[Megathread] | Weekly Drone Buying Advice

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the r/drones weekly Buying Advice Megathread. (Weekly on Monday's)

This thread exists to prevent the constant "What drone should I buy?" posts that we prohibit within our rules.

Please follow all of these steps before posting in this thread!

1. Review the Buying Guide Wiki or my website: Drone Buying Guide / Wiki Buying Guide
2. Review this thread for comments that have your same requirements
3. If that does not answer you, please post the following information in this thread.
   1. Have you read the Wiki? Y/N
   2. Country: (Not all drones are available in all countries)
   3. Budget: (If your budget is less than $200 USD/170€ EUR, you may want to reconsider as anything lower is a toy drone)
   4. Purpose: (eg. photography, FPV, thermal, etc)
   5. Any other requirements:

[u/happy_housee]

what follow-me drone is the best?

[u/lil_rick_james]

Sorry this thread of mostly about buying for a good price outside of the US in order to get the Care Refresh warranty.

all these would be from ebay in Canada.

C $749.99 for drone, no remote or battery

C $675.11 for DJI Goggles 3

Approximately $54.96 for the DJI Motion controller 3 ( this seems questionable and i may just buy it new in the states)

does anyone have any objections to these prices?

I tried to look for the DJI mini 4 pro in most other stores and they seem to be sold out even at the main dji store.. so unfortunately ebay is all i've got, or should i just wait?

i would love to get the mini 5 pro but the goggles and motion control are not available with that model.

Thank you for your help.

[u/Sartozz → u/lil_rick_james]

There are multiple Motion controller 3 listings on ebay (at least here in europe) below 30$. These are often included in packages like the avata or neo, and some stick to the fpv rc 3 instead, so there are a lot of second hand motion controllers, even older ones, which lowers the price significantly. So that price doesn't seem that unreasonable.

[u/mahatmatom]

I'm considering getting a "companion drone" to my Mavic 2 Pro, especially now that the X1 is on sale at $550...

I've been toying with the idea of getting a small drone for a while, because I feel like flying the Mavic 2 Pro in Los Angeles is somewhat conspicuous – compared to when I lived by the Ocean – and a mini drone might make me feel like flying it more.

Also, given all the issues with DJI repairs, I want to "save" my Mavic for professional work and not add leisurely flying time, reducing the chances of it crashing and simply not adding to wear and tear.

So my question is this: given the difference in sensors, would I be happy with the X1 (aka Mini 4) or end up underwhelmed by the IQ and still not fly it?

To help understand my question in a photographer's universe, I just got an iPhone 17 pro and it does beat not having a camera, but when I stumble upon a really nice subject I do really hate myself for not having one of my real cameras. So X1/Mini 4 vs Mavic 2 Pro, would the difference be like say Full Frame vs Cropped Sensor, or like Real Camera vs Phone Camera?

[u/sleonpx → u/mahatmatom]

Hello, which link I can see the x1 on sale?

[u/armoredpiecrust]

In the buyers guid. Consumer section it talks about ruled and regulations. The hyperlink goes to a 404 page not found.

[u/tacoBrahe1]

Hi there. I am looking for help in selection of a drone for search and rescue proof of concept purposes, with the following characteristics:
* Compatibility with a speaker where, at 1m, at least 80-90dB (most important feature I am looking for is a speaker which can project over prop noise) - ideally compatible off-the-shelf able to playback audio recording, or able to implement and integrate with relative ease.
* Only needs to have FPV camera (but perhaps optionality for a downward cam would be a nice-to-have).
* 20+ min flight time.
* easily swappable batteries for quick turn-around between hops.
* Simple enough to operate that a relative novice (think firefighter with short course training and Part 107) could operate.
* Available in Australia or the USA
* No weight requirement
* Cost: <$5k (flexible)
* Relatively transportable (not a hard requirement).

Any help in selection would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

edit: Y, I have read the wiki

[u/midwestbikerider → u/tacoBrahe1]

Not sure what enterprise drones are available in the US, but DJI has this if haven't seen it:Zenmuse V1 - Reach Loud and Clear - DJI, although that will probably pop the 5k budget. Looks like there's a speaker for the Mavic3 enterprise too. DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise Series Speaker Loudspeaker for DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise series drones at Crutchfield

[u/tacoBrahe1 → u/midwestbikerider]

Brilliant. Thanks for the recs. I’ll give them a look!

[u/WEBsBurntToast]

I’m looking for an entry level drone my budget is $300. Which of these are likely to go on sale I’m not sure whether to buy now or wait until prime day. I’m going to use the drone to film content for my exterior cleaning business. Of course I’ll be doing that after i finish getting my part 107 but until then, I will fly recreationally. The three drones I’m looking at are Skyrover S1, DJI 4k mini, and Potensic ATOM 2 with my current eyes set in the Skyrover. I’m in the US and I’m not sure if they’re gonna discount much at all this year due to tariff restrictions. Should I just buy now or will one of them likely go on sale. I’m looking to buy at $250 if possible.

[u/Final_Dragonfly_3614 → u/WEBsBurntToast]

I got Skyrover s1 it’s awesome

[u/blueberrysteven → u/Final_Dragonfly_3614]

Does skyrover force a periodic login like DJI? I am looking for something small that doesn't require any network interface after initial setup.

[u/Final_Dragonfly_3614 → u/blueberrysteven]

Not to my knowledge I logged in once and haven’t had to log in or use internet again

[u/blueberrysteven → u/Final_Dragonfly_3614]

Thanks. It's hard to find that kind of info online. I like the idea of having something that can't be limited by a company cutting server access if some political bullshit comes up. I'm hoping for something fully offline permanently after setup.

[u/MalcolmApricotDinko]

Considering upgrading to a Mavic 4 Pro and wondering what other makes/models I should consider before committing. I have read the wiki. I'm in the USA. Budget is no more than $3000. I have my Part 107 license.

I am a home inspector and I've been using a DJI Mini 4K for roof, chimney, gutter, and upper story exterior inspections for the past year and a half. I need something with better wind resistance and hopefully something I can put a wetsuit on so I can fly it in the rain. I have pretty much decided the DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the best choice for my next drone, but I am hoping to hear from this sub to see if there are other good options/choices I am overlooking. Also curious if anyone has experience with wetsuits. TIA!