DJI - Mini 2

Definitely a DJI Mini I’m pretty sure the Mini 2 has 4K which you can buy used. Got mine with all the extra stuff used for $200

If you want collision-avoidance sensors the Mini4 Pro or Mini3 Pro are best in the sub-250g realm. Otherwise the Mini4k is a great value. Before 2025 tariffs went into effect, they could be found at around $250. I paid $430 for my Mini2 4 years ago. Essentially the same drone. I love my Mini2 (not the SE). I have taken it to Europe and UK 3 times now.

This 👏 I started flying on no-name sub-$100 drones, and crashed all of them in out-of-control fashion. Then I bought my DJI Mini2 four years ago. Everything changed after that. The drone takes off and hovers at about 5-feet off the ground waiting for you to start controlling it. And the RTH feature basically flies back to where you are and lands. The DJI Mini4k is the very same drone. But even with these amazing features, bad things can happen. There is always the possibility that a pilot can crash into something. So if you think that your child may be crashing, then you should consider buying them a cheap non-DJI drone to start learning to fly with. These no-name drones can be found for $100 or less. If you still want to get them a DJI, and you fear that they will crash, consider getting them a DJI Mini4 Pro. It has collision-avoidance sensors top, bottom front and rear. And so if you let them learn to fly with Sport Mode turned off, those sensors may prevent them from crashing into something. Bear in mind that the DJI Mini4 Pro sells for about $1000 brand new. So if you don’t want to spend that much to start out, then I think you should consider buying the no-name cheap drones and get them to fly in large open areas far away from people, homes and vehicles. Good Luck 🚁

I bought mine on-sale at Costco for $429 4 years ago. Back then DJI called it the Mini2. Almost exact same aircraft. The Mini4k name was introduced about a year ago. My Mini2 has been an excellent drone. And even though it cost me $200 more than you will pay — I learned so much with this drone. The only negative on the Mini2/Mini4k is that they don’t have the obstacle avoidance sensors or the ActiveTrack feature. But they are still awesome. Good Luck 👍

DJI Mni4k I started back in 2010 or so, buying cheap sub-$100 “toy” drones only. After learning to fly and destroying 3 of them, I bought a DJI Mini2 in 2021. It cost me $430 on-sale at Costco. I have happily flown it for 4 years now 😀 Before the US Tariffs went into effect, I saw its replacement (DJI Mini4k) on-sale for about $250. Essentially the same drone as I own, but $180 cheaper!😮 While the Mini4k it doesn’t have the front/rear/up-facing collision-avoidance-sensors and ActiveTrack feature of the “MiniX Pro” drones, it’s still an excellent first drone for just about anyone. If you’re willing to spend 500 GBP, you should be able to find a nice Mini4k “package” within your budget 👍

Whether you bought your DJI Mini2 for $430 4 years ago like me - or you bought a new Mini4 Pro one year ago for $750 at Costco - or you bought your DJI Mini5 Pro at the DJI store in NYC last week — we are all in the same boat. And we all have one thing in common. We’re flying these drones whenever we can. And having fun 😀 The impending US DJI ban isn’t a death sentence. If you want to fly a drone for fun - you should consider buying a new or used one now. And after you do that, if the US FCC bans DJI, we’ll all together learn what that means for each of us. Good luck with your buying decision, OP 👍

I bought the Mini2 over 4 years ago. I can’t say enough good things about it. Over a year ago DJI updated it and gave it a new name - Mini4k. They added several advanced features to it as well. Everything that I know about drones was learned on my DJI Mini2. I’m sure your friend will enjoy it as well 😀👍

I use the rule of “below $200, they are uncontrollable toys”. I came up with this because I bought a DJI Mini2 4 years ago (after buying 4 different sub-$200 drones), and the Mini2 was totally controllable. That drone was replaced by the Mini4k, which (before the 2025 tariffs started) was selling brand new for $250. Even with the tariffs, you can buy some very good DJI drones for $500.

My rule is based on my experience only. There are thousands (or more) of totally gifted people that pickup a drone for the first time - and can fly it perfectly in a few seconds. I'm just not one of those people. I started out flying 4 consecutive sub-$200 drones before I bought the DJI Mini2 4 years ago. So those 4 years before 2021, I was learning drones the way that I learned to fly RC gliders starting in 2000. Crashing most every day until I had the basics of control. With RC gliders, my first lesson was launching (without crashing). Then after that, the next lesson was sustained flight - like flying figure-8s (without crashing), and the final lesson was landing (without crashing). After a year of flying RC gliders, I was good enough to do it all the time (without crashing). With the cheap drones, it was the same thing - lessons on hovering, lessons on sustained flight, lessons on landing. I eventually got the hang of it. But with those cheap drones, I rarely had the experience that if I let go of the sticks, the drone would just park itself safely at one place in the sky. With the Mini2, the very first flight was a piece of cake. No other RC aircraft I ever flew would just take off and sit at 4-feet AGL and hover safely until I gave it stick input. For me that was a total game changer. And so when total newbies ask me what is the easiest drone to learn on, I always recommend the DJI Mini sub-250g models. I also recommend that they spend a lot of time flying slow in Cine mode and learning good control. All of that said, every day I see posts in the DJI subReddits of newbies crashing brand new DJI drones.

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.

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.