Please Help Me Decide on Which Drone to Buy?

johhny on 02/05/2020 - 17:27
Last edited 04/05/2020 - 13:36 by 1 other user

I am in the market for a new drone to buy and I was wondering which one I should get. So I'll be using the drone for photography and videography, and am planning on keeping it for a while.(And hopefully actually use it)

So currently my 5 options are

  1. Mavic Air 2 Fly More John Appleseed - 1614.15

  2. Mavic Air Fly More JB - 1199

  3. Mavic Pro 2 Bunnings Pricematch Amazon 1978.2

  4. Mavic Pro Platinum Gumtree ~ 1000

  5. Mavic Mini Fly More ~ John Appleseed / Pricematch @ OW for less

The main reason why I am looking at getting the Fly More combo is for the extra batteries but I am also not sure if there is a need for it so if you could give me advice on which one I should get.

Poll Options

  • 4
    Mavic Air 2 Fly More
  • 1
    Mavic Air Fly More
  • 1
    Mavic Pro 2
  • 2
    Mavic Pro Platinum
  • 9
    Mavic Mini Fly More
  • 0
    Other (Please list below)
Electrical & Electronics DJI Quadcopter

Comments

  • UnknownUser74 on 02/05/2020 - 17:43
    -3

    If I have a RC plane, can I take down a Drone which has invaded my airspace (for example my backyard).

    UnknownUser74 on 02/05/2020 - 17:43 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • Ghost05 on 02/05/2020 - 18:51

      You don't own the airspace over your property. Most of the time, if you can somehow use that airspace to occupy it in connection with the land then you can use it, such as building your house higher. As long as the drone is not creating a hazard to another aircraft, person or property and they are not flying within 30 meters over the top of you, they are not doing anything illegal.

      You are welcome to crash your RC plane into it and call it an accident though I guess, not sure on the legalities of that.

      that's all just my opinion though and I could be wrong about it all.

    • bobbified on 02/05/2020 - 20:50

      Even if you were allowed, good luck trying to out-maneuver a drone with a plane!

    • pegaxs on 02/05/2020 - 22:27

      Lol. Take down a drone with an RC plane. I very much doubt that. I fly both quads and fixed wing RC and there is no way in hell I could take out a drone with an RC plane.

      RC planes are no where near as manoeuvrable as a quad. And there is no way in hell you could line it up your RC plane with a quad while you are standing on the ground and looking up.

      InB4: i’Ve DoNe iT hEaPz oF TiMeZ!

    • Ghost05 on 02/05/2020 - 23:30

      Sooo many times flying an RC plane in a park with lots of other RC planes I thought I was going to crash into them, it really is very hard to crash two RC planes into each other in the sky because of perspective and such.

  • raptormesh on 02/05/2020 - 17:56
    +1

    I've been flying drones for capturing videos(mostly landscape) for a year now. A few important questions:

    Is this your first drone?
    Is 4K important to you?
    Have you done due diligence in looking up laws and guidelines where you are planning to shoot?

    Fly more combo is vital if you're doing any sort of shooting session lasting more than 20 minutes. Mavic Air 2 is definitely the best drone there being the latest, but do you need its capabilities?

    • johhny on 02/05/2020 - 18:02

      Thanks for the response :)
      Yes it is my first drone, 4k is kinda important because for what I want to do with the photos and videos I would like to have 4K, and this was kinda why I didn't want to buy the Mavic Mini. And I have looked into where I want to shoot and just to be safe, I am thinking about doing a drone safety course, to get the RePL to make sure that I have more options in flying.
      With the fly more I think the extra batteries might help with framing the shots as 20 minutes might not give enough time to know for certain how I want to capture the shot. Like if I was to get the Mini I think I would definitely get the Fly More as otherwise there is only about 18 minutes in the air, while the larger ones provide about 10 minutes more.
      I feel like I could use the features of the Air 2 but I am only concerned with the fact that it is coming in 2 weeks and it would be better if I had one sooner than later.

      • thatonethere on 02/05/2020 - 18:06
        +1

        Good idea to check out the CASA app first to see if you can fly where you want www.casa.gov.au/droneapp And also states have bans of varying nature over state parks etc.

        And if you want to fly around your back yard in average suburbia forget it

        • BigLeviathan on 13/06/2020 - 11:39

          any reason why flying in the backyard, not a good idea? is it because of the nossy neighbour?

          • wombat81 on 13/06/2020 - 11:48

            @BigLeviathan: You can't fly over private property. So all you can do is go up and down. I guarantee the neighbours won't like seeing a drone potentially looking into their back yard.

      • raptormesh on 02/05/2020 - 20:36

        Actually in my experience the mini gets more airtime than the other drones I've flown as it's much lighter and I rarely need the second and third extra battery. For example with the Pro Platinum I am getting 15 minutes per battery of real flying(take about five to 10 minutes off for set up and positioning) while with the mini I can got to 20 minutes before needing a change. My main shooting activities are whilst travelling so I prefer the more portable form factor and 2.7K is fine for youtube. One drawback however is that it only has downward facing sensors so beware of trees and walls.

        That being said, if you simply need 4K i would just wait for the Mavic air 2.

  • wombat81 on 02/05/2020 - 18:59
    +2

    I've had an Air for about 2 years now.

    1. You need multiple batteries. No question.
    2. How much post processing do you plan on doing? If you just want to use photos and videos as they are with maybe some basic photo editing and sticking videos together, one of the Air models is the go. They produce "nicer" images straight off the camera, but they aren't as nice to post process. The Pro models are much better for post processing, so if you do, or plan on doing, a lot of that, get a Pro.
    3. If you just want to try it out as cheaply as possible to see if it's something you'll actually do a lot, get a mini, then resell it either way.

    Hope that helps.

    Edit: i didn't vote in your poll because I've only ever used an Air.

  • pegaxs on 02/05/2020 - 22:19

    Are you looking to be paid for your photos and videos? Is the footage and photos going to be used professionally or just as a hobby/personal use? Do you have the required licenses? Do you plan on registering your drone (ie: under/over 250grams) Do you want light weight portability/small form factor or larger, heavier payload capacity (Mavic Mini/Spark vs. Phantom/Inspire)? If budget is no concern, why not just buy the latest and best you can afford?

    • wombat81 on 02/05/2020 - 22:40

      There's no point worrying about registration for recreational drones at this point. Rego has been pushed back until at least 2022, and the 250g limit may be different by then.

      I agree with a portability comment. If you want to take it bush walking or hiking with you, an Air or Air 2 would be the go.

    • johhny on 02/05/2020 - 23:28

      At the moment doing it for personal use and am planning on getting an RePL so to be even better prepared. My budget is 2k so from that the Mavic Pro 2 but I don't know if that is better than getting the Mavic Air 2 with Fly More. I also do plan on registering the drone regardless of the weight in 2022 or whenever they do announce the regulations. I may chose to pursue some professional/paid gigs later with the drone if the opportunity arises but not right now.(I know I would need to get another license if I was to do this)

      • wombat81 on 03/05/2020 - 00:25
        +1

        Like I said, if you'll be doing lots of post editing, go with the Pro 2. The editing guys don't like the amount of sharpness on the Air 2, and you can't turn it down like you can on the Air. Makes for post editing headaches.

        This guy does a good comparison from a film makers perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Lnvt-wWaU

  • Ben888 on 14/06/2020 - 22:06

    Recommended Hubsan ZINO PRO is very cost-effective, you can choose to pack three batteries with a backpack. I just bought one here https://www.rcgoing.com/collections/rc-quadcopters/products/… drone-gps-5g-wifi-4km-fpv-with-4k-uhd-camera-3-axis-gimbal-sphere-panoramas?variant=34515235668136

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