[varunanb]

Originally Posted by muralikrishnank

Yesterday I placed an order for the mavic mini fly more combo from amazon for an absolute steal deal (INR 39,999) .I have no clue why there was a sudden price drop.I Initially thought the price drop was due to the drone being listed is a CE model which has only 2km range compared to the FCC model,But the seller confirmed me that the model which he is selling is FCC which has a range of 4km

Lucky you. Been tracking the price for some time and couple of days back, realized the price for the basic kit has gone down to 31k through appario. checked for the fly more combo which was still at 67k. So placed the order with a further 1K discount on 23rd. But looks like the dispatch will happen only on 27th. Hope the order reaches me and doesn't get cancelled. Fingers crossed.

With a fly time of around 25-30 mins, it was more than adequate for my usage. The only accessory that i'm missing is the propeller protector. That should be the next upgrade when it gets available.

[anivy]

There is an Indian company, indiaForge, now that manufactures drones. Did not know that. Browsing their site, it appears like they are focusing on B2B (or more specifically the various government departments).

An interview with the company's executives in Medianama indicates they are running a buy-back offer for non-compliant drones (non-DGCA approved?).

The above publication has also setup "A complete guide to drones in India" page.

[Samfromindia]

The DJI Mavic Mini & DJI Tello were getting sold in Amazon at a steal deal of 30K & 9.5K respectively. However now the mini seems to be out of stock.

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07RRMPZ4L/..._1eBgFbWMHETKB

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0821CWD5Z/..._rgBgFbF6G6HV3

Although the mini doesnt require registration, all rules & regulations in india can be found here:
https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in/

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

The DJI Mavic Mini & DJI Tello were getting sold in Amazon at a steal deal of 30K & 9.5K respectively. However now the mini seems to be out of stock.

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07RRMPZ4L/..._1eBgFbWMHETKB

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0821CWD5Z/..._rgBgFbF6G6HV3

Although the mini doesnt require registration, all rules & regulations in india can be found here:
https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in/

All drones now require registration in India, including mini. Although you can still get around without registering it, but then technically you can only fly it upto 50ft, I just registered it anyway.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by ashish2135

Anyone owning expensive drones who can explain the advantages of spending 60k over these budget drones.

You can draw the parallel between a 12k mobile phone, vs a 60k mobile phone.

They both have the same main features -- but just the way in which they execute them is different. (eg. camera quality).

Another major thing is the presence of a gimbal to stabilize footage (and whether it's 2-axis or 3-axis).

And then there's the add-ons, like app integration that enables flight paths, cinematic maneuvers etc. And also automatic object tracking, etc.

Originally Posted by Pegasus1134

Found the Mavic Mini on amazon for an absolute steal deal today. The basic kit comes in at 31k.

+

Originally Posted by sj_koova

Fly More combo was available for 38,999 after 1000 cash back.

Holy smokes this is a great deal!

Originally Posted by muralikrishnank

Yesterday I placed an order for the mavic mini fly more combo from amazon

Do let us know if / when it's delivered.

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Holy smokes this is a great deal!

BTW, the price drop made it to a news on TOI as well.
And mine is arriving tomorrow.
Glad I saw the T-BHP thread just in time.

[ashish2135]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

You can draw the parallel between a 12k mobile phone, vs a 60k mobile phone.

They both have the same main features -- but just the way in which they execute them is different. (eg. camera quality).

Another major thing is the presence of a gimbal to stabilize footage (and whether it's 2-axis or 3-axis).

And then there's the add-ons, like app integration that enables flight paths, cinematic maneuvers etc. And also automatic object tracking, etc.

Thank you Rehaan. Buying a 60k drone as a beginner is a bit difficult for me. I have the DJI Tello combo in mind for 13k on Amazon. My use is mostly aerial photography. Mini Mavic at 30k is also expensive for me.

Would you recommend the Tello? Any other alternatives in this price range?

[jkrishnakj]

I do want to thank all of you for the views. The pictures and videos that people posted here were terrific.

I wanted to surprise my teen son ( who was the one who prompted me to think about Drones ) and ordered a DJi Mini on Amazon and it finally found its way home yesterday. I was very keen to put a review here and started doing videos and pictures of unboxing etc..

Unfortunately, the Remote Controller was not pairing with the aircraft and no matter how much i tried using different phones, i was not successful. I got chat support from DJi and they recommended that i get a replacement. I have not put a return request on Amazon ( seller is Slidetronics ) and they will pick this tomorrow. My wait to fly a drone will now wait.

[humyum]

This topic will remain as close to my heart as cars. Ever since the DJI drones came into the market in 2013, I had a thing for them because till 2012 I was in UK and at my University, I had seen students work on Flying Wings and Surveillance based fixed winged drones. I was part of one such team for a short while and I had an amazing time understanding how all this worked.

Fast-forward to today, its been a dream to build a long distance FPV flying wing, mount a go pro on it and take some cinematic videos flying around river beds, jungles and village type areas of India. The thrill here is multifold because of the nice video's the Go-pro will record and second because the FPV will put me in the plane while its flying, an amazing feeling it would be. But like most electronic hobbies this one too has a very high initial cost in the form of a brilliant controller, Crossfire or Dragonlink module for long distance, FPV gear, Goggles for starters and haven't been able to get to a stage in life to afford all this yet, but will get there someday.

The second dream is to buy a DJI Mavic Pro 2 and take some amazing photos since photography is one of my passions, I see those cinematic pictures some of the guys on Instagram post of nighttime Mumbai, towers with the sea behind and what not and it just looking amazing

Amazing thread, keep the flow going, keeping the pictures and videos coming, will inspire some of us to work harder to be able to buy some of these toys.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by ashish2135

Would you recommend the Tello? Any other alternatives in this price range?

Honestly I'm not very clued in with that range, and what the latest is.

Half the fun of buying a drone is watching all the reviews!

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Unfortunately, the Remote Controller was not pairing with the aircraft and no matter how much i tried using different phones, i was not successful.

Bummer. A lot of times this pairing is a bit fidgety. My friend is facing the same thing with his Spark... though the issue started after he crashed it.


Since I'm posting here, I'll do a bit of a photodump of my good ol' Phantom 1:

Suffered a premature ESC failure. Was $21 for the DJI replacement part:


Drying off after a swim (last GIF in my post on page 1)


I was very particular about safety, but also didn't want the weight of prop-guards when flying in extremely safe places, so got these quick-release ones:


A few grams can make a big difference when it comes to drones, or drugs:


The full kit that I put up for sale a few years back:


A cheap (~$80) 2-axis Chinese gimbal I bought on ebay. Rigging it up and tweaking it via BaseCam was fun:


Added on this video transmitter pretty late in the day. Back then, if you wanted live video you had to do it yourself!


Receiver & some custom antennae (which were also a ton of fun to learn about and research):


#BuiltNotBought

[Mynameis]

I am planning to get a DJI Tello drone. Do not want to spend a lot on my first drone. Want to first get used to flying and then upgrade in a year.

I have two questions:

1. Can we carry it on the plane?

2. Can it survive windy conditions?

I understand, that small drone will not survive in high winds, but can it survive winds which we normally observe, like just before a thunderous rain?

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by Mynameis

I have two questions:

1. Can we carry it on the plane?

2. Can it survive windy conditions?

I understand, that small drone will not survive in high winds, but can it survive winds which we normally observe, like just before a thunderous rain?

Yes! you can carry the small drones on planes. However you have to make sure the batteries are not packed in your check-in baggage.

Regarding windy conditions, you can check youtube videos. There are plenty of videos where different drones are tested in different wind conditions.

[MegaWhat]

It's good to see this thread here. Drones will stay close to my heart even if I don't work on them anymore. Used to make these from scratch back in 2006-2012 and our team had tried our hand at fully stabilised flight of a tail-sitter aircraft back then. Used to be a bit tougher in 2008 as compared to now. At one point we had made the frame of a 5m wingspan and 2 Kg AUW aircraft in a mere 130rs, using other scraps that we had laying around . The number of options for flight stabilization and auto-pilots in today's market is mind boggling. Drone technology has really picked up pace this decade and DJI has become almost a household name.

The regulations by DGCA, though needed in terms of security, have been limiting in some cases and I see a lot of RC clubs have had to move "underground" so to speak. Had a query in this regard. Weren't there some regulations requiring one to inform the local police station about the flight path and area of flight a day before the actual flight for drones with cameras (even the micro class)? Or I could be mistaken. These regulations have evolved a couple of times I think.

[ashish2135]

Update: I had been eyeing the Tello since the day this thread started. Today being Prime day on Amazon, I just placed an order for Tello Combo with a combined discount of Rs. 1750 at the regular selling price of Rs. 12999.
It is not a huge discount but it makes the Tello more value for money purchase for a first time drone buyer.

I can't wait for to use the drone for the Independence day long weekend.
Do I need to register the drone on the Government website?

[jkrishnakj]

Nice Ashish. I was looking at the Tello too, but somehow, i am still stuck on the Mavic Mini. Ever since i returned my defective piece, i haven't ordered one replacement yet. The prices for the mini are now more than 70K. Also, i didn't want to order from the same seller because i somehow feel that they might just resend the same piece in a new packing and enjoy working capital with my money.

Below is a link you can find on all the regulations. This was shared in this thread earlier.

https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in/