What is the least expensive drone available that will shield me from crashing it, which is something I’m sure I’ll do anyway?
The cheapest one I can locate is the DJI mini pro 4, but even that one costs more than $700, and none of DJI’s other models seem to offer “omnidirectional avoidance,” which seems to be what I need.
The DJI Mini 2 SE is a great option for those on a budget. While it lacks object avoidance, you can easily enhance its protection by adding prop guards.
Naturally, adding prop guards will increase the weight beyond the 250g limit, requiring you to register the drone and install a Remote ID (RID) module.
Yes, managing eight cameras and calculating objects for each to achieve an accurate environmental understanding is quite resource-intensive. If you can forego sideways obstacle avoidance, the Mini 3 Pro is a good option. Avoid drones from AliExpress or Wish that claim to have this feature with a rotating camera on top. Numerous YouTube videos demonstrate that these simply do not work at all.
@EthanSkyWhisper How does it function so that it is not sideways? Aren’t you going to crash every time since you fly sideways so much?