ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

I'm fascinated by the videos I've seen and think I want a drone, but feel I should ask some questions first. I'd welcome people giving me the benefit of their experience.
1. How much will I really use it? I keep a still camera handy and many of my best shots are spur of the moment. How much preparation is needed to shoot a drone video? what is set up time? I know battery life limits shooting time, but is this really an issue? I know it has to be registered, but is it also necessary to get permission to fly it in over public lands, such as parks?
2. I see that many drones are available bundled with accessories. What accessories should I purchase at the beginning, and what should I wait until I decide what I need? For a beginner is it more cost effective to buy a bundle or to buy just what I need?
3. Will I regret purchasing a less expensive model to start and then moving up? is there any resale value? Will lower quality discourage me? Should I start with a used one?
4. Do I need to take a class or do a lot of reading to be a safe user, or is it mainly common sense? I certainly don't want to shut down an airport or cause any other harm.
Thank for your help!

Designdweeb Loc: Metro NYC & East Stroudsburg, PA

These important questions can easily be answered if you look online, they, and the answers can get involved. The pro photo shops seem to provide links to address your questions, they must get them so often. There are numerous online pubs for enthusiasts that provide primers for newbies, too.
Both recreational and commercial uses must be registered with the FAA, they have different regulations, but each model and manufacturer’s drone characteristics vary widely. Like in photography, spare batteries can’t hurt.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

1. How much will I really use it? I keep a still camera handy and many of my best shots are spur of the moment. How much preparation is needed to shoot a drone video? what is set up time? I know battery life limits shooting time, but is this really an issue? I know it has to be registered, but is it also necessary to get permission to fly it in over public lands, such as parks?
How much you use it depends on you and your enthusiasm and insight for it's many uses. Prep time is probably about 5 minutes to take my drone out of the case, setup the controller with the iPad for viewing and then turning it on and calibrating the compass and getting it up in the air. Battery time isn't an issue for me as I own 4 batteries and this generally gives me almost 2 hours of flight time. No permission needed to fly most places, but some places prohibit flying such as near airports, near sports venues, near popular attractions such as Disneyland, and of course you can't fly in ANY National Park, and some State Parks too. You can't fly over crowds, and you really aren't supposed to fly over any people but that really can't be avoided sometimes.

2. I see that many drones are available bundled with accessories. What accessories should I purchase at the beginning, and what should I wait until I decide what I need? For a beginner is it more cost effective to buy a bundle or to buy just what I need?
The first drone I bought I got the combo with some accessories that I never really used. The second one I bought I focused on just the Drone, extra batteries, a case to put it all in, a charger, and ND filters for the camera which are needed for quality video. A combo might be good for your first drone since it can't hurt to have some extra props, and batteries and a bag to put it all in. I found the bag to be too small for all the stuff I wanted to carry. I don't use prop guards. I found the car charge to be worthless since the car had to be running to charge the batteries.

3. Will I regret purchasing a less expensive model to start and then moving up? is there any resale value? Will lower quality discourage me? Should I start with a used one?
If you find that flying drones and creating video and stills from the air to be a hobby that you really like, there's no doubt that you will upgrade after a year or so. But you can always sell your old equipment and recoup about 1/2 of what you paid so that you can use that money to buy a better drone. That's what I did.

4. Do I need to take a class or do a lot of reading to be a safe user, or is it mainly common sense? I certainly don't want to shut down an airport or cause any other harm.
Thank for your help!
You don't need a class, you just need to read some bloggs, watch some youtube videos, and ask a few questions about safety and use mostly common sense.

ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

Thank you VERY Much for your detailed answers. That is the Information i’m looking for to inform my decision!