I am an in that ridiculous situation where I think I would like a drone such as the Mavic Air, but I have the nagging doubt at the back of my mind that I will not use it and that flying coupled with photography is possibly too complicated for my small human brain.
The retailers I have contacted don’t have demo sessions and I worry about buying a cheap used machine in case I get crashed one. . So is it worth buying a tello or something similar as a starter? Or is the experience with such a small machine just too different?
We don’t have many Tello owners here. I know @Londroner has one, not sure who else though.
Remind me where you’re based @Ronidog? Was it round the Huddersfield way? If so we’ve a whole host of GADC members not a million miles from you. Perhaps you could meet up with some of them and have a butchers?
I’d say yes, it’d be like comparing a a car from 1940 with a Tesla - one literally drives (flies) itself. Chalk and cheese
Hi @Ronidog, welcome to GADC. Very good to have you with us and pleased to hear we have another Tello owner in the club,
As my esteemed colleague @PingSpike has already told you, I have a Tello but also a Mavic Pro and Spark as well. I bought the Tello after the former two because, as you said, there is quite a learning curve associated with them IF you want to get the best out of them image-wise. The Tello is just such a simple little drone that it is the perfect antidote to its larger siblings and is incredibly fun to fly if you have only used bigger drones. It delivers some impressive still photos and a passable, but lo-res, video stream.
However, would I buy one as a starter? Probably not. It (currently) has too many limitations and won’t give that great flying experience you get from larger models. If you’re looking for something that is not too complicated and delivers great still and video images I’d recommend the DJI Spark. A quick trawl around YouTube will find lots of videos from people who, even after a year of flying it, still highly rate the Spark.
I’m not saying don’t buy a Tello. If you’ve got the spare dosh and want something that you can throw around and lose/crash without causing you too much anguish, go for it.
Feel free to ask if you have any Tello-related questions.
I live in Bradford not too far from Huddersfield. Meeting up with an owner of a drone would be really useful.
You are right @pingspike I am not too far from Huddersfield. It looks like the proper drone is the way to go, perhaps a spark or Mavic of some sort. It is the photography I am mainly interested in. Now to find one at the right price. ( or should I think some more)
Are second hand drones packages from retailers worth thinking about? (Fly More Combo.
We just got a Tello for my little one 8th birthday i have been playing with it and its a good fun toy to get you going camera was very good as well. The thing little 1 likes is he can make it do flips he thinks that is excellent. indoors its excellent outdoors pref no wind or next to no wind to fly it.
Congrats, @oi69. Glad your little one likes the flips. Have you shown him it can bounce as well?
You’re right about it being really fun to fly indoors (I’ve bounced mine off the wall several times with no problem!) but outdoor flying it a lot better than it was. A recent firmware update has made the Tello much more stable in light winds.
Next on your shopping list; spare batteries and a GameSir T1d controller. It really makes a world of difference.
we allready have the batterys and i was looking for a controller on ebay for him i think a case to would be good for him i ment a cage for him a case for the Tello
I too have a tello and it is great fun and takes very respectable photos. Videos are somewhat let down by frame dropping but I do not regret getting th tello for one moment. There are times when it’s form factor and unobtrusiveness make it ideal for the quick selfie or scenic shot.
I use it with a game vice controller that was given to me as a gift. The GV is excellent and really enhances the flying but I do realise it is an expensive option.
I go also have a gamesir T1S controller for the tello but to be honest I had a few issues with it. It would work fine and then suddenly develop really bad lag.
One other thing worth getting to compliment the tello is a Xiaomi repeater (range extender) if you wish to have greater flight range.
That’s because it’s not designed to work with the Tello, the Gamesir T1d is. I have one and it makes flying the little drone even more of a joy. Ironically, the T1d is no good as a game controller!
Agreed. An essential accessory for any Tello owner.
