Air805: Buying a Drone
Buying a drone is about getting your eyes in the sky, seeing what you can only imagine; a beautiful POV [Point Of View] of a house, property, trees or coastline shot at sunset, perhaps starting a hobby or business doing something that you'd probably do for free (but don't tell that to anyone)!
The ultimate option of buying a drone with built-in GPS allows you to actually let go of the flight controls and get your bearings... You now have the luxury to just fiddle with the camera to go for the POV or shot that really looks good.
Imagine that the drone with GPS is a tool, like a magical tripod that holds your camera steady at 300 feet above the ground while you frame your shot. An average 15 to 20 minutes of battery life gives you plenty of time to get the perfect shot from different heights, angles or times of day.
See more about choosing a drone in another post!
There are industries that use drones daily; real estate and property management services, realtors, insurance companies and adjusters, event planners, convention centers, promotional companies, celebrations, special events, agriculture and pest control, viticulture (wines and grapes), music venues and concerts, trails, geology, buildings and architecture, historic finds, some spelunking and so much more. (Tell us what you find interesting below)Beside weddings and sunsets, what else can i shoot with a drone?
While I've done quite a bit of research before deciding on my own requirements for a drone and know that like Charlie Brown's kite, I may end up irretrievably stuck in a tree, my first purchase may never quite meet my imagination or grandiose expectations. So I'm glad for the time spent researching, the amount of information I've accrued, the insights I've gained into potential 'retirement' businesses (things you would do whether you got paid or not!) and some of the really nice friendships I'll make along the way.
Can you get into flying drones for less than $2k?
You bet! (I've always looked for a way to use that expression in a blog!)
Sure, there are discount sites and import marketeers selling drones for $40 and up.
You'll need to decide what you're willing to sacrifice if you're buying a drone under $800...
Is the camera any good and easy to use? Can I transfer the video easily? Will the batteries hold up? Is it legal to fly? Is the controller user-friendly?
The controller that comes with the drone I've selected allows me to see what I'm recording and to get a spatial awareness of the surroundings where my drone is, in real time.
When I looked over the under-$100 drone options, there were a lot of questions that I could not find answers to, and many more questions regarding copyright issues as some of the drones look identical outwardly to the genuine and legitimate manufacturers. Even if they look just like another popular drone, do they have the same features?
Much like highly maligned cars made in the early 2000s in China, some of which did not earn even a single star on the Car Safety Ratings (crash tests), those cars looked almost identical to what was already on the road in the USA but did not provide any of the safety, security or reliabilityof the American cars. Perhaps there's a similar caveat to buying a discount drone compared to a full-featured and tested $2,000 drone.
You'll know soon enough!
Disclaimer: I bought a small drone a couple of years ago for under $40 and never even took it out of the box. I was very disappointed when I opened the bright packaging as reality met head-on with expectations and promotional hype. My apprehension in flying such a spindly, poorly-crafted and constructed product outweighed my desire to become airborne and to photograph from a unique aerial perspective.
I figured that this would be a single-use drone if I ever flew it!
See more about choosing a drone.
Here's wishing you all a new experience, an opportunity to see your country with a fresh pair of eyes, and a bold willingness to learn something new.
“Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.”
– Socrates
©2017 GiralMedia / Air805 Joe Giral
About us:
Air805.com features aerial video and still photography for real estate, special events and fairs, corporate promotions, urban planning and for growing your business, no matter if it's "just you" or a team of 5,000.
Well-planned and highly effective photography with an award-winning photojournalist.