I am a 60-something newbie who has never operated anything remote control. My real interest is photography, 100% outdoors, mostly landscape type stuff. Still photos are my first priority, video second. Ultimately I would like to produce images of good quality to support writing and blogging activities. (Some of my interests might be considered commercial by the FAA, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.) I have read all the beginner information, including the e-book, and have a pretty good idea what I need to do, but I'd still like to hear people's opinions about what unit I should start with and what steps I should progress through to get where I want to be. I'm thinking that after I learn what I'm doing the DJI Phantom would be the end goal, but again, I'd like to hear your opinions. Thanks a bunch for your help!
Everyone has their own opinions - but mine...for still photography on a budget, would probably be the stock DJI Phantom or the FC40 - which you would remove the camera from after a while. You should, of course, learn to fly a bit on a toy quadcopter...just to assure that you have it all under control. My stock P1 with a Canon S100 (or similar) camera can take nice stills. You have to work a bit on the settings of the cam and the mounting. But, in the end, you are getting a full package for about $650-$700 which will take some great landscapes. You can also take RAW with the Canons. Of course, you could spend a lot more and get more - and the above advice only applies if you are not flying very far or long - say for photos from under 400 feet high (battery with heavy payload will not last very long)... That's why it's important to know all aspects of what you need. For example, I don't use FPV because taking a photo every few seconds usually ends up giving me one that I want. I'd say start with a toy, which you are likely to keep just for practice and fun (Hubsan Quads X4, etc.) and then consider the starter Phantoms. After many hours and flights on the Phantom you will know more about whether you want to step up and the options will also increase by that time. Here is a downsized and unretouched jpg from the Canon and Phantom: https://www.droneflyers.com/talk/threads/downtown-southampton-ma.560/
I'm a 50-something newbie with the same goal, aerial photography (videography, actually). Been flying for a bit with a toy-level quad to get experience and am now looking for my upgrade. So far, I echo the above, more experienced post. Start out with a cheap quadcopter, one you're willing to crash. I bought a Syma X5C which has a supposedly HD quality video camera mounted. The camera is crap, but for the price tag ($55) the X5C was a decent way to start. I've crashed it many times, but it's so light that there's no damage to date. I truly believe all the folks who said "if you can fly the X5C, you will have no problem with a DJI Phantom." And a good gimbal mount for the camera is necessity.
