Newbie, so stupid question(s) time!

Eric

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I have thought about getting a drone for Christmas from the wife. I have never flown anything before. To be honest I have no clue which to get!

What suggestions do you have? Preferably I would like one with a camera, but not necessarily live feed to a device, although that would be nice. I haven't thought about budget yet, but really don't want to spent £1000 for it to end up in the ground somewhere!!

Is it worth getting training on these things or are they relatively easy to pick up?

Thanks!
 
I was in this position a few weeks ago and bought the DJI Phantom 2 from here. It's bl**dy fantastic. Never flown anything before but I didn't have a single issue with it. Done a couple of flights so far. And now deciding whether to sell it or keep it. Only reason for selling is that I need the money at the moment for something else.

It's on the classified if you want to make an offer.
 
It's all dependent on budget I guess - simple pick up and fly would be Phantom's

It's pretty idiot proof in all reality, it will return to home etc. But your talking £400/£500 for 2nd hand Phantom 2/Phantom 3 - £600 plus.
 
DONT buy any expensive quadcopter at first . You may learn not to like the hobby or even find time to fly them .Start off with a learner quad to let you get to grips with the principle of them . I have 6 of them and still have lots to learn , I am definitely a beginner . I own 2 great starter quads ..............Syma x5 and Syma x8 . Very easy to fly ,the x5 will fly indoors as well as out and are very nice flyers ...............especially the x5 . Both have cameras too . Have a look on youtube at the quads in action first before you buy anything.
 
Thanks all, a phantom would be the ultimate one eventually. I have plenty of time to fly them ( especially at the moment! )

@rickyt , thanks, I'll get on YouTube now!

Are there iPad apps/games that would help me learn controls?
 
I really do want to get rid of my Phantom if I can, without losing anything on it. It's still in perfect condition and since I got a great deal you can too.
 
I have looked at that a couple of times. However, the excellent advice from above I am looking at the x8. It does what I want and if I put it in the ground it's £80! What you have is something I would look at after a few months.
 
I was going to buy a Phantom , I like the Aspire very much , but it's a lots of money for something I could loose on a fly away or break up on a crash. There's a great video on youtube of a Aspire fly away over Hebburn . It was after a firmware update , the chap lost control of it ,it just wouldn't respond and ran away for a couple of miles ,did nearly a full circle and just missed a block of flats ............great to watch .
So, I'm sticking to my Flying3D's for the time being . At least if one goes on a journey I have another couple left to fly .
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I support ricky here.

Spend a very small ampunt of money on something like the Syma X5C-1 (around £30). It has a crappy little camera as well but you will
a) see if you enjoy quads
b) see if you actually get time to use it
c) practice and hone your flying skills

You can then move on to a more expensive quad safe in the knowledge you haven't dropped £1k on a toy you either crash, flies away or just don't get on with.

If you wanted to spend a little more you could look at slightly more expensive drones such as Flying 3D X8 (around £130)
 
Thanks for confirming @Spy , wife wants to spend £xxx etc but after showing her this thread, she is happy to hold off for a little while. Buy me the £30 one and then after. While get me a better one.
 
Definitely the best approach. It is not wasted money either as something like the X5C-1 can be flown indoors as well as outdoors so you will find you still use it even after you buy a big boys version that can only be flown outside.

Best thing about the Syma is that it can take a fair few knocks and still fly well whereas the larger pro ones are more brittle and do not take crashes well, partly due to their heavy weight and partly with regard to their complexity.

If you want FPV (live video feed), you can look at the X5SC that can stream to your phone. That version has more powerful motors but has a small bug where it struggles to fight the wind when head on. The X5C version doesn't have that.

FPV can be added to the X5C with this nifty little kit: Syma X5C-1 X5SC 5.8G FPV 720P Camera with Monitor Real Time Transmission
 
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Yep, that is good but also suffers from the same bug as the X5SC.

Not a problem for flying indoors, only when flying outside against the wind.
 
So the x5c-1 is the better option?
 
Depends.

The SW has more features but not great in headwinds. If you will fly mainly indoors, it may be the better option.

The C-1 has less features but flies better.

If you are looking to upgrade to a bigger quad later, the C-1 may be a good option. That is what I did. Went for a C-1 then a Quanum Nova and now looking to build my own. You can never have enough drones ;)
 
Thanks for all the input. Purchased the Syma X5C-1 this morning.
It is a Christmas present so not allowed it for a month!
 
No worries Eric. I hope you enjoy it.
 
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I'm in the same spot. Been after a drone for a while and with Christmas coming now is the time to tap the wife for a present.

I'm looking at both the x5 and x8. Quick question, can you change the batteries in these things easily enough? 7 minutes flight time seems like very little.
 
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I'm in the same spot. Been after a drone for a while and with Christmas coming now is the time to tap the wife for a present.

I'm looking at both the x5 and x8. Quick question, can you change the batteries in these things easily enough? 7 minutes flight time seems like very little.

As above I opted for Syma with plans to get a better one in the future if I take to the hobby.
As for flight time, even something like the phantom 3 only has 23 mins, so price wise, 7 isn't that bad.
What I have done is to buy a few spare ones and a multi charger. I have, I think 5 batteries now and charger that can do all at once.
The batteries are cheap as chips, so I'll probably invest in more after Christmas. That should give me a few more minutes than the 7 you get with one battery!
 
Thanks. I wasn't sure how user friendly he battery changing was. Looked at spare batteries on eBay etc and they all look like they have wires hanging everywhere!
 
Batteries are very easy to change. Open the hatch, unplug and remove old battery, slide in and plug in the new battery. Takes all of 5-10 seconds.

The main difference is that the X8 is a bigger quad, best suited to outdoor flying. The X5 is smaller and can be flown indoors or outdoors. I wouldn't say the camera is great on either of them but a little better on the X8.
 
It's outdoor flying I'm interested in.

Might get a small one for indoors to irritate the cat though.

I have gone smaller ( and cheaper ) just in case I don't like or have time. £50 for a drone & a few batteries isn't too bad. I will then move on from there. As discussed, @Spy advised the X5C for me for reasons above.
The X5C flies both in and outdoor.

I have bought a few extra bits from eBay like propellers and guards in case I ditch it! 99p for 4 propellers from Hing Kong! free delivery too! Can't go wrong??
 
@rickyt @Spy


X5C as my present! Love it. Thanks for your advice and everyone else.

I have 5 batteries but couple more and a multi charger on order!!

Crashed a 'couple' of times haha, but still intact! It's going to take a little while but great indoors. Not ventured out yet.

I know this is a hobby I am really going to enjoy!!

Merry Christmas!
 

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