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First Drone

lefty

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Good day,

New to the forum and new to the industry. I'll be taking my part 107 test this Monday and looking forward to purchasing my first drone. I'm open to any type of business but I'm most interested in working with land / real estate because of the connections I've made in a prior life. I know civil engineers, architects, real estate brokers, etc.

Full disclosure, I've only ever operated a drone once in my life and it was a cheap piece of crap one of my kids got for Christmas over 10 years ago. I flew it for 30 seconds. I'm pretty sure it's still sitting about 60' up in the tree across the street. But I digress...

I've done some research on the DJI site. I was looking at the mini, the mavic, phantom, air 2S's, etc. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on a system with my interests in mind. I'm kind of torn between just getting something cheap to practice with or spending a little more to get something that might not be the end-all but might be enough to dip my toes into my areas of interest.

I'm also wondering if it's better to go with a remote that uses a phone or tablet vs. one with a screen, given the type of business I'm interested in starting with. To be honest, any advice or guidance is welcome and appreciated. My price range is in the neighborhood of $1000-1500. Although I don't mind spending less if advised.

Thank you very much.
 
Welcome Lefty and good luck with you test. My recommendation would be to buy an entry level drone ($1200 range) and fly as much as you can for a couple months. That will get you some flight time under your belt while you work on you business model. Most drones in general will fly and have interfaces/options that are similar, but that big Chinese one is currently the most refined with its software and platform options. MHO. It along with every other Manufacturers come with their caveats so another reason to fly while you do more research to figure out what your business focus will be. Lots of good folks here with world of knowledge so search the posts and ask questions as they come up. Regards,
 
Any thoughts on the refurbished units they offer? Given it's my first and there will be a learning curve. I was concerned about performance, particularly with the batteries. I chatted DJI up and they stated that yes, the batteries are also refurbished but claim they perform as new with the same lifecycle. The same warranty specs are offered as well, they stated. They claim some are returned for aesthetic conditions and sold again as refurbished. But some are returned for functional issues that are then repaired and sold as refurbished.

Thank you
 
Any thoughts on the refurbished units they offer? Given it's my first and there will be a learning curve. I was concerned about performance, particularly with the batteries. I chatted DJI up and they stated that yes, the batteries are also refurbished but claim they perform as new with the same lifecycle. The same warranty specs are offered as well, they stated. They claim some are returned for aesthetic conditions and sold again as refurbished. But some are returned for functional issues that are then repaired and sold as refurbished.

Thank you
I bought a refurbished P4 from DJI and couldn’t tell the difference. I was very happy and will buy refurbished again. Soon in fact. I’m preparing to buy a DJI Air 2S refurb. You might consider that.
 
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I bought a refurbished P4 from DJI and couldn’t tell the difference. I was very happy and will buy refurbished again. Soon in fact. I’m preparing to buy a DJI Air 2S refurb. You might consider that.
I also bought a refurbished unit - a Mavic Air 2 - and I really couldn't tell the difference from a new one. It's performed perfectly ever since I got it.

I'll also echo the idea of practicing flying a lot before offering yourself up for hire. Personally, my goal is to get so good at manual flying and camera operation that it takes very little brain power - mostly so I can completely focus on getting the shots I need and not so much on the drone operation.
 
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I don't know if you have pulled the trigger on making your purchase or not, but I will tell you that there are many options available. This is a good time to purchase a drone. I was always leary about buying a refurbished unit, especially on eBay. But one day I decided to buy a Mini 2 and I was very happy with how things turned out. When I started it up, it offered the Care Refresh, just like it was a new drone. I've never had any issues with it. I bought an Autel lite+ about a year later from the same eBay vendor with a similar experience. You can buy a refurbished Air 2s fly more combo for $949 (with ND filters), and the Mini 2 fly more combo for $424. The fly more combo consists of 2 extra batteries and a carrying case basically. The Mini 2 is an excellent little flyer, really good to learn on, and takes 4k video and 12MP photos. The Air2s takes better than 4k video (5.4?) and 20MP photos. You could literally buy both of these for what you're willing to spend and you would be very happy. If you only want what gives the best quality, the Air 2s is probably sufficient for your needs. Once you begin making money you can always invest in something even better. Let me know if you need links.
 

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I ended up going with the Air 2 w/fly more and am very pleased. Thanks for the advice. Right now I'm just taking short jumps from my backyard checking out the area and learning the ropes.

On a side note, with apologies if this is in the wrong sub-forum...as coincidence would have it, a friend of mine was given a Phantom 2 plus by a friend of his. He subsequently gave it to me. Came in a case with all sorts of extra antennas, props, and batteries. But the batteries are bad. I just checked out DJI's site and the batteries are unavailable. I see that there are aftermarket batteries but given how important the battery is, I'm hesitant to rely on one. I was wondering if it would be wise to go with one of this 3rd party batteries if anyone had any advice.

The drone came with an SD card in it with some footage and photos. The camera quality pales in comparison to my 2s. But after doing some research, it looks like you can change out the camera on the Phantom? Or am I imagining that?

I guess I'm just wondering if it's worth the bother or money to dive into this phantom given that I have the Air 2s.

The irony is, a month ago I knew drones existed but had never seen one. Now I have an FAA certificate, own two of them, and wonder how I've made it this far without one.
 
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