Racermac73

iTrader: (3)

Hi all, I'm a old school racer and know nothing about drones.. absolutely nothing. I want a decent larger size one to fly outside and take some pictures with. I would just like to know what brand to begin with for easy to learn and economical but still good quality. I hope this isn't like the car threads with everyone arguing and pushing their particular brand. Thanks all

nexxus

iTrader: (315)

I did a fair bit of research before buying mine, a lot of people pushed me towards the DJI Phantoms but the more I read the more I felt like they were the Maxamps of the rc car world.

Ended up with a Yuneec Typhoon G which so far has been great.

But there are plenty of good options out there.

Misfit138

iTrader: (110)

Have a look at the Xiro Xplorer and the Heli-Max Form 500.

TrespasseR_MN

iTrader: (2)

Yes there are many,many makers of quads now, and really..many are good brands, however there are also many more low quality cheap crap ones. I have to be honest I have Walkera runner 250R and bought it in Feb 2016, sitting on the shelf because it will keep burning out the right rear ESC. (3) so far, and noone knows exactly what might be wrong. Anyways, for me right now i would suggest NOT buying anything Walkera brand.

Although one thing to keep in mind is when looking for a new drone, is finding a maker with plenty of parts to buy and from other vendors. Walkera is great at that.

xl-racing

iTrader: (13)

Based on my experience own lots of walkeras they actually looks 'physically' cool but electronically was junk...except their DEVO radio tx was good quality though. If you wanted to buy a racer the brand EACHINE is a great value plus abundant of spare parts like this one: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Racer-250-FPV-Drone-Built-in-5_8G-Transmitter-OSD-With-HD-Camera-BNF-Version-p-995366.html
At least the parts are modular and compatible with other after market unlike walkera proprietary ones.

sickpuppy1

iTrader: (32)

What about the Traxxas Aton. Heard one guy who has it and loves it....but nothing else.

xl-racing

iTrader: (13)

Not sure about Traxxas Aton but most of us professional go for DJI Phantom because has more parts support in every places across the globe and more community support on the internet. Plus have more aftermarket upgrades both hardware, camera fittings and software.

This is my DJi:

Toiffel

iTrader: (52)

Aerial photography= DJI hands down

nexxus

iTrader: (315)

Tried to fly my Yuneec at the track on Sunday to get some aerial shots of races from 10m or so up, wouldn't arm, came up as "GPS No fly zone" as the main airport is 4km away. My brother's 3DR Solo didn't have the problem. Something to keep in mind.

xl-racing

iTrader: (13)

3DR Solo uses Ardupilot firmware APM/Pixhawk which is based on open source flight controller can be customized and define by user with zero restriction. I use these 3DR based (APM) flight controller on dozen of my UAV planes and multirotors. You can overwrite the rules and define your flight parameter and not bound by manufacturer's limitation. Most of us builder stay away from YUNEEC and DJI because when it ask for firmware updates it mean it added latest updates on no flyzone signature into the flight controller which makes it hard to fly on certain places. I have a DJI Phantom but immediately rip out the original flight controller and install the opensource flight controller (no rules bound flight controller) for more freedom flying. So next time when you have branded multirotor with GPS that ask for updates...don't.. don't update it else you'll regret it later.

CALIMICK

iTrader: (1)

For smooth no prop in shot aerial photography/videography I recommend the Tbs Discovery Pro. (Team Black Sheep discovery pro).

drivejumpfly

I have a Traxxas Aton, but I have to admit that if you want professional quality and ease of use I would go with a better one like a DJI or equivalent. Having some type of FPV or a realtime viewing screen is priceless because it is really hard to frame a video using line of sight. The Aton is a good balance between sport flying and filming. I would honestly start flying with a Cheerson CX-10, with a protection cover, until you can fly indoors in the advanced mode. It is $24 well spent to learn how to fly. That is what I did anyways. Here are some videos that I took with my Traxxas Aton and a $60 fake gopro:

+ YouTube Video

+ YouTube Video

+ YouTube Video

Jackyoung

As a beginner who have no rc hobby flying experience,you will have countless crashes at the beginning.so it’s preferable and highly recommended to start with something cheap.the cheapest the better,it will be save money for you.
You are recommended to buy ready-to-fly quadcopters, RTF which means that you don’t need to purchase any additional accessory to be able to fly the quadcopter once you do take the plunge and make the purchase. RTF are obviously better suited for beginners. More informations from here rcdronegood.com/best-micro-quadcopter-buying-guide-beginners-2016/

ponchota

iTrader: (3)

I agree with Jackyoung. If you've got money to burn, buy a new Phantom 4, Mavic, Yuneec etc. with all the bells and whistles. Crash, which you will and possibly break something expensive like the gimbal. Or break an arm, since it's one piece body you'll most likely need to replace it if it can't be repaired. That means swapping everything from the old frame to the new one. I would suggest a used one to save money. A good used Phantom 1,2 or 3. You can get one for $200 upwards of $400-$500.
Or learn the hobby and build your own. Not nearly as hard as you think. Way more rewarding and you'll get a hands on experience. More durable and if you break something like an arm or even the frame, you only have to work on and replace the damaged area.
It really comes down to budget, what you plan to do with it and build experience. Soldering skills are a must even with a RTF (when you break something)
I've always built my own for yearssss. 800s, 550s. They were fun but boring for me. Got into FPV Racing and haven't looked back. I get the thrill of FPV Racing with a 1080p cam attached for super smooth video. Crashes are fun to watch and most of the time I can just flip it over and keep flying.

Join RCGroups. Your head will explode with all the information there. A lot of the vendors and creators are members there and are very willing to help everyone.

Goodluck

Dronemeister

If you want decent quality (aircraft and camera) I'd recommend the Parrot bebop 2. I own several drones with several price ranges and right now you can pick up one of these under 400 bucks with bells and whistles. Seem like BB had em for 329 recently. It has better range than most around 1.2 miles, and a battery life of around 25 minutes, which is great compared to a lot of them. Video is exceptional for the price. It will fly around 40ish mph in speed mode. Just a great little drone for the money. My personal fav is still the DJI Inspire 2, but then you're getting into the kids college fund.