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Advice on drone for my son — Parallax Forums

Advice on drone for my son

JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
in General Discussion
Hiya all,

I'm looking to purchase a drone for my son
So lets say a budget of about £50 GBP

Which is the best drone on the market around that price mark?
My son 29 is really into cycling, on-road off-road
So I picture him using the drone to follow him and then he can enjoy the footage at home in leisure on his laptop.


Thank you in advance, for any and all advice offered....

Comments

  • JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
    So far I've seen the following drones (online)

    Mavic pro 2 clone
    SG907

    I'm going to take at look at some youtube videos too in case that can help...
    Maybe I can push up to £70 GBP excluding delivery charges

  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    I thought drones capable of following someone cost few hundred dollars. I know a British pound is worth more than a US dollar but I don't think you can get a drone capable of following a biker for £50 GBP.
    I have a FIMI 8X SE which works reasonably well and it cost a bit over $400.

    Hopefully someone else will have a good lower cost option.
  • K2K2 Posts: 692
    If there is a drone out there for £70 that can do what you describe, I would be amazed and delighted. I bought cheap drone after cheap drone. Wasn't happy with any of them. Then I purchased a DJI. It was a total game changer. China has a reputation for cheap Smile but a DJI drone and a Rigol scope are two of the most delightful pieces of tech I've ever owned.
  • JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
    Hi Duane and K2,

    Thank you, your both right lol

    Upon reading the specs for most of the drones i've looked at, they only go up to 100M control range.

    I've found this one here Lozenge HJ38
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000605622420.html

    And the spec looks better than the clones.
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    Looks like the one Duane suggested works but "follow me" mode seems to only work at slow speeds. DJI is the go to but tops $1400US. I have a Mavic Pro Zoom that can follow my car at 50 MPH.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    The least expensive drone that I would recommend would be the Mavic Mini but that is about four times your stated budget. I suspect that a cheap clone might work, but I doubt it would still be working a couple years from now - and I also suspect that it would be a much less "polished" user experience.

    Something else, I am against the idea of giving money to companies for substandard products who have copied other peoples' work - so I am heavily biased against clones.

    A final thought, drone footage is mostly quite boring to watch. It is fantastic in short segments but if you want to capture an experience a GoPro is is a better choice. When you do decide to incorporate a drone into making videos you will want something that can get the footage you really want, that is where the DJI drones really shine - and where you will find the cheap copies lacking.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    JaanDoh wrote: »
    I've found this one here Lozenge HJ38

    I couldn't find any video review of this drone on YouTube. I've be very skeptical of the advertisement claims without anyone actually trying it on video.
    Publison wrote: »
    Looks like the one Duane suggested works but "follow me" mode seems to only work at slow speeds.

    I haven't tried the "follow me" mode myself. I've seen some YouTube videos which suggest they improved the software with some of the latest updates. Here's an example of the FIMI following someone on a bike.

  • JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
    Thank You all,

    Yes (shamefully) I had completely forgotten about the drones lifespan
    and obviously a genuine product is going to last that much longer than a clone and be more reliable too I should expect.

    The videos I found of the HJ38 didn't look promising either...

    I'll keep looking and re-think upping my budget, I think I could max my budget to around £100=

    I won't be able afford the one Duane said, which after googling, looks the business, with 8Km range WOW!!

    With regards to the footage a drone captures, gosh there's so much more to think about than simply flying lol,
    and its understandable why the price varies so much from top end products through mid to the bottom.

    I guess the quality of the image has got to be joint first place importance along with the actual flying as (mechanics ease of use etc)





  • JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
    edited 2020-08-21 21:14
    @Duane

    Wow, that footage is crystal clear!!
    And it costs £580 GBP on amazon now

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/TeasyDay-Quadcopter-upgraded-aircraft-enthusiasts，Senior/dp/B08C9LMLH4/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=fimi+x8+se+2020&qid=1598044400&sr=8-5
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    I purchased mine from Banggood. (The link isn't the same one I purchased.)

    Apparently the new "2020" version has a few improvements.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    Something else to consider, most countries (UK included) require some form of drone license to operate drones 250 grams or heavier. The Mavic Mini is 249g, the one linked to above is a couple hundred grams heavier - and more expensive than the Mavic Mini.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    On the subject of drones, does anyone know what the first drone was? When it was available and what it was called?
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,185
    edited 2020-08-22 00:58
    W9GFO wrote: »
    On the subject of drones, does anyone know what the first drone was? When it was available and what it was called?

    Which do you mean? Those that fly and do stuff? Or the ones like the ones that defend our interests? (There was a pretty simple one built just over one-hundred years previously. While it was available too late for the First World War, many historians consider it to be the first of those.)
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    Buck Rogers wrote: »
    Which do you mean? Those that fly and do stuff? Or the ones like the ones that defend our interests?

    Well, the kind that defend our interests also "fly and do stuff". ;-)

    I meant the type with four rotors that use differential torque for control, the kind that hobbyists were able to purchase in kit form.



  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,185
    W9GFO wrote: »
    Buck Rogers wrote: »
    Which do you mean? Those that fly and do stuff? Or the ones like the ones that defend our interests?

    Well, the kind that defend our interests also "fly and do stuff". ;-)

    I meant the type with four rotors that use differential torque for control, the kind that hobbyists were able to purchase in kit form.



    Yes they do partner. You were thinking of the first, not the second.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2020-08-25 17:59
    I'm barely into drones, too much else going on. But I'll grab a cheap one every now & then when Banggood has email blasts. The last one I got has auto altitude hold, which is absolutely amazing and makes the biggest difference ever for this occasional pilot. It's an Eachine E58, under $30 from Banggood:

  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    I recall seeing a drone footage on YouTube where the drone flew into an old volcano and got out of range due to the rim getting in the way of the signal. You would think the drone would be lost, but no! It proceeded to try moving forward, detected the rim, moved back, increased height, and tried again, until finally navigating over the rim, where upon it returned home, all automatically.
    Truely amazing.
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,702
    It won't follow you like you're talking about, but the Tello drones are in your price range and a lot of fun for kids.

    You can program short missions in 'scratch' language. They have a Lego attachment, and from there you can add various Lego people or constructions.

    I spent a fun afternoon with my youngest working out where to place a Lego mentos holder, so that doing a 'flip' would eject the Mentos lolly into the waiting Coke bottle, without taking out one of the four propellers. We worked it out eventually.

  • JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
    Thank You,
    All of you, I really appreciate the advice. 🙏

    Since this was just a small gift, I think it's better to buy a cheap and hopefully not so nasty one lol...

    And if my son likes it, then when he's ready to purchase a pro drone, I can help by donating half the money lol 😂

    So to all intents and purposes, I've shortlisted the Hj38 drone which seems to tick all the boxes...

    And from what I can understand about the follow me feature is that once its paired to the WiFi or bt on the mobile phone, it then follows the device so to speak....

    Thank you all 🙏
  • JaanDohJaanDoh Posts: 129
    I know this thread was started a while back...

    But while browsing through my phone, I came across a photo of the drones...

    I ordered them and for some mad reason, the drones came to UK then were returned without posting/delivery to me.... That took a month.

    So I re-ordered them, and then a month later they arrived...

    So I've attached a photo of the deal, its was a drone with 3 batteries, all at a very decent price...

    I've not had a chance to fly my one outdoors, because of needing to take a flying test thing for the licence and the pandemic too, and i forwarded one to my son too...

    I couldnt get the software on my new phone, Huawei...
    But did manage to load it onto my old phone, also a Huawei lol 😂
    The app is called KY FPV
    ....
    IMG_20201014_170708.jpg
    3072 x 4096 - 5M
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