[dchuk]

One update that article should make: Buy the Mavic Pro rather than a Phantom 3. They can be had for under $1000, their batteries are cheaper, and they fold up to about 25% of the size of the phantom models. Good cameras, flies for 25+ minutes, controller is also much smaller than phantom models.

I never leave home without it now.

There's arguments to be made for getting the Phantom 4 Advanced/Pro rather than the Mavic, but those arguments revolve around professional photography/videography mostly. The Mavic, for most folks, is the right call.

[natvert]

Totally agree. I carry my Mavic everywhere I go. I'm the author of this page and it is slightly dated. Happy to answer any questions or help folks get started with their own quads. My most recent posts on the topic are here: nathan.vertile.com/blog

[FractalNerve]

Hi Nathan, thanks for the writup, highly appreciate you taking an HN/AMA :)

What about the "Bayang Toys 9x", do you have better suggestions today? Because GearBest's armada of similar drones make it hard to choose a great drone for an outsider [1]. I think there are three folks who are in the majority, that aren't professional hobbyists.

Those who want a) great office+outdoor drones for under '$69', b) very fast drones with cameras for under '$249' c) high-altitude aerial drones with stablized cameras for under '$349'

Can you suggest drones that fit into these categories? =)

--

[1] https://www.gearbest.com/rc-quadcopters-c_11333/

[natvert]

Good question. a) Inside / light outdoor get a tinywhoop or Chinese clone and throw a <5g all in one camera + VTX on it. The E010 is an example. You'll pry want to upgrade the motors. b) fast/racing, I'd build an X frame 210mm with an Omnibus F4 or F7 and 2204 motors, DSHOT escs, FrSky rx. If that's not possible a similar prebuilt from banggood is pry almost as good. c) camera drone. I don't have a good answer for under $349 unless you build your own F450 with a gimbal. I'd highly suggest saving up for a Mavic. It's way more user friendly, portable and has a better camera, for the cost, of any diy camera rig.