so i've been watching youtube videos about drones for like 3 months now and i still cant decide what to actually buy. there's so many options and everyone seems to have a different opinion. my budget is around 300 maybe a little more if its worth it. i dont want anything crazy i just want to fly around outside, maybe get some cool footage of my neighborhood or hiking trips and stuff like that. i keep seeing the DJI mini series mentioned everywhere but then some people say to start with a cheap toy drone first to learn on? not sure if thats actually necessary or just people overthinking it. any help would be appreciated im really just spinning my wheels at this point

honestly just get the Mini 4 or Mini 3 if you can stretch the budget a little. the whole "learn on a cheap drone first" thing is kind of outdated advice imo, those little $50 indoor toy drones fly completely different from a real GPS stabilized quad and you'll basically have to relearn everything anyway. the DJI Mini series sits under 249g so you avoid a lot of the registration headaches depending on where you are, and the footage is genuinely good. i bought a used Mini 2 as my first drone and had maybe one close call in the first week but the return to home feature saved me. just take it slow, fly somewhere open first, read through the DJI fly app before you ever arm it

im also a beginner and got the mini 3 pro a few months ago as my first drone. its been pretty good tbh but i did crash it once into a tree because i panicked and forgot which way it was facing lol. i think the main thing is just going somewhere with no people around at first and not rushing. the obstacle avoidance on the pro version helped me a couple times already so thats worth it if your budget allows