DJI - Mini 2

None! Don’t sell! Still have my sparks, mini mavics, mini 2, all the way to current. And they still all fly great! And better than most “updated” non name brand drones available today. *Not Financial Advice

are your mini 2 batteries still well? I bought it when it came out and 2/3 batteries are dead. I had to buy 2 new batteries just last month.

DJI anything is more or less the answer. They have their quirks, but everything else comes with less support and more caveats. If you’re just starting out, a Mini is perfect.

I intend to keep my Mini 2(non-SE) which I've had for 3yrs now even though I now have a Mavic 3 which is superior in every way by a long shot. The reason- My niche is urban/architectural photography, both with a handheld as well as drones. With most of the ideal places to fly in the city, discretion is key. I can put the Mini in the air and land it without drawing much attention, and it's the perfect size and weight for foot travel. The 12mp camera is sufficient for urban landscapes/skylines given proper composure and editing . The only real downfall would be the lack of collision avoidance , but I dont rely on that anyway. Another reason- Online prints aside, I've printed and framed 6 aerial skyline drone shots that are currently hanging in my home office, as well as another handful I sold to my wife's company's corporate office. All happen to be from the Mini 2, so...

With more sensors to avoid collisions means it doesn’t have to as durable as the mini 2. I would expect crash’s to be less but they may suffer more damage. A good time to have DJI care

Get what ever is the cheapest mini series drone you can find. Depends on the time or you local second hand market, this can be mini 1, mini 2, 2SE, or mini 4K. At sub $300, you always get a full size controller, and long range FPV stream and fully gimbaled camera, perfect for practicing your skills. I would say the early version camera isn't the best, and you will notice it. If you really want good video, spring for mini 3 I guess

If you find a mini 2 to start with it's a nice drone, I started with it and now I've moved on to the mini 3 pro.

When I boat my drone in (DJI mini 2) I usually carry it in my ocoee watershed between my legs with the padded dry bag liner in it. The sensors do get weird when flying low over whitewater (<25’ or so) but once you’re up a little bit it just navigates of gps. Flying low I usually just stay stationary to get a shot at a certain angle. Just take the drone out of whatever dry storage you have it in at the end of the day and it’ll be fine. No need for silica. Go ahead and take the TRUST cert and print and carry your card with you to ward off anyone that doesn’t like your drone.

The images out of the Air 2s were just....special. I have the Air 2, mini 2, and mini 4 Pro. But there was something about the colour rendering and gradual changes through tones that was just so pleasing to the eye. The files were a dream to edit.