bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I've been buying cameras for 60 years! Each required me to decide it was "amazing" in some way at the time. Many have been gifts! There have been a Kodak Brownie, a Kodak Instamatic, Nikkormat DSLRs (with a bag of lenses), a compact Canonet, a Nikon Coolpix, a Canon PowerShot, a Sony HX9V, a Sony RX100 (original), a Panasonic SDT750, Panasonic LX100, Olympus TG-5, Panasonic GX7, Panasonic GX8 and a DJI Pocket 2. Each had a feature or two that were compelling at the time. Significantly missing is a DSLR of any sort!

The newest one has me more 'amazed' than any of the previous. It is the DJI Mini 2 'aerial camera'.

On a cost basis, Costco has it with an extra battery for a competitive $440. Features? It is a long list.

The amazing, compelling part is how much technology is packed in to so small a package. Not one or two, but dozens combined. It combines GPS, Google maps, aerodynamics, specialized airspace recognition, stabilization, video and stills all in under a half pound.

The challenge (for me) is to get over and used to the technology and get my brain shifted to creative composition. That is always hard for me.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

You are right. The new technology is amazing. I'm not ready yet for drones. They are fairly far down on my wish list. The ability for a "bird's eye view" has always fascinated me. But who knows, maybe I will make it down to that part of the wish list. Thanks for the encouragement to get down the wish list. I am not sure my wife would agree though.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Amazing

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

My son gave me one for Father's Day and I have yet to work up the nerve to try it.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Yeah, but the important thing to remember is that they are all just tools. I'm not so much looking for bells and whistles as I am looking for a way to get the photos I want. Not saying I don't get sucked in by the advertising hype sometimes like everyone else (they are very psychologically clever in that respect) but it's all about utility for me. Will this tool get me where I want to go?

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

My first surprise is that the first takeoff was automatic. It went straight up a couple feet and stayed there. It won't go anywhere until you push something.

Landing is also automatic with the push of a button.

So, first flight is up a couple feet. Look at it for about half a minute and land it.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I fight my split personality. I thoroughly enjoy machinery, including cameras. That part is easy for me. The part I have to work on is using the photographic machinery creatively. When I overcome the machinery of a camera, lens, etc., they do get me closer to where I want to go.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

High on my video wishlist is rock solid shooting stability. Tripods certainly work. But, you can't induce camera motion. This aerial camera fulfills that wish very well!

Ollieboy

I have a DJ mini 2. It's amazing at the features packed to a 250g body. It has amazing image stabilization. Especially in 25 mph winds. Still learning how to be a proficient pilot. It's lot's of fun learning though.

Red6

Camera drones are certainly one of the neatest things to come along the last few years and they are very fun to fly and the photos can be amazing. I highly recommend that you find someone to help you not only learn how to fly it safely and efficiently but also to familiarize you with the laws and restrictions around drones.

I am a Part 107 FAA drone pilot and have owned several camera drones. However, I recently sold my drones due to the ever-increasing number of rules and laws surrounding their use. When they first came out, one could fly them almost anywhere and the opportunities seemed endless for their use in photography. However, now it seems like every local condo association, neighborhood, suburb, town, city, county, and many states have enacted laws that make flying a drone a risky operation and subject to stiff fines for violations. The use of camera drones is often illegal in exactly the kinds of places one would want to use them i.e. beaches, national parks, and many, if not most, city and state parks and wildlife areas. Additionally, it is illegal to fly a drone within 5 miles of any airport or heliport. And often, most hospitals have heliports. The list goes on and is getting bigger and more restrictive. The FAA is also coming out with new restrictions soon which will make many of the current drones illegal and be required to be phased out in coming years.

There is also the people factor. Fly a drone around your community and there is a good chance someone will complain or call the police. That is a good reason to research the local laws and codes in your area. I used my drone to take real estate photos. And almost every time I flew it to photograph a house or property, I had neighbors come out to complain and make sure I was not using it to spy on them. Check out youtube for many videos of people calling the police and threatening drone operators.

I hate being a bearer of bad news concerning your drone. I loved flying and shooting photos with mine, but it just became too much of a risk in the area I live. Hopefully, you have lots of open areas free of restrictions to fly.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Unfortunately, it's the usual story of how a few bad ones ruin it for everyone else. Flying drones dangerously close to airports and airplanes have to be regulated, and people do like their privacy and do not want to see a drone hovering outside their window.

See_the_shot Loc: Bluffton, SC

I’m in the same boat. I enjoyed flying my Mavic zoom 2 initially, and got some amazing videos and stills. With everyone on the planet restricting the use of drones, it’s just not fun anymore. No national or state parks. Plus, to get permission to fly in areas where you want to shoot, has become a pain in the rear. If you are a big risk taker, and don’t care about the possibility of fines or lawsuits, then go for it.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

I get my bird’s eye view from a hot air balloon or other aircraft.
The drone shots I’ve seen are often amazing, but first you have to learn to fly the drone.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Not sure which drone they had, but the technology is amazing. I watched two guys learning to fly their drone - in a strong wind. The drone went straight up and hovered 30 feet up in the same spot directly overhead, in spite of the wind. Amazing.