so ive been wanting to get into drones for a while now, mostly just to fly around and maybe take some videos of the area near where i live. i dont really have a budget in mind yet, i guess somewhere under $300? i have no experience at all, never flown anything remote controlled before. i looked at some youtube videos and now im more confused than before because everyone seems to recommend different things. some people say get a cheap toy drone first, others say just go straight to something like a mini 3 or whatever. i dont want to crash something expensive right away but i also dont want to buy something that ill outgrow in two weeks. anyone have thoughts on this?

honestly the mini 2 SE is probably the move if youre anywhere near that $300 range, you can find it on sale pretty regularly. its hard to crash because of the obstacle avoidance... wait no the SE doesnt have that. ok so it doesnt have obstacle avoidance but the gps hold is solid and it wont just fly away on you. ive seen total beginners pick it up in like one afternoon. the footage is decent too, not pro level but way better than you'd expect for the price. i would skip the toy drones personally, i had a little holy stone thing and it just taught me bad habits and the video was garbage

the mini 2 SE is fine but also consider just renting one first or finding a local club, some of them have loaner quads for new members. that way you dont drop $300 on something and realize you hate it. just a thought. also whatever you get, fly it in a big open field the first few times, not near trees