ok so this might be a dumb question but ive been going back and forth for like two months now and i cant make a decision and its driving me crazy. basically i want to get into drone photography, mostly for travel and hiking stuff, some family vacation videos. budget is probably around $500-700 but i could stretch a bit if it really makes sense

everyome keeps saying Mini 4 Pro but thats like $960 without extra batteries and a good bag and all that. then i see people talking about the DJI Mini 3 which is cheaper but then is the avoidance system actually that much worse? or should i look at something like the Avata 2 which looks insane but seems more like an FPV toy than something for landscape shots

i dont have any drone experience at all. ive watched probably 40 hours of youtube reviews at this point and i think its made me more confused not less. any actual user opinions would be really appreciated, not just the stuff you can read on the DJI website

honestly for a total beginner doing travel and hiking i would just get the Mini 3 (not pro, just the base Mini 3) and spend the saved money on extra batteries and maybe a decent case. the camera is still really good for vacation stuff and you get the sub 250g benefits which matter a lot once you start traveling internationally and dealing with different country regulations. the avoidance on the non-pro is more limited yeah but when youre starting out youre not going to be flying in situations where youll miss it that much. get comfortable with the basics first

also the Avata 2 is a completely different thing, its an FPV drone, great but totally different skill set and not what youre looking for at all

i was in almost the exact same spot about a year ago and went with the Mini 3 Pro and have zero regrets. one thing nobody told me that i wish i knew ? budget for the fly more combo or at least two extra batteries right away because one battery is genuinely not enough and youll be frustrated on your first real outing. the drone itself is almost secondary to having enough flight time to actually learn and get the shots you want

also dont sleep on the DJI refresh protection thing, i bumped mine into a dock on my third flight and it saved me a lot of money and stress