so ive been wanting to get into drones for probably a year now and i keep going down the rabbit hole on youtube and reddit and i just end up more confused every time. theres so many options and everyone seems to have a different opinion on what to start with.

my budget is somewhere around 300 maybe a little more if it makes sense. i dont really know what i want to do with it yet, maybe some outdoor flying, maybe try to get some video footage eventually but im not like trying to be a cinematographer or anything. just want something that wont be a nightmare to learn on and that i wont crash immediately.

someone at work mentioned the mini series but i dont know if thats overkill for a beginner or what. any help would be appreciated, feels like everyone assumes you already know stuff when they answer these questions

honestly the DJI Mini 2 SE is probably the move if you can find it in your budget, its pretty forgiving and the obstacle avoidance on the newer minis helps a lot when youre still getting used to the sticks. that said dont sleep on just grabbing a cheap whoop or a tiny indoor brushless thing first to get your muscle memory down before you take something expensive outside. i broke two drones learning before i ever flew something worth more than 80 bucks and i dont regret it at all

im basically in the same boat as you so take this for what its worth but i ended up going with the Mini 3 a few months ago and its been pretty good for learning. the return to home feature has saved me embarassingly more than once. the main thing i wish someone told me is to go somewhere open and boring at first, like a big empty field, not a park with trees everywhere. learned that the hard way lol