so my brother got a drone last christmas and ive been wanting one ever since but honestly have no clue what im doing. i dont want to spend a ton of money on something i break in the first week but i also dont want something so cheap it feels like a toy. budget is probably around 200-300 dollars maybe a bit more if it makes sense. mostly just want to fly around outside, maybe take some videos of hiking trips and stuff. not trying to race or anything like that

is there like a standard thing people recommend for first timers or does it depend on a lot of stuff

DJI Mini 2 SE is probably what most people here are gonna tell you and honestly its hard to argue with. its right in your budget, the stabilization is good enough that your footage wont look like garbage even when youre still figuring out the controls, and the return to home feature has saved my butt more than once when i lost orientation. only thing i'd say is watch a few youtube videos on FAA registration before you fly anywhere because a lot of people skip that and then get surprised. its not hard just annoying.

yeah mini 2 se is the go-to answer but i'll throw in that if you're anywhere near other people or flying in a neighborhood you're gonna want to practice in a big open field first. i thought i was ready after like 20 mins in my backyard and then took it to a park and nearly took out a dog walker. the controls feel different when there's actual wind and stuff around you