my son wants to get into drones and im trying to figure out what to get him for his birthday. he's 17 so not a little kid, he's pretty tech savvy but has never flown anything before. i keep seeing the dji mini 3 recommended but its quite a bit more than some of the other options and i dont really understand what you get for the extra money

like is the camera quality actually that noticably different or is it more about the flying experience itself. someone at work told me to just get a cheap one first so he can crash it without feeling bad about it but another guy said the cheaper ones are harder to fly and he'd get frustrated. no idea who's right here

the "get a cheap one to crash" advice made sense years ago but modern dji stuff has pretty solid stabilization and the return to home feature means you're less likely to lose it. your coworker who said cheaper ones are harder to fly is more right imo. the gps hold on budget drones is often inconsistent and if he's flying in any wind at all it can get away from him fast

the mini 3 vs mini 2 se thing though -- if budget is the concern the mini 2 se honestly does everything a beginner needs. the mini 3 is nicer, vertical shooting mode is genuinely useful for anyone who posts on social media, but its not like night and day for learning to fly. id say mini 2 se with the fly more combo if you want to be sensible about money, mini 3 if you want to just get him something that'll last a while before he wants to upgrade

yeah the cheap crash drone thing is kind of outdated advice. that said i do think there's something to be said for a tiny whoop or something just to mess around in the backyard before going out in public with a camera drone. not saying skip the dji, just maybe get both lol. a little eachine e010 type thing is like 20 bucks and honestly pretty fun to throw around the living room while you're waiting for good weather