Newbie First Drone

J

jayne_cobb

Member
Hi There

I know there have been lots of posts about what is a good drone to get as a first drone. I find I am very overwhelmed by all the choices.

About me.

I am an amateur hobby Photographer. This is where my entry into drones starts.

It was told to me(and wisely so I think) there is a learning curve with a drone so buy something on the cheaper side of things to learn how to fly and also to see if you enjoy the hobby of droning.

One thing I think I would like is to have a drone with a decent camera. Nothing professional. But something I could use at a family picnic or wedding and incorporate it into a slideshow and the footage is actually a decent quality.....perhaps not professional, but decent.

The features of the drone at this point are less important to me, it would be a tool to support my Photography hobby how fast or dynamic it is doesn't matter I won't be racing it....with that said certainly the better distance and battery life would be great. Something that has a bit of durability as I am sure I'll crash a few times while learning. Something I have less of a concept of is weight. I don't plan to be bringing it out in a storm....but something that has some substance to it should there be a mild breeze.

I think the max I'd like to go is about $250 USD. In a perfect world maybe less as I assume I'd pick up an extra battery and maybe some back up props.

I feel like I usually like to approach this with having something more to show for my research but I find I am spinning in circles. I was narrowing it down to some different Hubsan models.....but than I click elsewhere and I find just as many choices in other brands.

Can someone perhaps recommend a few out there given some of what I am looking for?

Cheers and thanks from a Newbie
 
I'm sure I won't be the only one to suggest the Bugs 3. With brushless motors, 20 minute flight times and the capability to mount a GoPro, it makes for a great first quad. And the fact that it can be had for around $100 is a bonus
 
Thank you for your replies.

I'll be honest I had never actually considered buying something that didn't come with a camera. I do have a newer GoPro so that might be a way to save some money. Some follow up questions than though.

1. Obviously these drones aren't the very top of the line. If my drone flew away...at $100 I'd be disappointed but I'll live. If it flies away with my $600 GoPro I'd be more disappointed. Are drones flying away.....particularly entry level drones flown by a newbie a concern?

2. The ones I was looking at you could see on the controller where the drone was going. Does flying blind make some of the experiences I mentioned above (wedding/family type outings....possible vacation shots) less than ideal

Than just to get an idea....are these drones on par with say for example the Hubsan 501s standard?

The prices you have all listed are great....I am willing to spend a bit more though....that said of course If I don't have to even better. Do remember the big thing for me is the camera.

Thanks!
 
1. There is always a possibility with a drone flying away even with the most expensive drones (high winds, loss of signal, interference, hardware failure etc). More so if there is no GPS on board. If you have doubts about putting a $600 gopro on it then don't at first. Only do when you are confident with the drones relibility after many flights. Increase your distances in stages.

2. Flying blind won't produce good results at all. It will be a total guessing game. And you are unlikly to get the shots you want. For photography or video footage you'll need some kind of realtime video link.

The Hubsan 501s is not a true camera drone, while it does have a 1080p camera on board. It is more for recreational use, and close range wifi FPV than for real photography or videos. Also the camera is not stabalised (no gimbal) meaning the video is affected by the vibrations from the propellers which introduces alot of choppyness. The quality of the onboard 1080p camera not spectacular either. Secondly, the camera is in a fixed position and the angle cannot be adjusted.

Thirdly, it uses a 5G wifi link (your phone needs to have 5G wifi for it to work) to transmit the video to your smartphone and the advertised range only goes upto 300m for the standard version and 500m for the pro version (in reality the distance is less) before the video link freezes up/looses signal. This might be fine for close range flying but sooner or later it will cause you problems. Fourthly, the 3 inch screen on the controller is on the small side. This drone is unlikely to do what you need. Here's an example of the video quality from the Hubsan to give you an idea


The Hubsan 501s and MJX Bugs 3 are on par and similar in performance and have better build quality than the Bayangtoys x16. The Bayangtoys x16 has more lifting power because it uses a 3S battery instead of a 2S. That basically means it can carry a heavier camera easier if you ever wanted to. But 3S replacement batteries may cost more. The Bayangtoys x16 does not come with a Gopro camera mount. You need to modify it and attach one yourself.

The Bugs 3 has no advanced flying functions at all. It is completely manually controlled so flying anywhere out of visual sight (100-200m) would be alot more difficult to control and easier to loose/become disorientated. The Hubsan and X16 have a return to home button to get you out of trouble.
While the Bugs 3 does come with a camera mount, it is still not a stabalised mount. And is also affected by vibrations. So the same applys as described above.

For decent photo's or video footage the drone needs to have gimbal to stabalise the camera. Unfortunately there are no options with a gimbal for under $250 on the market. It is very hard for the drone manufacturers to reach that price point and have the gimbal included. They are getting cheaper but they are not quite there yet. There are no free lunches, If you want good video's you need to pay more than for a drone with a included gimbal. And it is worth doing so because the end results are far better. The gimbal (and good camera) is really the key to acheiving great footage.

The other options above, even modified with a gopro etc, do not compare and would only make a half job of it and give you poorer results.

If the camera,long distance,flight is the most important feature to you then it will be well worth saving more money and buying a DJI Phantom 3 or 4 (refurbished/used for less). The hardware, software, range, flight time and camera quality is hard to be beat for the price (especially discounted). They are the best off the shelf 'affordable' package that will give you semi professional results out of the box.

The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4k/1080p compares with the Phantoms, at a lower cost.

There are not many other brands/models around that can do stuff nearly as well as DJI/Xiaomi at this price range.
 
Thank you for the detailed info.

The general advice I have got was to start off more modestly if you are just beginning your foray into drone use. Would you disagree with that?

If using a drone falls inline with the rest of my photography habit I do see myself likely getting something in the Phantom series one day. Just not sure if that should be my first one.

I'm mostly looking to stick more modestly because it will be the drone I learn on.

I would be willing to sacrifice performance for camera quality.....but again I am not looking for something that would be professional. I recognize to get professional quality you have to pay for it......but I'd at least like the footage I shoot to be useful, even in just in a hobby sense.

THe on going conversation is helping me think about a variety of things so any further comments would certainly be appreciated.

Thank you
 
jayne_cobb said:
Thank you for the detailed info.

The general advice I have got was to start off more modestly if you are just beginning your foray into drone use. Would you disagree with that?
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I absolutely agree with that. The best quadcopter to learn to fly on is one that:
  1. Is cheap! Certainly <$100, probably <$60
  2. Is durable. Check out YouTube reviews on any you are considering and pay attention to what they say about how breakable the quad is.
  3. Is fully manual. For your first one, forget features like altitude hold, headless mode, return to home-you are trying to learn to fly. Your learning curve will be a little bit longer in the short term, but in the long run you will become a better pilot more quickly this way.
  4. Has a lot of units sold and flying. Avoid quads you don't find a lot of reviews and feedback on.
  5. Has parts widely and cheaply available.
One I would suggest you consider is the venerable Syma X5C. It's an old model, it isn't fancy or cutting-edge, but a gazillion quad flyers had this as the first quad, myself included. You can find it cheap, and buy parts on Amazon, Ebay, from Chinese suppliers like Banggood and Gearbest, you name it.

Another one that Jackson has been recommending is the Eachine E033. It has headless mode and return-to-home, but you don't have to use it. I don't have experience with this one, but it's received good reviews and feedback and Eachine makes some decent quads (I have two of theirs and am very happy with both).

While you are learning on something like one of these, you can save up your shekels and do a ton of research on a good camera bird. Once you spend the money, you will have some flying skills and be much less likely to break your more expensive quad from pilot error.
 
I had a bad experience with the Eachine E033. Mine kept yawing to the left and was unflyable. I recommend the Syma X5C if you were to get a cheap model.
 
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