ok so ive been watching youtube videos about drones for like two months now and i still dont know what to buy. every video recommends something different and half of them are probably sponsored anyway. my budget is somewhere around 200-300 dollars maybe a little more if its worth it. i dont really have any experience flying anything, like not even rc cars or whatever. i mostly want to take some decent video of my hikes and maybe my dogs in the backyard. i keep seeing the DJI mini series mentioned everywhere but then other people say theres cheaper options that are just as good for starting out. is that actually true or are they just trying to save money and end up frustrated. also does it matter that i live kinda close to an airport, like 8 miles away? someone mentioned something about airspace registration and now im scared to buy anything until i figure that out

the mini 3 is genuinely hard to beat at that price range for someone just starting out, especially if video quality actually matters to you and not just "can i make it fly without crashing." the cheaper stuff like the holy stone or potensic drones are fine for learning the basics in your backyard but the footage looks pretty rough and they dont handle wind well at all which is gonna be frustrating on hikes. 8 miles from an airport you'll probably need to check the B4UFLY app or just use the DJI fly app itself which tells you right in the map if your area is restricted or requires authorization. most places at that distance are fine or need a quick LAANC authorization which takes like 2 minutes. also yes register with the FAA if its over 250g, the mini 3 base model is actually under that limit which is part of why people recommend it to beginners

honestly i'd say just get the mini 3 and dont overthink it. i spent like 6 weeks researching before my first drone and ended up buying exactly what everyone recommended from the start anyway lol. the cheaper ones teach you bad habits imo because the stabilization is so bad you end up overcompensating. also for hiking footage you really want something that fits in a bag without taking up your whole pack and the mini series is genuinely small