the autel appeals to me because of the no geofencing thing and i travel to some areas where that could matter. also the sensor size on the lite+ seems genuinely good for the money. but then everyone i talk to says just get dji and part of me wonders if thats just brand loyalty talking or if its actually true

i mostly shoot landscapes and some real estate stuff on the side, not professional grade yet but heading that direction maybe. dont really care about racing or anything like that, just want clean footage and reliability. anyone actually used both and can give me a real take, not just specs i can read on the website myself

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely impressive for the price point, way better than i expected coming from the mini 3. the omnidirectional sensing has saved me a few times when i was flying in places i probably shouldnt have been, not gonna lie. footage quality is excellent, the log modes give you a lot to work with in post

but here's what nobody really talks about ? the battery life in cold weather is rough. like really rough. im in the PNW and we've had some cold mornings and i'm getting maybe 18-20 minutes when the box says 34. also had one weird flyaway-ish moment where it just drifted for a second before reconnecting, only happened once but it freaked me out enough to mention

would i buy it again? probably yeah. but i wouldnt say its a massive upgrade if you already have a mini 3 pro. if youre coming from older hardware or a different brand it makes more sense. anyway curious if anyone elses battery is suffering in the cold or if thats just me

my situation is im not a beginner exactly, ive been flying a mavic air 2 for about two years and i want to upgrade. i do a mix of hiking footage, some casual real estate stuff for a friend occasionally, and just general travel stuff. budget is flexible but i dont want to spend money on things i dont need.

from what i can tell the Air 3 has dual cameras which sounds cool but in practice i wonder if ill actually use the tele lens that much. the Mini 4 Pro keeps the sub-250g thing which i know matters in some countries but here in the US i feel like it matters a bit less practically speaking. the image quality seems close enough that i cant really tell in most comparisons but maybe im not looking at the right things.

anyone made this jump from a mavic air 2 specifically or have real world thoughts on the dual camera situation, like do you actually use it regularly or is it just a nice to have that you forget about

but heres the thing nobody really talks about ? the battery life is still just okay. like DJI says 34 minutes but in any kind of wind youre looking at maybe 22-25 realistic minutes and the battery drains faster than youd expect when youre doing active track stuff. also the RC2 controller is genuinely nice but i had one firmware update that just bricked the screen for like two days and i had to do a full controller reset which was mildly terrifying.

overall i think its worth it IF you actually need the obstacle avoidance and shoot a lot at dawn/dusk. if you mostly fly in open fields in good light the mini 2 SE is honestly probably fine and saves you like $400. just my two cents after actually using the thing a lot.

my situation ? i want to take it on trips mostly, nothing crazy, just want nice aerial footage of landscapes and maybe some video of my kids playing outside. budget is somewhere around 400-500 dollars but i could maybe stretch to 600 if something is genuinely worth it. im not a photographer really, i shoot on my iphone and think it looks fine so i dont need raw files or anything like that

ive been looking at the mini 3 (not pro), the mini 4 pro, and somebody mentioned the holy stone hs720 which seems cheaper but i cant find many recent reviews. does the price jump from mini 3 to mini 4 pro actually make sense for someone like me or am i just gonna be paying for features i dont even use

also do i need to worry about the FAA registration stuff or is that only for commercial people? i really dont want to get in trouble accidentally

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely better than i expected for a drone this size, ive had it save itself from some pretty dumb situations where i wasnt paying full attention. the footage in decent light is really hard to complain about, colors are nice straight out of the drone and log footage grades well if you know what youre doing

but heres where i have some gripes. battery life is fine but not amazing, i get maybe 28 minutes in real world conditions if theres any wind at all. and the controller they bundle with the standard version ? the RC-N1 i think ? feels kinda cheap and the phone mount is annoying to use with a case on. i ended up buying the RC2 separately which added like 130 bucks to the total cost which felt annoying since i kind of had to

also the subject tracking is hit or miss? like it works great and then suddenly loses me if i turn a corner. not a dealbreaker but worth knowing before you buy it expecting magic

anyway if anyone is on the fence between this and the air 3 or the mini 3 pro i can try to help, ive flown all three at this point

its basically coming down to the Autel Evo Lite+ vs the DJI Mini 3 Pro, i know theyre not exactly the same class of drone but theyre in a similar price range used and thats kind of where my budget is sitting. im mostly going to be doing landscape stuff, hiking trips, that kind of thing. not doing any professional work, this is totally just for fun and maybe some personal projects

everything i read about Autel is like, people either really love it or they kind of trail off when talking about the software and app situation. and with DJI i feel like theres more support and community but also more restrictions with the geofencing and stuff. i dont have a part 107 or anything so im not trying to fly anywhere crazy, just open areas mostly

i guess my question is does anyone actually have experience with both or switched from one to the other and can tell me if the Autel is worth considering or if im just falling for the underdog appeal

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely useful, not just a checkbox feature like it felt on older minis. ive had it save itself from some dumb moves i made near tree lines. video quality is really solid for the price, the 4K stuff holds up well even when i grade it pretty hard in post. and the battery life is better than i expected, i usually get close to the advertised time if im not hammering it in sport mode

the annoying stuff ? the RC2 controller screen is hard to read in bright sun, i know everyone says this but it really is an issue. also had one occasion where it just refused to take off because of some geofence weirdness even though i was in the middle of a field nowhere near anything. and the gimbal cover, i lost it within two weeks, which is entirely my fault but still

if youre coming from a Mavic Air 2 or something older its a really noticeable jump. if youre comparing it to the regular Mini 3 the pro version is worth the extra money if you actually care about the obstacle avoidance. if youre a total beginner honestly this is probably overkill but also its not a bad place to start if budget isnt the issue

anyway thats my take, happy to answer questions if anyone has specific stuff they want to know

the camera genuinely surprised me, variable aperture is nice to have and the images hold up well. low light is where it shines and thats what sold me originally. but the app has been a constant source of frustration. its gotten better with updates but its still not as smooth as DJI fly, little things like the interface sometimes lagging or settings not saving properly. also had one weird flyaway incident that resolved itself but scared me pretty good.

obstacle avoidance is front and back only which i knew going in but still catches me off guard sometimes when im being lazy. not saying dont buy it, just going in eyes open would have helped me manage expectations better. happy to answer questions if anyones considering one.

the Mini 4 Pro seems like the obvious upgrade from where i am but then every time i think im settled on it i see someone say the Air 3 dual camera setup is a game changer and now im second guessing everything again. the price jump is pretty significant for me so i dont want to just guess. anyone actually used both or switched between them? real world stuff not just what the dji website says

from what i can gather the usual advice is to start on a simulator which i have been doing, been on Velocidrone for a few months and feeling pretty okay with the basics. so i think im ready for actual hardware but i genuinely cannot figure out if i should go with something like a BetaFPV Cetus Pro kit or just buy a used 5 inch from someone local and potentially save some money but also potentially buy someone elses problems

budget is probably around 300 dollars all in including goggles which i know is tight but its what it is. mostly want to fly in parks and open fields, not trying to do crazy racing or anything just want to cruise around and get comfortable with real flight. any actual user experience with budget options in this range would be massively appreciated, not looking for sponsored review stuff just what people actually think

first the good stuff ? the image quality genuinely surprised me, the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance works better than i expected for the price point and the ActiveTrack is mostly reliable as long as you're not in a super cluttered environment. battery life is fine, i usually get around 28-30 mins of actual flight in moderate wind which is decent

but heres the thing nobody really talks about ? the RC2 controller feels a bit plasticky and the connection can get a little janky if theres interference, had it cut out twice near some cell towers which was not fun. also the ND filters it comes with in the fly more combo are kinda mediocre, ended up buying a Freewell set anyway

would i buy it again? yeah probably, but if youre coming from a Mini 2 SE the jump might not feel as dramatic as the marketing suggests. if youre coming from nothing or something older then its a solid buy. just dont expect miracles in low light, it still struggles a bit there

curious if anyone else has the 4 Pro and has thoughts on the range in urban areas specifically, mine feels a bit conservative compared to what dji claims

context ? im considering the Autel EVO Lite+ because a friend is selling his and the price is really good. i already have a mavic air 2 which i love but im thinking about picking this up as a backup or to try something different. the main thing i keep reading is that Autel colors are warmer out of camera which sounds nice but also that their app has historically been a bit rough

has that gotten better? the app thing. because thats honestly my biggest concern, i dont mind learning a new system but if it crashes or loses connection randomly thats a dealbreaker for paid work

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely useful, not just a gimmick like i assumed it would be. i fly around trees a lot and it has saved me probably twice already from being an idiot. the image quality is really solid for the price, especially in good light. raw files have decent dynamic range and i stopped bringing my bigger drone on trips where i just want to travel light

the bad stuff though ? battery life is not as long as advertised, at least not in any wind. i get maybe 28-30 minutes on a calm day which is fine but dji says 34 and i have never seen that. also the RC2 controller that comes with it runs warm and one of my mates had his brick after a firmware update, dji replaced it but still

would i buy it again? yeah probably. but if you already have a mini 3 pro i honestly dont think its a massive enough jump to justify it unless you specifically want the omnidirectional obstacle sensing or the vertical shooting mode which i use more than i expected

anyway curious if anyone else has similar experience or if im just unlucky with the battery thing

i fly a mix of freestyle and just cruising around, not into racing really. currently on a self built 5 inch which i love but sometimes i just want something i can grab and go without checking if everything is soldered properly if you know what i mean. the avata 2 seems to fill that gap but 1300 bucks is not nothing and im not trying to make an impulse buy here

the thing is i already have 3 batteries for the mini 3 and a decent case and all that so switching feels like starting over almost. anyone gone from mini 3 to mini 4 pro and felt like it was genuinely worth it or did you feel like you were mostly paying for marginal improvements

background: i have zero experience with drones, never flown anything except a cheap toy thing my nephew had at christmas. i want to get into aerial photography mostly for landscape stuff, i hike a lot in the pacific northwest so lots of trees, mountains, that kind of scenery. budget is around $400 maybe a little flexible if somethings genuinely worth the extra

ive been looking at the DJI Mini 2 SE, the holy stone hs720 came up in some listicle i read but something felt off about that recommendation, and someone in another thread mentioned the autel nano plus but that seems more expensive. im just not sure if the cheaper non-DJI options are actually useable or if ill regret not just going DJI from the start

also does the sub 250g weight thing actually matter that much for a beginner or is that more of a concern for people flying professionally? i keep seeing it mentioned but i dont fully understand the registration stuff

the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is genuinely good, way better than i expected for a sub-250g drone. had a close call with some tree branches last month and it just kind of... stopped and hovered. my mini 3 would have been a pile of carbon fiber at that point. so that alone has already been worth it for me personally

battery life is roughly what DJI claims if you're not fighting wind, i usually get around 28-30 minutes in calm conditions which is fine. the 4K/60fps footage is really clean too, noticably sharper than what i was getting before

BUT ? and this is the thing nobody really talks about ? if you already have a mini 3 pro the upgrade is honestly hard to justify unless you're flying in tight spaces or you just really want that 60fps. the image quality difference day to day isn't huge. i kind of wish id waited and saved the money toward an air 3 instead if im being real about it

anyway if anyones on the fence and coming from something older than the mini 3 series, yeah its a great buy. coming from a mini 3 pro specifically... think hard about it first

my hesitation with DJI has always been the whole data privacy thing and also i feel like theres this thing where once youre in the DJI ecosystem youre kind of locked in forever buying their accessories and batteries and stuff. the Autel batteries work fine and are cheaper to replace. also the Evo Lite+ image quality is honestly really solid and i dont want to go sideways on that

anyone whos made a similar switch have thoughts? im not looking for a full spec comparison i can google that, more just like ? did you end up happy you switched or did you miss your old setup after a few months

the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is genuinely better than i expected, coming from the Mini 3 Pro where id lost a couple shots because the side sensors just werent there. but heres the thing ? in bright midday sun the APAS sometimes hesitates in a weird way, like it sees something that isnt really there and just stops. happened to me twice over a field with no obstacles anywhere near me. not a dealbreaker but worth knowing

image quality step up is real but honestly not as dramatic as DJI made it sound. the D-Log M is nice if you grade footage, otherwise auto mode looks basically the same as my old Mini 3 footage after color correction. battery life with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus is great though, been getting close to 32 mins in calm conditions which is way better than i was getting before

anyway if youre already on the Mini 3 Pro i genuinely dont think its worth the upgrade unless obstacle avoidance is important to your shooting style. if youre coming from a Mini 2 or something older then yeah its a big jump. curious if anyone else has noticed that APAS thing or if its just my unit

the thing is im not a professional, i do this mostly for fun with occasional paid gigs, maybe 3 or 4 a year. so the price difference matters. id love to hear from people who actually fly both or made this same decision. not looking for spec sheet comparisons i can read those myself, more like what do you actually wish you had or not had after buying one

the obstacle avoidance is genuinely impressive for the size, i was skeptical but it saved me from a dumb mistake twice already near some trees. battery life is decent, i get maybe 28-30 mins in real conditions not the 34 min they advertise, which is pretty standard for dji honestly. the footage quality is really good especially in the golden hour stuff ive been shooting lately

my actual complaints: the RC2 controller feels a little plasticky and the screen washes out a bit in bright sunlight, and the price jump for the fly more combo is kinda steep if youre just getting into it. also had one weird moment where the drone just hovered for like 10 seconds before responding to my input, only happened once but it freaked me out a bit

overall though for the sub-250g class its probably the best thing out there right now, at least from what ive tested. curious if anyone has compared it to the Autel Nano+ cause i know some people really like that one

thinking about selling it and putting the money toward an Air 3 or maybe just waiting to see if anything new drops. has anyone actually switched from Autel to DJI and felt the difference day to day? not just specs but like the whole experience of using it. im also a bit nervous about the whole DJI data thing if im being honest but maybe im overthinking that part

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely useful, not just a gimmick like i expected. ive saved the drone at least twice from my own dumb mistakes in tighter spots. video quality is really nice for the price range, especially in the golden hour kind of light. the 34 min battery life is closer to 28 in real conditions but thats fine, i always fly with 3 batteries anyway

now the stuff nobody talks about ? the RC2 controller feels pretty cheap in the hand and the screen washes out badly in direct sunlight. like badly. i was flying at the beach in august and could barely see anything. also the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance sounds great on paper but it gets confused really easily by thin branches or wire fences and just stops the drone mid air which is annoying on a moving shot

overall its a solid drone and i dont regret it but if youre choosing between this and saving up a bit more for the Air 3 i honestly think the Air 3 is the smarter buy unless weight and portability are a priority for you. curious if anyone else has had the same screen issues with the RC2 or if mine is just bad

a buddy keeps telling me to look at the Autel Evo Lite+ as kind of a middle ground option and ive been watching videos but every review feels like either a sponsored thing or someone who just got it and is in the honeymoon phase. nobody seems to talk about what its like after like 6 months

mainly i care about low light performance, reliable connection, and not having to deal with geo-fencing nonsense. from what i understand Autel is more relaxed about that stuff? anyway curious if anyone here has actually used one long term rather than just watched a 10 minute youtube video and formed an opinion