I am looking at getting a drone and really doing something other than just have fun with it. So I thought I would join a forum and see what I can learn before buying. Look forward to some great information. TIA
So this is what I'm looking at and have learned so far on my own. I don't want just a quad for flying fun. I want a drone for videoing and photography. Mostly for personal reasons but also would like to be able to utilize it in a professional manner. So for the longest I was going to buy the Phantom Vision+. Then someone told me about the Yuneec Q5000. While researching on it I found the new and exciting Inspire1 and PlexiDrone. I really really like the landing gear raising and being able to pan the camera 360. Phantom Vision+, I like the price and the camera is decent. Seems to be a pretty darn good drone. DJI seems to be a reputable company that has put a lot of research and development into their products. Inspire1, again a DJI product so it seems it is top notch (not to offend those that build their own). The camera is a 4K. I love that you don't have to depend on WiFi to see the video, as I understand. Heavier and more power. I think there will be more upgrades in the future as this drone will become the jewel of DJI. I like the idea that I can dual pilot. Retractable landing gear. Can fly inside. Wasn't looking to spend $3,000 but if I want to do some commercial work in the future it seems the Inspire1 will do the job until I upgrade to a high end drone. Does the Inspire have a "follow me" mode? Also, I love the sensors on it to help with keeping it stable close to the ground and such. Do any of these others have that? YuneecQ5000, Pretty much the same as the Phantom from what I can tell but not the backing that the Phantom may have. But other than that seems like a good drone for the price. Seems hard to argue against this one or the Phantom if you just want a drone for personal use and doing some personal videoing and photography. PlexiDrone. The drone is very interesting to me. Just not out yet and not much information on it. From what I can tell it doesn't come with a camera so the $979 price is a little misleading. I assume I would have to drop about $500 on a GoPro or something. But I love the look, the backpack and the retractable landing gear. Also love the follow me feature on it and the Yuneec. My fav seems to be the Inspire1. I do understand it's twice the money but I'm the kinda guy that says if you are going to buy something why pay less money for something that isn't quite what you want? Go ahead and spend more and get exactly what you want. So let me have the suggestions and advice from the experts here. TIA
Well, I would say none of us are experts in all fields.....but some here do have experience, which is sometimes as good as expertise.... I'm not sure if you read some of the articles on the blog...such as whether or not you should buy a drone at all? https://www.droneflyers.com/2014/12/reasons-buy-fly-drone/ However, assuming that you have (or will) and you still want to go ahead, I have the following little pieces of advice for you... 1. Concentrate for the first time period (months or a year) on becoming a pilot - not on which craft you intend to fly. 2. Never buy or fly anything that you cannot afford to lose...and I mean lose 100%. If you can't afford to throw away $3500+ per year, then don't even consider the Inspire. One experienced photographer mentioned that most quads end up costing 2X or more their original purchase price within the first year (repairs, losses, etc.). 3. Consider that smaller craft - such as the Phantom- are much easier to get in and out of a place and are less conspicuous. Setting up and operating an Inspire or even a Q500 will attract more attention. That may not be a bad thing, but I personally like to fly under the radar (not attract attention). 4. The idea of "getting what you want" does not apply here because these are not market-ready consumer products where your purchase will be final or will last for many years. Also, technology marches on so while you learn the prices will be coming down. As far as brands, buying something that does not have a relatively long track record is dangerous. Experience has proven this time and time again. It's best to consider models that have sold thousands of units and where you can get honest feedback. The Q500 may enter that territory within a few more months but the Plexi and others are completely untested and unproven at this point. Another tidbit is that many people end up with more than one quad. Think about it - if, in the future, you set up some low-end commercial jobs (real estate, etc.) and your main Inspire crashes or breaks in some way, a Phantom will more than do the job in terms of quality. All in all, I would say to buy none of the above quite yet. Buy a couple toy quads and get the hang of them. If you want to enhance your piloting skills, buy an Eye One Xtreme after you have wore out the toy quads. Then decide on the bigger models. Another good point of entry is to pick up the Phantom 1 for less than $500. It's a great machine and you can even take "prosumer" still shots with it...and learn a lot. It's fairly bulletproof and will last for years if you take care of it. That's my advice!
Thank you. Good advice. I will definitely get a low end one while saving and deciding on the Inspire.
+1 on Craig's post. You might also want to check out the new proposed FAA regulations for flying commercial drones. I'm afraid it's not going to be quite as easy as buying a drone and putting up an "Open for Business" sign if you want to do this commercially.
Better to buy a cheap drone with camera for 50-100 bucks and then take new level buying good one, like Inspire or Phantom. imho
Do lots of research, 3DR Robotics is coming out with what sounds to be good too!, called a Solo .Also you want good support, when you need it, and you will need it sooner or later. I fly a Phantom 2 vision Plus, It is nice no argument, BUT it has it's problems too, but none of these birds are perfect, that is why I say Support is a good factor to look at too!
