Archived Thread

NFT: Drone with Camera Recommendations

gidiefor : Mod : 8/9/2018 9:55 am

I am contemplating buying a drone to do street video/photography to record pre-construction photos of linear roadway areas -- any one have any advice on equipment -- obviously camera quality is important - so is flight time as I would be wanting to document 1/4 - 1/2 mile of roadway at a time

And then there is price.

So far my research seems to favor the DJI Mavric Air -- but since I've never used one before I'm kind of hesitant to spend $800 on my first drone

Comments ?

Not an expert,

Jim in Forest Hills : 8/9/2018 10:01 am : link

but owning some cheaper drone models, its hard to use photo/video with the cheaper lighter models. IMO for any kind of commercial application you will need to spend at least that much for any kind of quality/steadiness/features/battery life. DJI is a reputable brand.

Gidie

18E : 8/9/2018 10:05 am : link

Costco carries one of the better DJI models. My advice, purchase it there. If it ever breaks....they'll always take it back!

Mavic Air

hardhat068 : 8/9/2018 10:13 am : link

Mavic Air is pretty good. I own one. I used to own a Mavic Pro, and it flies better than the Air. The Air has the slightly better camera, but the Mavic Pro is the better all around performer, in my opinion. Mavic Pro has anti collision sensors in front only. Mavic Air has them front and back.

You can get a manufacturer refurbished Mavic Pro on Ebay for around $650 right now (with a 1 year warranty).

Some other models to consider:
Yunnec Typhoon H - hexacopter (6 rotors) and it will fly on 5 rotors if one fails. Refurbished on ebay is running around $400. Camera quality is very similar to Mavic Pro. It has a stand alone controller with an integrated tablet. Very professional looking. Has anti-collision sensor in front only.

Autel Evo - brand new, $999. Very similar to Mavic Pro, but it has a better camera. Anti collision front and back.

Parrot Anafi - brand new, $699. Similar to Mavic Air, but no anti-collision sensors. Cool thing about this one is the camera can swivel up and down 180 degrees, so it can look straight up.

Drones are fun!

Email me

hardhat068 : 8/9/2018 10:15 am : link

If you want more info/recommendations. I have a YouTube channel, so you can check it out if you want to see some of the video quality from these drones.

Mavic air

floridafan : 8/9/2018 11:08 am : link

I own the Mavic air.
See if there is a drone nerds store in your area, they are very helpful.
I travel with this when possible and is a small package.

MQ-1 Predator.....

Reb8thVA : 8/9/2018 11:46 am : link

I would splurge and get the one with the Hellfire missiles. Best reconnaissance and strike complex out there.

Mavic from Costco

KWALL2 : 8/9/2018 12:50 pm : link

It�s about $1k. Very easy to use and great video quality. We use it for real estate/web videos and some street shots. Follows objects on a street like pedestrian,bike or cars and has a lot of range.