I did not know this when I got it but there are no fly zones. At my house and gym, I cannot even take get off the ground because of airstrips that are close by. I can fly 2 houses away but once it hits the "invisible wall" it wont go any further. I wanted to fly indoors at the gym but it is was a big nope.... Those were my 2 places I wanted to fly when I bought it.

But on the good side when there are no zones it is great.