And so I began to look at the idea of purchasing a drone. I’ve been considering this for quite some time to be honest, but my forced retirement and subsequent loss of income has held me back. I could, of course, have bought a cheap and cheerful device, but I know from a lifetime of buying tech that I wouldn’t have been happy.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, one of my mates bought a £900 drone with extras and almost immediately decided he wanted the bigger model in the range, so he had this new, unused one to dispose of. Thankfully, he offered it to me for a great price and so here we are!
The day before I picked up the package from my friend’s house, I obtained an OPERATOR-ID and a FLYER-ID online. The OID is simply a matter of paying £12 but the FID involves learning the CAA Drone and Model Aircraft Code and taking a very simple 40 question exam - weirdly at no cost.
In the UK, if your drone weighs less than 250g, you only need an Operator-ID, which is crazy! IMHO the Flyer-ID should be compulsory, since it does actually teach you something about flying a drone responsibly, whereas the OID teaches you nothing at all. Typical bureaucracy!😠
Another daft rule is that Public Liability Insurance is not a compulsory requirement for drones under 250g. Needless to say, I wanted to be insured and so membership of FPV-UK got me £5M worth of cover, plus some other benefits.
The drone in question is the DJI MINI 4 PRO FLY MORE. The “fly more“ means that it comes with extra batteries and a triple charger, allowing you to have approximately 90 minutes flying time - more on that later. In the box you get the drone, the controller, the batteries, a USB lead and some spare propeller blades. There’s also a little screwdriver included but it doesn’t look to be the best, so I’ll probably replace it with an alternative - the last thing I want to do is mess up the heads of those teeny tiny prop screws!
The drone was absolutely unused and as you’d find it in the shops. It came with its own carry bag which is a high quality item but (in my opinion) a tad too too small. Thankfully, I have a nice little Peli-1200 which turned out to be the ideal case, offering storage with protection from knocks and rain (not to mention security).
The Mini 4 Pro comes with a choice of two Controllers - one uses your mobile phone to act as a screen and the other has its own built-in screen. Thankfully, I have the latter, which is called the RC2 - it’s infinitely more useful. It also provides upgraded antennas (2 transmit, 4 receive) along with a bright 5.5” touchscreen.
Since my drone was secondhand, my first job was to get it registered and bound to my DJI Account and once that was done, the learning process could begin.
I was really quite nervous about my very first flight, so much so that I spent a long time watching training videos on YouTube, to avoid the common mistakes which befall many rookie pilots. I also took advantage of things like DJI’s Virtual Flying App which allows you (if nothing else) to get used to the controls.
My first ‘real’ flight was little more than a vertical take-off from the lawn to a grand height of 30 feet. I then immediately landed it - just to make sure I could! 😂
Once I felt safe that nothing bad was going to happen, I extended my aerial adventures bit by bit, including testing the Return To Home feature. My confidence built up slowly, but I remain cautious and avoid being too adventurous until I’ve gained some real experience and the controls become absolutely second nature.
So, let’s look at the MINI 4 PRO. It was launched just a couple of years ago and introduced some fantastic new features to the sub-250g arena including…
- Omni-Directional Collision Avoidance
- Advanced Return To Home System
- Enhanced Camera System
- Latest O4 Transmission System
- New Rotating Gimbal for Vertical Shooting
- 2590mAh Battery - up to 34 mins flight time
- 4K Video at 100fps - Slow Motion
- 4K Video at 60fps
- Night Shots Video
- Maximum Speed of 36mph
- 48MP 1/1.3” CMOS Sensor
- D-LOG M & HLG profiles
- Active Track 360
- Waypoint Flight
- Cruise Control
Below is my very first (and slightly boring) video which I made around our holiday-park. Since then, the weather has been very poor - especially the winds, which make it very difficult to fly.
First drone video 😂😁😂
The MINI PRO 4 is aimed squarely at rank amateurs like me - people who want the convenience of a light, compact drone with plenty of flying aids for casual and occasional use on sunny, calm days. If you want to work in less than ideal weather conditions and have a more serious interest in drone flying, you need something bigger, perhaps from the Mavic range. Having said that, many 'professionals' have given the Mini4Pro high praise.
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PROS
Beginner-friendly: The drone is easy to fly, even for those with no prior experience, and features user-friendly controls.
Safety features: It has omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and is designed to be safe for both beginners and experienced pilots.
High-quality video: The 1/1.3-inch sensor captures high-quality 4K video and great stills in various conditions.
Lightweight and compact: At under 250g, it is often exempt from complex registration and exams in many countries.
Improved tracking: ActiveTrack mode is refined, and a new jog wheel offers more control when following a subject.
Good value: With recent price reductions, it is now considered one of the best all-around value drones available.
CONS
Wind performance:
Its lightweight design can make it unstable in strong winds compared to larger drones.
Price: The initial cost was a barrier for some, though this has improved with a recent price drop.
Image quality: Some users report that higher-megapixel modes can produce noisy results, and a 12MP mode may be cleaner.
Obstacle avoidance limitations: While generally effective, some users have found it can struggle in specific situations, like with close-up tracking, and may not always prevent collisions.
SPECS
- Takeoff Weight: < 249 g. Standard aircraft weight (including the Intelligent Flight Battery, propellers, and a microSD card). The actual product weight may vary due to differences in batch materials and external factors. Registration is not required in some countries and regions. Always check local laws and regulations before use. With the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus*, the aircraft will weigh more than 249 g. Always check and strictly abide by local laws and regulations before flying. The Intelligent Flight Battery Plus is not sold in Europe.
- Dimensions: Folded (without propellers): 148×94×64 mm (L×W×H)
- Unfolded (with propellers): 298×373×101 mm (L×W×H)
- Max Ascent Speed: 5 m/s (S Mode), 5 m/s (N Mode), 3 m/s (C Mode)
- Max Descent Speed: 5 m/s (S Mode), 5 m/s (N Mode), 3 m/s (C Mode)
- Max Horizontal Speed (at sea level, no wind): 16 m/s (S Mode), 12 m/s (N Mode), 12 m/s (C Mode). The max horizontal speed is subject to dynamic local restrictions. Always abide by local laws and regulations when flying.
- Operating Temperature: -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F)
- Image Sensor: 1/1.3-inch CMOS, Effective Pixels: 48 MP
- Lens: FOV: 82.1°
- Format Equivalent: 24 mm
- Aperture: f/1.7
- Focus: 1 m to ∞
- ISO Range Photo: 12 MP 100-6400; 48 MP 100-3200
- Shutter Speed: 12MP Photo: 1/16000-2 s (2.5-8 s for simulated long exposure); 48MP Photo: 1/8000-2 s
- Max Image Size: 8064×6048
- Still Photography Modes: Single Shot: 12 MP and 48 MP
- Burst Shooting: 12 MP, 3/5/7 frames, 48 MP, 3 frames
- Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 12 MP, 3/5/7 frames at 0.7 EV step; 48 MP, 3 frames at 0.7 EV step
- Timed: 12 MP, 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s; 48 MP, 5/7/10/15/20/30/60 s
- Photo Format: JPEG/DNG (RAW)
- Sensing Type: Omnidirectional binocular vision system, supplemented with a 3D infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft.
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