DJI - Mini SE

My first drone was the Mini SE bought in 2022, and i loved it. Subsequently upgraded to a Mini 3 Pro, but Air 3S would be my absolute favourite.

did you offer a price,no, I can offer a suggestion but research on amazon and you will get what you pay for go cheap, get what you pau for go with a dji mini se.

Look at the reviews and the videos. If you look at those videos and say 'yes it's worth it to me' then go for it. At this price point and those videos id say it's an ok starter drone. But at that much cost why not just go for a better drone like mini se or other cheap dji drone. You get much more for what you pay. This is basically a toy but has some decent features for the price. It's not total junk but can't be used for much but learning and taking some basic shots.

No. It's not worth it. That is a cheap knockoff of a DJI Mini, a great drone. You will not have a good time with that Walmart drone. For a few bucks more you can get the[ original DJI Mini SE directly from DJI.](https://store.dji.com/product/dji-mini-2-se-fly-more-combo-refurbished-unit?from=pages-refurbished&vid=163221) I buy all of my drones for the DJI refurbished store and they are excellent quality with a full factory warranty. Go with the one I linked to, it's an excellent beginner drone, will serve you well, and is only $225 or $345 if you splurge and get the kit with extra batteries and stuff. (You should really get the extra 3 battery kit. Drones only fly for 20 minutes or so and then you have to charge the battery for 90-120 minutes and that kills your flow and ability to get in any quality flying time) https://preview.redd.it/9mypndbxzq3e1.png?width=954&format=png&auto=webp&s=ba6ef7d18f25e9fad51c6730dd74a3c36f21cf74

Go with it, got the neo motion combo. The kids love to fly with it. Had a mine se before, it was more difficult for them. The neo is easy to fly with the motion controller.

Yes, had the mini SE. Was never really used by my kids. But with goggles and the motion controller they really have fun for the kids using the neo.

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.

It depends where you are coming from. Own three DJI drones which each have a unique purpose. If had none, would probably decide between the Flip and Mini. But for those who already have a DJI there’s no real selling point to get this

Until you've flown a DJI...you haven't flown. Get a Mini. Any generation. That's where you start.

Start with a DJI Mini, you won’t regret it

Honestly, to the eyes of the public, the Mavic isn't much more impressive than the mini. If you want to look serious, you need an Inspire or an M300. But that's 500% overkill for OP's use cases.

That camera will be really low quality, barely usable, and the range will be very short. And despite all the advertising, it will still be difficult to fly, so he’ll probably end up crashing it pretty quickly. I would recommend getting a really cheap indoor drown he can play around with without a camera you do t have to worry if he crashes, or a more expensive drone like a DJI Neo, which is actually kind of useful but you can’t control, or a DJI Mini which I would suggest supervising while he flies.

The DJI Mini series of drones really blurs the line between toy and hobby grade. The big difference, as with ordinary cameras, is the size of the senor it uses for capturing images. The smaller drones use something akin to the sensor in a middle of the road mobile phone. Phones can take pretty good image these days, coupled with the unique aerial view means those drones can take nice looking images, certainly good enough for social media. The bigger drones have bigger sensors and shot in RAW modes that allow for a lot of post processing to get really good looking images suitable for printing. But there's extra work involved in getting the best out of those images/video. If your not already shooting RAW and LOG with a dedicated camera you probably won't be able to appreciate the difference those features bring.

Performance wise the mini is practically on par with the bigger drones. But it's camera just isn't good enough for anyone into image quality. I've made the switch from mini 2, to Mavic pro 3.

DJI mini "whatever is in the budget".

I’d pick the Avata 2 for close inspection (within inches), and with head tracking it’s easy to look up under the soffits or down a chimney. I was actually doing this yesterday with the Neo, could get right up to there with on the 3rd floor and look in, bumping not a problem because propeller guards. I looked at a previous valet patch repair closely, saw a couple shingles that are possibly starting to slide. Went up the roof, probably with a clearance of 3”, and after going over the peak went to the chimney and looked down. Bumped another part of the roof and it crashed in the box gutter, but luckily I could take off again. With DJI Care, replacement for the Neo is only $29, so I don’t have to worry much. (Avata would only cost $49, but I’ve already used 2/4, and would prefer to not be without it for a week.) If you don’t want to get close and are okay with being feet away, then a mini is probably okay. Propeller guards might be good for cases where there are nearby trees or cables. Here’s an example of getting close, with head tracking, and being able to look up or down, or turn your head while you fly past - https://youtu.be/D2ygkUlsemQ?si=kswV-c1XyN1lYi-h