I guess I'm getting a drone for Xmas

I've been curious for awhile, and decided if I got a decent bonus from work I would treat myself.  We had our work dinner yesterday and I got a decent bonus (genuinely surprised about it).  So I guess I have to do it now...

This is the winner I think:  DJI Mini 2

A friend has had one for most of this year & had great video/photos.  Plenty of good reviews, as good as any I expect.

Figure general shenanigans around the neighborhood, my dog at the park, our outdoor Star Wars events (I can dress in the AT-ST driver costume), and maybe Cars and Coffee.  Pretty sure the SCCA still doesn't like them, SWMBO said "why not get that FAA license"?  Indeed, why not?

I've been super happy with mine. 

A couple of the pictures I've taken.

In reply to Toyman! :

That is a beatiful property. I like the ability to host a couple of RV's there. That is really cool!

Toyman! said:

I've been super happy with mine. 

 

Same unit?

In reply to Jerry :

Yes. 

Extremely happy with my Mini 2. The quality is incredible. the range is crazy. turning off the safety features is easy, and I dont live in restricted air space so no issue there. 

https://youtu.be/RTHJNmk0pqc?t=99

however. 

I never use it. Once I flew it around the neighborhood a bunch of times, Ive lost interest in it. I paid for a hack to make the signal stronger, but it didnt really do much. I took it over the ocean and flew it out 3 miles just to try it, that was cool.  I plan on taking it to the cabin and flying it around, but I might sell it after. 

In reply to NY Nick :

That's the farmhouse my dad, grandfather, and a couple of great grandfathers grew up in. Dad has spent the last 40 years basically rebuilding the entire house and adding on to it. It was in pretty poor shape when he moved into it in the 90s. This was shot right after a paint job. The yard is mom's baby. 

One of the RVs is mine, the other is his. The house was full of family as well. This would have been the 4th of July, so there would have been 20-25 of us down for the weekend. 

I have a mavic 2 pro and use it a lot. The mini 2 is a great package. I don't think of it as an rc aircraft, it's a camera, a pretty darn good one, on an infinity tripod. 

I decided why wait to order?  It's for me & I'm not really a holiday guy anyway.  Amazon said if I order in the next couple hours it would be delivered tonight between 5-10pm.   So Merry Merry Xmas to me!

I have grown to hate DJI, though I still keep one in my fleet. Whatever you do, please to not bypass the safety features. The people that do that are the very reason for the ever-tightening noose of regulations are strangling those of us that fly professionally. 
If you are in restricted airspace, unless you're very close to an airport you can usually get LEGAL clearance to fly using LAANC. There are a few apps you can get to allow you to apply for LAANC approval. Most times I've got approval in minutes. 
 

I have a platinum pro.  We use it for work.  My regret is not getting a bigger/better one.  Wind and flying near buildings can get interesting in a hurry.  More mass would make for a stable platform.   

#1 The first thing you should do is go to a field and practice flying figure eights while keeping the camera pointed at the center of the circles.  Sounds easy but it is not.  Get good at this and then you can have lots of fun with it as well as your filming of things will be that much better quality.

#2  DONT try and fly it indoors.  Many people get one and the first thing they do is try and fly it indoors or in an area that is "tight" like under a tree or on a balcony.  resist the urge and go to a large field and fly it there.

#3 Be an ambassador for the drone community.  People have fears of these things.  They seem to think that you can read their credit card numbers in their wallets at 100 feet from a drone.   I have shown people what I can see and they all of a sudden relax and don't mind the drone.  On the other hand, I do tell them that if a drone is constantly 15 feet over your head or outside your window you should report it.  And that leads to the next thing.  Don't be a dick.  Be respectful of others' privacy.  Don't fly over private property.  Keep back from other people's property.  You don't want someone looking in your back yard respect that most people won't want you to be doing the same.  There have been a few idiots with drones that have really made it difficult to fly these things.  Please don't be one of them.

DrBoost said:

I have grown to hate DJI, though I still keep one in my fleet. Whatever you do, please to not bypass the safety features. The people that do that are the very reason for the ever-tightening noose of regulations are strangling those of us that fly professionally. 
If you are in restricted airspace, unless you're very close to an airport you can usually get LEGAL clearance to fly using LAANC. There are a few apps you can get to allow you to apply for LAANC approval. Most times I've got approval in minutes. 
 

This x 1000

Jay_W said:

I don't think of it as an rc aircraft, it's a camera, a pretty darn good one, on an infinity tripod. 

This is why I bought one. Flying is a distant second. 

dean1484 said:

I have a platinum pro.  We use it for work.  My regret is not getting a bigger/better one.  Wind and flying near buildings can get interesting in a hurry.  More mass would make for a stable platform.   

 

#3 Be an ambassador for the drone community.  People have fears of these things.  They seem to think that you can read their credit card numbers in their wallets at 100 feet from a drone.   I have shown people what I can see and they all of a sudden relax and don't mind the drone.  On the other hand, I do tell them that if a drone is constantly 15 feet over your head or outside your window you should report it.  And that leads to the next thing.  Don't be a dick.  Be respectful of others' privacy.  Don't fly over private property.  Keep back from other people's property.  You don't want someone looking in your back yard respect that most people won't want you to be doing the same.  There have been a few idiots with drones that have really made it difficult to fly these things.  Please don't be one of them.

I do this any time I can. I feel it helps. And yes, I've had people say things like "oh, you can't use this for peeping in windows" or similar.  
I've even let others take the sticks. I'll get them above the highest tree and let them fly for a while. 
It's a blast. 

Since this is a motorsports forum, it should be reminded that there is drone racing.  So as you get comfortable, set up a course and go race it.  And there are sims that you can practice on your computer with.

I have a cousin who is a professional drone racer.

Thanks for the advices...

Now Amazon is flooding me with accessories, anything really worth it?  Saw a sun shield that goes around the phone maybe?

And they actually do drone races at the Air Force Museum here, interesting to see them flying through old planes.

I have the older version, a DJI Mavic Mini, and yeah: It's super fun! 

Seconded re: Controlled airspace, too. It's very easy (and free) to get actual permission from the FAA via a smartphone app. They'll cover it when you take your mandatory recreational drone test. 

https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/knowledge_test_updates/

Do they make any quiet versions? 

When we were on vacation in Norway, we would go on long hikes in and around the fjords, and almost every time we would sit down to relax at the peak and enjoy the scenery, some bro would whip out a drone and ruin the peace. 

"oh wow, what a majestic vZZZZZZzzZZZZzzzZZZZZ"

Anyway, please be conscientious about using it. If it's annoying people around you, put it away. 

Erich said:

Do they make any quiet versions? 

When we were on vacation in Norway, we would go on long hikes in and around the fjords, and almost every time we would sit down to relax at the peak and enjoy the scenery, some bro would whip out a drone and ruin the peace. 

"oh wow, what a majestic vZZZZZZzzZZZZzzzZZZZZ"

Anyway, please be conscientious about using it. If it's annoying people around you, put it away. 

Very few are quiet. some have "quiet props" but those usually only drop the noise by 1-2 dB and cost you 3-5% flight time. I have quiet props on all my drones that offer them. The quietest one is the one that doesn't offer quiet props LOL. It's a Yuneec Typhoon H Pro. It's a hexicopter. 6 props allows the motors to spin slower, keeping things quieter. 
Now as far as "if it's annoying people around you, put it away" does that apply to a car with what I would consider a loud exhaust? If it's annoying me you should stop driving? 
Personally I won't stop flying if I know I'm legal. Now, if there's people around I'll go as far from them as is reasonable to be considerate. But if anyone confronted me I'd explain that I'm completely legal, but they are free to call the police if they feel the need. I've never been confronted because I try to be a good person and fly with some consideration. But if I'm on a job, it is what it is. 

Get the fly more package, 3 batteries and the gang charger is truly worth having..

In reply to DrBoost :

To me, the context of the noisy behavior is important. If you're driving somewhere with a noisy exhaust so be it. Part of life. If you're revving your Harley in a cemetery, maybe it's legal but it's not very kind. In the same way, people go to nature to find peace and solitude. How unsettling would it be to climb El Capitan, only to find some dude with a leafblower up there?

The US has prohibited them in our National Parks. Hopefully other countries do as well for their natural areas. 

Jay_W said:

Get the fly more package, 3 batteries and the gang charger is truly worth having..

That's what I got.  Wondering if a sun shade and maybe the hard storage case is worth it.  Thinking the LED landing lights (although cool) and retractable landing gear would just add weight.

Erich said:

In reply to DrBoost :

To me, the context of the noisy behavior is important. If you're driving somewhere with a noisy exhaust so be it. Part of life. If you're revving your Harley in a cemetery, maybe it's legal but it's not very kind. In the same way, people go to nature to find peace and solitude. How unsettling would it be to climb El Capitan, only to find some dude with a leafblower up there?

The US has prohibited them in our National Parks. Hopefully other countries do as well for their natural areas. 

We all have the same right to enjoy nature. Some do it connected to the ground, some do it from as high as 400' AGL. The car exhaust is the correct analogy. Revving exhaust in a cemetery is nothing like a drone passing a few hundred feet over your head and is gone in seconds. 
As soon as we start letting the vocal majority reduce our rights, we've all lost. 

With a drone I can see things that cannot be seen otherwise, and from different perspectives. And you are correct about national parks. But there are workarounds. 

Another Mini2 owner here.  You'll be happy with the purchase, its an awesome little unit.  I've built a few of my own, more racing oriented than photography oriented like the DJI but for ease of use you cant really beat the DJI platform, fly an all manual drone sometime and then move to a DJI and the difference is night and day.   Its really a great little drone.