Me and my thoughts

Introductions
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A few days ago I registered on this site because - naturally - I have an interest in drones. We are asked to tell members a bit about ourselves. So here’s a bit about myself and my thinking.

Like many others, I don’t actually have a drone and most likely never will at my age of nearly 90. However, I have been making films and videos for over 30 years and have frequently thought I would like the occasional different angle to add a bit more interest to my existing ground-based videos but the cost of the best popular drones is far out of my means for the limited use it would get.

For some time now I have looked at the latest drones as they become available and viewed the many videos on YouTube. All very impressive videos and expensive gear of course.

Just recently I have seen the many promotions of the amazingly inexpensive Qinux k8 drone. Like others, I think that if it looks too good to be true then it most likely is. The words like ‘fake’ ‘scam’ and so on have been bandied about. The various YouTube reviews seem to repeat just the official maker’s promotional material, or so it appears to me.

Searching for some independent discussion I eventually came across your forum and there I found some helpful information in a thread regarding the Qinux k8 drone.

Having read the discussion my conclusions are that a few forum members have purchased the Qinux k8 drone but have been disappointed and frustrated by being unable to operate it as they had hoped. This appears to be due mainly to the totally inadequate instruction manual. Then I saw that one good member who had clearly researched and discovered a lot of helpful information that he passed on to the forum members. Well done that man. I will continue to follow the forum postings hoping that further information and experiences with this drone will be posted. In the end I may well be tempted.

My desires are simple. I’m not really interested in how far it will fly or to what height and at what amazing speed or what acrobatics it will do. I just would like to include some basic video shots from various angles to spice up my ground-based videos.

Having been making videos for quite a long time and being a member of several filmmaking clubs, I soon learned that (generally speaking) a good video, however long or short, should tell a story with a beginning, middle and end. Ideally with pro titles and some voice overs (a little suitable background music is nice) to tell us the story. It’s realised that I haven’t seen all the drone videos on You Tube but almost all the ones I have seen are just demos of lovely scenery and locations. Flying between trees etc. Few have made any attempt to tell the viewers a story.

I’m wondering if any forum members do produce videos that tell a story incorporating ground-based video camera and drone footage of course. I’m sure many members would be interested.

I have two friends in distant parts who have got drones and I note that after the initial enthusiasm, they no longer seem to use the gear. Perhaps forum members would like to comment on my observations.

I appreciate that many will feel that I an aged old fool spouting off, but I will accept that. So there it is.

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Hi @Magicpete and welcome to Grey Arrows :wave:t2:

Have you seen our members map? (Click the burger-menu in the top right) You may find some pilots living near you. Feel free to add yourself to the members map too :+1:t2:

We’re a well established club with many knowledgeable members so it’s very likely that any issues you come across will have been discussed here before. Our discussion forum has very powerful search features which should help you find what you need but if you get stuck you can post a new question in the Questions & Answers category.

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Welcome once again!

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Welcome to GADC @Magicpete

@clinkadink who did the welcome above is too modest to mention his own channel, but he has many videos that indeed tell a story and incorporate ground and air photography really well

https://www.youtube.com/@LamboPhoto

Also keep an eye on the forum for upcoming meets, we have a lot of members just like yourself, who come along just to see what a drone can do etc

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Thanks for the welcome. I will certainly follow that YouTube link and I’m sure I will be entertained and impressed.

I will certainly visit this forum regularly but can’t see myself contributing very much. We will see.
Thanks. Cheers. Pete

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Hi @Magicpete - welcome to GADC :+1: :+1: :+1:

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Hi @Magicpete and welcome to GADC :+1: :+1:

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Rubbish :slight_smile:

Come along to a meet-up and fly one. I have replacement insurance on mine (also know as DJI care), you can fly mine at a meet-up. If you let go of all joystick the my drone would stay hovering in the same place. So worse case is let go of everything. Worse case I send off for a free replacement drone.

I have a few projects/hobbies that I dont touch again. Hard to say, but if you continue to make videos - then I think you will continue to use a drone. Come along to a meet, try flying and taking videos on a drone and if you dont like it - you only wasted some time - worse case you go away having eaten some cake.

Nope dont accept that, where are you based rough geographically ?

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Hi Pete - avoid the Qinux K8 like the plague! It is a scam, pure and simple. You (and I :slight_smile: ) have been around long enough to know that bitterness about lack of quality remains long after the thrill of a low price is gone.

Loath though I am to promote almost a monopoly it has to be said that DJI drones are not cheap but they are value for money and they offer excellent quality photos and video.

As Brendan ( @bmsleight ) says, come along to a meet and try someone’s aircraft for yourself. If you can give us a hint of where you are then you may find a member in that area contacts you.

You are never too old to build on your experience and there are several new or second hand DJI aircraft that should complement your terrestrial video - and ar relatively easy to fly!

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Hi Pete, also take in to consideration that the expensive drones like DJI hold a decent resale value, so if you try it and don’t get on with drone flying, then you will reap back a fair portion of the cost. With a cheap drone you will probably struggle to sell it.

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Thank you all for your replies to my posting. I won’t reply individually but say that I appreciate your encouraging comments. I also appreciate the postings warning against buying inexpensive (cheap) gear. As I say, well appreciated.

The suggestion that I come to a meeting in my area sounds great but . . . (I didn’t intend to mention this) I no longer have a car and my visits into town are on my mobility scooter. NO, I’m not totally disabled but much walking is out. Using my big semi pro video camera is not on when walking so I use my much smaller video camera on a mono-pod. I also help friends with some of their editing. I liken this to trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear. (A very old saying I know).

I live in the Chippenham area of Wiltshire and will keep an eye open for any drone meetings locally.
Cheers. Pete