Hey guys, I'm somewhat new to this blog but looking for information to purchase the RIGHT UAS. I'm the type of person who will spend the money ONE time to buy the right one.
Ok, I'd stop right there. Drone technology is changing really fast at the moment, with new models coming out every six months from different manufacturers. Whatever you buy will be 'last generation' very quickly, so you won't get "the perfect drone". You must be prepared to live with that, and to accept the limitations of your machine.
It's also worth saying that if you're a photographer, you'll be disappointed with the camera. Unless you spend $3000 upwards, you're limited to a camera built by companies that specialise in building aircraft. That means limited controls, fixed lenses and all that comes with it. On top of that, controlling a camera at a distance is a pain, so there's a **** of a learning curve to getting good results.
All that said, drones are a lot of fun and open up a lot of creative opportunities. If you're looking at Yuneec, you'll find a smart, robust platform that handles really well, has a lot of smart modes and produces very stable, smooth footage. The 360 degree gimbal is a high point, and features like 'one touch panorama' make full use of it.. Unless you plan to fly in confined space, or use 'follow me' amongst obstacles, there's no strong reason to buy the pro model, which adds RealSense obstacle avoidance. You should be able to upgrade to that later. The Wizard is a very unobtrusive hand held remote that also has Follow/Watch Me and works when you go behind objects or are in crowds, unlike the vision based systems some drones use. The camera is a match for any other $1000 drone right now, though it went through some teething stages.
Remember also that CES is just around the corner - I'd expect there to be more announcements between now and then for upgrades and new models.
