Camera Drone Recommendation: How to Choose a Drone for Beginners
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At the time of writing this article, there have been more than 260 safe flights, and the flight distance has reached 550 kilometers. In addition to being a heavy user of DJI mavic 2 pro, I have also played DJI mavic mini, mavic air, mavic air2, Phantom 4p and Tello.
What is a good drone to buy?
Which is better for beginners to play drones?
Any recommendations for affordable drones?
In order to reduce everyone's entanglement in the process of purchasing drones, so that friends can easily judge which drones they should buy, I decided to sort out some of the previous answers about drones, and add a review of various drones Comments, compiled into a document. After reading it carefully, all your confusion in choosing a drone will be eliminated.
Lazy people follow buy Drone recommendation
entry level drone
There are only two models available for entry-level, DJI Mini SE and Mini 2, both of which weigh less than 250 grams, and do not need to register on the official website of CAAC. The flight performance of the two models is almost the same, but there is a big difference in the image transmission scheme and shooting performance. The Mini SE is purely entry-level, supports 2.7k video shooting, uses WiFi image transmission, and can be played in a small area and close .
It is suitable for scenes where the requirements for shooting pictures are not particularly high, and the scenes of buildings are not shot. When there are obstacles, the image transmission is easy to get stuck.
Mini 2 supports 4K video shooting, using the OcuSync 2.0 image transmission solution, which is enough for entry-level.
More Mini Drone
More Camera Drone
More DJI Drone
advanced drone
DJI Air 2S or DJI Mavic Air 2, Air 2 has a lighter body than Air 2S. In terms of aircraft flight configuration, Air 2 only has obstacle avoidance in three directions: front, rear, and down. It uses O2 image transmission, while Air The 2S has obstacle avoidance in four directions: front, back, up, and down, and uses the updated O3 image transmission.
The bigger difference between the two comes from the lens. The CMOS size of the Air 2 is 1/2 inch, while the Air 2S is 1 inch. In terms of video shooting, the Air 2 supports up to 4K, and the Air 2S supports up to 5.4K.
From the perspective of budget and use, Air 2 is more cost-effective, and from the perspective of shooting pursuit, Air 2S is more worth starting, of course, the price is also more expensive.
Another option that can be included in the advanced class, DJI mini 3 Pro, three-way obstacle avoidance, is very friendly to novices, can shoot vertically, supports 4k/60 frame video, 1/1.3-inch photosensitive element, and can directly output HDR images .
The fuselage is still the mini series standard, 249 grams, just within 250 grams, and there is no need to register on the civil aviation website. I tried this machine offline, and the night video effect is very good. If the budget is sufficient, this is recommended for beginners.
quasi-professional Drone
It is undoubtedly the DJI Mavic 3. There is nothing to say, it is full of money.
Hasselblad lens + telephoto lens, dual lens combination, Hasselblad lens 4/3 inch outsole, can fly for 46 minutes, image transmission distance up to 15 kilometers, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. In short, just one word, cow.
The structure of the article is roughly as follows:
Why buy a drone
Misunderstandings in purchasing drones
Aerial drone recommendation (entry-level, advanced, quasi-professional level)
Precautions for playing drones
The full text is 4300 words, if you can't read it all at once, you can bookmark, like and mark it first. You can also directly drag to the corresponding content according to the points you want to focus on. Of course, I recommend that every new pilot carefully read the entire article.
Why buy a drone
My original intention of buying a drone was purely because I watched some high-end aerial videos and thought that God's perspective was great. In fact, since I bought the drone until now, it is this God's perspective that attracts me. An environment you are familiar with looks completely different from the sky. That kind of experience is like discovering a new world suddenly. Of course, as far as I am concerned, I can also often shoot some videos that are popular in Moments with drones, making it easier to take outdoor selfies.
There are more than a hundred videos like this that I cut with my mobile phone at will. Individual players, after aerial photography, they should process the materials as soon as possible, and develop a good habit. Don't let a pile of materials lie in a corner of the hard disk, gradually losing light and shadow.
Back to the topic, most friends want to buy a drone, which is somewhat related to these demand points:
I often see don't play, feel tall, and want to start it myself;
When playing outdoors, I want to take some tall videos and photos;
I am a photography enthusiast myself, plus multiple shooting equipment;
Give gifts to friends and children;
Professional-level video producer, order-taking tool.
Different needs, different frequency of use, and different priorities when choosing a drone. In the following section of drone recommendation, an analysis and recommendation will be made for each drone that is suitable for the crowd.
Here are two possible persuasive questions:
Is there a large area of flying ban in the city where you live?
How much time do you have for outdoor play and aerial photography?
The first question is, if you live in a city like Beijing where there is a large-scale ban on flying, unless you often go to the suburbs or other places, it is recommended not to buy a drone. The second question, if you are just on a whim and don’t have time to go out at ordinary times, it is also recommended that you don’t buy a drone. Of course, local tyrants are an exception.
Without the obstacles of the above two problems, editing skills, flying skills, etc., these are not problems, nor will they prevent you from playing drones well. Why? Let’s take editing as an example. If you don’t know how to do it at all, DJI has one-click editing, and the resulting movies are not bad. The flight technology is even more advanced. If you don’t play difficult aerial photography, the flight control app has built-in a lot of fool-like flight modes. You don't need to worry about not being able to play drones at all, every pilot never starts.
Misunderstandings in purchasing drones
Buy a second-hand drone to test the waters
The popular drones on a certain sound and certain treasures are only a few hundred yuan, and fried chicken is not a pity
Buying the top is enough domineering
Whether you like aerial photography or not will have the greatest impact on the first two points.
Let me talk about the first point first. Many people think that drones are too expensive. Friends who have this kind of thinking probably don't know what problems drones are most afraid of encountering. Yes, it is the bomber. What about the corpse after the bombing? Those who have bought the manufacturer's insurance can generally replace the machine, but the replacement is not a new machine. If there is no manufacturer's insurance, you can only pay for it yourself. The machines replaced by the manufacturer or repaired by themselves are all repaired machines. Whether there is a hidden disease or not, a novice who is completely ignorant of drones may not be able to tell. As for the second-hand drone on a certain fish, it is impossible to measure what kind of machine it is.
In addition to drones, the same is true for many electronic products. It’s okay if you want to buy second-hand, you have to be knowledgeable, you don’t know anything, and you don’t want to be slaughtered, it can only depend on luck. When I was in the Computer City, I often encountered those who bought second-hand notebooks. The bios interface showed that they were all I3, I5 or the like, but they were actually Pentium CPUs.
The water depth in the second-hand field is not deep, and only those who know how to do it will know.
If you are not familiar with the field, don't think that buying second-hand will save you money, which in turn may cost you more money.
The second point is that there are hundreds of drones on a certain treasure, foreign trade orders and high-definition drones that are advertised on a certain music all day long, these so-called drones, if you listen to my advice, don’t spend time watching them. Really, don't even look at it, let alone buy it.
A friend bought this kind of drone in the last two months. He called me and asked me why I couldn’t connect to my phone, and why the control was so insensitive. I didn’t bother to analyze it, so I asked him to find a merchant.
Why is it not recommended to buy these drones? Some friends may say that it’s okay to buy it for practice, right? No, really not. When playing drones, experience is very important. Flight control, obstacle avoidance, app interface control ease of use, image transmission, camera quality, etc., these factors directly affect your flying experience.
How to understand? If you buy a drone that costs hundreds of dollars and doesn’t know what brand it is, maybe you don’t like drones anymore after playing for an hour. These so-called high-definition drones can make you lose interest in aerial photography at any time, and lose all interest. Because the experience is really bad, the control is not good, the signal is not good, the video is unsightly, and there are various reasons.
On the contrary, a mature aerial photography drone, good flight control experience, good signal, image transmission, as well as the clarity of the captured material, and the intelligence of the shooting mode, make you fall in love with it.
Remember, don't be greedy for petty gains to buy this so-called high-definition drone that costs hundreds of dollars. The novice's first aerial drone must at least have a good flight control system, an easy-to-use operation interface, and a simple and good flight mode.
The third point is that the top drone is good, but it is not suitable for you to travel with a six-axis and eight-axis drone. Considering your own needs, portability, budget, and practical use are the decisive factors. Don't buy a DJI-level drone just by slapping your head.
Aerial drone recommendation (entry-level, advanced, quasi-professional level)
Let me state first that the drones recommended by aerial photography drones are all from DJI. As for why no other brands are recommended, one is that DJI has done a good job in the field of consumer drones, and the other is that I have also experienced some other brands of drones (such as X-meter). I am accountable to my readers, simple as that.
As for the purchase channel, we recommend G-Dong DJI self-operated stores or DJI authorized stores. The products are the same, and the package accessories in authorized stores may be cheaper in order to increase sales. The DJI official website is also available, but the response is slower, and the prices of third-party accessories are generally more expensive than G Dong. DJI drones purchased through these three channels can enjoy DJI's complete after-sales service.
Seeing this, I should think it is valuable. Likes and collections can be marked for future reference, and it is also an encouragement to the author.
DJI MINI2 canceled the title of Mavic, and it became the best entry-level choice within 3,000 yuan when it was launched. Compared with Mavic mini, the biggest upgrade of MINI2 is video transmission, which is upgraded from the original mini's wifi video transmission to OcuSync 2.0 video transmission. This is also a very mature video transmission solution, with a maximum flight distance of up to 10KM. Secondly, the 2.7K video of the original mini is upgraded to 4K video, which improves the playability of shooting. There is also a certain improvement in battery life and wind resistance. It can be said that MINI2 is to replace the market position of mini, and DJI has also given a certain degree of sincerity.
It is recommended for novice users who want to find entry-level drones for practice and daily play, and the budget is not too high, just finish with MINI2.
With a body of 249 grams, it is currently the smallest consumer drone in DJI. Another advantage of the design of the weight of the fuselage is that it saves consumers the trouble of registering with their real names on the official website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The Civil Aviation Administration of my country's control requirements for drones are that unmanned aerial vehicles with a fuselage weight greater than 250 grams must have their real names on the official website of the Civil Aviation Administration, and print the QR code issued by the Civil Aviation website and paste it on the fuselage. And 249 grams, just avoided this regulation.
12 million pixels, support 2.7K video, three-axis gimbal
4 km image transmission, 30 minutes battery life
Built-in gradual flight mode, fill mode, spiral mode, circle mode
Specially designed DJI Fly APP
Note: The above parameters are quoted from the self-operated flagship store of DJI JD.com
In terms of parameters and flight experience, it is a very cost-effective drone. It is suitable for small partners with a small budget and pursuit of portability. It is just a daily shooting partner, and it is also very friendly to novices.
Disadvantages: The effect of wifi image transmission is average, only looking down to avoid obstacles, and the ability to resist wind is average
Based on the above shortcomings, it is recommended that pilots who buy mavic mini try to fly in an open and unobstructed place for the first few times before they are familiar with it.
The price of a stand-alone plane is less than 2700, and it is enough to buy the stand-alone version if you don’t usually fly a lot. There are two more batteries in the Changfei suit, so going out to play can be more refreshing. Some professional photography friends around me will also buy mavic mini, just because it is light and compact enough.
In addition, novices are recommended to buy DJI Care, the bomber can go to DJI to replace the machine with the dead body, although the replacement is not a new machine, there is also a guarantee.
The consumer-grade mid-range model released by DJI in the first half of 2020 can be said to be a very cost-effective aerial photography drone. The appearance has nothing to do with the previous generation of air, but imitates the appearance of the big brother mavic 2pro, which can be regarded as a reduced version of mavic 2 pro.
570g body
Support 4k60 frame video shooting, support 8k time-lapse video, 48 million pixels, F2.8 aperture, 1/2 inch COMS
10km image transmission, 34 minutes battery life
Note: The above parameters are quoted from the self-operated flagship store of DJI JD.com
But judging from these parameters, some people would even say that it is better than its big brother mavic 2pro. Of course, using the OcuSync 2.0 video transmission system, the measured video transmission is no less than 2 kilometers longer than the mavic 2 pro, and the battery life is better than that of the big brother, but the Hasselblad lens of the big brother is not a vegetarian.
To make it easier for novices to get started, DJI has added a smart camera function to Mavic Air2, which can automatically identify the camera scene and automatically adjust the lens parameters.
Another software design that lowers the threshold of entry is to combine smart follow, interest surround, and fusion focus into focus follow, which is easier to operate.
There is another very good point about the upgrade of Mavic Air2, which is the design of the remote control, which adopts the upper side clip method, which can be easily installed for large-screen mobile phones.
Insufficient: not omnidirectional obstacle avoidance
Click the link above to buy, the package is more affordable than the official one
For beginners, it is strongly recommended to add DJI Care.
Precautions for playing drones
Drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles, fly in the sky, and there is always a possibility of falling, even if everyone wants to see it. Some behaviors that are easy to blow up planes and violate management norms must be avoided. Only by civilized flight and law-abiding flight can we fly longer, and we will maintain the circle of drones together.
These precautions are listed below, please follow them.
Check whether no-fly or height limit before flight
Do not fly near airports, over military bases, or over densely populated areas
Do not fly indoors, and do not raise and lower drones in places where many people are watching
Novices don't fly beyond line of sight
Don't fly with distance, don't fly in strong wind
When flying in plateau areas, pay attention to the serious battery degradation, and reserve sufficient power for return flight
Novices should not lift and lower drones on moving objects (boats, cars)
Try not to fly continuously for too long when exposed to hot weather
Observe the nearby obstacles (tree branches, high voltage lines, etc.) before takeoff and landing
Do not pick up the drone with bare hands
In short, safety first. If you want to shoot good material, you also need to learn how to use the mirror and find the view, which requires a process of continuous accumulation. It is recommended to choose a time period when the sun is weak in the morning or afternoon when flying a drone, and the side light shooting picture is more beautiful.
Finally, if you want to take pictures of sunrise, sunset and sunset blues, first check the time and weather.