so ive been watching a bunch of youtube videos about drones for like the past month and honestly im more confused now than when i started. everyone recommends something different and half the videos are clearly just sponsored. i dont really have a huge budget, maybe like 200-300 dollars, and i just want something to fly around outside, maybe take some decent video but im not trying to be a filmmaker or anything. my main thing is i dont want to spend money on something thats going to frustrate me or crash constantly before i even get the hang of it. do i need to register with the FAA right away? and like is there a specific drone people actually recommend for someone whos never touched one before or should i just get a cheap toy thing first to learn on

honestly the DJI Mini 2 SE is probably where most people end up pointing beginners these days, it came down in price and its under 250g so you skip a lot of the FAA registration headache for recreational flying. the stabilization on it is good enough that you wont be fighting it constantly just to keep it in the air. i started on a cheaper syma thing and yeah it was fine for learning the sticks but the jump to a real GPS drone still felt pretty big so in hindsight i might have just started with the mini. if 300 is really your ceiling that might be a stretch but worth keeping an eye out for sales or used ones. just make sure you buy a spare battery right away because the stock flight time is never as good as they advertise

yeah FAA thing ? if its under 250 grams you dont need to register for recreational, but you still technically have to follow the rules like staying under 400ft and away from airports etc. i was confused about this too when i started. i got a holy stone hs720 as my first one and its fine, not amazing but it didnt make me want to quit either. some people will tell you to get a tiny whoop for indoors first to practice but tbh i just wanted to fly outside so i skipped that