I'm going on a trip and would really like to buy a drone to take with me.
How far away (time) is your trip and how are you getting there? Traveling with them can be difficult if you're flying. You'll need to carry all the batteries with you in the cabin, ideally discharged to around 30%. This isn't actually
enforced (state of charge), but it's a really good idea and matches air shipping requirements on batteries.
Are they easy to use/fly? I know this may sound silly but I'm thinking of buying a used one, using it for my trip, and then putting it back for sale on eBay or Craigslist once I return. If this model is more complex and it isn't a good idea for a beginner to use I don't want to bother as I don't want to crash/damage it and not be able to resell it if that's what I choose to do.
They are "easy to fly" in some ways ("keeping it in the center of the sky"), but that doesn't mean you'll get any particularly interesting footage. There's the basic art of flying them safely, and then the much harder art of understanding how to compose shots and fly in a manner that leads to interesting footage or photos. That takes practice - I'd say a week or two of pretty consistent flying (several times a day) should get you to a level where you're somewhat competent with the whole filming thing. Then there's the post-processing and such that goes into making good videos, which is another set of skills.
Do you have a phone or tablet that is compatible with the Phantom 3's interface? The consumer DJI drones rely on an attached phone for a
lot of functionality - they're basically useless without one (you can fly a bit, but you can't focus, range is seriously limited, etc).
Otherwise I'll forget the drone idea and just get a GoPro Hero 4 videocam.
That's probably a better idea. I've got a pair of GoPro Hero 4 Silvers that I love for random video work. Much easier to learn as well.
I will definitely check out the laws...I know you have to register the device as well.
That's sort of up in the air right now. A court struck down the registration requirement for hobbyist use, which presumably is relevant here, but you'll still need to comply with applicable local laws. You still need to register them for commercial use.
I guess the GoPro would be less hassle and a sure quick/easy re-sell....
Yup.
I need to stop watching these drone videos....
For the most part, any impressive drone video you see is violating half a dozen or more applicable regulations about drone operation. The big ones are that the drone has to remain in visual line of sight (unaided) and below 400' above ground level, unless you're within 400' of a structure, then you can fly to 400' over the structure (this allows them to be legally used for tower inspections and the like). I see those violated... oh, pretty much always. At least based on my experience with maintaining line of sight to a small flying thing.
Thanks. I'm seeing the Mavic is more expensive though. Video quality definitely looks good.
The Mavic's video quality is a bit less than some of the larger drones, but it folds down into an insanely compact little package for transport. You can fit the drone, controller, and three batteries into a bag that's smaller than a film camera bag. You just pay a bit of a price in video quality compared to the Phantom 4, and it doesn't have all direction obstacle detection (forward only).