My wife says I should get one. I don't know much about them but have been doing a bit of reading. To get one that's useful, it appears the prices start at about $400 and go up, way up. The cheaper ones are limited to maybe 3 or 400 yds. To get one that will get out a couple miles or more, you're looking at the $400 minimum. Some are priced without a controller. Apparently you can control them with a smart phone thats 5g capable but I think you have to be in cell phone range for that. Many of the places where I'd use it there is no cell coverage. For that you need to buy a package with a controller and all the other extras.
HInts? Suggestions? corrections to what I've said? Your experiences?
I'm trying to learn.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
It will be interesting to see the comments on this. I have considered one as well but like you said, I need at least a one mile range. Five miles would be better. I don't necessarily want to take pictures but need to be able to observe what is happening on the ground below. Mostly looking for cattle and checking fences and water lines in rough terrain. Could save a lot of time.
My friend has a few drones and uses them to take pictures/video. The quality is very impressive. You do not need cell service to fly via your phone. He actually uses an iphone that is no longer in service. If you don’t have service, the map will not load on your phone, but you’ll still be able to view through the drones camera. If you have WiFi at home, the map will load if you’re connected to WiFi. He currently uses a DJI phantom 4, which I believe were about $1,000. Range is around 5 miles.
Do the maps come from DJI? I have Onx on my phone. Do you download maps similar to that? I was looking at the DJI mini which has range of about 2.5 miles. I can't see me needing anything that will reach out farther than that.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
My father-in-law said that there was photography buff guy with a small airplane that was making a nice sideline out of photographing places along the Bay shore or upper end places on the larger lakes and then selling the areal photographs to the house and cottage owners. I'm sure that drone photography for that kind of thing has replaced airplanes. When I was selling my place up north, the real estate guy was going to have it photographed from the air with a drone.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
Quite a few realtors are now posting aerial pics of houses they have listed, particularly listings with land, so can better see what's there.
I'm not interested in any kind of business use. I'd just want it for my own entertainment. I'd love to see what's over that next ridge when my old legs won't get me up it to see for myself.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
My wife says I should get one. I don't know much about them but have been doing a bit of reading. To get one that's useful, it appears the prices start at about $400 and go up, way up. The cheaper ones are limited to maybe 3 or 400 yds. To get one that will get out a couple miles or more, you're looking at the $400 minimum. Some are priced without a controller. Apparently you can control them with a smart phone thats 5g capable but I think you have to be in cell phone range for that. Many of the places where I'd use it there is no cell coverage. For that you need to buy a package with a controller and all the other extras.
HInts? Suggestions? corrections to what I've said? Your experiences?
I'm trying to learn.
You can get really cool ones that afford great control for around $50.00. They will have cameras and smart phone apps, too, so you can view what the camera sees on your smart phone. Might be good to start with one of those. Make sure to practice in open fields first, and stay away from heavy underbrush. Early on, it's easy to lose control and have it crash in the thick where you can't find it. Ask me how I know.
Got a bud who bought one of those five thousand dollar ones. Yup, gonna take pictures of weddings and stuff like that. Had a camera on it that could read your license plate from a half mile away Blah Blah Blah.
I asked him a while back if he had ever flown it yet.
"Oh hell no. I might crash it"
I could wish a lot of things on my worst enemy but neuropathy ain't one of them.
My wife says I should get one. I don't know much about them but have been doing a bit of reading. To get one that's useful, it appears the prices start at about $400 and go up, way up. The cheaper ones are limited to maybe 3 or 400 yds. To get one that will get out a couple miles or more, you're looking at the $400 minimum. Some are priced without a controller. Apparently you can control them with a smart phone thats 5g capable but I think you have to be in cell phone range for that. Many of the places where I'd use it there is no cell coverage. For that you need to buy a package with a controller and all the other extras.
HInts? Suggestions? corrections to what I've said? Your experiences?
I'm trying to learn.
You can get really cool ones that afford great control for around $50.00. They will have cameras and smart phone apps, too, so you can view what the camera sees on your smart phone. Might be good to start with one of those. Make sure to practice in open fields first, and stay away from heavy underbrush. Early on, it's easy to lose control and have it crash in the thick where you can't find it. Ask me how I know.
That's probably a good idea, to do your crashing with a cheap Costco one and save the pricey one for actually taking photos. It's kind of like learning to drive with a Yugo instead of a Vette.
Last edited by Rock Chuck; 01/13/20.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
A buddy has both a high end and a second that ran about $500. He can run either with a tablet or a phone and seems to be quite impressed with the low end unit and it's Zeiss camera given the price. The high end unit has a few more features (like it will not fly into solid objects, can follow rigs or specific animals, stay at assigned elevations above the terrain, and can do complex programed routes and image assignments). Cookie piloted the low end for a few minutes (so even a cave man can probably do it) and I watched some of the video. He also had it linked to some 3D Viewer headgear and commented that one better be sitting down when using that equipment. When collapsed the small unit's about the size of a brick, very light weight, and comes with extra props should one drive it into some structure.
A couple spare batteries are advised, but I don't know what those might cost. Video can be stored onboard, or on ones tablet. Images are not up to real camera resolution, but are more than adequate for HD level TV viewing and maybe 8.5 x 11 prints. Both units track battery power and will return to launch points on their own accord should things get close to depletion. With manual control, I know he has run them a couple miles out. I don't know what he's done with route assignments though.
He has a ton of hours but has only run them around stock, wild horses, and pronghorn. Pronghorn don't much care for it. No hours yet around deer, elk, coyotes, etc. Wild horses and cattle will tolerate it within just a few feet.
There are some registration requirements with the high end unit but none at all with the less expensive model.
Both the low and high end units have about 20-25 minutes of battery life. Cookie badly wants one now, but we have some fiscal uncertainty in the near future and are holding off.
I was given an Holyoke 100–about $300 US. Crashed it the first 3 times I flew it—but did learn to fly it. I then bought a Mavic Air for a little over $1700 Canadian. And then they came out with the Mavic Mini. That one cost me about $800 Canadian. The Mini is less then 250 grams so no registration or liscense to fly. That’s the one I fly everyday.
Iam glad I got the Transport Canada liscense to fly cause i learned all the rules—but you can do that on-line. Rule aren’t all that hard to follow—mostly stay below 400ft and 3miles from an airport or 1 mile from aerodrome (helicopter landing zone).
I got a lot of help learning to fly it from a 13 year-old gamer.
I never was much on photography but I’m learning and its a lot of fun.
I can see a bunch of rules coming down the pike because i can see a whole bunch of nefarious purposes these things could be put to.
Richard—I’ve had mine up in 25 MPH winds no problem and had it out in below zero temps. Those conditions will shorten battery life but that easy to keep an eye on. I bought my Mavic’s as packages so they come with extra batteries but i keep flights shorter in adverse conditions. I can get mine out there a couple of miles and back in less than 20 minutes.
