Hi everyone, sorry if I’m posting in the wrong place.
I’m looking for a camera drone, but I really only need it to do the simplest task. I just want a drone that can go up 100 feet, hover for a minute or two, and come back down. No fancy features, buttons, zooms, or complicated instructions. Just up, hover, and down.
It needs to have decent image quality, be under 250g, and work without needing a smartphone (no apps needed). It should be able to store video on the drone itself, not requiring any live feed or additional equipment. Honestly, I could fly it without even seeing the camera view since it’s just going to hover in place.
Oh, and did I mention cheap? Seems like every drone out there is packed with more features than I need. I’ve looked at alternatives like kites and balloons, but nothing seems to fit the bill. Does anyone know of something simple and affordable, something like a 1950s-level solution? Any ideas? Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks to everyone for your replies. I haven’t found a perfect solution yet, but it’s been good to explore options. I’m leaning towards low-tech solutions like kites or balloons, though the weather might make them unreliable. I may have to just bite the bullet and get a more expensive drone after Christmas when people are upgrading their gear.
This might seem strange, but you’ll actually end up spending more on drones with autonomous hovering.
A cheap solution could be to build a simple 5” drone that can send video. Just don’t use VRX, and mount a GoPro or phone underneath it. Grab a controller, use angle mode, and give it a try.
It might be tough at first, you’ll probably crash and spend some money, and you need to know how to control the drone safely.
I agree with going for a balloon, but in the long run, a drone might be cheaper than buying all the helium you’d need.
Edit: I did the math. If you used a GoPro (159g), you’d need about 200 liters of helium. Each balloon costs about $15, and a helium tank would set you back $55, giving you about three uses. If you need to do this more than a few times, a drone is a much better deal.
Yes, I want to film what’s below, so a fixed angle downwards would work. No need for it to be adjustable in the air.
The cheapest option could be a balloon with a camera, Arduino, and an SD card.
Building a drone for this purpose would cost about $200, but you’d save money by not needing FPV equipment. You could get a FlySky receiver and transmitter for $50, then create your own video recording solution, which could cost anywhere from $50 to $150.
You’re describing something similar to an aerial photography (AP) drone. 100ft up is pretty high, and things could go off-track up there. Even a decade ago, contractors would use cameras tied to balloons and just hope to get good shots.
Back then, drones like the Phantom and Naza existed but were much less reliable.
You’re right, it seems like no one is making drones without features. A DJI Neo might be priced at $200, but the hardware still does what you need. You can’t really avoid those extra features, as they’re a big part of the design.
If you want to fly ‘blind,’ you’ll either get lucky or waste a lot of time trying to frame the shot again. At 100ft, things can get pretty off-balance, especially with the wind.
Also, any drone that hovers needs sensors and software to make that happen, which adds to the cost. Cheaper drones tend to drift slowly, so they don’t stay in one spot.