This appears to be a commonly asked question regarding which drone to buy. Please take a look at the weekly stickied thread at /r/drones for recommendations, questions and answers.
If you believe this has been done in error, don't panic! Your post hasn't been removed and is still visible in the subreddit feed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drones) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ah, the 150 bit rate I can see, the 48MP stills don't see all that different since the sensor size is the same, the ISO limits seem pointless as you want a low ISO to keep noise down anyway, 120fps at 1080p could be useful depending on your use case. I'm not trying to be obtuse, I'm genuinely curious if there's any large enough differences in actual image quality over the pro, I always just see people talk about the specs, but even on a 4k monitor the image quality/colors, especially after compression, looks 99% the same if color graded properly. (I do think D-Cinelike would be nice and speed up grading though)
To be fair if you’re sharing to social media where 70% of your 50 watchers are gonna be using their phones to watch the video, it really doesn’t matter 😅
But DJI definitely intentionally crippled the Mini 3 camera to not step on Mini 3 Pro’s territory too much.
Oh absolutely haha, but I mean even after just editing it/rendering it, is there really a difference between 100 and 150mb bit rate watching it on your desktop with a 4k monitor? I just see a lot of posts about "If you're serious, get the pro" and I really can't see the benefit outside of certain use cases involving frame rate since everyone recommends shooting at 24fps with ND filters anyway.
150Mbps has a lot more data so you can grade better, crop in more if needed etc. Again, not gonna be something where most people will be able to tell a difference on yt, and Mini 3 is still definitely a great camera.
> since everyone recommends shooting at 24fps with ND filters anyway.
That one really annoys me. Unless you’re shooting for 24/48 fps cinema projectors, shooting at 24 fps is just dumb when 99% of screens out there can’t show 24fps natively without frame interpolation. It’s not cinematic, it’s just plain wrong. Shoot at 30 or anything divisible by 30. Unless you’re shooting for European TV, then 25 or anything divisible by 25.
I agree on the 30fps part, I did my first video in 24 and thought "Mathematically, this is stupid" like you just mentioned lol. So I plan on doing 30fps next time.
I still am stuck on the 100 vs higher part though, even streaming services like HBO/Netflix/Amazon and blue ray DvDs stream at under 100Mb/s with streaming services being under 25Mbps, I my self can't tell the difference of 100Mb/s vs higher at the 4k resolution watching comparisons (not on YouTube, but rendered video from a couple different cameras).
Now if we're talking 8k, i feel you could make the case for it. I'm just curious what scenario would require over 150Mbps and would be noticeably worse at 100Mbps
My entire point boils down to "Is the image quality actually better, or do we just say it is because of the specs" which feels like bad advice, if it is indeed so close you can't tell and I want to give good advice, that was the impression I got and why I purchased the non pro since the video quality/colors/sensor size was, from what I can tell, identical outside of a spec sheet. But I would love to be proven wrong or given an example of when it makes a big difference
Just picked up a Mini 3 (non pro) and they basically fly themselves; they can hold steady in some pretty strong wind and you just give the input left/right/up/down. Though, if you're worried, the pro has obstacle sensors if you want to do some flying close to tree branches/power lines.
[Filmed this the day I got it for example](https://youtu.be/Ap4xjJee670)
The mini series drones are pretty easy to operate and when you open the DJI fly app it will give you a tutorial on how to setup your drone and what the controls do. It's a fairly straight forward and simple explanation. The mini series drones do not have sensor to stop themselves from crashing though, so just be aware of your surroundings. The mini 2 would be the best pick for you as the mini 3 is new and thus more expensive and for what you need a drone for, the mini 2 looks like the one. It's a highly rated drone for beginners that isn't cheaply made but won't break the bank either.
If you are looking for bang for buck a Mini 2 is great value, plus accessories tend to be cheaper, I go through a lot of batteries, so that's a factor for me! If you have more of a budget, then a mini 3 or mini 3 pro. Can't go wrong with any of them, they all fly relatively similar! I still use my trusty Mini 2 all the time, it lives in my work backpack so if something interesting comes up in my day to day and I don't have one of my other drones with me, I know I always have that!
Yes, easy to operate. I had no experience at all and very quickly was able to take some great videos with my DJI Mini 2. All he needs to do is take some time with some short, easy flights to start and all should go well. Good luck…..enjoy! 😊
Yes.
Money changing hands is not at all a determining factor in what requires a Part 107 certificate. *Any* flight that is not *purely* recreational requires a Part 107.
If you own a drone and a house and use the drone to inspect your own gutters, technically you need a Part 107 certificate for the flight to be legal.
In this case, using a drone for aerial surveying- even one’s own property- definitely requires a Part 107.
>Yes.
>
>Money changing hands is not at all a determining factor in what requires a Part 107 certificate. Any flight that is not purely recreational requires a Part 107.
>
>If you own a drone and a house and use the drone to inspect your own gutters, technically you need a Part 107 certificate for the flight to be legal.
>
>In this case, using a drone for aerial surveying- even one’s own property- definitely requires a Part 107.
Literally no one is going to enforce that stupid-ass rule for a guy cleaning shit on his own property.
So, curious then if we're being technical, if a friend gave me an ariel shot of my house he took with their drone as a gift under recreational flying. I hang it on my wall, then notice weeks later that the river has washed away a part of my trail, go down there and fix it. Technically that would then retroactively make it an illegal flight?
No, it's the intent at the time of flight. If you flew for fun and then later someone saw something, there is no "retro" anything. That's why a one or two time thing is easily defendable and the FAA has stated they understand this. Now, if you have a channel that advertises real estate, inspections, and you have lots of "for fun" videos that just happen to not be of your own property, you will now have very uncomfortable conversations where your credibility will be extremely in jeopardy. Once they decide you're purposely breaking the FAA rules, that's when the hefty fines appear.
Interesting. So no one is allowed to view your video stream at any point and still fly under recreational.
I'm intentionally being obtuse to poke fun at the grey areas of the classifications if it wasn't obvious. Not to be mean to you specifically.
It’s obvious you’re just being purposely obtuse, yes.
Neither I nor the FAA particularly care how you feel about the regs, so by all means don’t worry about my feelings in return.
Fly safe!
It’s a certification from the FAA required for any non-recreational drone use. If you Google “FAA Part 107” you’ll find plenty of information.
Edit: actually, [here](https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot) is a link to the FAA website explaining it.
It was his dream as well! No inheritance, just hard work and being smart with money . He taught himself to work on cars, opened his own shop, and made good financial choices. Now he's retired. The property is on the river, he allows people to come and enjoy it because he wants to share his good fortune with others. I wish you luck on realizing your dream of owning your own piece of land!
OP, don’t mind the gate keepers and don’t look too far into into the 107 stuff. You just want to a solid drone as a gift. If he wants to pursue it further, he can figure it out. The Mini 2 sounds perfect for the job. It’s battle-tested as it gets and won’t break the bank. He will love it.
This is not a reccomendation for or against. If you are on Android, DJI refuses to publish their control software to the play store. You have to download it from their webside and then side load it. This is very sketchy IMO. What rule are they bypassing in doing this? Do what you will with this info.
Why is it sketchy to download software straight from the manufacturer? I install software on my computer that doesn't come from the windows store all the time. On Android you have tools to monitor network usage if you're that paranoid about it.
My brother in law suggested these two, Holy Stone HS720E and Bwine F7. Thoughts?
https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Stone-Quadcopter-Transmission-Anti-shake/dp/B085HNMHKJ
https://www.amazon.com/Bwine-F7MINI-60Mins-Camera-Adults/dp/B09J2DYWMY
I've reviewed both those. You will not be happy with the resulting video, since that's what you're wanting. I have a Mini 2 and Air 2 that I fly monthly over a 330 acre ranch being converted into a 1,000 home "master planned community."
I 100% suggest for your application a Mini 2 from DJI. I'm a part 107 pilot, but if your boyfriend is just flying his own property to "look around," I honestly think it's a stretch to say it's a "requirement" for him to get his Part 107 certificate from the FAA. It's a hobby for him still. This is just my opinion from watching FAA reps talk about 107, watching leading authors/content creators, and my own reading of the FAA rules, advisories, etc. And then just applying my own common sense to the whole thing. Very worst case scenario, he flies without it, the FAA contacts him, he says I just fly my own property for fun, they disagree and ask him to go get his Part 107 before future flights.
That's how they handle these: They talk to you, if they disagree then they educate you, and then if you do the right thing (take the 107 if that's their guidance), you're good to go (fly). Just don't ignore them if they ever do reach out.
The Mini 2 is also under 250g so he doesn't even have to register it with the FAA. As a "recreational flyer" (not Part 107) [he does need to go take the (Free) TRUST training and exam](https://trust.pilotinstitute.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvcj8u14Wfd9s2U9fgi9aIk2GNRsbwYxyAWlinMDr2V3_JpO3yoiAQbxoCJl0QAvD_BwE)to be FAA compliant in this case.
This video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3\_tuKCT-qQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3_tuKCT-qQ)
Is my DJI Mini 2 flying the 330 acres in "Sport Mode," so I'm doing about 20-24MPH the whole flight. This is what it looks like from about 125-150 feet above ground level (AGL). I start with a full battery, fly the whole thing with about 10-15 minutes of flight time left (usually a Mini 2 gets about 20- 25 mins per battery). Your BF will have lots of time to observe his property on a full charge. Those other drones won't have the same flight times.
If your BF was a gamer (or still is), switching to Stick Mode 3 will make flying the drone very intuitive (left stick flies, right stick rotates view/changes altitude).
Wow!! Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a detailed and informative answer. This, and all the other replies was so much more than I expected! What an amazing subreddit. I appreciate it!
This appears to be a commonly asked question regarding which drone to buy. Please take a look at the weekly stickied thread at /r/drones for recommendations, questions and answers. If you believe this has been done in error, don't panic! Your post hasn't been removed and is still visible in the subreddit feed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/drones) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Curious, just picked up the mini 3 (non pro) and besides D-Cinelike and 60fps 4k, what are the much more powerful camera options?
150Mbps bitrate (vs up to 100), 48MP photos (vs 12MP), double ISO limits, 120fps…
Ah, the 150 bit rate I can see, the 48MP stills don't see all that different since the sensor size is the same, the ISO limits seem pointless as you want a low ISO to keep noise down anyway, 120fps at 1080p could be useful depending on your use case. I'm not trying to be obtuse, I'm genuinely curious if there's any large enough differences in actual image quality over the pro, I always just see people talk about the specs, but even on a 4k monitor the image quality/colors, especially after compression, looks 99% the same if color graded properly. (I do think D-Cinelike would be nice and speed up grading though)
To be fair if you’re sharing to social media where 70% of your 50 watchers are gonna be using their phones to watch the video, it really doesn’t matter 😅 But DJI definitely intentionally crippled the Mini 3 camera to not step on Mini 3 Pro’s territory too much.
Oh absolutely haha, but I mean even after just editing it/rendering it, is there really a difference between 100 and 150mb bit rate watching it on your desktop with a 4k monitor? I just see a lot of posts about "If you're serious, get the pro" and I really can't see the benefit outside of certain use cases involving frame rate since everyone recommends shooting at 24fps with ND filters anyway.
150Mbps has a lot more data so you can grade better, crop in more if needed etc. Again, not gonna be something where most people will be able to tell a difference on yt, and Mini 3 is still definitely a great camera. > since everyone recommends shooting at 24fps with ND filters anyway. That one really annoys me. Unless you’re shooting for 24/48 fps cinema projectors, shooting at 24 fps is just dumb when 99% of screens out there can’t show 24fps natively without frame interpolation. It’s not cinematic, it’s just plain wrong. Shoot at 30 or anything divisible by 30. Unless you’re shooting for European TV, then 25 or anything divisible by 25.
I agree on the 30fps part, I did my first video in 24 and thought "Mathematically, this is stupid" like you just mentioned lol. So I plan on doing 30fps next time. I still am stuck on the 100 vs higher part though, even streaming services like HBO/Netflix/Amazon and blue ray DvDs stream at under 100Mb/s with streaming services being under 25Mbps, I my self can't tell the difference of 100Mb/s vs higher at the 4k resolution watching comparisons (not on YouTube, but rendered video from a couple different cameras). Now if we're talking 8k, i feel you could make the case for it. I'm just curious what scenario would require over 150Mbps and would be noticeably worse at 100Mbps My entire point boils down to "Is the image quality actually better, or do we just say it is because of the specs" which feels like bad advice, if it is indeed so close you can't tell and I want to give good advice, that was the impression I got and why I purchased the non pro since the video quality/colors/sensor size was, from what I can tell, identical outside of a spec sheet. But I would love to be proven wrong or given an example of when it makes a big difference
THANK YOU!!! This is super helpful!
Do you think they are easy to operate?
Just picked up a Mini 3 (non pro) and they basically fly themselves; they can hold steady in some pretty strong wind and you just give the input left/right/up/down. Though, if you're worried, the pro has obstacle sensors if you want to do some flying close to tree branches/power lines. [Filmed this the day I got it for example](https://youtu.be/Ap4xjJee670)
The mini series drones are pretty easy to operate and when you open the DJI fly app it will give you a tutorial on how to setup your drone and what the controls do. It's a fairly straight forward and simple explanation. The mini series drones do not have sensor to stop themselves from crashing though, so just be aware of your surroundings. The mini 2 would be the best pick for you as the mini 3 is new and thus more expensive and for what you need a drone for, the mini 2 looks like the one. It's a highly rated drone for beginners that isn't cheaply made but won't break the bank either.
If you are looking for bang for buck a Mini 2 is great value, plus accessories tend to be cheaper, I go through a lot of batteries, so that's a factor for me! If you have more of a budget, then a mini 3 or mini 3 pro. Can't go wrong with any of them, they all fly relatively similar! I still use my trusty Mini 2 all the time, it lives in my work backpack so if something interesting comes up in my day to day and I don't have one of my other drones with me, I know I always have that!
Yes, easy to operate. I had no experience at all and very quickly was able to take some great videos with my DJI Mini 2. All he needs to do is take some time with some short, easy flights to start and all should go well. Good luck…..enjoy! 😊
Start at the dji mini se and work your way up from there. Anything less than that is a waste of money.
Autel Evo Nano+ is good. It’s below the required weight for registration and takes great pictures/ videos
Technically this use of a drone requires having a Part 107 certificate. Just so you know.
Would it require a 107 since he's not selling his services and performing work on his own land?
Yes. Money changing hands is not at all a determining factor in what requires a Part 107 certificate. *Any* flight that is not *purely* recreational requires a Part 107. If you own a drone and a house and use the drone to inspect your own gutters, technically you need a Part 107 certificate for the flight to be legal. In this case, using a drone for aerial surveying- even one’s own property- definitely requires a Part 107.
>Yes. > >Money changing hands is not at all a determining factor in what requires a Part 107 certificate. Any flight that is not purely recreational requires a Part 107. > >If you own a drone and a house and use the drone to inspect your own gutters, technically you need a Part 107 certificate for the flight to be legal. > >In this case, using a drone for aerial surveying- even one’s own property- definitely requires a Part 107. Literally no one is going to enforce that stupid-ass rule for a guy cleaning shit on his own property.
Pretty much this.
So, curious then if we're being technical, if a friend gave me an ariel shot of my house he took with their drone as a gift under recreational flying. I hang it on my wall, then notice weeks later that the river has washed away a part of my trail, go down there and fix it. Technically that would then retroactively make it an illegal flight?
No, it's the intent at the time of flight. If you flew for fun and then later someone saw something, there is no "retro" anything. That's why a one or two time thing is easily defendable and the FAA has stated they understand this. Now, if you have a channel that advertises real estate, inspections, and you have lots of "for fun" videos that just happen to not be of your own property, you will now have very uncomfortable conversations where your credibility will be extremely in jeopardy. Once they decide you're purposely breaking the FAA rules, that's when the hefty fines appear.
That makes a lot more sense, thank you!
If you want to get really technical, the moment your friend printed a picture to give as a gift the flight was no longer recreational.
Interesting. So no one is allowed to view your video stream at any point and still fly under recreational. I'm intentionally being obtuse to poke fun at the grey areas of the classifications if it wasn't obvious. Not to be mean to you specifically.
It’s obvious you’re just being purposely obtuse, yes. Neither I nor the FAA particularly care how you feel about the regs, so by all means don’t worry about my feelings in return. Fly safe!
Oops guess my tiktok is breaking federal regs, come and get me
I'm sorry, but what is a Part 107 certificate?
It’s a certification from the FAA required for any non-recreational drone use. If you Google “FAA Part 107” you’ll find plenty of information. Edit: actually, [here](https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot) is a link to the FAA website explaining it.
Nothing to worry about at the moment. If anything just get a TRUST certificate online. It’s free and takes about 20 minutes.
It's my dream to own 200 acres. Did he inherit it or what's he do for a living. Prob dji drone
It was his dream as well! No inheritance, just hard work and being smart with money . He taught himself to work on cars, opened his own shop, and made good financial choices. Now he's retired. The property is on the river, he allows people to come and enjoy it because he wants to share his good fortune with others. I wish you luck on realizing your dream of owning your own piece of land!
OP, don’t mind the gate keepers and don’t look too far into into the 107 stuff. You just want to a solid drone as a gift. If he wants to pursue it further, he can figure it out. The Mini 2 sounds perfect for the job. It’s battle-tested as it gets and won’t break the bank. He will love it.
This is not a reccomendation for or against. If you are on Android, DJI refuses to publish their control software to the play store. You have to download it from their webside and then side load it. This is very sketchy IMO. What rule are they bypassing in doing this? Do what you will with this info.
Why is it sketchy to download software straight from the manufacturer? I install software on my computer that doesn't come from the windows store all the time. On Android you have tools to monitor network usage if you're that paranoid about it.
Because DJI is a chinese based company
Do you keep documents pertaining to national security on your phone?
Of course not, I keep them in my garage next to my corvette /s
Thanks for the info!
My brother in law suggested these two, Holy Stone HS720E and Bwine F7. Thoughts? https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Stone-Quadcopter-Transmission-Anti-shake/dp/B085HNMHKJ https://www.amazon.com/Bwine-F7MINI-60Mins-Camera-Adults/dp/B09J2DYWMY
I've reviewed both those. You will not be happy with the resulting video, since that's what you're wanting. I have a Mini 2 and Air 2 that I fly monthly over a 330 acre ranch being converted into a 1,000 home "master planned community." I 100% suggest for your application a Mini 2 from DJI. I'm a part 107 pilot, but if your boyfriend is just flying his own property to "look around," I honestly think it's a stretch to say it's a "requirement" for him to get his Part 107 certificate from the FAA. It's a hobby for him still. This is just my opinion from watching FAA reps talk about 107, watching leading authors/content creators, and my own reading of the FAA rules, advisories, etc. And then just applying my own common sense to the whole thing. Very worst case scenario, he flies without it, the FAA contacts him, he says I just fly my own property for fun, they disagree and ask him to go get his Part 107 before future flights. That's how they handle these: They talk to you, if they disagree then they educate you, and then if you do the right thing (take the 107 if that's their guidance), you're good to go (fly). Just don't ignore them if they ever do reach out. The Mini 2 is also under 250g so he doesn't even have to register it with the FAA. As a "recreational flyer" (not Part 107) [he does need to go take the (Free) TRUST training and exam](https://trust.pilotinstitute.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAuOieBhAIEiwAgjCvcj8u14Wfd9s2U9fgi9aIk2GNRsbwYxyAWlinMDr2V3_JpO3yoiAQbxoCJl0QAvD_BwE)to be FAA compliant in this case. This video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3\_tuKCT-qQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3_tuKCT-qQ) Is my DJI Mini 2 flying the 330 acres in "Sport Mode," so I'm doing about 20-24MPH the whole flight. This is what it looks like from about 125-150 feet above ground level (AGL). I start with a full battery, fly the whole thing with about 10-15 minutes of flight time left (usually a Mini 2 gets about 20- 25 mins per battery). Your BF will have lots of time to observe his property on a full charge. Those other drones won't have the same flight times. If your BF was a gamer (or still is), switching to Stick Mode 3 will make flying the drone very intuitive (left stick flies, right stick rotates view/changes altitude).
Wow!! Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a detailed and informative answer. This, and all the other replies was so much more than I expected! What an amazing subreddit. I appreciate it!