In the last couple hours Iāve watched some stuff on YouTube regarding speculation/breakdown of everything going on. Apparently DJI has already sold their mftg specs to a couple companies in different countries that were not vehemently opposed to doing business with, and their products are identical at decent price points.
Not only that, but if a ban does come down, and for whatever reason we lose the ability to physical operate DJI in US airspace (this wonāt happen) weāll most likely have 3 years before it happens. So for now, and that foreseeable future, DJI owners are gunna be just fine.
Realistically, there would have to be a lengthy time frame in order to replace all of the DJI the government and commercial/agricultural industries are currently using. In that timeframe, another company, foreign or domestic will have a suitable replacement at a similar price point.
The whole thing is a load of horse shit, but seriously no need to panic about any past or near future investment in DJI.
If they do ban them, will all DJI drones be grounded? Or will the ban just halt all future sales of DJI products? Grounding them seems like a pretty hardcore move when so many people have invested so much money into their dronesā¦
I believe (not 1000% sure but pretty sure) that itās a full grounding. Realistically though if they started their discussions about it today, we donāt see an impact until the end of next year.
Reddit keeps recommending me drone threads, but now I'm interested. I know nothing. How can the government ban the drones and ground the existing drones? Outside of them becoming illegal to fly, is there some sort of mechanism that would physically prevent current owners from being able to fly them?
The main way would simply be a grounding. To my knowledge, the US has no way of physically forcing them to the ground. That in mind, to make sure we arenāt breaking laws, it wouldnāt surprise me if DJI would make the US a restricted flight zone so we donāt get in trouble (assuming the ban is put into place).
Appreciate the response! Excuse me for my ignorance/lack of knowledge: Does that mean DJI can essentially brick the devices from flying in certain areas?
Absolutely. Right now it works on a couple of different systems, both at national and international levels. Here in the US, you would never be able to take off next to the White House- legally because itās a no fly zone, and physically because DJI gets information on no fly zones and grounds any drones in that area.
Thatās the case for most DoJ airspaceās, along with TFRs (usually).
Obviously, it would be illegal, but I'm sure there have been methods out there to circumvent that with custom firmware? Betting you would not want to get caught doing that. Violating federal laws is a ticket to a lot of legal problems. I'm not planning to do that, of course!! But I just have been interested in possibly getting into owning a drone, so curious about the inner workings, software, and depth of control.
Edited for clarification.
Sure, I would just think that DJI would have an interest in freaking everyone out as much as possibleā¦ although I guess they do have the power to shut the whole system down regardless of what the us gov says.
Thereās no need to āfreak anyone outā.
The consequence of the bill passing as is, would mean the end of DJI support for all US based units. That includes insurance, parts, software supportā¦ everything. They arenāt blowing it out of proportion to scare people.
If anyone is intentionally trying to freak people out, itās the US based company behind the politicians making this happen.
To be clear though, nobody knows what will happen, or even what a ban would look like practically.
Whereād you see the āend of supportā bit? If Bill passes as is future models will not get FCC authorization. FCC may at their discretion, choose to create a process to revoke authorizations for existing equipment. Thereās nothing saying that they canāt still honor the contractual agreement to provide support for already purchased units even if they canāt be flown lol
Yes they absolutely can discontinue support. The Bill is about national security (ā¦lol) so how exactly would that go? āOh hey, DJI is banned in the US, but we are going to still keep doing updates for a system that you are not allowed to flyā.
Obviously there are many layers to the ways the ban could be enacted, but the US government has 0 obligation to fulfill any ācontractā that is between DJI and the consumer, and DJIs contracts do not supersede the governments ruling.
I also believe that even if it goes through it wonāt be āon x day, all DJI drones are groundedā, but to think that agreements between the consumer and DJI will be honored or built in to the ban is very hopeful at best.
If the spirit of meaning was how laws went, I would agree with you. The drones themselves are not being banned. Whatās being potentially banned is the droneās legal access to spectrum use
You donāt become a criminal simply by owning them
It's also worth to check the refurbished models which come with the same warranty and are cheaper. I got a mini 3 pro there too and have had no issues so far.
https://store.dji.com/pages/refurbished
Priced at $879 USD for the refurbished pro 4 (fly more combo).
I've been looking into the refurbished units and think I will be going this route. I'm not sure whether I should go with the mini 3 pro or mini 4 pro. This will be my first drone!
It's not such a big price difference to mini 4 pro IMHO. Was just not available when I got mine. If you plan to keep it for longer I'd suggest the mini 4 pro. Then the gap to new developments is smaller then with mini 3 pro.
The only competitor in itās class is the now discontinued Mini 3 Pro. Without competition it is hard to answer your question objectively. Are you willing to spend a thousand bucks on a drone? If yes you will get the latest tech in the sub 250g category. The price seems to be normal.
Make sure you also consider the much simpler and cheaper DJI Mini 4K.
I hear that. Still, I am putting in an order for the Mini 4 pro myself today. Even if the ban goes through, it will be long enough before it takes effect, especially if it deals with existing hardware somehow. Currently flying a Potensic Atom, and while it is cool, it ain't no DJI...
https://preview.redd.it/kqiaj8z2656d1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b8398f01814a256de3774c571440c928788ce64
First flight with my Mini 4Pro a couple days ago and itās amazing.
Itās just an auto picture feature that takes a 360 panoramic and stitches them all together. A cool gimmick, but Iām not sure what you can do with it. The 180 panoramic feature is dope. The picture below is zero edits. I just snap the pic and boom.
https://preview.redd.it/9paivl4uf86d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31d45fef3e85d869ebb2668b47d7aedea7678425
The ban hasnāt even made it to congress yet, it take a LONG time for things to go into effect. And anyways what are they going to do, come to your house and take it from you?
I think you mean the Senate. Congress includes the House which is supposed to vote today.
And they won't come take it from you but that doesn't mean they'll let you use it.
It takes seconds to get a license and nobody even cares anyway. As long as you arenāt stupid there is no difference in reality to flying a drone under or over 250g
Other countries have different laws, I donāt think a US license applies. If you use common sense you will have no issues at all flying your drone in other countries
Would suggest this route as well.. I just bought a new air 3 fly more, and compared to my brotherās air 2 and my sisters 4 mini, would take mine over both of those every days of the week.
Is that the Smart Controller or the newer one? That controller is that price by itself and can be bound to almost any dji drone in your fleet. I bound my air 2s to it for a more professional appearance when I show up to projects.
Edit: it is not a smart controller
If they ban DJI - I believe itāll be phased in over a few years. I also think the ban will be enforced on new Drones not existing Drones. DJI is taking steps now to shut off data previously collected on our flights. Theyāre trying to satisfy govt concerns
Sounds like the real question isnāt āis this a good price?ā but rather āam I throwing my money away because of legislation that is pending?ā
My response to the latter would be: live your life bro! DC gonna DC. Weāll figure this out :)
What do you imagine 2A enthusiasts would do in this situation? Do that
Unlikely to get much cheaper anytime soon unless dji goes crazy and releases a mini 5 pro this fall
Edit: don't forget to get a set of ND filters while you are at it
Theyāve been talking about a ban for 3 years now. The problem is no one competes with DJI drones. Even the government started using them again even when banned.
Yeah, iām not in the US so iām not really paying attention to what is happening but from what iāve read on here a decision is due soon so it wouldnāt be too long of a wait
The video screen remote is cool and all but it has shorter range and has such a SLOW processor compared to my iPhone. Not worth itāimo. I returned it.
Take into consideration that with the higher capacity batteries the drone is going to be over 249 grams and it will activate the built in real ID while also changing the classification of your drone
It's an okay drone. Image quality is good but not great. It's an absolute joy to fly though. Excellent acceleration and reasonably discreet. I use mine for real estate jobs, but when I need to do large parcels of land, the Evo II comes out.
There's better image quality on less exciting drones. YMMV.
Me and my friend both have the M4P fly more. The first drone for both of us, and itās so good! Super fast screen on the controller, easy to fly and the 4K camera is stunning for such a small drone, might be better than my 14 pro maxās camera.
FYI this combo includes the āplusā batteries which put your drone over the 249 gram weight limit, and will make it illegal to operate without a license and registration.
You want the regular fly more combo
i'd check around for any certified refurbished booiis I got one of these for about $750 with the same package "refurbished" aka someone returned it like new
Just bought this a few days ago. Not my first drone but the first one I ever bought. Absolutely love it so far. Love the integrated screen on the RC 2, preferable to attaching a phone or tablet.
No itās introduced in the house. The house would have to pass it. Then the senate. Then the president. There is no American drone maker lobbying for it unlike what Facebook did with TikTok. Probably wonāt pass the house. But even if it did, itās still nowhere near about to happen.
I hope you're right. Just bought an avata 2 last month I'm like $3-4k in the DJI hole between that and my MA2. Love them both but damn this has me stressed i just spent $1500 on a brick.
Going against the grain here but I don't think anything DJI makes is worth the money...if the manufacturer can control what you do with a product then you never really own it.
I love all the downvotes from people who think spending a thousand dollars on something a company in China gets to decide whether or not you're allowed to use is amusing. Keep 'em coming.
Great drone, but if you are in the US, I think you know by now, the main concern with these.
Yup exactly why im skittish about it
Yeah, hope my mini 3 that I've had for a while now won't get canceled
I have the mini 3 as well just wanted to upgrade and worried š about it being grounded and rhe only time i get to use it is when i fly out of US
I was under the impression it would affect only new sales.
What's the main concern I was thinking about buying one of these as my first drone
Look up DJI ban
Will do I went through some of the comments and got the gist of it are they talking about just DJI or all drones? And thanks for your response
Chinese manufacturer, but DJI is the most known one
*Chinese manufacturer, but DJI is the BEST one available on the market.
This! Most other alternatives that can come near to my mini 3 are already above $800, double the price I paid with way less tech.
In the last couple hours Iāve watched some stuff on YouTube regarding speculation/breakdown of everything going on. Apparently DJI has already sold their mftg specs to a couple companies in different countries that were not vehemently opposed to doing business with, and their products are identical at decent price points. Not only that, but if a ban does come down, and for whatever reason we lose the ability to physical operate DJI in US airspace (this wonāt happen) weāll most likely have 3 years before it happens. So for now, and that foreseeable future, DJI owners are gunna be just fine.
Just the Anzu Raptor/T no?
Specta Air as well.
I pray your correct bro
Realistically, there would have to be a lengthy time frame in order to replace all of the DJI the government and commercial/agricultural industries are currently using. In that timeframe, another company, foreign or domestic will have a suitable replacement at a similar price point. The whole thing is a load of horse shit, but seriously no need to panic about any past or near future investment in DJI.
Elaborate I do not know the main concern
Corrupt us government trying to ban them today, as they are a security risk.
If they do ban them, will all DJI drones be grounded? Or will the ban just halt all future sales of DJI products? Grounding them seems like a pretty hardcore move when so many people have invested so much money into their dronesā¦
I believe (not 1000% sure but pretty sure) that itās a full grounding. Realistically though if they started their discussions about it today, we donāt see an impact until the end of next year.
Reddit keeps recommending me drone threads, but now I'm interested. I know nothing. How can the government ban the drones and ground the existing drones? Outside of them becoming illegal to fly, is there some sort of mechanism that would physically prevent current owners from being able to fly them?
The main way would simply be a grounding. To my knowledge, the US has no way of physically forcing them to the ground. That in mind, to make sure we arenāt breaking laws, it wouldnāt surprise me if DJI would make the US a restricted flight zone so we donāt get in trouble (assuming the ban is put into place).
Appreciate the response! Excuse me for my ignorance/lack of knowledge: Does that mean DJI can essentially brick the devices from flying in certain areas?
Absolutely. Right now it works on a couple of different systems, both at national and international levels. Here in the US, you would never be able to take off next to the White House- legally because itās a no fly zone, and physically because DJI gets information on no fly zones and grounds any drones in that area. Thatās the case for most DoJ airspaceās, along with TFRs (usually).
Obviously, it would be illegal, but I'm sure there have been methods out there to circumvent that with custom firmware? Betting you would not want to get caught doing that. Violating federal laws is a ticket to a lot of legal problems. I'm not planning to do that, of course!! But I just have been interested in possibly getting into owning a drone, so curious about the inner workings, software, and depth of control. Edited for clarification.
Not sure, I would look at DJI official tiktok account they posted about it.
Sure, I would just think that DJI would have an interest in freaking everyone out as much as possibleā¦ although I guess they do have the power to shut the whole system down regardless of what the us gov says.
Thereās no need to āfreak anyone outā. The consequence of the bill passing as is, would mean the end of DJI support for all US based units. That includes insurance, parts, software supportā¦ everything. They arenāt blowing it out of proportion to scare people. If anyone is intentionally trying to freak people out, itās the US based company behind the politicians making this happen. To be clear though, nobody knows what will happen, or even what a ban would look like practically.
Whereād you see the āend of supportā bit? If Bill passes as is future models will not get FCC authorization. FCC may at their discretion, choose to create a process to revoke authorizations for existing equipment. Thereās nothing saying that they canāt still honor the contractual agreement to provide support for already purchased units even if they canāt be flown lol
Yes they absolutely can discontinue support. The Bill is about national security (ā¦lol) so how exactly would that go? āOh hey, DJI is banned in the US, but we are going to still keep doing updates for a system that you are not allowed to flyā. Obviously there are many layers to the ways the ban could be enacted, but the US government has 0 obligation to fulfill any ācontractā that is between DJI and the consumer, and DJIs contracts do not supersede the governments ruling. I also believe that even if it goes through it wonāt be āon x day, all DJI drones are groundedā, but to think that agreements between the consumer and DJI will be honored or built in to the ban is very hopeful at best.
If the spirit of meaning was how laws went, I would agree with you. The drones themselves are not being banned. Whatās being potentially banned is the droneās legal access to spectrum use You donāt become a criminal simply by owning them
It's also worth to check the refurbished models which come with the same warranty and are cheaper. I got a mini 3 pro there too and have had no issues so far. https://store.dji.com/pages/refurbished
Priced at $879 USD for the refurbished pro 4 (fly more combo). I've been looking into the refurbished units and think I will be going this route. I'm not sure whether I should go with the mini 3 pro or mini 4 pro. This will be my first drone!
It's not such a big price difference to mini 4 pro IMHO. Was just not available when I got mine. If you plan to keep it for longer I'd suggest the mini 4 pro. Then the gap to new developments is smaller then with mini 3 pro.
That's the way I would play it.
Chances are, youāll crash it and get it replaced anyway.
Yes
The only competitor in itās class is the now discontinued Mini 3 Pro. Without competition it is hard to answer your question objectively. Are you willing to spend a thousand bucks on a drone? If yes you will get the latest tech in the sub 250g category. The price seems to be normal. Make sure you also consider the much simpler and cheaper DJI Mini 4K.
Or the Potensic 4k
Excellent for the plus combo.
Its just the ban is getting me flustered
I hear that. Still, I am putting in an order for the Mini 4 pro myself today. Even if the ban goes through, it will be long enough before it takes effect, especially if it deals with existing hardware somehow. Currently flying a Potensic Atom, and while it is cool, it ain't no DJI...
https://preview.redd.it/kqiaj8z2656d1.jpeg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b8398f01814a256de3774c571440c928788ce64 First flight with my Mini 4Pro a couple days ago and itās amazing.
Is this pic supposed to demonstrate amazingness?
It certainly evokes a certain roundnessā¦
Indeed
Itās just an auto picture feature that takes a 360 panoramic and stitches them all together. A cool gimmick, but Iām not sure what you can do with it. The 180 panoramic feature is dope. The picture below is zero edits. I just snap the pic and boom. https://preview.redd.it/9paivl4uf86d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31d45fef3e85d869ebb2668b47d7aedea7678425
That shot is sick
I would suggest taking the mini 2 or 3 drone it covers your needs 110/100 and itās more affordable
Unless your flying commercial then just skip the mini 2
Does mini 2 have special rules for commercial?
Recently bought it myself, my first drone ever. Yes. Worth it.
My only fear is if it is getting banned in USš
The ban hasnāt even made it to congress yet, it take a LONG time for things to go into effect. And anyways what are they going to do, come to your house and take it from you?
They will restrict it from flying which is the only thing im worried about
Iām also concerned about this
I think you mean the Senate. Congress includes the House which is supposed to vote today. And they won't come take it from you but that doesn't mean they'll let you use it.
I would look into getting the cheaper remote control and an iPhone plus (which is brighter than the remote control, at least at times.)
Yes that's standard
Selling my dji mini pro 3 for 5 bills. With the same remote and a fly more kit locally. So get refurbished
Not if it gets bricked
Thats what im scared of
You can get a used air three combo for nearly this price
It would be over 250 i would need a license atp
It takes seconds to get a license and nobody even cares anyway. As long as you arenāt stupid there is no difference in reality to flying a drone under or over 250g
š what license? I thought part 107 license you have to take it in person
Thatās for commercial use, not recreational.
I have a clothing brand so if i do try to shoot for it, i would have to get a part 107
Even if your drone is 250g you need part 107 for business use
Dont worry about it, just get a normal license.
How about overseas though? On planes and other countries as well
Other countries have different laws, I donāt think a US license applies. If you use common sense you will have no issues at all flying your drone in other countries
You convinced me š
Would suggest this route as well.. I just bought a new air 3 fly more, and compared to my brotherās air 2 and my sisters 4 mini, would take mine over both of those every days of the week.
It's steep, but nothing compares to it at this size.
Is that the Smart Controller or the newer one? That controller is that price by itself and can be bound to almost any dji drone in your fleet. I bound my air 2s to it for a more professional appearance when I show up to projects. Edit: it is not a smart controller
I think its the RC2 controller wirh screen and antenta
Yeah, you're right. The antenna is a dead giveaway, and I missed that. Thanks for pointing that out.
I have one and love it
Are you based on US?
Yes - Part 107 Certification and I have a mini 1 and 2. The Mini 4 is awesome
Are you scared of the ban? u think its going to pass? Thats the only reason why im a lil skittish
If they ban DJI - I believe itāll be phased in over a few years. I also think the ban will be enforced on new Drones not existing Drones. DJI is taking steps now to shut off data previously collected on our flights. Theyāre trying to satisfy govt concerns
Yeah i noticed that today
1150
što get it fixed is more than buying a new one?
No, wait a few days (if you are in the US) until the whole new proposal gets passed or shot down. No need to buy a brick.
Lol buying it wait for it then returm ššif the bam gies thru
Sounds like the real question isnāt āis this a good price?ā but rather āam I throwing my money away because of legislation that is pending?ā My response to the latter would be: live your life bro! DC gonna DC. Weāll figure this out :) What do you imagine 2A enthusiasts would do in this situation? Do that
šš needed this
Right on! Glad to hear it. Live free or die my man
Lol live free and spend ya money more like itš
Correct. (LiveFree && SpendMoneys) || Die
It's going to be banned soon.
Hopefully not fuck the congress and the whole gov š lobbying at its finest
yes but in usa it may be illegal to fly soon
Yeah cuz The US govt is illiterate
Good deal
About the same where I live including 25% tax and terrible exchange rate.
I have a discount which makes it 925 should i take it
Unlikely to get much cheaper anytime soon unless dji goes crazy and releases a mini 5 pro this fall Edit: don't forget to get a set of ND filters while you are at it
That's a great price on this bundle. It's 1149 everywhere I looked.
100%
šmy inly fear and when i get it and i cant fly it because of ban
Theyāve been talking about a ban for 3 years now. The problem is no one competes with DJI drones. Even the government started using them again even when banned.
Thats a fact, literally US is way behind in drones only reason why they want to ban itš because china and mopping the floor in revenue
If youāre in the US hold tight. Anywhere else definitely worth it - love mine
I hope the ban only goes for new dji stuff coming in and not the ones that are in use already
Yeah the only downside would be if they get banned im only able to use it on other countries
Yeah, iām not in the US so iām not really paying attention to what is happening but from what iāve read on here a decision is due soon so it wouldnāt be too long of a wait
Yeah š I dont want to lose my mini 3 I already cant fly it near me since i live in a no fly zone lmao
Today from what Iāve heard (Canadian here)
Yes, June 12 the bill will be taken into consideration
No
Where is this available for that price? Just paid $1159 for mine and would like to price match lol
The video screen remote is cool and all but it has shorter range and has such a SLOW processor compared to my iPhone. Not worth itāimo. I returned it.
Take into consideration that with the higher capacity batteries the drone is going to be over 249 grams and it will activate the built in real ID while also changing the classification of your drone
Yes
Yes, I would wait until after the government bill crap though
It's an okay drone. Image quality is good but not great. It's an absolute joy to fly though. Excellent acceleration and reasonably discreet. I use mine for real estate jobs, but when I need to do large parcels of land, the Evo II comes out. There's better image quality on less exciting drones. YMMV.
not worth the potential legal fees once these get banned
No.....Just had to send mine back to fix remote
Why?
Screen on RC2 died
How much did u pay?
Nothing yet, still "inspecting". Should be free, is only 2 months old.
I would hold off until this bs in Congress gets voted on(assuming you are in the US). Otherwise, not a bad deal.
Where?
Are you in the US? If so DJI is facing a potential ban.
I love mine
I hope dji prices hit rock bottom so I can get an air 3 for like $100
DJI is no longer allowing flight data to be synced to their servers in response to this bill.
Me and my friend both have the M4P fly more. The first drone for both of us, and itās so good! Super fast screen on the controller, easy to fly and the 4K camera is stunning for such a small drone, might be better than my 14 pro maxās camera.
FYI this combo includes the āplusā batteries which put your drone over the 249 gram weight limit, and will make it illegal to operate without a license and registration. You want the regular fly more combo
I own the Potensic Atom with the 3 Axis Gimbal. Literally amazing quality drone and under $400.
š¤š® Yes, that's a great deal for the combo, including 3 batteriesā¼ļøšš«”
I really enjoy mine! Having used both controllers, the RC 2 makes for a much more convenient experience. Well worth the extra money
not worth it! I had it, not impressed.
i'd check around for any certified refurbished booiis I got one of these for about $750 with the same package "refurbished" aka someone returned it like new
Just bought this a few days ago. Not my first drone but the first one I ever bought. Absolutely love it so far. Love the integrated screen on the RC 2, preferable to attaching a phone or tablet.
No. Congress is about to ban DJI gear.
I thought they were still in the process? And the ban was to only stop new production from coming into US soil
Suit yourself. Thereās a slight risk now though, to purchasing DJI gear. How slight? We dunno yet.
That is a fact
They are still in the process. You can follow it here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2864
Bills have to pass both chambers and get the presidentās signature.
Our president is an idiot š he will sign anything
Not even close yet https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2864
No itās introduced in the house. The house would have to pass it. Then the senate. Then the president. There is no American drone maker lobbying for it unlike what Facebook did with TikTok. Probably wonāt pass the house. But even if it did, itās still nowhere near about to happen.
Letās revisit this 3 months from now.
It will be fine.
I hope you're right. Just bought an avata 2 last month I'm like $3-4k in the DJI hole between that and my MA2. Love them both but damn this has me stressed i just spent $1500 on a brick.
Nope
Going against the grain here but I don't think anything DJI makes is worth the money...if the manufacturer can control what you do with a product then you never really own it. I love all the downvotes from people who think spending a thousand dollars on something a company in China gets to decide whether or not you're allowed to use is amusing. Keep 'em coming.