Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread
- Thread starter RomanNose
- Start date
Associate
Looks like the DJI Mini 2 will be the golden drone with the new regulations (A1 - Sub-250 legacy). I've got one on order 
Soldato
- Fly it without seeking permission of the land owner, eg local park, farmers field, council land.
Soldato
Phil 2008 from that video and my reading of the rules. You could just get a DJI mini 2 and your good to fly it residential and over people so your good to take off from your back garden and get the shots you want unless I'm missing something obvious thats what the guys video said.
The way things are going it's going to be pointless owning a drone in the near future. =/
Soldato
It's funny as a new user of a drone a Mavic Mini 2 I have all the apps and so on but its still as clear as mud no wonder it's almost not worth the hassle. I'm going to just be flying around the beach early or late so no ones around. Driving up out the way in highlands and just wait till I get an issue as like you said at this rate your not going to end up being able to fly anywhere.
Commissario
I keep looking at a drone and I ordered one between Christmas and New Year and then cancelled it. I did this twice because I couldn’t decide!
The drone I was looking at was the one suggested in that video, the DJI Mini 2 and I can get the Fly More combo for £494. I’m so tempted, should I do it at that price?
OcUK, you decide
The drone I was looking at was the one suggested in that video, the DJI Mini 2 and I can get the Fly More combo for £494. I’m so tempted, should I do it at that price?
OcUK, you decide
Commissario
@Haggisman Did you go for the Mini 2 and get the Care Refresh pack? How are you finding it?
Soldato
I ended up sending the Mini 2 back in the end, and managed to get a second-hand Mini 1 from eBay for less than half the price to see if I was going to use it enough to be worthwhile.
Thoughts so far:
I've only used it properly twice, so was probably right to go for the cheaper option (although when restrictions are lifted and we can travel more it might get more use).
I haven't hit any limitations of the Mini 1, so don't know if the improvements on the Mini 2 would be worth the extra anyway (for me at least) - my only real concern was the range difference/losing signal, but when I last used it, I pretty much lost sight of the drone before getting any kind of interference (although granted this was in ideal conditions - e.g. in the middle of nowhere on top of a hill). Having watched several youtube videos, it does seem like unless you're in some really congested area, if you're sticking strictly to the drone rules (e.g. maintain unaided LoS), then you are unlikely to lose connection. (Youtube videos show ~2km range in normal conditions, it's a 30cm x 30cm spindly shaped sky-grey object, good luck seeing it that far away!)
4K video quality would have course be a nice boost over 2.7k, but not worth the money for me really.
I've sent off the video evidence for the Refresh pack, but not had a reply yet (supposed to be 3 working days, but I guess they are probably getting hammered with Covid and the number of people getting drones for xmas).
Don't forget that you will need an operator's licence for the mini/mini 2 now, due to the new restrictions from 1st Jan (even though it's <250g, it has a camera so you need one
)
Commissario
Thanks, that's actually really useful. I do know about the operators licence, I did that towards the end of December when I was faffing about with ordering and cancelling (twice).
Hi just wondering for those with DJI Mavic Mini, I've seen some Youtube vids where it will fly hundreds of metres away no problem but when it gets near a house the signal drops, presumably from their WiFi. Will it be terrible to fly in a residential area? I like the idea of flying it pretty far from the back garden.
Soldato
Cant say about the mini as I have mini 2, no issues with that but then its ocusync rather than the basic wifi connection, I did have a horrific fly away with my spark on its first flight fortunately managed to get it back, will be interested to see what the new models are like however. I keep buying and selling due to lack of use but really like the mini 2 i have so will probably hold onto it as its not like a 1k toy sitting in the draw not getting used
I have the Mavic Mini. When I fly it in a park or a field and it's a big open space, I can fly it as far as I can whilst still seeing it and there's never any signal issues. When I fly it in a residential area, the signal is no where near as good and it'll break up before it gets too far but for the reasons I use it, even in those situations it goes far enough. Truth is, the drone is so small, that if you fly it and the signal is dropping, chances are it's too far away to see anyway so you shouldn't be taking it that sort of distance away from you.
If you're on the fence with what to get, I'd suggest picking up the original mini. The only real benefit I see over getting the newest Mavic Mini is the 4k video and RAW photos but even then, people don't buy this series of drones for professional photography so 2.7k works for most (although RAW photos would be very useful). I've also heard it's a bit better in the wind but I don't fly in anything other than perfect conditions because I'm afraid of loosing it!
Associate
of course it is (well DJ's Version of it anyway)........ its been leaked all over the net for months even unboxings on you tube
Indeed, you must have been living under a rock for the last few months to have missed all the leaks
https://dronedj.com/2021/02/23/everything-about-djis-new-fpv-drone-specs-pictures-controller-more/
The goggles have a very ant-man vibe going on!
Caporegime
I've given up flying, should sell my custom racer but won't be worth anything now.