So what about drones?

[aeonixx1001]

My lady is interested in maybe getting a drone and elevate her adventure videos (pun intended).
I’m curious to see what everyone is flying out on the trails and what the members recommend.
whatcha got?

Wow Veja Du ( that feeling I have never done this before). But I just bought a drone for that very purpose. I found one I could beat little bit and it would keep on ticking, the Tom Petty song "Learning to Fly" came to mind as I crashed it into a pillar at my home while learning to fly it. No, it is easy to fly I just wasnt paying attention. I bought a very reasonably priced Holy Stone HS360S for $150 bucks. This thing is a blast, but buy an extra battery you only get about 20 minutes. I keep a charger pack and extra battery handy. It is very well built (I attest) easy to use. tons of feature that drones at this price point dont have. Its nice to park blast the drone off and see what is around. it also has about 2 ½ mile range. I am really not a salesman, I just think these should come with Jeeps as part of the navigational package.

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[AZ Hella]

I offer this alternative perspective. Not here to yuck anyone's yum.... Try an adventure without all the distraction of devices and trying to capture it digitally or otherwise. Live in the moment. Take a photo or two, but that's it. Share your memories of your adventure only with others you care about, in person, without making them flip through a digital album or watch a video.

I started doing this a while back, and it's incredibly relaxing and liberating. Others might find the same, that's why I share it.

I have been “in the moment “ on every adventure. Like I said my lady does all the posting on social media. It’s her thing and she enjoys it. Who are you to take that away from her. Shame on you.
just kidding.
she really does enjoy the process of making videos.

 

[Yawnie'sPapa]

Never underestimate the ingenuity of an idiot.

Every time someone idiot-proofs something, they come up with a better idiot.

The “fly more” bundles they offer with the extra batteries are worth it.

I wondered about that - my wife has something like 60,000 points saved up in this coupon app she uses and I can get a bunch off through Amazon using her points.
But i didn't know for my occasional use, infrequent use, if they were really worth it. As I learn more from real pros here and there, I might use it more (once I figure out how to do more than just fly it and take a snapshot after aiming it)

 

[morph860]

If it hasnt been said before, be aware that DJI has NOT found a fix for their incompatability with iPhone 15.
If you have a remote that requires your phone as the screen unit, it WILL NOT work with iPhone 15. So you must get a model with the remote with the built-in screen.
This isn't due to the 15 having USB-C, it is bc of some charging directionality inherent to the 15 that forces it to try and charge the remote instead of the input going the other way from remote->phone and will disconnect your remote from the phone mid-flight. Geniuses.

I haven’t have any issues with my Mini 2 and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

 

[blessidsoul12]

I haven’t have any issues with my Mini 2 and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

when did you get your phone? And it just hooks up with the miniUSB on the remote body with UsB-C to the phone?
Common topic on DJI forums and I am a victim unfortunately. I spent 90min on the phone w DJI 2 weeks ago and they told me they are aware and currently have no fix for the power directionality problem. They said it's on the apple iOS side, not their side anyway.

please share your exact setup- what brand cord, etc...

 

[morph860]

when did you get your phone? And it just hooks up with the miniUSB on the remote body with UsB-C to the phone?
Common topic on DJI forums and I am a victim unfortunately. I spent 90min on the phone w DJI 2 weeks ago and they told me they are aware and currently have no fix for the power directionality problem. They said it's on the apple iOS side, not their side anyway.

please share your exact setup- what brand cord, etc...

I’ve had the phone since the end of Sep 2023. I plug it into the DJI Mini 2 controller using the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with it. My controller doesn’t have a mini-USB. Probably have 30-40 hours flight time since getting the new phone. I always update the iOS, DJI app, and drone/controller firmware when available.

 

[morph860]

Every time someone idiot-proofs something, they come up with a better idiot.



I wondered about that - my wife has something like 60,000 points saved up in this coupon app she uses and I can get a bunch off through Amazon using her points.
But i didn't know for my occasional use, infrequent use, if they were really worth it. As I learn more from real pros here and there, I might use it more (once I figure out how to do more than just fly it and take a snapshot after aiming it)

I get 15-20 mins of flight time from one battery. I usually fly in windier conditions at the beach and use sport mode quite a bit. Both of those scenarios use more battery. So having 3 fully charged batteries is nice. And it usually includes the charging hub so that you can charge all 3 at the same time.

 

[Traveller128]

I'd like to suggest for rank beginners, a cheaper option. The Potensic Atom SE. It's similar to a DJI, but with a couple things that make it a little less youtube worthy. It has outstanding stabilization, flies in 18-20 mph winds with higher gusts, I've flown it in higher with no issues. It's surprisingly good for the money.

It does not have a 3 way gimble, which will allow a little left to right camera tilt when it shifts in high winds, and if you're sliding it left and right. However, the electronic image stabilization is VERY good, and watching videos made with the drone that we've made, they are awfully damn good. You have to turn the drone to turn the camera. It has a two way gimble so you can pan it up and down. It's just under 250g with a battery (247 if memory serves) so needs no license unless you use it for monetized videos in which case everything needs a license.

Not having a 3 way gimble, it's more robust if you crash it. There are a ton of DJI drones with broken gimbles on Craigslist and Ebay, because they are expensive to repair. When we first looked at them, there were not as many options to repair them as there are now.

The Potensic when we got it was on sale. We bought the drone package, plus a 3 battery 110 fast charger and the extra battery to give us 3 batteries, for about $300 all in. That's over 60 minutes of flight time at 20+ minutes per battery (in wind). The basic kit we got was a case, a controller, 2 batteries and the drone plus extra propellers. Added a battery and the 3 bay fast charger to get it to $300. Supposedly, each battery can last up to 31 minutes, but we have noted that 25 minutes is more realistic since it's seldom completely calm, and when we fly out away from ourselves, we're not doing it at the slower speed, we're running it out at higher ground speeds which uses battery a little faster. I usually fly it for 15-20 minutes tops anyway, and it comes back with a fair bit of life left. I think it will do the 31 minutes, if you use it in low winds and more level terrain where you're not running it up and down in altitude as much.

The drone has safety features like auto-return with degraded signal and auto return if it is getting close to half battery and the math says it needs to turn around. We've had it over rough areas and not lost it. Very forgiving control system, similar to using a video game controller. Super easy to fly.

Range is a realistic 1-2.5 miles, terrain dependent. Line of sight, doesn't fly behind hills well if you drop it below the height of the hills. It's on it's own 2.4Ghz wifi but it's still a radio signal. Keeping in mind, that the new drone rules require you to be able to see your drone at all times when you're flying, do what you want with that.

We have zero interest using it to post videos. The videos we've taken are very good, detailed 4K, but we shoot them because we're looking for points of interest.

We've been using the drone as a "scout" and flying it places we might want to explore. We fly it down canyons, up high over buttes and up cliffs and over open areas that might have old homesteads or mining stuff remaining. My wife and I can then drive closer to the places and hike in the rest of the way. We're looking for old (usually 150+ year old) places to explore like old mining camps or homesteads where there's some remaining piece of structure to poke around. My wife loves history, and getting out and seeing and touching pioneer stuff is something she really likes.

We have a Galaxy tab A8 tablet that we bought with no intention of using it on the internet, other than with wifi at home. We bought it expressly to bluetooth to the phone (to "share" with the tablet) and our electronic telescope. We use it for the screen, to view videos transferred from the drone and for live bluetooth/wifi to the telescope. The telescope connects with bluetooth, then switches to it's own wifi after connection. Doesn't need a home network. That tablet was cheap ($139.99), and is a much larger quality screen to use in the field for reviewing videos. It lets us see detail you can't see on the cellphone screen while flying the drone. We're looking for signs of old structures from altitude looking down, where the right angles of buildings are MUCH easier to see. Things you can't see from the ground due to ground cover, trees, structures being below grade level, etc.

We are not licensed. I have no intention of operating it other than as a hobby for personal entertainment. We can fly it in areas where drones are allowed to fly, but note that ANY operation of a drone even the little ones, hits the commercial use classification if you put it on a public site that's monetized. If you are making use of it for a youtube channel that has income, you need a license and permission over the property. If you film on most public land and post it for a monetized channel, then you need permits to film over the public land.

This is why we only use it for personal use. Doesn't matter how small the drone is, if you make money with videos, you need permits over public land, you need licensing, and if you fly over private land you better get permission because it's considered the same as trespassing in many states, with whatever fines/jail time that involves. That's one of the things that is limiting people that want to take videos of off roading. Many parks prohibit drones entirely, and all national parks are off limits.

Anything designated a wilderness area, is off limits. This is federal. If it has a "wilderness" designation, don't be caught, it's a max s$25,000 fine, and up to 6 months in prison. You will at minimum have the drone confiscated, and there is the possibility that you could be barred from wilderness areas for life. Needless to say, we don't film in wilderness areas. They are on maps, OnX, pretty much any GPS app with land use borders. We are regularly near them or in them around here, and I'm thoroughly aware of airspace.

If you post the videos, you have just given public evidence of what you did. Same as filming yourself robbing a store, it's admissible. If you shot somewhere that you shouldn't be with the drone, or you filmed for money in any way linked to using the drone, it's something that the FAA and the states can then use to prosecute you if you don't have the license and the permits. They don't need a warrant, they can simply download it as it's in the public domain. If the filming you did is over a protected area, and you post it, you just waved your wedding tackle in the face of a government agency that is not your friend. Just sayin'.

The key is, know your airspace, same as being a pilot.

 

[blessidsoul12]

I’ve had the phone since the end of Sep 2023. I plug it into the DJI Mini 2 controller using the USB-C to USB-C cable that came with it. My controller doesn’t have a mini-USB. Probably have 30-40 hours flight time since getting the new phone. I always update the iOS, DJI app, and drone/controller firmware when available.

gotcha. So only thing different is your controller has USB-C port just like the phone? Not mini USB like my controller?
I keep all updates as well. This sucks.

 

[morph860]

gotcha. So only thing different is your controller has USB-C port just like the phone? Not mini USB like my controller?
I keep all updates as well. This sucks.

Yes. Controller has the exact same port as the iphone 15. It’s the DJI C5 controller. Came standard with the Mini 2. Not sure if that controller is compatible with your drone. It came with cables for USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to Lightning, and USB-C to Micro-USB. I don’t have any devices to test the Micro-USB on, but I used the USB-C to Lightning with my last few iPhones and also with an older iPad mini. I use the USB-C to USB-C with the iPhone 15 and iPad Air.

 

[wibornz]

I offer this alternative perspective. Not here to yuck anyone's yum.... Try an adventure without all the distraction of devices and trying to capture it digitally or otherwise. Live in the moment. Take a photo or two, but that's it. Share your memories of your adventure only with others you care about, in person, without making them flip through a digital album or watch a video.

I started doing this a while back, and it's incredibly relaxing and liberating. Others might find the same, that's why I share it.

There is a lot of true in this. While I take a lot of photos and videos, There are many times that I don't take any. There are days when I say I am not getting the camera out. Then stick to it.

I have enjoyed doing photo and video work way before Jeeps. People may even thing that man I share a bunch of photos and videos. I probably share less than 20% of videos and photos that I take.

 

[Bayrat]

AUTEL Robotics EVO Pro is what I have.

 

[Traveller128]

FYI, this just passed late December. Keep on eye on it, right now it's just trying to ban the use of Chinese made drones by government agencies and for public contracts. But, it could expand.

Will New US Law Ground DJI, Autel Drones? Definitely Maybe. (dronedj.com)

 

[AZ Hella]

I'd like to suggest for rank beginners, a cheaper option. The Potensic Atom SE. It's similar to a DJI, but with a couple things that make it a little less youtube worthy. It has outstanding stabilization, flies in 18-20 mph winds with higher gusts, I've flown it in higher with no issues. It's surprisingly good for the money.

It does not have a 3 way gimble, which will allow a little left to right camera tilt when it shifts in high winds, and if you're sliding it left and right. However, the electronic image stabilization is VERY good, and watching videos made with the drone that we've made, they are awfully damn good. You have to turn the drone to turn the camera. It has a two way gimble so you can pan it up and down. It's just under 250g with a battery (247 if memory serves) so needs no license unless you use it for monetized videos in which case everything needs a license.

Not having a 3 way gimble, it's more robust if you crash it. There are a ton of DJI drones with broken gimbles on Craigslist and Ebay, because they are expensive to repair. When we first looked at them, there were not as many options to repair them as there are now.

The Potensic when we got it was on sale. We bought the drone package, plus a 3 battery 110 fast charger and the extra battery to give us 3 batteries, for about $300 all in. That's over 60 minutes of flight time at 20+ minutes per battery (in wind). The basic kit we got was a case, a controller, 2 batteries and the drone plus extra propellers. Added a battery and the 3 bay fast charger to get it to $300. Supposedly, each battery can last up to 31 minutes, but we have noted that 25 minutes is more realistic since it's seldom completely calm, and when we fly out away from ourselves, we're not doing it at the slower speed, we're running it out at higher ground speeds which uses battery a little faster. I usually fly it for 15-20 minutes tops anyway, and it comes back with a fair bit of life left. I think it will do the 31 minutes, if you use it in low winds and more level terrain where you're not running it up and down in altitude as much.

The drone has safety features like auto-return with degraded signal and auto return if it is getting close to half battery and the math says it needs to turn around. We've had it over rough areas and not lost it. Very forgiving control system, similar to using a video game controller. Super easy to fly.

Range is a realistic 1-2.5 miles, terrain dependent. Line of sight, doesn't fly behind hills well if you drop it below the height of the hills. It's on it's own 2.4Ghz wifi but it's still a radio signal. Keeping in mind, that the new drone rules require you to be able to see your drone at all times when you're flying, do what you want with that.

We have zero interest using it to post videos. The videos we've taken are very good, detailed 4K, but we shoot them because we're looking for points of interest.

We've been using the drone as a "scout" and flying it places we might want to explore. We fly it down canyons, up high over buttes and up cliffs and over open areas that might have old homesteads or mining stuff remaining. My wife and I can then drive closer to the places and hike in the rest of the way. We're looking for old (usually 150+ year old) places to explore like old mining camps or homesteads where there's some remaining piece of structure to poke around. My wife loves history, and getting out and seeing and touching pioneer stuff is something she really likes.

We have a Galaxy tab A8 tablet that we bought with no intention of using it on the internet, other than with wifi at home. We bought it expressly to bluetooth to the phone (to "share" with the tablet) and our electronic telescope. We use it for the screen, to view videos transferred from the drone and for live bluetooth/wifi to the telescope. The telescope connects with bluetooth, then switches to it's own wifi after connection. Doesn't need a home network. That tablet was cheap ($139.99), and is a much larger quality screen to use in the field for reviewing videos. It lets us see detail you can't see on the cellphone screen while flying the drone. We're looking for signs of old structures from altitude looking down, where the right angles of buildings are MUCH easier to see. Things you can't see from the ground due to ground cover, trees, structures being below grade level, etc.

We are not licensed. I have no intention of operating it other than as a hobby for personal entertainment. We can fly it in areas where drones are allowed to fly, but note that ANY operation of a drone even the little ones, hits the commercial use classification if you put it on a public site that's monetized. If you are making use of it for a youtube channel that has income, you need a license and permission over the property. If you film on most public land and post it for a monetized channel, then you need permits to film over the public land.

This is why we only use it for personal use. Doesn't matter how small the drone is, if you make money with videos, you need permits over public land, you need licensing, and if you fly over private land you better get permission because it's considered the same as trespassing in many states, with whatever fines/jail time that involves. That's one of the things that is limiting people that want to take videos of off roading. Many parks prohibit drones entirely, and all national parks are off limits.

Anything designated a wilderness area, is off limits. This is federal. If it has a "wilderness" designation, don't be caught, it's a max s$25,000 fine, and up to 6 months in prison. You will at minimum have the drone confiscated, and there is the possibility that you could be barred from wilderness areas for life. Needless to say, we don't film in wilderness areas. They are on maps, OnX, pretty much any GPS app with land use borders. We are regularly near them or in them around here, and I'm thoroughly aware of airspace.

If you post the videos, you have just given public evidence of what you did. Same as filming yourself robbing a store, it's admissible. If you shot somewhere that you shouldn't be with the drone, or you filmed for money in any way linked to using the drone, it's something that the FAA and the states can then use to prosecute you if you don't have the license and the permits. They don't need a warrant, they can simply download it as it's in the public domain. If the filming you did is over a protected area, and you post it, you just waved your wedding tackle in the face of a government agency that is not your friend. Just sayin'.

The key is, know your airspace, same as being a pilot.

Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Traveller128]

Thanks for taking the time.

Just wanted to share some things I've found out the last year!

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