my buddy who flies drones told me just get a mavic and dont bother with anything else. which sounds fine but im not sure if that means the mavic 3 or like an older one or what. he kind of just said it like i would already know. im not trying to spend a ton, like i havent even flown anything before except one of those tiny palm sized toys years ago. is the mavic series overkill for a first drone or is it the kind of thing where you just buy it once and dont have to upgrade. also do i need to take any kind of class or test before i can fly or is that only for commercial stuff

your friend probably means well but yeah thats a pretty vague recommendation lol. the mavic 3 is genuinely excellent but its also like 1400 dollars which is a lot to hand to someone whos never really flown. the mini series is technically in the mavic family more or less and the Mini 4 Pro is what id point a beginner toward if they want proper footage capability without the full mavic 3 price tag. as for the test thing -- in the US if youre flying recreationally you dont need a license but you do need to register the drone and follow FRIA or fly in uncontrolled airspace. commercial use is where part 107 comes in and thats an actual exam

tbh i just bought a mini 2 last year as my first drone and its still my main flier, havent felt the need to upgrade. the obstacle avoidance on the fancier ones is nice but you learn a lot more about situational awareness when you dont have sensors babysitting you the whole time. not saying thats for everyone but i kinda liked figuring it out myself