Recommend a drone? (+ basic questions)

Howdy folks,

I realise there's a similar enough thread on the main page already, but didn't want to jump in on someone else's thread (especially as im looking for a fair bit of info).


I photograph a bit of property. Sometimes I need to shoot a bit of land with the property (field, outhouses, etc.) and being stuck on the ground with the DSLR can be a bit restrictive.

So I've decided a drone is the best move I can make here. I have really no interest in them, though, so I've no real understanding with regards to how they operate.

I've googled a fair bit and they all seem very samey, and as a result, i'm a bit confused, so was wondering if anyone who has one can recommend one?


Effectively, what I want is...

1) A drone I can fly about 30ft in the air (maybe 40ft at most, but i'd say that'd be pushing it). I don't know how weight or such factors in, but I'd like something I can use on a mildly windy day (I realise in the middle of very windy weather i'd be wasting my time, but I'd like something I can use on a typical irish weather day).

2) I'd like it to have it's own remote control (i believe to use a smartphone relies on wifi and im unsure how useful this would be when im in the ass-end of nowhere photographing a rural house).

3) The control would absolutely need to have a screen to show me what I'm looking at. I'd be against the clock so wouldn't have the time for a 'hope for the best' approach. I'd need to be able to see what I'm taking photos of.

4) I don't care about videos, but I need decent photos. Don't have to be anything spectacular but if the camera had some kinda manual mode or exposure adjustment that'd be a huge plus!

5) I'd like something with either a relatively decent battery life or one that you can pick up extra batteries for without too much hassle/expense.



I don't really have a budget set out for this, so I'm kinda making it up as I go along, but if i could get something around the €300 or so mark I'd be a happy camper (the prices seem to vary massively!).

I don't mind paying more if need be, but I don't want to pay over the odds for the best drone on the planet, because it would simply be wasted on me. Naturally, the less i spend, the better, but not if it means I get a flimsy piece of plastic that struggles to ascend and topples over if you give it a funny look.

It'll see about 2 hours use a year, and they'll be broken into 3-5 minute goes each time I'd say. I also have no issue buying second hand or such, either, so if there's bargains to be had I'll take them.



Can anyone offer any advice here? Also, a preferable place to buy whatever drone gets recommended (I believe Customs start giving you grief with drones over a certain weight? or is that a myth i just heard once?).


Thanks in advance to anyone able to help. Much appreciated. I haven't the first notion where to start here so it's like reading a different language trying to figure out what's better than what!


Cheers!

AhHaor

I'd heavily recommend watching the quadcopter 101 youtube channel, he has reviewed nearly every drone out there. I was about to say something like the SYMA X8G or the cameraless version and mount your own go pro. But you want FPV. Maybe look at Cheerson CX-22.

I like the look of the SYMA X8 cameraless and then add on a SJ4000 wifi. this should come to just over 200 euro.

AhHaor

I'd heavily recommend watching the quadcopter 101 youtube channel, he has reviewed nearly every drone out there. I was about to say something like the SYMA X8G or the cameraless version and mount your own go pro. But you want FPV. Maybe look at Cheerson CX-22.

I like the look of the SYMA X8 cameraless and then add on a SJ4000 wifi. this should come to just over 200 euro.

ED E

You wont get nice stills for that money IMO, better to rent a DJI when you need it if possible.

AhHaor

ED E wrote: »

You wont get nice stills for that money IMO, better to rent a DJI when you need it if possible.

Agreed, didn't read your post properly

If you're only using once or twice a year, rent

Howdy folks.

Renting doesn't suit as I don't get much notice of what I'll be shooting or if it's a big or small property, and I could be needing it's use for 2 weeks at a time shooting a variety of properties.


The stills don't need to be exceptionally amazing, but they would need to be usable in print and to help promote or advertise things. my phone is a galaxy s5, and the camera on that, on a drone, would be acceptable (if that makes sense?).

just need decent quality as the photos will get resized and dharpened

sorry using the phone and accidentally posted that before finishing.

meant to say the photos will be resized and sharpened before being used but I just need something that's clear and crisp.

are there any Irish brick and mortar stores selling drones where you can try before you buy? I don't mind having to travel about a bit to get to one if they're selling something decent and not robbing me.

as I'm on the phone i haven't been able to Google the recommendations but will do so when I get back to the pc. I presume any drone that has a camera for video, would have picture-taking functionality too?

thanks a lot guys.

Graham

I wouldn't rule out WiFi connected drones. They don't need to be in range of a router, the drone acts as a WiFi hotspot for your phone to connect directly to.

You're not going to get much for your budget.

I have a Parrot Bebop, nothing like the DJI but it's great for occasional use and produces surprisingly good quality video (haven't tried stills yet). One of the smartest features is the flight planning app as it allows you to set a course/speed/camera angles in advance. When you're ready you just press the start button and off it goes.

I have a sample video from the BeBop, I'll PM you a link if you want to check out the quality.

I'd be happy to take a look yeah

can I ask what kinda money it costs roughly?

The flight plan thing wouldn't really benefit me too much as I generally don't know what the property will be like til I'm at the front door, but I've no issue bumping up the budget a bit if need be.


My fear about wifi is because I'm not too clued into wifi or the workings of it. we have Internet in the house with wifi that I use but I just want to avoid a situation where I'm at a house in the middle of Roscommon with nothing around for miles and I need the drone but it refuses to work. (maybe that's an impossible situation though?!).

Would this kinda thing do the job?


http://www.harveynorman.ie/digital-cameras/drones/parrot-bebop-drone-red.html


(also, is the apple mentioned there the apple that make the iPhone? if so, is it like most apple products and is only meant to be used with other apple products or could you use it with an android phone without issue?)

Graham

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd be happy to take a look yeah

can I ask what kinda money it costs roughly?

The flight plan thing wouldn't really benefit me too much as I generally don't know what the property will be like til I'm at the front door, but I've no issue bumping up the budget a bit if need be.


My fear about wifi is because I'm not too clued into wifi or the workings of it. we have Internet in the house with wifi that I use but I just want to avoid a situation where I'm at a house in the middle of Roscommon with nothing around for miles and I need the drone but it refuses to work. (maybe that's an impossible situation though?!).

This is the one I have:

I just spotted it's the one you linked in your previous post

http://www.harveynorman.ie/digital-cameras/drones/parrot-bebop-drone-red.html?r=1 It's €399 at the moment and personally I think it's a great first drone. Not ridiculously expensive, easy enough to fly and you can get spare parts in HarveyNorman should you need them. The Bebop 2 was announced just before Christmas, if I remember correctly it's about €500. Both models have an inbuilt camera.

The flightplan app works on Google maps so you can plan your flights before leaving the house or getting anywhere near the property.

The drone works on WiFi, it DOES NOT need internet. You connect your phone directly to the drone using WiFi. I live in the country and have had no problem with the Wifi connection over a half kilometre distance (no internet required).

If you want to stump up the few extra quick for the dedicated controller, that also uses WiFi but it bumps up the WiFi range to about 2.5km.

If the drone does loose the WiFi connection (which hasn't ever happened to me) the drone returns to where it took-off from. If the drone is working to a flighplan, the drone finishes the programmed flight and lands wherever you've told it too.

If you're using it to film/photograph the flight plan is invaluable, particularly if you're new to drone flying (as I was). The flightplan app converted my drone from a toy to something useful.

It's not going to match the quality of a stand-alone camera mounted to a DJI but then again total cost is about a third/half.

I've sent you a link to one of my earliest test runs. I wasn't using the flightplan app in this video, manual flying. Make sure you set the quality to 1080p to get a proper idea of the video quality.

In the video you sent, Graham (which I won't post as I'm sure you've reasons for not sharing publicly) is the drone being controlled by your phone, there? Or did you splash the cash on the dedicated controller?

Also, i see it's doing video, but if you weren't bothered with video, would you be able to just take still images? (ie; is there a 'shutter button' or such on the screen of the phone so when you have it in the right area you can just take a picture and move on?).


Also, the height you go to in the video - is that about as high as you can get with it, or could you go much higher if you wanted to? (I realise wind and weather will affect this).


I'd be very tempted to dart over to Harvey's and grab it. Is €400 a reasonable price? (I'll start my googling..)

In the video you sent, Graham (which I won't post as I'm sure you've reasons for not sharing publicly) is the drone being controlled by your phone, there? Or did you splash the cash on the dedicated controller?

Also, i see it's doing video, but if you weren't bothered with video, would you be able to just take still images? (ie; is there a 'shutter button' or such on the screen of the phone so when you have it in the right area you can just take a picture and move on?).


Also, the height you go to in the video - is that about as high as you can get with it, or could you go much higher if you wanted to? (I realise wind and weather will affect this).


I'd be very tempted to dart over to Harvey's and grab it. Is €400 a reasonable price? (I'll start my googling..)


EDIT: Also are extra batteries pricy? I presume harvey wouldn't carry a lot in terms of optional extras. (I'll go in for a mooch all the same though)

Graham

Apologies for not sharing the video to all, the only reason I didn't is our home is clearly identifiable.

For that particular video, the drone was being controlled by my mobile phone. I switched to using an iPad for my later video as it was easier to setup the flight plans on the larger screen.

According to the Parrot website, there's a Photo icon to take stills in flight. I haven't test it personally. I do know that flightplan allows you to mark specific positions and directions for the drone to take still photos mid-flight.

It goes much MUCH higher. The video you viewed maxed at about 10m, I've had it up to 28m in later videos. The maximum height is 150m, I'm just not that brave yet. There's a video on YouTube of some chap and his daughter watching their Bebop hurtle straight up and vanish out of view for almost 10 minutes until it finished its preprogrammed flight and returned back to them :eek:

I think HN have the extra batteries €49, endurance is 10 - 15 minutes per battery depending on how hard you push it. Increased winds will have an effect on battery life as the drone works harder to keep itself stabilised. You do get 2 batteries with the Bebop (there's apparently only 1 in the Bebop 2 but it's higher capacity).

I know I keep banging on about the flightplan add-on but it really does make an enormous difference. It's a €20 add-on to the mobile app which is a bit cheeky of Parrot but it really does transform the drone into something much more useful/manageable.

Hints if you do get one:

Use the bumpers for indoor flights only, if you use them outside they act as sails. There's a setting in the app to specify if bumpers are on/off, make sure you have this set correctly or the drone does odd things!
Calibrate the drone before flights, especially straight after you have put-on/taken-off the bumpers or if you've had a knock.

Took your advice anyway, Graham! Checked around and 400 seemed a good price all in all (Argos were 480 and Amazon were 370 sterling).

I'm most likely gonna annoy the heart and soul out of you now though! (just kidding of course).

They had replacement blades for 17 euro. Are they money down the drain or a worthy purchase, out of curiosity (have you broken yours yet?)

Graham

I'm still on the first set of blades although they're looking a bit scratched from hitting the fireplace and kitchen wall Still have another set in the box.