Spotted a few drones on Amazon today... any good?

mrcheez · 13-10-2020 1:34pm #1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Stone-Quadcopter-Transmission-Anti-shake/dp/B08B88YT37/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/4DRC-M1-Transmission-Quadcopter-Brushless/dp/B0883996D3/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Potensic-Transmission-Quadcotper-Helicopter-Auto-Return/dp/B082YX1D4W/

Basic requirements are that they can fly in strong breezes, and have great quality video footage, and budget less than £300.

Strong battery would be a plus.

Thinking the first one: Holy Stone HS720E 4K EIS Drone

Niallof9 · 13-10-2020 2:00pm

Honestly alot of them are cack. I have a DJI mini and its about 399 euro. I went from a mavic pro to a mini after a broken gimbal that i couldn't afford to fix. With all the future regulations and current ones the mini is quiet and barely noticeable. For social media its perfectly adequate.

IF you are going to 300 just stretch for the mini. 30 minute battery as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHPv3aoSnE

Drone tech isn't there yet and there's only possibly three to four drone companies worth their salt and only one of them makes a sub 400 euro drone. So i'm no DJI fanboy but i had to reply to you.

by the time these companies get up to scratch the tech will be regulated to ****.

a mini is a no brainer if you treat it with respect and if you plan short flights.

when i needed a new cheap drone i did alot of research. a parott anafi is also relatively cheap and 4k.

mrcheez · 13-10-2020 3:49pm

Thanks... this is the one you recommend?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DJI-Mavic-Mini-Combo-Transmission/dp/B07RGF1VDR/

What about if I up it to a budget of €500 ?

Really just want hi res images and stable in wind are the two requirements. Distance not so important.

Niallof9 · 13-10-2020 4:20pm

mrcheez wrote: »

Thanks... this is the one you recommend?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DJI-Mavic-Mini-Combo-Transmission/dp/B07RGF1VDR/

What about if I up it to a budget of €500 ?

Really just want hi res images and stable in wind are the two requirements. Distance not so important.

Second hand you may find the odd few gems. But always a risk as the drones can be temperamental and the resell value will be slashed. altho i was able to sell two broken mavic pro (as advertised) for 200 euro.

The mini, it has limitations with range and connections. It's camera could be better. I will probably upgrade again to the mavic air 2 as i do aerial photography but i was able to get saleable images out of the mavic pro (could be bought on ebay for 500) and the mavic mini.

The one issue with that combo is resale value. But i suppose if you split it up if you ever wanted to sell. A few combos on adverts for around 360 - 420.

the mavic air 2 really is the dream deal. Smallish, not extremely outrageously expensive and suburb image quality.

mrcheez · 13-10-2020 4:20pm

Reading a bit more... the DJI Mavic Air 2 might be better for strong wind

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0876XYV7D/

Obviously more... but maybe that's a better option? Better camera too I think

mrcheez · 13-10-2020 4:26pm

Then there's this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DJI-Mavic-Air-More-Combo/dp/B087G8NM3S/

Budget is well above the £300 I initially started with, but that setup would see me through many days ahead I think and no need to upgrade unless I wanted to go pro or something?

Niallof9 · 13-10-2020 6:04pm

Yeah thats the best pound for pound one. will probably bite the bullet on mine next month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q7T_dcgl-s

watch in 4k

its streets ahead of the original pro. Sensors and OcuSync 2.0 connection will save alot of hassle. you can always get good money on resale as drones always pique interest. Could always get one and return it within 14 days or sell for a little less if you didn't think much of it.

When i first started droneography and flying i was blown away. sort of addicted to it now.

Here's some with my original pro - https://www.irishimagenation.com/

mrcheez · 13-10-2020 8:33pm

Niallof9 wrote: »

Yeah thats the best pound for pound one. will probably bite the bullet on mine next month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q7T_dcgl-s

watch in 4k

its streets ahead of the original pro. Sensors and OcuSync 2.0 connection will save alot of hassle. you can always get good money on resale as drones always pique interest. Could always get one and return it within 14 days or sell for a little less if you didn't think much of it.

When i first started droneography and flying i was blown away. sort of addicted to it now.

Here's some with my original pro - https://www.irishimagenation.com/

Some excellent photos there.. and they were taken with sub-£1000 drones??

My aim is to take this with me when I head off to Leitrim and get some lovely shots over the lakes as the mist rises during the Winter.

Also would be cool to have it hover around me while I'm out on the SUP paddling the waterways.

What would the chance me of me landing one of these on my SUP ?

stuff.hunter · 13-10-2020 11:24pm

OP, if you can stretch you budget go for Air 2, I've flown it in very heavy wind without any issues
some pics taken during these flights attached

mrcheez · 13-10-2020 11:39pm

Yeah I think I've settled on the Air 2 combo with 4 batteries

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DJI-Mavic-Air-More-Combo/dp/B087G8NM3S/

I guess I realized after several sub-€100 drones it was time to make a proper investment without going all pro.

Do I need a licence for it if I'm only going to fly it in remote locations??

Niallof9 · 14-10-2020 9:32am

mrcheez wrote: »

Some excellent photos there.. and they were taken with sub-£1000 drones??

My aim is to take this with me when I head off to Leitrim and get some lovely shots over the lakes as the mist rises during the Winter.

Also would be cool to have it hover around me while I'm out on the SUP paddling the waterways.

What would the chance me of me landing one of these on my SUP ?

thanks. some with the mavic pro 1 - https://www.irishimagenation.com/products/western-thunder

ah sounds nice. well jealous now of your air 2! true that will be great footage. no not yet, but if you get one it opens up opportunities.

mrcheez · 14-10-2020 11:08am

Are the landing pads a good idea to buy too?

I'd plan on taking it out on my stand up paddle board, launch it, then have it land back on the board.

If I didn't have a landing pad would it come back directly onto the board anyway or land slightly away?

ra0044 · 14-10-2020 3:04pm

If you are looking to land it on a paddle board I doubt any drone is accurate enough to RTH to that degree.

I would recommend the powervision Poweregg X as you can encase it in a waterproof housing, it has great obstacle avoidance and really good 4k camera.

https://store.eu.powervision.me/products/poweregg-x-explorer

mrcheez · 14-10-2020 3:21pm

ra0044 wrote: »

If you are looking to land it on a paddle board I doubt any drone is accurate enough to RTH to that degree.

I would recommend the powervision Poweregg X as you can encase it in a waterproof housing, it has great obstacle avoidance and really good 4k camera.

https://store.eu.powervision.me/products/poweregg-x-explorer

does it not home in on the landing pad though?

Not sure how those landing pads work. I can easily fit one on my paddle board.

ra0044 · 14-10-2020 3:40pm

mrcheez wrote: »

does it not home in on the landing pad though?

Not sure how those landing pads work. I can easily fit one on my paddle board.

No. It uses the original GPS coordinates it stored when it took off. The landing pads are really for the contrast and reflection so the optical flow sensor can better determine when to kill the motors.

My 2 drones can be at times within a foot or two if the landing pad on RTH and occasionally are dead on.

mrcheez · 14-10-2020 4:09pm

sorry what's RTH?

ra0044 · 14-10-2020 4:18pm

mrcheez wrote: »

sorry what's RTH?

Sorry.

RTH = Return To Home . The automated return to where you took off from.

Of course you can still land your drone manually on your board. A bit of practice before hand obviously.

mrcheez · 14-10-2020 4:33pm

Ah I assumed the return to home homes in on the controller ... so how does RTH work if you are out jogging with the drone following you?

Or in those cases you just manually land it?

ra0044 · 14-10-2020 5:32pm

mrcheez wrote: »

Ah I assumed the return to home homes in on the controller ... so how does RTH work if you are out jogging with the drone following you?

Or in those cases you just manually land it?

When you are jogging with a drone following you it is either following the signal from the controller or in the more expensive drones it will have image recognition.

stuff.hunter · 14-10-2020 10:19pm

return to home works depends of the drone itself, Mavic Air 2 uses gps coordinates plus optical recognition so launch pad which contrasting with surround is a great help. It can be triggered manually (button), its initiated automatically by low battery level or lost of connection between drone and controller

mrcheez · 14-10-2020 10:29pm

stuff.hunter wrote: »

return to home works depends of the drone itself, Mavic Air 2 uses gps coordinates plus optical recognition so launch pad which contrasting with surround is a great help. It can be triggered manually (button), its initiated automatically by low battery level or lost of connection between drone and controller

but with Mavic Air 2 the return to home is still linked from where it launched, rather than where you are currently located correct?

I'd say it can't be that hard to manage retrieving one of these while I'm on my knees on an SUP... can't you just get it to hover at head-height and reach up for it?

Here's a guy doing it...

stuff.hunter · 14-10-2020 10:40pm

mrcheez wrote: »

but with Mavic Air 2 the return to home is still linked from where it launched, rather than where you are currently located correct?

I'd say it can't be that hard to manage retrieving one of these while I'm on my knees on an SUP... can't you just get it to hover at head-height and reach up for it?

Here's a guy doing it...

yes, it will return to location where took off.
Ive seen people catching them but seeing some bloody pictures never tried it myself

mrcheez · 14-10-2020 10:42pm

stuff.hunter wrote: »

yes, it will return to location where took off.
Ive seen people catching them but seeing some bloody pictures never tried it myself

It seems to be possible to reset the "Home" location dynamically when on a boat drifting

https://store.dji.com/guides/how-to-fly-safely-over-water/

So I could just pull up to a quiet spot and set the new Home location when I want the drone to return to me... but obviously take control if it's a meter out or whatever

pugw · 15-10-2020 12:11am

In the same boat looking for a first drone, my main priority would be to a machine that can can take printable quality still photos! Would the Xiaomi Fimi x8SE or the mavic mini have decent enough cameras for this and which would be better ? Trying to stick to the €500 Bracket.

Niallof9 · 15-10-2020 9:39am

pugw wrote: »

In the same boat looking for a first drone, my main priority would be to a machine that can can take printable quality still photos! Would the Xiaomi Fimi x8SE or the mavic mini have decent enough cameras for this and which would be better ? Trying to stick to the €500 Bracket.

I haven't printed on the mini yet but i have sold prints of the original mavic pro with no complaints. The cameras are near identical just without raw. The sensor is the same size so in theory perhaps.

On every single drone under the mavic pro 2 there is compromise.

I suppose having used it alot and studied the drones below the MP2 for ages , its basically an equivalent to a flying mobile phone. it holds up a bit better when you look at them on a pc say, and it probably has better dynamic range.

Here's an example of one of my Mavic Pro 1 prints. https://imgur.com/a/8ht4niJ - bear in mind the smaller drones could never capture this consistently. The range and connection is poor. At 500 you could pick up a second hand mavic pro 1.

here's an example of the Xiaomi (not mine) - https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/62481005?image=0

mrcheez · 15-10-2020 10:51am

Would an Air 2 be able to produce similar sized prints with clarity, or would it be more around A4 size max before you start seeing pixels?

mrcheez · 27-10-2020 1:53pm

I posted a new thread but people may not have seen it.. is the Care Refresh insurance worth getting?

Seems like a good deal if the drone gets wet or damaged, or attacked by birds!

stuff.hunter · 28-10-2020 4:26pm

mrcheez wrote: »

I posted a new thread but people may not have seen it.. is the Care Refresh insurance worth getting?

Seems like a good deal if the drone gets wet or damaged, or attacked by birds!

it is, gives you peace of mind

Spotted a few drones on Amazon today... any good?

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