Hubby and I are both tech fans (we love learning to use new gadgets!). With the awesome locations we are lucky enough to live as digital nomads, we decided in late 2022 to treat ourselves to a camera drone - just for fun!
Here’s the link on Amazon to drone we chose, the DJI Mini 3 with Fly More Kit.
And below is more info on why we chose this one over other (cheaper) options.
Full Disclosure: I’m part of the Amazon affiliate program, which means I get a small commission if you buy something after clicking through from a link (like the image above) on my website.
Why a drone?
Although some folks fly the larger drones for commercial purposes, and they have become popular with Instagram influencers, we just wanted to capture and share some of the fabulous places we visit. Also it’s fun learning a new thing!
You can see below one our first videos starting with right here, where we’re staying now, in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. We also caught some pretty amazing footage in Santa Cruz, CA while testing out the automated programs on our first day flying, that I’ll share soon!
how did we choose which drone?
Once we’d decided to make the investment, we first decided on a DJI drone. DJI have been doing this a while and we’d heard the best reviews of that brand.
It had to be a mini-sized drone (we can fit the entire carry bag with drone, batteries and inside our laptop backpack when traveling). That means not adding an extra piece of luggage when we check-in. We are still 100% carry-on friendly!
From there, it was a question of more afforable prior generation - DJI Mini 2 (presently comes in around $500 with the accessories you’ll need), versus the more expensive and featured DJI Mini 3 (more like $1,000 USD or more). These things have decreased a lot in price for the functionality, but are still not cheap!
Why the DJI Mini 3 (over the mini 2)?
Here are the features that influenced us toward the DJI Mini 3 package we bought.
Vertical shooting mode (the camera turns so you can shoot in portrait - think TikTok or Instagram Reels!)
Follow me mode and other automated modes that made it easy for beginners because the camera basically flies itself (and it ends up with a very smooth shot).
Tri-directional obstacle sensing and better obstacle avoidance (because we’re beginners and yup, likely to fly it into a tree!).
The camera is better on the DJI 3 versus 2, although that wasn’t the biggest influence for us (we’re not really that expert that we think it’d show in our videos). But with the DJI Mini 3 you can do more things in post processing.
We also wanted a console with the camera view on it versus using a phone connected to the console (one less thing to connect, simpler, and the reviews said better).
We wanted the extra endurance batteries (up to 40 mins flight time versus 20 odd minutes on the standard). Both of these last items you can get on either drone - but it explains why the extra Fly More Package.
We watched lots of great YouTube videos that go into details on the difference (just let me know in the comments if you’d like the links for those or more deets!). So much great useful content out there by drone enthusiasts!
And here’s our VERY FIRST flight in Santa Cruz, and the closest I’ll ever get to a thirst trap video shot by hubs!