ok so i picked up a Neo about three weeks ago mostly because i wanted something i could just throw in a bag and not think about. i already have a Mini 3 Pro which i love but its still a production, you know? getting it out, doing the pre-flight, making sure everythings charged, its not a big deal but its a thing.

the Neo is genuinely different. i've taken it on two hikes now and just had it in my jacket pocket. pulled it out, it connected to my phone in like ten seconds and i was flying. the follow me stuff works way better than i thought it would for a thing this size, got some shots on a trail last weekend that i wouldve had to set up a whole tripod situation to get otherwise.

but here's the thing ? the footage at anything less than ideal lighting is rough. like noticeably rough. i knew the sensor was small but even in kind of hazy afternoon sun it was getting noisy in the shadows in a way my Mini 3 just doesnt. so if youre thinking about it as a replacement for something with a better camera, its not that. its a totally different use case tool.

also the no-controller thing took some getting used to, flew it into a bush on day two trying to do a manual move from my phone. just putting that out there.

flew into a bush on day two is the most relatable thing ive read on here in months. i did almost the exact same thing with the avata when i first got that, different vibe entirely but that adjustment period of learning a new input method is real and nobody really warns you about it.

the low light thing tracks with everything ive seen in reviews and sample footage. its a physical limitation of the sensor size so theres not really a firmware fix coming for that, which i think some people buying it dont fully internalize. but for what it sounds like youre actually using it for ? hiking, casual stuff, grab and go ? it seems like it genuinely delivers. curious how the battery life holds up for you over time, mine on the mini 3 degraded noticeably after about 8 months.

i was actually looking at the Neo last month and ended up going with a used Mini 2 instead just because the price difference was significant enough that i could get ND filters and a couple extra batteries. probably a diffrent use case than yours though, i wanted something i could actually practice manual flying with and the Neo's whole thing seems to be automating that away which isnt really what i needed right now