Blue View - Finding the Right Drone
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I’ve been thinking about getting a drone for Marcie’s birthday
We've been thinking about getting a drone for quite a while now. When we were sailing aboard Nine of Cups, it seemed like having a drone would have a number of advantages: we could get some great video shots of Cups under sail; we could reconnoiter a harbor or anchorage prior to entering; we could examine the rigging up close without climbing the mast; and maybe it would even help navigate between all those hard-to-see coral heads in some of the South Pacific atolls we visited. But then reality entered the equation: we rarely sailed in less than fifteen knots of wind - much too much for all but the biggest drones to handle; all those pesky stays and shrouds that hold the mast up would be difficult for the drone (and its clumsy drone pilot) to evade during take-offs and landings; drones only have a flying time of 10-30 minutes, hardly enough time to be useful as a navigational aid; and even the slightest miscalculation would result in that expensive drone ending up in the drink. We decided a drone just wasn't practical on a sailboat.
We're rethinking that decision now that we've adopted our new van and trekking lifestyle. Just think about all the advantages a drone would provide: we could get some great video footage of our van, Blue, in gorgeous, remote locations; ditto video footage of us trekking; and... well, I guess that's about it. And I suppose there are a few disadvantages: most national and state parks, monuments and historical places ban the use of drones; we can only fly it in open areas, precluding its use in forests and narrow trails; and even the smallest drones are more than we'd want to carry on anything more than a day hike. Nevertheless, a new toy has its appeal, and I'm pretty sure Marcie's been secretly wishing for a drone for her big birthday. Since I'd really hate to disappoint her, and I wanted to make sure I got the right one, I began researching the subject.
After reading everything I could find on drones, I came up with a list of "must haves" and "nice to haves":
Camera.
Since the most important function of our drone is to take videos, the camera quality is a key criteria. While a 4k camera would be great, I want at least a 2k camera, and it should be image stabilized. The camera should be controllable from the ground. The better drones stream the video to a handheld display, so you can see what the camera sees.
Flight AI.
The newer, smarter drones have a lot of cool, built-in artificial intelligence. Here's a list of some of the new capabilities. While any and all of them would be great to have, I've starred any that are essential.
Target tracking. The drone can lock onto a target and follow it around - nice for getting footage of someone hiking along a trail, for example.
Return to home*. If the communication link is lost, the battery gets low, or the RTH command is sent to the drone, it will automatically return to the spot it was launched from and land.
Circle. The drone will circle a given spot at a predefined radius.
Automatic take-off and landing. Not sure why this is important... I would hope any pilot can master these two functions.
Hover*. If the controls are in the neutral positions, the drone should hover in place.
Follow a course. By placing waypoints on the displayed map, the drone can be instructed to follow a route.
Obstacle avoidance. Using proximity sensors, the drone will avoid hitting an obstacle in its path. This would be nice if, for example, the target the drone is tracking walks under a tree or telephone wire.
Cost.
Drones typically cost anywhere between $50 to $5000, although a professional cinematic quality drone can cost much more. The low end ones have very low camera quality and few features. I set our upper limit at $400. (I'm sure Marcie would have agreed, but I didn't want to spoil the birthday surprise.)
Portability.
Since we'd be stowing it in Blue and carrying it in a backpack, portability and size are important. Many of the newer drones fold up and stow in a protective carrying case.
And the winner is...
The DJI Spark. The reviews were good and it met or exceeded all my criteria. Unfortunately, between the time I did my research and got around to placing an order, the tariffs on drones went into effect, and the new price of the Spark was well above my upper limit. In fact, all the drones I was considering went up in price by 25%. Ouch! I compromised on a Holy Stone HS720, a drone just introduced this summer. It lacks some of the features of the Spark, and the camera isn't quite as good, but the compromises were reasonable and the price was acceptable.
I'll be learning how to fly it this week. I'll let you know how I did in next week's Blue View, unless I crash it or it flies off over the horizon - in which case the subject will never be discussed again.