I have a Potensic Atom 2 which I bought last Christmas. I haven’t used it loads as I honestly haven’t had much time between looking after the kids and work. The video quality is pretty good but the photos are pretty bit ropey. They are fine unless you zoom in to look at any detail, at which point they look like a cheap phone camera. I’m aware that it basically is a cheap phone camera as the drone itself cost me just shy of £200! Also my photography expectations are comparing it to my Sony A7iii which is a massively unfair comparison.
Is there anything at the lower end of the scale that would take better photos? Would the Lito X1 be an upgrade or a side step in terms of image quality? I’m not bothered by any other additional features, just photo quality.
Not a massive budget. I could maybe push to about £500, which is quite limiting. I’m not sure the Lito X1 is an upgrade as such. The mini 5 pro would be a good upgrade from a photography point of view, but that’s well over budget.
Consider second-hand (or pre-loved, second user if you prefer euphemisms) Then a good Mini 4 Pro Flymore is within budget - if you are going to be serious about flying hen you will need three batteries.
If you aren’t too concerned about using a sub-250 gram drone to take advantage of the freedoms it gives consider what I think gives the sweet spot between portability, cost and quality - the Air2s (not the Air2) which has a far larger sensor so better dynamic range and image quality. A flymore combo should cost between 4 and £500 currently (I’ve just got one for 375)
Don’t trust Facebook marketplace unless you are actually meeting with the seller at their house. eBay is ok if you use PayPal or creditcard. MPB are good. Or you can look in the For Sale and Wanted here which is consistently good and the sellers are traceable
I think that drone still takes some of the best pictures & videos I’ve seen on here, obviously knowledge & user helps but that sensor does a cracking job ! For sure
I would like to keep to the sub 250g types, which I know limits me. I’m not expecting full frame image quality, just something better than what I have now.
Are second hand drones likely to have tired batteries? I’m aware of some of the potential issues with second hand ones. I’m not a Facebook market place person either!
Any decent seller willanswer questions about the number of battry cycles and screenshot the controller screen toshow the cell voltages and capacity - or the Airdata graphs.
Some aircraft have been surprisingly little used - bought in a rush of enthusiasn then interest wanes …
I replaced my Atom 2 with a DJI mini 3, and was impressed with the improvement in image quality. A Mini 4 pro would be even better and may be available second hand or refurbished within your budget. Check out the Official Refurbished pages on the DJI website - that stuff is in pretty much as new condition.
Thanks all. After reading that thread in saw Chris had posted about the welcome discount on very. A new mini 5 pro came in at about £495 on the pay in 3 finance. I really need to go to sleep and stop buying things. Am I allowed to sell my old drone on here as a newbie? I can’t face eBay.
I did the same thing last month, as in I bought the ‘Mini 5 Pro Fly More Plus’ pack from Very and got 20% off as it was my first order. It took it down by over £200, so I was very happy. Don’t forget though that it is a very good idea to buy the Care Refresh 2 Years from DJI once you buy a new DJI drone.
