Should I Buy

[Skijosh]

i am a novice drone pilot.

I've owned a parrot drone in the past and was always waiting to upgrade.

I had my eye on a 3DR solo for the last 18 months. Always liked the DJI phantom 3 as well, but liked the fact that 3DR worked with my GoPro.

Now the 3DR has dropped to a price I can actually afford, $349 with a gimbal.

Should I buy it now that 3DR is going under? Anything I should be concerned about as far as future support is concerned? Is open source a benefit if 3DR goes under?

Would love everyone's opinion. Price point is low enough I'm almost pulling the trigger, but don't know the downsides

 

[Skijosh]

i am a novice drone pilot.

I've owned a parrot drone in the past and was always waiting to upgrade.

I had my eye on a 3DR solo for the last 18 months. Always liked the DJI phantom 3 as well, but liked the fact that 3DR worked with my GoPro.

Now the 3DR has dropped to a price I can actually afford, $349 with a gimbal.

Should I buy it now that 3DR is going under? Anything I should be concerned about as far as future support is concerned? Is open source a benefit if 3DR goes under?

Would love everyone's opinion. Price point is low enough I'm almost pulling the trigger, but don't know the downsides

As an aside...alternate would be a DJI Phantom 2 with a GoPro Gimbal for the same price. Seems inferior.

I'd really like a mavic, but seems stupid for 3x the Price.

 

[andrew.baker.142]

Skijosh
Welcome to the forum!
There are many new threads like this with the exact same question. Do a quick search, faster than me trying to type on my iPhone.
Short answer is yes! Solo is an incredible value right now!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BonsaiGuy]

Unfortunately you missed the deal for the week. They went back up to $500. I do recommend picking one up if/when they do drop in price. Fantastic drone.

 

[evangelionhd]

Hopefully you bought it yesterday because today s price is way higher

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

 

[JB Slimp]

I have a BRAND NEW SOLO package w Gimbal , extra batteries and props all in the 3DR backpack --- FREE SHIPPING. Contact me if interested it's a lot less than Best Buy with NO TAX.

I ALSO HAVE another NEW SOLO basic package BRAND NEW in box.

I picked up 4 for me and 2 extra over the holidays!
These things are amazing!

JB

 

[Skijosh]

I ended up picking up the Solo at Amazon for $298 + Gimbal $59 + Extra Battery $49 .. all in I am at $399...

I'd love to get the $349 deal but decided to buy from Amazon and sit on whatever is shipped to me for a few days to see if the BestBuy price drops again.

JB Slimp - This means I may be interested if your price is low enough

 

[KrisTheAJ]

Hi mate, I also upgraded from a parrot AR drone to a solo and have never looked back or been happier with the purchase, I also paid well above the current price for solo but are not concerned. Regardless of what happens to 3DR, Solo in my opinion is still the best and most capable consumer drone on the market. You already have a gopro so you are ahead there also, so take advantage of the great offers out there, get a solo and have a blast. I have had mine for 6 months and have not had any fault. Compared to the AR drone, Solo is child's play to fly and I was always repairing broken components, not with solo. The only upgrade I am doing to solo is Alfa antennas as I am now confident with my flying skills and wish to fly away and beyond. Cheers

 

[CheapoHeli]

Here's my objective opinion from someone who owns many drones.

Reasons to buy a 3DR today
CHEAP!
CHEAP!
Fun. I regularly fly this drone just to fly it without recording anything. The 3dr can be a surgical tool or a chainsaw. IMO its the closest thing to a do all for a hobbyist.
Well made.. This is a stout well thought out drone.
Fast. Do you want to record alot of fast moving objects. Example I have a boat and a dirt bike I use follow to get video great video @ 40mph.
Open source. Do you want to tinker with it at some point?
Camera modes but a gimbal for an outdated Gopro that will only seem older as time passes. The drone can set you up for "the shot" but sometimes the Gopro may leave you hanging.
Dirt cheap accessories.

Reasons not to buy
Flight time sucks. 20 min advertised and i've never got that with any of my 3 batteries. I have a cheapo XK detect x380(paid 199) that will fly for twice as long(twice as slow though).
Future of 3dr is completely unknown. The company is great while its around but don't count on a warranty in 6 months(obviously I don't care about a warranty because I don't even know how long it is lol)
Parts may become difficult to find(doubt it because electronics become outdated quickly). It's hard to find parts for a Pentium 4 PC but who gives a crap. The drone will outlast it's usefulness.
"Quirky" Mine isn't but people have reported some quirky behavior that could cost you a drone. IMO this is mostly BS because I do believe if you leave settings default and fly carefully you can get 100's of trouble free flights. I've almost lost mine once being overconfident in my abilities and trying acromode(DO NOT FREAKING DO THIS).
You'll need a gopro. Not only that but you'll need a gopro 3 silver, gopro 3 black, gopro 4 silver or gopro 4 black. All of which have been discontinued. I could have bought a Phantom 3 standard once I bought mine(used on ebay BTW). But in the end you have 2 things. I use my Gopro without my drone regularly if not it would be hard to stomach.

If you already have one of the above Gopro's then its a no brainer and you should buy the SOLO today(if on sale).


If you don't really care about "flying" and just want a point and shoot tool for taking video of stuff then buy a Phantom 3 standard(and you also don't want or need a Gopro). This isn't a dig at Phantom because that's what its meant for. The ability to dodge objects and follow me is highly appealing as well but we're talking about a different price point vs the Phantom 3.



Lots of cheerleaders(putting it nicely) here and just trying to make sure you get some sound advice depending on your wants/needs.

 

[BonsaiGuy]

Here's my objective opinion from someone who owns many drones.

Reasons to buy a 3DR today
CHEAP!
CHEAP!
Fun. I regularly fly this drone just to fly it without recording anything. The 3dr can be a surgical tool or a chainsaw. IMO its the closest thing to a do all for a hobbyist.
Well made.. This is a stout well thought out drone.
Fast. Do you want to record alot of fast moving objects. Example I have a boat and a dirt bike I use follow to get video great video @ 40mph.
Open source. Do you want to tinker with it at some point?
Camera modes but a gimbal for an outdated Gopro that will only seem older as time passes. The drone can set you up for "the shot" but sometimes the Gopro may leave you hanging.
Dirt cheap accessories.

Reasons not to buy
Flight time sucks. 20 min advertised and i've never got that with any of my 3 batteries. I have a cheapo XK detect x380(paid 199) that will fly for twice as long(twice as slow though).
Future of 3dr is completely unknown. The company is great while its around but don't count on a warranty in 6 months(obviously I don't care about a warranty because I don't even know how long it is lol)
Parts may become difficult to find(doubt it because electronics become outdated quickly). It's hard to find parts for a Pentium 4 PC but who gives a crap. The drone will outlast it's usefulness.
"Quirky" Mine isn't but people have reported some quirky behavior that could cost you a drone. IMO this is mostly BS because I do believe if you leave settings default and fly carefully you can get 100's of trouble free flights. I've almost lost mine once being overconfident in my abilities and trying acromode(DO NOT FREAKING DO THIS).
You'll need a gopro. Not only that but you'll need a gopro 3 silver, gopro 3 black, gopro 4 silver or gopro 4 black. All of which have been discontinued. I could have bought a Phantom 3 standard once I bought mine(used on ebay BTW). But in the end you have 2 things. I use my Gopro without my drone regularly if not it would be hard to stomach.

If you already have one of the above Gopro's then its a no brainer and you should buy the SOLO today(if on sale).


If you don't really care about "flying" and just want a point and shoot tool for taking video of stuff then buy a Phantom 3 standard(and you also don't want or need a Gopro). This isn't a dig at Phantom because that's what its meant for. The ability to dodge objects and follow me is highly appealing as well but we're talking about a different price point vs the Phantom 3.



Lots of cheerleaders(putting it nicely) here and just trying to make sure you get some sound advice depending on your wants/needs.

I agree with most of this with the exception of the gopro part. The H4 black shoots in 4K and paired with your Solo it's a killer team. The 4 black is more expensive than the 5 because the 4 is more superior.

 

[CheapoHeli]

I agree with most of this with the exception of the gopro part. The H4 black shoots in 4K and paired with your Solo it's a killer team. The 4 black is more expensive than the 5 because the 4 is more superior.

The phantom 3 standard camera compares very well to the Gopro Hero 4 Black.

That would be DJI's entry level drone from one generation ago.

I have the black and the results are typically fantastic but that's the end all be all to this drone which IMO could compete for another generation(in performance/modes but not in the camera department).


Here's a point where i'm sure we can agree.

Most people aren't "4k ready" and we mostly record videos to share. For example i'm on a 1080p laptop with footage I shot today(considered b roll) converting back to 1080 so I can watch it.

1080 looks great and is the format most people watch media right now. It will be awhile before the Black is "outdated" short of direct comparisons @ 4k.

Most of us are techies and ahead of the curve so when I say "you may get the Solo in position only to have the Hero 4 black let you down" I mean it in the snobbiest way possible.

 

[BonsaiGuy]

The phantom 3 standard camera compares very well to the Gopro Hero 4 Black.

That would be DJI's entry level drone from one generation ago.

I have the black and the results are typically fantastic but that's the end all be all to this drone which IMO could compete for another generation(in performance/modes but not in the camera department).


Here's a point where i'm sure we can agree.

Most people aren't "4k ready" and we mostly record videos to share. For example i'm on a 1080p laptop with footage I shot today(considered b roll) converting back to 1080 so I can watch it.

1080 looks great and is the format most people watch media right now. It will be awhile before the Black is "outdated" short of direct comparisons @ 4k.

Most of us are techies and ahead of the curve so when I say "you may get the Solo in position only to have the Hero 4 black let you down" I mean it in the snobbiest way possible.

Fair enough, that's true. I've got 4 Solo's so I've got to defend my birds

 

[Skijosh]

I got home last night and I was stoked to give my new drone its first flight.


Turns out the remote they sent me was defective. Couldn't get the orange light inside the remote to flash (it stayed solid) which indicates the computer inside isn't booting up properly, which usually indicates a loose SD card or wire.

I pulled it apart and everything in the remote was in place and appeared to be functioning properly. So likely a short in one of the circuits.

Anyway. This prompted me to think more in depth about what I am really doing here.

I missed the deal where the entire package, including the backpack was $349, so I paid $288 for the drone, $68 for the gimbal, $52 for an extra battery. I would still have to pay $100 for a backpack if I wanted one (and once the drone arrived and I realized how big it actually is, I decided I really needed a backpack. So I was in $500.

Additionally, I was starting to realize that I wasn't going to be happy with my 3+ Black, and I'd have to upgrade to the Hero 4 black. Selling my 3+ Black to get a 4 Black on eBay was going to set me back an additional $150. Of course this part was optional, but I was now going to be pushing $650 just to be happy with the purchase.

Then I started thinking about use cases. I really like to film when I travel. I'll link a few of my travel videos at the bottom of this post so you can see what I mean. But because I film in that way, I'd really like a more compact drone I can take with me. I started thinking about the Mavic. In the next few months it will be possible to get your hands on the mavic for $899 without an extra battery. Used and Refurbished models will be hitting for $699-$799.

I don't have any trips where I'd like to use the drone coming up until May. Of course I'll be sacrificing winter usage, backcountry skiing, etc. But there was no way I was going to go backcountry skiing with the 3DR anyway, too big.

So I decided to send the drone back and not order a new one. If Best buy drops the price to $349 again for the entire package I may decide to buy again, but for the price I paid it just didn't seem worth it when the Mavic was just slightly more.

I'll keep following to decide if I should buy again with another price drop, but for now I'm gonna sit tight and maybe will end up with a Mavic in the spring.

 

[goku9384]

The $300 package deal is back at best buy go get it.

 

[Skijosh]

The $300 package deal is back at best buy go get it.

Thanks for the heads up. I bought it. Hopefully controller works on this one.

 

[Jameson]

Getting Solo is one of the best deals in terms of what you get for your $!
No where you will find more discounted product with a good quality, so even if you don't get the best deal, you should know that it is a win win.

 

[Maxheadspace]

You can have defects with any product, so I wouldn't judge solo based on the one problem you experienced. I have two now, plus a Phantom 3 Standard (and its camera is NOT the equivalent of a Hero 4 Black), as well as a QR X350 Pro, and four scratch built 450 to 500 size quadcopters with Pixhawk brains, I can say the Solo is an amazing, well thought out quadcopter. It is easily as good as a Phantom 3 Standard, and although not as many bells and whistles as the Phantom 4, it is $600 to $700 cheaper. When Best Buy drops the price to $299 for the package, there is no deal better. I don't think you will be unhappy. (My tip: always wait for 10 satellites.) Have fun flying!

 

[quickamg]

As an aside...alternate would be a DJI Phantom 2 with a GoPro Gimbal for the same price. Seems inferior.

I'd really like a mavic, but seems stupid for 3x the Price.

The phantom 3 advanced was just on sale for $549. Cheaper than the solo if you don't have a GoPro.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Aflyingman]

Phantom 4 pro and the inspire 2 are the only new drones out there that can go head to head with the hardware against the solo. Both are well above $1000. The solo is a steal right now. If you are a tinkerer, it is a much more versatile platform going forward. If you want something that will have continued support commercially, in both software and hardware, go with the Most expensive phantom you can afford. DJI is like apple in the sense that rather than focus on upgrades for their products, they come out with a new iteration every year. And just like apple, you get two years out and your hardware (batteries, props, etc.) are not compatible with the latest and greatest of their product line. Maybe they will come out with a subscription service for their upgrades too?

I am thrilled with my solo. Never regretted it, but buy it on sale!

 

[Bigd5555]

I was trying to decide between the Phantom 4 and the Solo for my Xmas present to myself. Just as I started to do research, Solo dropped price to 299 with Gimbal, decision over.
I could not get live video in the beginning with my GoPro hero 3. Bought a Hero 4 and still no video. Took Solo back to store for replacement, still no video. Faulty Gimbal. Once I replaced gimbal, I have been flying high. Best drone for the price.