The Adventures Of Choosing A Drone

I was first interested in purchasing a drone when I wanted to add some unique flare to my resume portfolio while finishing up my college degree. Little did I know going in that drones are actually pretty complex to not only fly but to understand on a technical standpoint. It's not just turn it on, record and fly, it takes practice, accuracy and an eye for detail while being in a grounded position. I first began researching drones and discovered DJI Phantoms were the best entry level video drones, they offered great quality for not only the video but also the drone. Although they are entry level they are still pretty pricey so this was going to be a large investment and I better know what I'm doing. After researching and comparing different types of drones I finally decided to go with the Phantom Vision. I jumped on Ebay and took a look, they run around $700 from DJI dealers as a new product and around $500 used and possibly a little beat up. Surely I could do better. I turned to Craigslist and found a brand new sealed drone for $500. I was going to go for it. A sketchy Craigslist deal for a brand new $500 drone, I contacted the individual and drove out to meet them with a friend. Of course, I was hesitant the entire time but everything went smoothly even with $500 on the line. I mad sure everything was there, opened up the box and everything. I actually gave the guy the money first but held onto his car keys before the transaction was complete so he couldn't easily scurry off with my money. Flying a Phantom is actually pretty difficult, it has two sticks the left one controlling the height and rotation while the right controls the normal directions, left, right, up, down etc. It took me some practice before I was flying high and trying to actually compose some nice shots. You will crash your drone. Be prepared for that, because it will definitely happen. However, do not worry as it is very sturdy and 9/10 times it will be alright and ready to fly again. It will take practice, but you will get it.  I recommend visiting following the DJI links in order to compare, fly, learn to manage your drone:

http://www.dji.com/products/compare-phantom
https://www.reddit.com/r/djiphantom
https://www.reddit.com/r/dji/