Recommendations for a camera drone?

[Jev88]

Hi. Birthday coming up soon and having enjoyed playing with super cheap little indoor helicopters I want to try a simple, cheap, lightweight outdoor one with a camera.

Recommendations for one under £100?

I know GPS models seem a no brainer for control and like the idea of protected blades. Don't want anything too heavy as they seem to then fall into the category of being registered etc....

 

[Figaro]

Like you I have messed about with the super cheap drones that are so difficult to control or keep stable.
I couldn`t even get the camera to work on mine
The DJL Mini Mavic gets good reviews (mostly) and at sub 250 grams it`s outside the regs.
Oh sorry, just reread and seen your budget, I think the Mini Mavic is more like £300.
I`ll look with interest to see recommendations for sub £100 drones as it`s a bit steep for me too !

 

[tonyidle]

My brief experience is that if you wish to struggle with flying it and have a need to see if your reactions match those of a 16 year old - go for it. Otherwise £300 is nearer the mark if you want to enjoy the experience & take some video. Most drones have clip on blade protectors even the sub-£100 ones. Trouble is if you can't spin the blades against the foliage you won't know where it crashed.

 

[thebriars]

Anything over 250g (pretty much everything except the smallest indoor toys as it includes the battery) and you have to pass an on line test and be registered with the CAA, and restrictions are applied. Camera drones have further restrictions. Police can check you are flying legally, fines are up to £1000.

 

[Revolvor]

I've had a Mavic Mini since Christmas. It's amazing compared to the £70 drone I had before. As already said, it cost £369. Got it as a combined retirement and Christmas present. Without the prop guards it weighs 249 gm, so no need to register, although I did take the test and register it. Very easy to fly. Has a range in the UK of 2.5km, 12 MP photos, 2.7k HD Video with 3-axis gimbal stabilisation, and 30 mins battery life. GPS with automatic " return to home" if it loses signal, or the battery is going down. Luckily, I can fly from my garden over fields, so have still been able to fly it during lockdown.

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[abforfun]

I’ve got a Hudson Zion good drone but nowhere as good as the Dji. Done the online test no problem then it’s
£9 a year

 

[Kai Morrison]

The only sub-£100 drone worth getting is the Ryze (part of the DJI Group) Tello mini drone....although it’s not GPS (works on a WIFI connection with your phone). I have one myself and purchased WIFI repeater (paid about £10 for it from eBay) which i use with a battery bank and can achieve 300m+ distance at a maximum altitude of 30m (using one stabilises the video recordings too). It has a fixed position camera and can take both photos and video and store them directly into you phone. There’s plenty of videos of them on YouTube including setting it up to use a WIFI repeater. It’s very easy to fly....flight time a little under 15 minutes but buy yourself some extra batteries - I purchased some non-oem ones and they perform well.

Kai

 

[steve 6644]

How about an MQ-9 Reaper, they can really ruin peace and quiete

 

[Wildbill]

If you do end up with a GPS one don't do what my son done set it up on the deck of my boat then then follow the boat.
i asked him what happen's when the battery runs out he says that's OK it will come back to the boat where it had taken off from.
Yes son but the boat has moved seven hundred yards up the canal the look on hi face when the penny drooped fxxx the battery ruing out we got back just in time to cancel auto landing as it had gone out of sight and crash it on the bank
bill

 

[nicholsong]

Just bumped this because I am interested but it is late.

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[Kai Morrison]

How about an MQ-9 Reaper, they can really ruin peace and quiete

At a little under 15.9 million USD, it's probably a little over the £100 budget mentioned......would love to shoot some Hellfire missiles from it though

 

[thebriars]

How about an MQ-9 Reaper, they can really ruin peace and quiete

When we were touring the US in a motorhome a few years ago, we stopped for a coffee break. Looked out of the window and a MQ-9 Reaper flew past quite low. Few minutes later another. In the end saw several flying around. Turned out we were just outside the air force base where they train the Reaper pilots. Got this photo:

 

[David and Sally]

. Got this photo:

You'll have to be shot now!

 

[thebriars]

You'll have to be shot now!

Been shot once already on a training range. Thankfully a rebound which hit my leg. Still have the bullet somewhere.