Which drone to buy

Redfin wrote:

bubbazoo wrote:http://www.techadvisor.co.uk/review/drones/hubsan-h501s-x4-review-3655124/    review not great for photos or video!!

Dave

I was aware of that, but you get what you pay for.
The bloke that owned the one I had a play with is bringing the footage to me next week, so I can
decide then if it is good enough for my needs.
I'll try and post one of the vids for you all to see what a sub $300 machine can do.

Ok had a look at the video and whilst not up there with the Spark, Mavic or Phantom, I am
not going to Cannes or selling real estate either, just having a look at the terrain around and
in the distance.
It certainly meets my needs at under $300.

Excuse the unsteadiness, just my first flight on one of these and trying out a few moves. [was too scared to go higher on a borrowed machine]

Redfin it certainly does the job for the price
Thankyou

A good quality camera drone, can set you back well over the $1000 price range.  From what i saw in the video (during the test flight) I don't think I'd be complaining much on a price set bellow the $300 mark.
Just like investing in a metal detector, It all comes down to how much use one intends on getting out of their investment, without going to overboard on price.
Like always, you can't do much wrong, when going by the rule of "fitness for purpose".
Thank you for the video Redfin

Cheers guy's,  Kon.

Thanks Kon, this thing is idiot proof.
If checking your claim for other vehicles etc, no need to transfer the video to PC,
just go high and use the First Person View screen.

Still on special @ $283

Can I fly there? a free app put out by the Australian Government to let you know if it is a no fly zone.It lets you know if your location is too close to an airport or a helicopter landing site. eg for an airport you can not fly in the approach or departure path or within 500 meters of the side of the runway. (And a lot more information.) It come up with the location your in with the landing paths of air craft on a map. You have to be on line to get the mapping features but it will still show if you can fly if off line. If in a fly zone it immediately comes up with NO FLY ZONE You are not permitted to fly here.I have just returned from Queensland and was surprised how many times while out in the bush it showed no fly zones. The app is free on play store to down load. A must if your near an airport or a hospital with a helicopter pad. I run a Detect X380 not up with the top machines but for about $300.00 with out camera it does the job.
George

Dig24crt wrote:Hi Jen
I fly Rc planes and gliders and am not up on drones.Have a look at Kogan, there selling a dji Phantom refurbished for $899 theres also Hobbyking and rctrader that are worth a look at.I gather your going to look at the dirt from the air.
Cheers Dig

thats right Jen DJI PHANTOM 6 For the money you want to spend i have a few friends that use them up this way for spotting Kingfish they work great cheers

nugget wrote:
thats right Jen DJI PHANTOM 6 For the money you want to spend i have a few friends that use them up this way for spotting Kingfish they work great cheers

There is no Phantom 6 bud???

https://www.dji.com/products

Hi Jen, I suppose you have checked out DJI's site. I have just got a DJI Phantom 3 Pro. Lots of youtube footage on them.
http://www.dji.com/products/drones

Do a search, if you havnt already, on Gold Prospecting or Pocket Gold Hunting using a drone. Some cool stuff out there. http://www.goldprospectors.org/News/News-Details/ArtMID/3269/ArticleID/195/Eye-in-the-Sky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkOOPg8qEn8

Cheers.

Good luck out there

JW

Kiwijw ( baby bro)
Thanks for dropping in.. i do like the phantom, been eyeing them off for a while.
I do hope you maybe share a video of your phantom flying.. please
I will look at the utubes when i get a chance.


Thankyou everyone.. for you help and advice.. a lot to take in.
I really appreciate all the help you guys have shown to us all..

Gold Miner wrote:Hi Jen,
The DJI spark is also known as the 'selfie' drone, it really is the baby of DJI's fleet. If its windy, forget flying it.
I have the Mavic pro (as well as 250 fpv racing drones and the carbon fibre multiwii scarab).
I bought the Mavic for its portability and flight time. It has a 12 mp camera which is fine for what I want. Super easy to fly with some great automated flight modes.
For a bit more money I could've gone for the Phantom 4 which houses a 20 mp camera and the same features as the Mavic, however no where near as portable. Being bigger and a tad more powerful it can handle wingy conditions more than the Mavic.
You will note that I have only referanced DJI drones, the reason for this is that they really are the minelab of drones.

DJI recently brought out the Mavic platinum which boasts almost half our of flight time and 60% quieter than the mavic pro.
Rumour is that one day a Mavic pro 2 might come out with a better camera..... it could be coming or it might not!!!

I Have a Mavic but I am also getting the Spark for those quick and small areas such as mines and shafts that I want to check out. As for the Spark and wind check these videos out:




This is a good example.

This shows how the spark might be a little better in some situations...

Both are good units and have their own pros and cons. If you get a spark best to get the Go Far option as you really need the remote to go far up to 2-4Km. The Mavic will go 7Km. These are so easy to fly. I have a couple of $50-150 drones but they are really hard to control compared to the DJi's.

Hope this helps you decide...

Hi Ismael
Thankyou for sharing all this info..
So far I have watched the top video
What a nifty little thing..
I will go watch the others
Thankyou again..

Regards
Jen

A pic over Dunolly from the sub $300 Hubsan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvR3znj47i0

I only just notice this thread just now.  MY wife just bought me a small Drone to play with indoors and it inspired me to look into a more powerful unit. Whilst I can't offer any suggestions that compete with the $300 drone (and the resulting images look very good), I would like to put in a good word on the DJ Mavic Pro drone.  I particularly liked the grip on the thumb controllers on the hand-remote and the reviews for this drone are very strong.

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/drones-robotics/all-drones/dji/dji-mavic-pro-4k-drone/320989/

It has the following with the standard kit for $1399:

* 12 MP Camera with Ultra 4K Video
* 27 minute flight time on a single battery.
* 7km range from the operator.
* Folds down and can be worn on a belt.
* Superb camera gimbal for excellent stabilization.
* Return-Home button with obstacle avoidance.
* Relatively affordable.
* 5 Km video transmission range.



I only wish I had one when I was on the dried out Turon River gold diggings the other day.  Admittedly, a drone would be an indulgence for me. Because I don't really need one and wouldn't benefit greatly since I rarely shoot video these days.  But of all the research I was able to conduct, the Mavic was one of the best out there that isn't a commercial unit requiring a special operator's license.  The Mavic is on Special at the moment at JB HiFi with an advanced kit at $1799 (normally $2199) for the kit with an extra battery, the carry bag and additional props etc (see below).

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/drones-robotics/all-drones/dji/dji-mavic-pro-4k-drone-fly-more-combo/320990/

DJI 'Fly More Combo' includes additional:
* Mavic Drone with 4K.
* Chargers.
* Flight Controller.
* 2 x Intelligent Flight Batteries
* 2 x Quick Release Folding Propellers (spares)
* Mavic Car Charger
* Mavic Battery Charging Hub
* Mavic Battery to Powerbank Adaptor
* Mavic Shoulder Bag












Of all the non-commercial drones out there, the Mavic offered the video footage closest to the larger and more expensive Phantom and was far more portable as well as being smaller and less expensive to repair in the event of an unavoidable (and inevitable) crash. I'd personally recommend considering the DJ Mavic Pro drone in relation to prospector or hobby related use and it can clearly capture professional footage for commercial use without breaking the commercial pilot requirement rules.

I agree with everything you've said there Nero!

Not a bad price from JB either, however check this mob out for their specials. (This is the pack that I bought,)
http://www.uavme.com.au/mavic-pro-mega-pack

I fly mine commercially under the excluded sub 2kg class.
https://www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/commercial-unmanned-flight-remotely-piloted-aircraft-under-2kg

There are some fantastic apps out there too!! Have a look at Drone Harmony.
This has so many automated modes that are simply perfect!! The new Terrain mode is great but a very steep learning curve.
http://droneharmony.com/

That being said, the new firmware (.100) is out and seems ok.
HOWEVER!! The DJI GO 4 update is a joke (.18) DO NOT install it if you use an Android device.
My mavic was bricked for two days until we worked out how to roll back the software to .15.

Gold Miner wrote:

That being said, the new firmware (.100) is out and seems ok.
HOWEVER!! The DJI GO 4 update is a joke (.18) DO NOT install it if you use an Android device.
My mavic was bricked for two days until we worked out how to roll back the software to .15.

After reverting back to go4 app .15 I just installed .18 and all seems fixed. This is todays version of .18.

Hi, I haven't posted for a while.....

Have you brought a drone yet ?

I fly drones commercially, many brands and many custom solutions, up to a lift weight of about 12kgs

My suggestion is if you are new to drones and have had little or no experience with RC , keep your eyes out for a DJI Phantom 4 (no need to go to the Pro version....).
They have a good collision avoidance system, and autonomous modes etc that will make you new drone experience a much more pleasant one......you panic, just let go of the controls and it will hover, or press the the fly home button and it will come back and land......the whole DJI Family are similar, but the bigger models drop some of the auto functions as they consider the pilots to know more and don't need them.
These days there are many second hand ones around so you should get a deal somewhere.
I would also look at 3rd party piloting programs like "LITCHI" and as you get more confident maybe "Autopilot" which will allow you to do things the DJI system won't.
LITCHI is a particularly good program that easily allows you to pre program flight paths etc using Google Earth, which is handy if you are not confident in your remote flying.....you can draw flight paths, heights, camera pointing direction etc etc......it works with all DJI products.
Anyway, good luck with it, you will get hooked, so don't say I didn't warn you

Hi everyone
Thankyou all, you have all put in great info about the drones
I have been reading with great interest, i really appreciate it.

Harb.. no not yet, waiting till after Christmas now.

Thankyou

Jen wrote:Hi everyone
Thankyou all, you have all put in great info about the drones
I have been reading with great interest, i really appreciate it.

Harb.. no not yet, waiting till after Christmas now.    

Thankyou

Probably a good idea.......you may pick up a cheap one then too.....

As has been said...DJI are the MineLab of drones.....they are basically unpack , charge batteries and you will be flying in less that 30 mins confidently.......they are absolutely foolproof .......especially the later models.

One thing you can bank on if its got DJI written on it, it will work for you........from say Phantom 3 onwards you will be amazed......any of their platforms work well

Im just getting into racing drones. They are fun but a handful to fly.  This guy can handle them...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=biZt31RegmA

Cheers

My little Custom Racer.....as you can see by the dust it hasn't been out for a while lol...

Hello everyone, just wanted to let you all know. We brought a drone
Thankyou all for the great input.

The winner
DJI MAVIC PRO as it folds down for easy transportation.
Easy to fly.
Oh what fun we are having with it.

Well done, yes, a lot of fun to be had

Good stuff! Welcome to the club!!!!

Very good choice Jen

Good choice you will love it.

Thanks everyone

Mike was the one that finally decided on which drone he would like.
With it being so easy to fly, i play around with it also.
Can not wait to get back on the road again!  

Hopefully we will get some fantastic pictures to share with you all.

great Choice Jen and keep an eye on the birds

bedrock wrote:great Choice Jen and keep an eye on the birds

Hi Bedrock
How are you?

Lol.. funny you should mention the birds
i have a story to share.
Will get it together and post it as soon as i can.

My brothers fun day out with his drone

While out flying the drone today
I spotted an eagle



When... BANG!
The video shook. Hmmm ok drone was still flying
BANG! Video shook again, looking at my screen the picture was upside down for a sec



Drone was still flying and i was getting it closer to the ground
When BANG!
Video went sideways then cut out, lost connection to the drone

Drone got a good picture of the eagle taking off


I went in search of my drone,
Took a while to find the drone as the find my drone app needs internet connection to work.

Finally found the poor thing laying on its back with the battery next to it.  scratches on it.
props need replacing, the gimbal bracket and camera seemed ok
The motors seemed fine as they were turning



it had a hardware error. Left front camera not working. Checked it out in the calibration app and sure enough the left front camera didn't have an image.
Before the calibration it believed there was something 4.5m in front of it all the time.
did the calibrations, replaced all props,
Then took it for a test flight.
All A-OK, Phew!

No Eagle's were harmed, just the drone as the eagle was still happy flying around

Wow!! You were very lucky not to have done more damage!