Myster Fied
Well-Known Member
Hi, looking for a drone that can deliver images to the hand held unit and also has obstacle avoidance but at the budget end if that's possible.
Drone Recommendation.
- Thread starter Myster Fied
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Freeforester
Well-Known Member
The DJI Mini Pro 3 with RC controller (built-in screen) will do all of this handsomely, albeit at the upper end of ‘budget’, and is a great piece of kit for its diminutive size, and note that you can set it to fly really slowly too, if you’re looking to fly in areas where there are obstacles. Watch out for telephone and other wires and fine branches/twigs, the obstacle avoidance is very good, but not totally foolproof. Avoid flying indoors, if possible. The only limiting factor with this wee drone is the wind strength when/where you are flying, above 20 knots is not really suitable for the drone, you’d have to look to a larger Mavic 3 if flying regularly in higher wind conditions. Good lightly/barely used ones appear from time to time, as people will sometimes upgrade to the units with higher spec, or thermal capability, etc (don’t ask how I know this, lol!). Unlike rifles, drones have a genuine flight record log built in, as do the batteries for them.
Drone Safe store in Chichester offering deals on bundles over Easter, in an earlier thread some folk were raising concerns about ‘bargains’ from faraway lands where ‘sale of goods legislation’ may be a bit different than here in the U.K., making them less of a bargain/saving than originally imagined. Caveat emptor!
HTH, and Happy Easter
As some may know I fell for a recent scam offering the mini 2 at too good a price TBH 
However, I do have an old Mini which I have been flying again over this lively BH weekend and have been blown away once again over the quality of the imagery and controllability of the drone.
All of the Minis have roughly the same performance in wind/endurance and to be honest, I find 2.7k video (indeed 1080) more than good enough for me as well as making file sizes more manageable. As said above, only the Mini 3 Pro comes with all-round avoidance but it more than doubles the price tag. If you were to not require that (it’s not infallible), I think the Mini 2 SE more fly combo is probably the best deal currently going. Where all of the Mini 2 and above really score is having the OCR2 control system which gives much, much better range compared to my old Mini (which uses enhanced Wi-Fi).
However, I do have an old Mini which I have been flying again over this lively BH weekend and have been blown away once again over the quality of the imagery and controllability of the drone.All of the Minis have roughly the same performance in wind/endurance and to be honest, I find 2.7k video (indeed 1080) more than good enough for me as well as making file sizes more manageable. As said above, only the Mini 3 Pro comes with all-round avoidance but it more than doubles the price tag. If you were to not require that (it’s not infallible), I think the Mini 2 SE more fly combo is probably the best deal currently going. Where all of the Mini 2 and above really score is having the OCR2 control system which gives much, much better range compared to my old Mini (which uses enhanced Wi-Fi).
Myster Fied
Well-Known Member
Thanks for this 
Myster Fied
Well-Known Member
FreeForester i just rang Dronesafe in Chichester it was like pulling teeth...young guy on the phone who wasn't very helpful he was decent enough but i explained i was at an entry level etc. but came off the phone none the wiser. Shame your not nearer i could pop over and see what to do.
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
Humans, eh?
They possibly do most of their sales online, hence the poor customer facing skills!There are plenty of good explanatory videos available about most of various models currently available, just make sure the one you are looking into has all the features you want, as @wytonpjs says, collision avoidance is not infallible, but you have to doing something particularly risky or carelessly to come unstuck with it, and it does indeed pay to look at the ‘don’t try this, I crashed mine’ videos, and take aboard the lessons and advice. If in any doubt when flying early days, (try to learn in a decent sized open space if at all possible) - simply stop! And take your hands off the controls; most new units will simply hover and await further instructions if the pilot has a moment of blind panic, but parameters for flying can now be set as slowly as 1 metre per second in any direction, which can hep a novice avoid a tricky situation before it becomes critical. If that isn’t reassuring enough, the drone will actually calculate flight time remaining and automatically return to within a few inches of where it took off from, before running out of puff itself, if let to it’s own devices, or if eg the controller even switches off or runs out of puff. It should be noted however that when such a slow speed setting is set, collision avoidance measures may be disabled, depending on the drone you are considering.
This chap seems to know his onions, and his tutorials for some aspects of drone flying are very helpful, even though it’s something of a learning curve for absolute beginners..
Btw I’m no expert, just an enthusiastic user/owner of a few of them, including the above and the thermal-enabled Mavic 3, which is very useful over a number of land and wildlife use/management fields
Btw I’m no expert, just an enthusiastic user/owner of a few of them, including the above and the thermal-enabled Mavic 3, which is very useful over a number of land and wildlife use/management fields
All very good sound advice - well done
@MartinB as Freeforester says, its worth spending a few moments correctly calibrating the drone's sensors (it tells you how to do it) and setting your "home location" so it knows where to return. Do start in an open area with few hazards and minimal wind until you become more familiar. Then, be prepared to be amazed..............................
Myster Fied
Well-Known Member
Myster Fied
Well-Known Member
Humans, eh?
There are plenty of good explanatory videos available about most of various models currently available, just make sure the one you are looking into has all the features you want, as @wytonpjs says, collision avoidance is not infallible, but you have to doing something particularly risky or carelessly to come unstuck with it, and it does indeed pay to look at the ‘don’t try this, I crashed mine’ videos, and take aboard the lessons and advice. If in any doubt when flying early days, (try to learn in a decent sized open space if at all possible) - simply stop! And take your hands off the controls; most new units will simply hover and await further instructions if the pilot has a moment of blind panic, but parameters for flying can now be set as slowly as 1 metre per second in any direction, which can hep a novice avoid a tricky situation before it becomes critical. If that isn’t reassuring enough, the drone will actually calculate flight time remaining and automatically return to within a few inches of where it took off from, before running out of puff itself, if let to it’s own devices, or if eg the controller even switches off or runs out of puff. It should be noted however that when such a slow speed setting is set, collision avoidance measures may be disabled, depending on the drone you are considering.
This chap seems to know his onions, and his tutorials for some aspects of drone flying are very helpful, even though it’s something of a learning curve for absolute beginners..
Btw I’m no expert, just an enthusiastic user/owner of a few of them, including the above and the thermal-enabled Mavic 3, which is very useful over a number of land and wildlife use/management fields
That's great thankyou!
I'm not a fisherman, so I wouldn't know, there are a few fish in one of our ponds though.
ronniedodds89
Well-Known Member
I have a DJI air 2s for sale if you were interested. It’s like brand new, comes with extra batteries etc. I bought it for wife doing videography but she’s decided to give it up.
PM sent
FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
Just something that might be worth mentioning. i had a few drones including a Mini 2 which was amazing. I also had a larger one (I forget which one it was) but because of the weight of it I had to have a licence to fly it. The licence is easy enough (I scored 99% on my first try for the licence) I don't know if these licences are ever checked but it is also worth getting some insurance in the case of an unfortunate mishap where someone might get hurt.
Having said that flying the Mini 2 was an amazing experience with some fantastic video footage as a result!
Having said that flying the Mini 2 was an amazing experience with some fantastic video footage as a result!
So........... my infatuation continues (drones that is ) and I have just upgraded. To part fund this obsession, I've just listed my little used DJI Mavic Mini in the classifieds which is a great starting point into proper drones. It's under the 250g threshold, has auto-land, return to home, 12Mp camera and 2.7k video - it's not a toy. Range is limited by the controller technology but it has done all I have comfortably wanted it to without anxiety of loss.
Be warned though, they can become addictive!
www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk
) and I have just upgraded. To part fund this obsession, I've just listed my little used DJI Mavic Mini in the classifieds which is a great starting point into proper drones. It's under the 250g threshold, has auto-land, return to home, 12Mp camera and 2.7k video - it's not a toy. Range is limited by the controller technology but it has done all I have comfortably wanted it to without anxiety of loss. Be warned though, they can become addictive!
For Sale: - DJI Mini Drone with 3 Batteries, Controller and Hard Case - £250 Posted
So.............. this drone malarky can get addictive. After a recent and costly disappointment in attempting to upgrade my drone, I have sucummbed to the dark side and bought a secondhand drone upgrade off a fellow SD member. To part fund that, I'm offering up my DJI Mini Mavic Drone in a...
www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk
JonnyWhitters
Well-Known Member
The Mini 3 would be my recommendation, but without the controller that has the screen. You can get them with the regular RC-N1 controller that you hook your phone to and save a bunch of cash.
If obstacle avoidance wasn't imperative for the OP then the Mini 2 would probably be the best all-rounder.
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
This is also true, but it isn’t quite what the OP asked - he did say he wanted something with collision avoidance and delivering the images to the hand held unit, unless he meant a phone, which wasn’t mentioned. Personally I prefer the controller/s with the screen to those which rely on your phone to be charged and up to scratch (had to get another phone for my Mavic 3), the 3T came with the RC pro controller with inbuilt screen, but I’d like to use the Mini 3 Pro’s RC controller with the Mavic 3, and keep my phone in its case and for phone stuff. But I agree re cost, the non-screen option is cheaper (this was reflected in the price I paid for the Mavic 3 with the RC-N1 controller).
JonnyWhitters
Well-Known Member
As the drone delivers the pictures to the phone when attached to the controller I’d say it satisfies on both counts.
Totally each to their own, but the RC-N1 is a great controller, has brilliant battery life and I never found it a hassle having to connect the phone (which was also charged by the controller). It also has a better range and is more customisable than the unit with the screen. You don’t have to the issue with needing to tether each time to get online maps as well.
I haven’t used the RC Pro unit, it looks good, but I just suspect it’s as limited as the other one with the screen.
I have the Mini 3 Pro with the screen controller and to me, the whole package just didn’t seem as game-changing as people were reporting at the time of launch.
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