Anyone got a camera drone? And still using it?

[cmac]

One of my hobbies is photography and I often find myself in scenic locations. I have spent a fair bit on camera kit over the years (though not as much as on guitars.) A logical step, therefore, might be to get a decent camera drone such as the DJI Mini 2.

Here's my concern: how soon will I get bored with it? What is drone ownership like two months down the line? Or six months?

So has anyone bought a drone and then stashed it in the cupboard once the initial buzz was over? Or has it been the best thing ever and you don't know how you lived without it?

[dhodgeh]

Yep. Been there, done that. I bought into the 3DR Solo system a few years ago when Best Buy was blowing them out at about 10% of what they originally cost.

Played with the thing for a couple of months, and decided that I really was not into video enough to make it a thing. Been sitting in storage for the past couple of years now.

Besides, they are usually off limits in the places where I typically like to shoot (National/State parks, BLM lands, etc).

D

[Dru Edwards]

Rob has posted videos before of his drone flying over his community. I just sent him as PM about this thread.

[dnf777]

Got a Karma with a GoPro4. Was pretty sheik a few years back, probably old-fashioned by today's standards.

Lots of fun, and got some amazing videos and still shots. We have lots of bonfires and outdoor parties here, so its always a hit to take party shots with.

A buddy who is a professional photographer REALLY expanded his business with his drone. I'd say its half portraiture and half drone commissions.

[tinnitus]

Strictly an amateur hobbyist, I fly RC planes and quad copters with cameras. All the pics below are stills isolated from video footage.

As OP mentions, restrictions are increasingly stringent, forbidding activities in some great locations (mountains, scenic rivers, nuke missile launch sites, etc.). My birds are very light, not subject to "recent" FAA license requirements and fees for birds weighing more than 250g (8.9xxx oz). I still manage to fly probably once a month in unrestricted areas.

I tend to take a different approach to onboard cameras than many fliers:

Most popular "hobby" birds with built-in cameras feature a wide-angle lens that I find annoying at best. I have little use for something that deforms images like M.C. Esher's distorted self-portrait reflected in a Xmas tree globe. Notice how straight lines curve in these pics from a bird equipped with a generic "wide-angle" lens, which they all seem to have.







Thus, I tend to fly birds that come without cameras, and mount my own 808 "keychain" camera with the "B" lens option. This eliminates most/all of that fisheye lens effect, and it's plenty wide-angle enough for me, with nice flat horizons and straight lines.





The tiny 808 camera simply fastens on with painters masking tape. And I made a rubber band buffered mount to eliminate blurring from prop/rotor vibrations. (That milkshake spoon protruding from the back of the quad helps me stay oriented to the front/rear of the bird at a greater distances when it's little more than a dot.)





Careful Kids...
Dogs love RC birds!

[thomasinaz]

I bought a DJI Mavic 2 several years ago. Used it a lot at first and then less. Mostly for hiking and scenic videos of the desert areas I frequented. Since I moved to a greener part of the USA, 2 years ago, I've been bringing it out a little more to film some of the many waterfalls around our new area. It still sits more than not but I'm happy to have it available to video all the beautiful landscapes around us.

[RedJoker]

Do any of you mind zipping around my barn roof to count how many ridge shingles I need? I don't feel like climbing up and down just to count.

[tinnitus]

Referring back a few posts to my complaints about wide-angle lens "fisheye" distortion, can anyone recommend a reasonably priced quad copter with a built-in camera that is NOT wide angle? Maybe I'm alone here, but a flat horizon in still or video shots is very important to me.

[Bluside]

This is why I never bought one. I think it would bee fun for a while but then it would just sit. As someone else mentioned, I'm just not that much into making videos.

My SO wanted to get me one for my birthday but I talked her out of it.

[tinnitus]

Just bought a nice new one. Really stable with a good camera (still frame here is dumbed down by my iPhone), looking west from my house toward the coast range at about 1,000 feet. I fly and take video footage daily - unless it's raining.

[ewalling]

I remember an adult student of mine enthusiastically announcing that he'd bought one back 2016. I asked him what he was going to use it for. He had no idea!

[KevinH]

We had a house built 5 years ago. I bought a drone to document the building process from the air through the four seasons it took to finish. I thought I might use it after that, but after several months of little additional use, I sold it.