[GKR9900]

Hey guys, I have been watching from the sidelines regarding getting a drone. Was initially considering an IZI drone, but dropped the idea due to a lack of service support. DJI drones were out of budget, until now. How is the new DJI Neo? It looks perfect for a beginner drone and has some cool features too. A DJI sales and service center near Kochi is offering the 'fly more' combo at 45k. Is it worth it?

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

A DJI sales and service center near Kochi is offering the 'fly more' combo at 45k. Is it worth it?

There are no official DJI retail or service outlets in India. Anything you are getting here is illegally imported and sold in grey market. There is no official warranty and most of the so called DJI stores are just just some stores operating with some shady practices. They repair drones as well and are known to replace batteries or parts and also sell refurbished. That's the reason the prices are so jacked up if you compare with other countries.

Please be very cautious while dealing with such dealers and avoid online purchase at all cost.

[pragyaal]

Will i be able to import DJI Neo or can i still face challanges with regulation etc.
Is there any other indian alternative that can be preffered ?
I want to do some video photography etc and planning to either buy Insta 360 or DJI Neo. Can buy one only becuase of budget constraints.
Any advice ?

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by pragyaal

planning to either buy Insta 360 or DJI Neo. Can buy one only becuase of budget constraints.
Any advice ?

You need to decide if you are ready to go through all the legals hassles of carrying and flying the drone, in return you will have advantage of coverage from much higher and far distance.

On the other hand Insta 360 camera have disadvantage of scratch prone lenses, I have X3 with scratched lens. Lens guards are not solution, they spoil the image quality further which is already poor for combining in anything above FHD resolution video projects.

But advantage is you can carry anywhere and can forget about composition, just shoot and edit the camera angles in the 360 editing app. Many creative camera angles possible, though distance and height is limited. I have enjoyed this aspect of 360 cameras a lot since my profession is 3D visualization so editing a 360 footage in computer app is easier for me which may not be a cup of tree for many.

If you want to go for drone then my suggestion is to buy a proper drone with atleast 4k resolution. Consider anything above Mini 3, this NEO thing is very basic kind of flying toy with average quality camera. Or maybe you consider going DIY route, plenty of possibilities there and you can upgrade components in stages.

Look for the value, not the cost, invest instead of spending.

[clevermax]

It is not so easy to find vast open spaces where I live to do freestyle with my 5-inch FPV drone. It is difficult to find a terrain that's open and freely available in Kerala, so my 5-inch freestyle flying is mostly limited to flying over a bando (abandoned factory) near my home.

This is the reason why I bought a new tinywhoop. It is a BETAFPV Air75. At just 40mm propeller size and 75mm wheelbase, this is so tiny compared to the 5-inch quad and the mighty 10-inch Arducopter. Here is a comparison photo:



The sizes mentioned here are the propeller diameters.

It is more crashproof, lightweight (21 grams) and can be flown in small spaces such as small parks and even indoors depending on your skill-level.





After the first FPV flight with it, I felt like the camera angle is ridiculously high, so I did a DIY mod on it to reduce the camera angle.

[clevermax]

Here's a quick 2 minute freestyle session with the Air75. I really like this tinywhoop. This will teach you freestyle much faster than a 5-inch fpv quad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEtzJf-E8dQ

[clevermax]

Some building dive attempts, but the building isn't tall enough for an enjoyable dive. Still good for a training session. I'm sure this can be easily done on taller buildings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrjqijF6pE8&t=134s

[izzikio_rage]

Does anyone know if I can carry my drone for a kashmir trip? Planning to hit Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg etc. Will only fly in green/yellow areas

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by izzikio_rage

Does anyone know if I can carry my drone for a kashmir trip? Planning to hit Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg etc. Will only fly in green/yellow areas

I think the rules vary for different drone categories. What type of drone you have? Hope these links are of help:

https://tropogo.com/india-guides/dro.../generic-rules
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/guide...ia-inside-fpv/

Installed a new action cam (DJI Action2) on my 5-inch and took it for a rip, here is a high speed flyby video recorded in portrait format, full manual mode - both the drone and the action cam settings. Love it when the camera does not auto-adjust exposure depending how much light it sees in the frame, thereby making some portions of the footage brighter and some portions darker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYhYE2OTP9w

[kishore1984]

Originally Posted by GKR9900

Hey guys, I have been watching from the sidelines regarding getting a drone. Was initially considering an IZI drone, but dropped the idea due to a lack of service support. DJI drones were out of budget, until now. How is the new DJI Neo? It looks perfect for a beginner drone and has some cool features too. A DJI sales and service center near Kochi is offering the 'fly more' combo at 45k. Is it worth it?

If this is your first drone, then I would not recommend getting a Neo. It's a toy, I have one and can tell you it's no fun controlling it with the phone and no point using it with the prefixed modes unless you are an avid travel vlogger.

but If you already have a drone with a DJI RC, get only the drone and 2 spare batteries like I did. Use the drone RC for the Neo as well and it gives better control and range.

I got it from US for 27K(drone and 3 batteries along with a charging case). I also have a DJI Mini 4 Pro. The Mini4's RC comes very handy to play with the Neo. My kids love the Neo though.

Note : No DJI drones carry any kind of warranty in India.

DM me if anyone has questions about them.

[izzikio_rage]

Originally Posted by clevermax

I think the rules vary for different drone categories. What type of drone you have? Hope these links are of help:

https://tropogo.com/india-guides/dro.../generic-rules
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/guide...ia-inside-fpv/

]

Will have a look, have a Air2 so mini category, have the DAN and UIN registered. Will keep an eye on digital sky before flying. Mainly just afraid if just carrying it will raise questions, restrictions or get it confiscated.

[clevermax]

We flew tinywhoops, helis and the 5-inch at this beach last weekend. This is the action cam footage from my 5-inch fpv quad. With this current set of 5036 props, it maxes out at 137kmph but I felt like it needed more speed in such wide open spaces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68r-GAlcgoU

Those kids loved the tinywhoop sessions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7dluZaaeKU

[Maverick Avi]

After failing to convince lot of my relatives and friends to get a drone during their international travels and even contemplating to get myself one from Prague I finally took the plunge and bought one from India. Even if there is 5% chance of it getting confiscated I feel its not worth the risk. Thankfully got a good deal and only paid premium of 20% against its US price(depends on model to model though). And lo behold did I get carried away and got DJI Mini 4 Pro!! I was planning for Mini 2 SE but wanted to get a better sensor of Mini 3 and then I also wanted obstacle avoidance. Got very excited seeing the Mini 4 Pro box in-front of me and my heart won over my brain.

Its setup is very easy but I cannot say the same about flying it. Its very easy to loose the sense of its orientation once its way up and at one point I was clueless where my drone was. It was my 1st flight and I wasn't even aware of the map view, home point and RTH. My heart was in my mouth at that point of time. Will need to spend lot of time to master its controls and be able to take cinematic shots. All and all a great buy and have no regrets buying it from India even with the extra premium. Can't wait to explore it on my upcoming trip to Mukteshwar and Sattal.

[saket77]

https://www.amazon.in/Foldable-Gestu...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Are these cheap drones available on Amazon good for beginners as just a fun hobby?

Thanks in anticipation of response.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by saket77

Are these cheap drones available on Amazon good for beginners as just a fun hobby?

Instead consider going DIY, you will learn lot more the process of dronning with the possibility of more customization anytime your wish with any of the drone components.