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New to the drone world should I start with the Tello?

SirDanOfCamelot

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I also seen that Walmart has the Yuneec Breeze bundle for $150 right now though I don't know much about that drone. What do you guys recommend
 
The Tello is my first drone, loving it so far. Very steady in flight. I do fly it mostly indoors though, I try to stay out of the wind. I'm planning on saving that adventure until my flying skills are better.
 
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The Tello is my first drone, loving it so far. Very steady in flight. I do fly it mostly indoors though, I try to stay out of the wind. I'm planning on saving that adventure until my flying skills are better.

How long have you had it? Does it seem pretty durable
 
I've had it about a month now. I've crashed it at least a half dozen times and got it stuck on the roof of the house once. I tried flying it at dusk the second day and it went nuts and headed up over my house. I guess it's a good thing since i didn't lose it but it flipped over when it hit the roof and was stuck there. I had to climb up on the roof the next day to retrieve it. That sucked big time!

Anyway, like I said I've probably crashed it a half dozen times or so - worst damage so far is that a couple of times one of the props flew off. Oh yeah, once the battery popped loose. So far, I'd say it's held up to my novice skill level really well.
 
It is really ment to fly indoors from what I can gather, but I am really hoping for a nice clear windstill day to make it beg for a break?
 
Had it about 8 days. First drone here, love it and hate it. Hate it because I now want a Mavic Air.

Love it because it rocks. Inside, highly manoeuvrable. Very fun. Been under tables, out on the balcony, house tour. Had about 4 crashes, nothing serious, just too close to curtains or walls. Props stayed on, motor powered off. Nice.

Took it out to a sport field, another level. Very fast and responsive. Goes quite high and not too loud. One crash as I got too close to a Silver Birch (skinny branches) and lost a prop. Once outside, going back inside is a bit of a bummer. Unti you power it on again and get a smile. Even in a bit of wind, not too bad. Just watch out for strong gusts and keep it in fast mode.

That’s it. No crashes since. Very easy (too easy?) to pick up and go for a beginner. Now, maybe an extra battery or two as I wait for pay day and hopefully a Mavic Air.
 
I think the Tello is a good first AP drone. Its a very stable platform, takes, decent pics/videos and is very easy to get going. Although using the Tello app as opposed to an actual remote won't necessarily translate easily if and when you go to say a Spark or Mavic...

I would say the Tello is good if you keep it close and like the documentation says, "no wind". I've seen a video a guy who flew his in the wind and it got carried away and stuck in a tree...

If you wind up liking drones, IMO, the Mavic Pro is the way to go. Skip the Mavic Air, I've got both and the Air is a glorified Spark (which I also own)...
 
I also road-cycle and ride MTBs (as well as motorcycles)

Just my .02...

It depends on what you wan the drone for. Is it to capture you riding? Is it to take pics and videos of places you ride? For me it depends on what I'm doing on my ride. If I'm out to get some scenic shots, I'm already going to be carrying more gear. So the ever-so-slight difference in size and weight doesn't make a big difference. I find that 1 MP battery gives me about the same flight time as two MA batteries. Also the MA, IMO, still need some firmware work. It needs constant CCs. It's range is very short compared to all but the Spark. And I'm not one to fly further than LOS. I've lost connection to my MA 3 times where it initiated automatic RTH. Every time no further out than 800 out.

If I could only have/keep one drone, it'd be the MP. Very versatile. Not the best at anything but good enough for everything... Again, just my .02

Hmmm, I have had a look at the pro. But I cycle a lot, so portability is a big factor.
 
Darn (as the real word is obscene?!?) you and your useful reply. Cause for thought.

Took the Tello out, not at all windy, about 20 km from Paris, sports field, with 40 m altitude hack. It got a bit hairy. Video didn’t cut out but control got more difficult at 25 m and had to bring it down as WiFi control was going and wind was starting to move it.

Made me realise, perhaps occusync (pro) is the way to go. Especially as CE regs are limiting anyway. Hate to have constant RTH. Plus the battery.
 
I think the Tello is a good first AP drone. Its a very stable platform, takes, decent pics/videos and is very easy to get going. Although using the Tello app as opposed to an actual remote won't necessarily translate easily if and when you go to say a Spark or Mavic...

I would say the Tello is good if you keep it close and like the documentation says, "no wind". I've seen a video a guy who flew his in the wind and it got carried away and stuck in a tree...

If you wind up liking drones, IMO, the Mavic Pro is the way to go. Skip the Mavic Air, I've got both and the Air is a glorified Spark (which I also own)...
Hmm, virtually every comparison Youtube video from the most followed drone guys all pretty much say they are liking the Air over the current gen Pro, of course factoring in the cost differential. One of the knocks was the Wifi, but I watched a stock Air with the new firmware, go out 15,000ft and back at 200m which is plenty for me.

I'm looking to upgrade, so I'd be interested in your thoughts.
 
I’m ready to pull the plug in 2 weeks. Still a toss up.

Thing that scares me about the pro is the gimbal problems. Not sure if they are as widespread as I’m reading or if it really is a limited problem. I know people with no probs are less likely to post.

The air is noice! But are the video makers being paid in drones or other currency?
 
What gimbal problems? I've owned my MP since it first came out and it's rock solid no issues what so ever. Sure like anything else high-tech you'll find a few that have problems but its not wide-spread. I belong to a local flying group and there are quite a few MPs. None have had any gimbal issues. You also have to remember you'll have a "vocal minority" and silent majority. People rarely post that their drone is perfect with no issues. If you are concerned about the durability in a crash, there will always be a crash that will either not harm anything or destroy the gimbal and alot of the drone...

And if you think the MA is less problem prone or has less problems, my personal experience with it, owning and living with it is; The MA does not like wife dense areas like the 'burbs. My video gets laggy at 600' out and 125' feet, range is maybe 800' before it will lose connection, Mine will ask for a compass calibration every three or so flights (not batteries, but what I'll call sessions as I have 5 batteries and it won't ask for a CC once its done in the same location). The MA has shorter flight times, almost half that of the MP. But the MA does have benefits if you are really in to photography, or really like the Intelligent flight modes, don't mind a limited range in wifi dense areas....

In open areas, I've flown beyond 1500' with no image/video lag or loss of connection...

I’m ready to pull the plug in 2 weeks. Still a toss up.

Thing that scares me about the pro is the gimbal problems. Not sure if they are as widespread as I’m reading or if it really is a limited problem. I know people with no probs are less likely to post.

The air is noice! But are the video makers being paid in drones or other currency?
 
Sorry this is going to be long-winded...

I noticed you pointed out "most followed drone guys".... So immediately that means they probably have something to gain by posting positive reviews. They probably make some type of money directly from Youtube and or get products to demo for free as companies see that as either free or cheap advertising... So a grain of salt when watching those. The drone pilots I watch on Youtube are much more "neutral" about the Mavic Air vs the Mavic Pro. Also these people that do these reviews, did they buy the drone? How long did they have it? Did they just unbox it and go fly? Do they own other drones too? Just some things to think about.

Personally, I have no bias. I pay for all my drones, I don't have to sell one to buy another, so I'm not going to defend my latest purchase claiming its better because I sold my Mavic Pro to buy this Mavic Air....

Then there are those who believe that if this products is newer (Mavic Air) it MUST be better. Sure there there may be some advances in technology but DJI doesn't work that way. DJI produces drones for a target segment. If that was the case you'd see something like the Mavic Pro phased out which it's not. The Spark isn't inferior to the Mavic Air and the Mavic Air isn't inferior to say the Phantom 4 Pro. They all have a purpose which you as the buyer needs to decide which is best for your needs.

So why do I say if I could only own one drone it would be the MP?

Well I've owned MP since it was first available over a year and a half a go and the MA since it was available a few months ago. I've lived with both of the drones through travels and firmware updates in cold and hot conditions (the MA has only been through cold).

Distance - The MP has occusync. In all the time I've owned and flown the MP whether in open spaces with no civilization around to wifi dense areas, I've never had an issue with laggy video or loss of connection. The MA is sensitive to wifi dense or interference dense areas. While I've gone beyond 1500' and 200' up with no issues in open spaces, in the 'burbs or dense areas I'll start getting laggy video at 600' and only 125' up and at 800' out I've lost connection to it 3 times. And if you read the Mavicpilots.com forums, the #1 wish for the Mavic Air 2 is Occusync to increase flight distance.

Flight time - This is funny to me. Not but a few short years ago people were getting 15ish minutes out of their Phantoms and were wishing for more time. Then comes along the Mavic Pro with 25ish minutes of flight and everyone loved it. The MA only has about 15ish minutes of flight and people say thats good enough.

Camera Image Quality - Yes, the MA camera is better, but will you notice? Does it matter? If you are posting to social media including Youtube, you can't tell the difference.

Size - Yes the MA is smaller (folded where it counts). But for me it's not that much smaller that it makes that big a difference when it comes to real-world scenarios. But this depends on you. I know some cyclist where even the slightly smaller size makes a difference to them. But for me, its just less space and weight in my backpack.

Price - The MA is so close to the MP, I'll pick the MP over the MA. And if you don't mind buying a used MP, there are plenty fly more combos I've seen for sale for 800-900 dollars.

The is my criteria and why I say I'd take the MP over the MA. You may have different needs and criteria for a drone... Just make sure you are buying a drone that fits your needs and not because its the latest and greatest (short-lived) or people claim there are these differences that really don't make that much of a difference...

Hmm, virtually every comparison Youtube video from the most followed drone guys all pretty much say they are liking the Air over the current gen Pro, of course factoring in the cost differential. One of the knocks was the Wifi, but I watched a stock Air with the new firmware, go out 15,000ft and back at 200m which is plenty for me.

I'm looking to upgrade, so I'd be interested in your thoughts.
 
Thanks for the great insight. I think I am now leaning towards waiting for the MP2, which if the rumors hold true, will enhance the camera and provide a bit more flight time, with a few other upgrades. Just hope we see this soon.
 
The Tello would be a great first drone, fairly easy to fly and nearly indestructible. My 4yo great-grandson has flown mine and I've only had to get it out of a tree once so far.
 
I also seen that Walmart has the Yuneec Breeze bundle for $150 right now though I don't know much about that drone. What do you guys recommend

I don't know anything about the Yuneec, but as a very useless beginner I can attest that the Tello is excellent for my level. Take off and landing are done for you so it's very safe. The presets can be used by anyone. Best of all, if you leave the controls alone, the thing just hovers there and gives you time to think! I was flying through my (little) house within minutes. And teh programming is fun too.
 

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