ok so ive been watching youtube videos about drones for like the past month and i feel like the more i watch the more confused i get. every person recommends something different and half the time they seem like theyre just sponsored anyway. my budget is somewhere around 200-300 dollars maybe a little more if something is really worth it. i dont know if i should go with a mini 2 or wait for something else or if theres cheaper options that are actually decent and not just toys. i dont have any experience flying at all, never touched a controller in my life basically. mostly i want to take some video footage of outdoor stuff, hiking trails, maybe some family events, nothing crazy professional. is dji the only brand worth considering or am i missing something

honestly for where youre at the dji mini 2 is still a solid pick even though its been out a while. the mini 3 exists and its better but if budget is a concern the 2 goes on sale pretty regularly and the image quality is genuinely good for what it is. the thing about starting with dji is the app is pretty intuitive and the obstacle avoidance on the newer ones saves you a ton of grief when youre learning. i crashed my first cheap no-name quad so many times before i switched and just... it was not worth the savings. one thing id say though is factor in extra batteries from the start because one battery gets you maybe 20-25 minutes and thats not a lot when youre actually out somewhere

im basically in the same boat as you lol, just got the mini 2 se like two weeks ago and its my first drone ever. its been pretty forgiving so far, had a few sketchy moments but it kind of corrects itself. only thing i wish i knew before is that you still have to register it with the faa even though its under 250g if youre flying... wait actually i might be getting that wrong, you should double check the rules for your area before you fly anywhere