Hello,
I’m new to the site and to flying a drone and I have to say how good it is.
I bought a Potensic Atom SE for a very good price, then realised it was a refurbished one. You wouldn’t think so as it was packed very well and the quality was as if brand new. So happy!
Flew it for the first time yesterday and being a beginner and you certainly learn more by doing than by reading or watching videos.
I read that this drone competes with the DJI mini 3 pro. Does anyone else have the same drone and what do you think?
It may be that I’ll grow out of this one eventually and consider upgrading, but not till I’ve had a lot of fun first!
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I have a Potensic Atom 2. My first drone (apart from the small £20 - £40 ones I’ve had with fixed cameras) was a Potensic Atom, until I inadvertently flew it into a tree (no collision avoidance unfortunately) and it plopped into a river a couple of months ago. I have to say I’m well chuffed with the performance of both Atoms. The cameras are so stable even in some quite harsh crosswinds and I did put my first Atom through it’s paces by flying it a few times in drizzly weather.
I do have a few new rules for when I’m flying the drone. No flying in rain, mist or fog. Around a 30 foot buffer if flying near trees. Flying over water is still OK, but flying near trees over water is a massive no no!
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Ouch, sorry to hear you flew into a tree and dropped it in a river. Did you manage to retrieve it?
As a beginner, my drone is set to distance and height restrictions of 197ft, which is good for me. With battery life of 31mins I could practice and get more out of it.
Living in Teignmouth we have the River Teign not far away and there are places where I can go there, but not till I really have full confidence in what I’m doing.
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Hello and welcome I have an Atom 2 which is a fantastic drone,along with a neo, Holystone 360 and a Hubsan for long flights but the one I use most is the Neo it’s always with me because of it’s small size and covers almost everything I need from a drone ,for photography it is the Atom 2 a great drone for taking pics and packed with features
No matter what you use the main objective is to have fun sensibly.
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Thank you.
I haven’t heard of the Hubsan before. Not sure what model you have but it looks good. Have you been flying long? When I started, well tried to start 2 years ago I bought a Holystone 110G which is way too light for where I live which can be a bit breezy. I decided to upgrade, even though I never really flew the 110g. I’ll take it to the park now I have more confidence and see what it’s like, but I did find connecting linking to my phone difficult. Maybe it’s better if I connect it inside, but I think you have to link it before each flight, which is a nuisance. I am in Devon where are you?
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Hi Colin I’m in Co Down N Ireland right on the coast I can see Scotland and the isle of man as they are around 22 miles away so it’s always windy here.You live in a lovely part of the world yourself.My father was born and bred in Bristol so I have a lot of fond memories of all around that part of England.My Hubsan 501 is a heavy drone with good range and copes well with the wind.The Atom 2 is amazing with slightly more features than the original Atom and the new controller is great,but I get more use from the wee Neo it’s great value for money.This club is fantastic everyone makes you welcome and you can get plenty of advice.
Like you I dabbled a few years ago with cheap drones and when I bought my first GPS one that was me hooked,my wife calls me a 69 year old kid lol.
Enjoy the club and your drones,it’s a great relaxing hobby.
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Hi there.
I used to have an Atom SE, a great little drone and very reliable. I think comparing it to the mini 3 pro is a bit of a stretch as the Atom SE doesn’t have a three axis gimbal or obstacle avoidance. Nevertheless, a good buy and much cheaper.
One thing I noticed with mine (and others had a similar problem) was that the lens become misted up, mainly in the colder months. The overall opinion was that this was a condensation build up, easily rectified by getting it out of the bag/case 15 mins or so before you need to use it, and the mist tends to disappear. As I mentioned, this only seemed to happen in the colder months.
Good luck!
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Hi Billyd,
We’re around the same age then. 69 in August! I’ve never been to N Ireland, but I understand it is rather windy there. Devon is beautiful and where I live I can see the sea, across the river Teign, and right into Dartmoor. It’s a wonderful view.
I’ve never heard of a Hubsan 501. Looks like a really smart one. It does look heavy and you’re right to have that one to cope with the wind.
I needed to join a good club and tI certainly think I found one.
I would like at some point to get a DJI Mavic 3 pro, but unless I win this months prize it could be a good way off yet!
Thanks for replying to me. It’s good to get to know people.
All the best
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Hi Stewrat,
According to a couple of reviews I’ve seen on YT the reviewers say they are very close in many areas. So of course seeing that I thought I’d done well. I still think I have, but I know the DJI models have an excellent reputation amongst seasoned flyers.
I will certainly be very careful when flying near trees or other hard obstacles and I will bake sure to take your advice to avoid the misting up.
All the best and thanks for the advice!
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Boys and there toys lol The Husband and old drone but still available.
Take care and if you ever decide to visit gods country gone me a shout.
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I have been looking at what to buy and the number of drones with similar features and price is astounding. Since things have advanced recently, my Potensic choice would be the Atom 2, with the 3-axis gimbal. Others, before this, have not had the 3- axis feature. Being retired and working with gift money, I am considering all of the ones out there and think I might want the fly more type package right away as the batteries and charger, if bought afterwards, is pricy.
For those who own an Atom 2, how does it handle wind?
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I live by the coast and my Atom 2 is really stable in the wind,I got the flu more package and think it’s well worth spending the extra for the batteries and charger.
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Sounds great. Thanks.
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Hi there @Peergint and welcome to the GADC
Have have two Potensic Atom SE’s as well as a DJI Mini 3 Pro. the only issue I had was the lens fogging up in certain conditions but otherwise the range was as good as the Mini 3. My son will be getting one of the Potensic’s to replace the cheaper sub £40 drone he has now that simply won’t hover in one place and has a well dodgy camera on it. They are great starter drones
Went out on Thursday with my Atom SE and a friend who has a DGI Mini 3 pro. I liked his drone, was quieter than mine, but I was so pleased that he was impressed with the Atom. Wish I’d known about this drone 2 years ago when I bought my HolyStone HS110G. Haven’t done anything with that except crash it against the wall. It does not handle the wind at all well.
Thank you FoleyMrs. I’m looking forward to meeting some people and finding out how to do things. Editing videos and adding music is one of them. That’ll be excellent!
I find the Atom 2 to be really stable, even in a crosswind. As for batterires, me first drone was the original Atom, and I bought the “fly more” kit for it. The batteries for the Atom also fit the Atom 2, so I was very happy with that. This means I now have 4 batteries and around 2 hours of flying time.
I’ve recently seen a video of a man in England who sent his Atom 2 back. He was flying near power transmission lines, but he had flown his regular Atom and other drones there without problems. He was well enough away that he felt it should not be a problem. He also flew without a mic in case that might cause interference. As he moved the drone, the gimbal stuttered and it was very noticeable over and over again. It should be noted that he was flying in the opposite direction from the power lines as well.
From the videos and other information I’ve gleaned, I was favoring the Atom 2. Now, ….