It’s 2018 and drones are flying off the shelves. Before trying to stake your claim in this developing genre of aerial photography, still ripe with unexplored possibilities, listen to these sensible reasons why it might all just be a terrible, terrible idea.
In this video, Tony Northrup has a few important words to say about what drone ownership truly is like. While many potential buyers have seen the stunning images shot with drones plastered over social media, there’s a lot more to it going on. One of the points stressed by Northrup is that there’s actually not a lot of places one can fly their drones by law. Additionally, even if a pilot gets the green light, drones should essentially be considered disposable as accidents — human error or otherwise — occur all the time. That’s a lot of money that can be gone in an instant.
Check out the full video above for all of Northrup’s valid points before making a purchase you later regret. What are your own thoughts on drone ownership? Is it all worth it to you in the end? Have you avoided buying one because of any of these reasons? Let us know in the comments below.
Cover photo by Pok Rie via Pexels.
I've felt this way for at least two years...I think we have passed the golden age of drones. Unless you can travel frequently to outlying locations free from regulation or bans it's nearly impossible to make it worthwhile. So many countries are stopping drones right at customs/immigration. I downgraded my Inspire for a Mavic and it works just well enough for the work/leisure I do given restrictions.
An honest post. Well said. I am in agreement with the video. But........I want one, regardless. Grateful I don’t have the budget for one as this time. I think I will go hiking soon, maybe find one of those bilzzilon dollar drones.
All reasons why I don't have a drone.
I still scratch my head at all the drone shots I see repeatedly on Instagram, specifically all over Manhattan, where I have always assumed they would be banned because of liability potential.
I left out one thing in my post: most drone shots these days (within city limits) are likely illegal. Even in Toronto where I am now I see a few that I know are within 5 miles of the three airports in the area.
My son uses one for his photography business and has done quite well with it. One of his really fun shoots was a new oil pipeline on the Louisiana/Texas border. He has requests for drone shots for his wedding shoots as well. He was one of the early adapters and went through the whole FAA thing. He did have one bad episode when one of the blades had a catastrophic failure and sent the thing spiraling into the ground. Luckily, the manufacturer took care of the repairs. The evidence was, of course, captured on video from the drone. :-)
I absolutely love the idea of a drone. I live in the Mountain West of the US and there are literally thousands of square miles in which to fly one. But I just can't shake the feeling of the dread I'd feel if it came crashing down and watching all that money scattered all over the ground. I suppose if I were using it in a money making commercial endeavor that would be different.
But ...
Spot on. It’s been a couple of year that I think about buying a drone, but the law is the one reason I didn't.
I was recently gifted a drone, and have been doing a lot of reading on it. Drone pilots are very limited in where they can fly.
There's a good reason DJI own Hasselblad, and is investing in industrial markets.
I think you should have to pass a test before being allowed to buy one.
Most people are idiots. Odds are good that you're an idiot. Don't buy a drone. It's not a video game. You're not a pilot.
Get an rc car.
"Odds are good that you're an idiot." :-)
Personally, I think your an Idiot, for your stupid statement!
So what most people don’t realize is that you can build a drone from the ground up for pennies on the dollar compared to buying a readymade drone out of the box. “Stunning aerial photography” is honestly just an annoying way for people to get themselves into trouble.
If you want to have a lot of fun and hangout with like minded people I encourage all of you to find a local FPV racing group. In San Antonio we have several dedicated groups that race at different fields with a cash pot every weekend. We also compete with other cities in Texas. Last weekend was the Houston grudge match with 500 dollars and a free set of motors.
In the Whoop races we have 2-3 bars that allow us to set up inside for Sunday Funday races. We all bring bbq for the grill and have a great time together.
FPV racing is really where the fun is bc once you find a good group everyone always has spare parts for when they inevitably crash. You can also get the same kind of video produced by Mavics as you can with a racer.
If your in a big city I’m sure there’s a group of racers that will welcome you with open arms.
Great guys having a great time
While I agree that self-building is cheapish, the reality is that if you want advanced features and ease of use it's pretty hard to turn down DJI.
I used to believe that 3DR would blow DJI away when people found out about them. These days there's no comparison - The features you get from a DJI Spark are amazing for the price. Sure, a self-built will let you attach a much better camera, but that's moving into serious RPAS photography - Not the market that DJI appears to be targeting.
That said, I want to do FPV racing! There's a group not far from me, but not far still means not cheap to get to.
Some of his points are valid but they need more context. The truth is that most people have absolutely no business owning a drone because they have no intention of following the guidelines and rules put in place to keep the general public safe from their idiocy. They expect to unbox it and start immediately creating epic photos/videos. I have an Inspire Pro, a Phantom 4 Pro, and a Mavic that I fly for my photography business. I’m fully insured (liability and replacement) just like any other piece of photography equipment I own. I immediately obtained my FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and once you have that, you can apply for airspace authorizations. I have airspace authorizations all across Georgia that let me fly (with proper notification) almost anywhere, which is great because it has allowed me to add $1500 to $2000 per month in additional income from realtors and business owners, and that’s led to in increase in portrait photography clientele as well. Taking the time to study for the remote pilot exam and obtaining the proper airspace authorizations shows my clients I’m professional and worth the additional cost. The money I’ve made by being responsible and operating inside of the rules has made aerial imagery an incredibly profitable business decision for me.
The title should have been “Don’t buy a drone unless you’re responsible, patient, recognize the risks irresponsible drone flying can pose, and recognize a business opportunity you can capitalize on. But if you do buy one anyway, make sure to subscribe to my channel so I can teach (and sell) you things.”
That’s kind of a long title you suggested here.
Nah, my title is way better.
Ryan Mense, I agree. If you ever need to hire a Chief Bad Title Writing Officer, call me.
Dalthan, I think you hit it spot on the head. Drones aren't the problem, its the way they are operated. We run a service business using drones and we know that these machines are not perfect, they need to be managed and operated with due diligence.
We were so frustrated by the numerous stories of operators either flaunting the rules or maliciously operating their drone in a risky manner, that we wrote this piece encouraging responsible drone operation: https://mydroneservices.com/dont-fly-that-drone-unprotected/
Kudos on being a safe operator and good luck with your business.
Molly
Thanks Molly Rank. Good write up!
Thought it's going to be a typical click bait video but he makes valid points.
I'll fight my neighbors.
Record it with your drone
Love dronea but its just like anything else. People are stupid and do dumb things with them.
Then goverment comes in and makes laws that dam near take the fun out of it.
Kinda funny how un-free we really are
I crashed my FRIEND'S drone on my first piloting attempt. So, there's a way to save some money while causing heartache which is more fun, really. Of course I'm kidding and I paid for new props.
I feel the same way about drones as I do about gimbals and gopros. They're just tools for capture, and if you don't have something epic to capture with them the results are underwhelming. I remember when I got my first gopro and took it out on my motorcycle to get some awesome moto footage. When I reviewed my extreme wideangle video of my warped hands driving sedately through highway traffic I realized that the gopro wasn't going to produce epic shots from my regular life. I've seen the same thing with drone footage and super smooth gimbal shots of nothing special.
As others have pointed out, being responsible can make it possible to fly your drones where others can't. Even if you crash your drone, as long as you don't lose it or crash catastrophically you can usually repair it and fly again.
But most important to me is knowing the story you want to tell, choosing the shot you can make that tells it, and choosing the tools to make that shot. A drone might be the perfect tool. But you could probably also tell that story with something you already have. I've come to appreciate the quality of a good monopod and a ladder to get great birdseye view shots for work.
Kind of silly video. Tony N. Is usually pretty encouraging and helpful in his videos. This was anything but. So what that you can’t fly in NY or LV or Morocco!! That’s no reason to not buy a drone. You might find you have a real talent for it. He wasn’t accurate regarding the rules about national or state parks either. This might be splitting hairs but you aren’t allowed to take off or land in a park. You can fly in their airspace however. On that subject, there are plenty of places you can fly, especially if you have a part 107 certificate. So if you want to learn don’t go buy the most expensive one. It’s going to crash. ( he’s right about that!) learn to fly a cheap one and then move up.
Kinda like: Cars are awesome, but don’t buy one: You can’t drive over certain speeds, you might crash and die, you might run over a dog, you might have to pay insurance(if you want to be legal), etc... I don’t see insurance mandatory for drones, but maybe that will be something Trump will make law, who knows.
Ah, Tony has a new video.
I feel he makes great points about the drawbacks and responsibilities of owning a drone.
For many, they rush into the purchase for emotional reasons and the fact that it extends a gaming-type experience.
For photographers in the right area and with the right training and permits it can be a fun toy.
For business it is another thing altogether. Many real estate photographers offer drone services at frantically cut rate prices as agents want them but don't really want to pay. Many rationalize the purchase as a "must have" to participate in the RE market yet the marginal returns are microscopic once all costs are factored in.
I shoot a lot of high end architecture and on the occasions that a client wants a drone shot I quote prices that reflect real world costs and about 25% go forward. I hire a drone operator with the proper licenses, insurance and skills.
I spent 30+ years refining my ground based stills photography and am still trying to make better images. I am not about to try to do a half assed quick adoption of a new gizmo that is being commoditized by the bottom feeders.
Not every drone is meant to fly in the US. Most countries are drone friendly you know?
I fell for the hype, bought a drone, flew it a couple times then sold it as it became clear to me I'd made a mistake.
The nub of the matter is the move by DJI et al to bring in more casual photographers to drone ownership. Clearly there's a place for professionals owning a drone, but non-pros will probably not be able to get that much of a reward. As a non professional, it may make sense for me to buy a whopping great Canon, but spending a similar amount on a fancy drone would be a waste.
It is apparently a common misunderstanding that drones can’t fly within five miles of an airport. Being within five miles of an airport only triggers certain obligations on the part of the operator in certain circumstances, such as notifying the airport of the planned flight.
Everything you said is true. Here in Missouri, we have many large expansions of land and parks we can fly in. Some within 5 miles of an airport. You have to use your head. I fly in my front and back yard all the time. My neighbors are cool with it. I dont spy on anyone and I share my videos with them. But like you said, not everyone needs a drone and are completely not capable of using their head enough to use one. I have been flying drones for years. Mostly all manual ones. The ones with gps are so much more stable and easy to fly, but like you said, they can go wako once in a while. You have to use your head and always think of what if this thing goes wako. You dont want to be over people, highways, or houses. You have to use your head. :D
All these regulations, and restrictions, and especially National Parks, just about eliminates the desire to have one, I purchased a P3, sold it after one year. Everybody can have Guns, But NOOOoooo, you cant't use a Drone just about anywhere. In the beginning, I was so excited about using a drone for both Video as well as Photos. I bet DJI is not to happy about all the regulations and limitations. Your right on Tony! Sad!
I live in the southern part of my very small country the Netherlands and live in Breda. As you can see, you can hardly fly anywhere in my province. Plus, it is not allowed to fly over buildings, build-up areas, groups of people etc.
All airports are no-fly zones and these are everywhere in my province.