ok so ive been wanting to get into drones for a while now and i finally have a bit of money saved up but every time i try to research what to buy i just end up more confused than when i started. theres so many options and everyone seems to have a different opinion. my budget is somewhere around 300-400 dollars but i could stretch it a bit if something is really worth it. i dont have any experience flying anything, not even RC planes or anything like that. i mostly want to do some outdoor flying, maybe take some videos of hikes and stuff but im not trying to be a professional or anything. do i need to register with the FAA right away? also does it matter where i live, im in a pretty suburban area. just want something that wont be impossible to learn on and that i wont crash into a tree on day one

honestly the DJI Mini 3 is probably where id point you, especially since you're under 250g so you skip a lot of the registration headache in the US at least. the mini series in general is just really forgiving for new pilots, the obstacle avoidance stuff actually works and the return to home has saved me more times than i want to admit. camera is genuinely solid for hiking footage too, not just "good for the price" like people say about cheaper stuff. if you really want to stretch that budget the Mini 4 Pro is nicer but honestly for starting out the 3 does everything you need. just make sure you get the fly more combo thing because the extra batteries matter way more than people think when you're first learning and flying short sessions constantly to practice

im basically in the same boat as you lol, i just got a mini 3 about two months ago as my first drone ever. the learning curve wasnt as bad as i expected tbh. i did crash it once in my backyard trying to do something dumb but it was fine. one thing nobody told me was to just spend like an hour in the simulator before you ever go outside, DJI has one built into the app and it actually helps. also yeah register with the FAA even under 250g if youre flying near people, i think technically you dont have to but its like 5 bucks and takes 10 minutes so why not