Best hobby rc quadcopters & multirotors according to redditors

Drones are so affordable now that even broke ass niggahs can buy one.

Syma x5c
Syma x8w

I started with the 5 which is under 50 on Amazon it does have a camera but it is not FPV
http://www.amazon.com/SYMA-Explorers-6-Axis-Quadcopter-Camera/dp/B00MNG37C2

The I got the x8w which is bigger more link the P3 and P4 for under 100
http://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-X8W-Real-time-Headless-Quadcopter/dp/B011K5J0RM/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1458670697&sr=1-1&keywords=x8w

Get an inexpensive Syma to practice; it's actually much more difficult to fly than something like a DJI phantom, but it lets you get comfortable exploring your range and ability to visualize and fly without worrying about damaging property (the thing can fall out of the sky all day and not break itself or anyone else's stuff).

You can film with it to, so you can get an idea of how things look (The Phantoms will look 500,000x better)

When you're comfortable with that, and you've decided you actually enjoy the hobby enough to warrant spending ~$1500 USD on a full-fledged drone, there's a DJI shop in Fountain Valley (Near the costco out there) with helpful staff that can probably let you try out some controls and stuff without too much stress.

Cheerwing Syma X5SW FPV 2.4Ghz 4CH 6-Axis Gyro RC Headless Quadcopter Drone UFO with 2MP HD Wifi Camera (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011JV9GN0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_t1bKwbRTP9FFQ

This is probably the one. It's the X5SW. It's basically the X5C with FPV (sort of). The FPV has a bit of a delay. You can use it to set up your shot, but you can't really fly by it. It's a nice starter quad though.

Maybe you can get him a cheaper drone with a camera if he likes techy stuff: amazon

Or does he like dragon ball z? You could get him some dragon ball z merchandise

These are just things I like and I’m an electrical engineer

Ah well, that's what cheapo drones are made for! I remember breaking a string on my old electric guitar, I couldn't get it fixed for like a month. Felt bad dude.

And yeah that hawk video, guy looked so defeated.

On the bright side, now you can get a betterish drone and fly safer with it! I'd go with a Syma X8 FPV so you can watch where your drone is while flying.

Big & Slow vs Small & Fast

https://smile.amazon.com/SYMA-Drone-Camera-Exclusive-Quadcopter/dp/B00MNG37C2/

https://smile.amazon.com/Cheerwing-X5SW-V3-2-4Ghz-Headless-Quadcopter/dp/B011JV9GN0/

https://smile.amazon.com/Hubsan-H107L-Royal-Propeller-Protection/dp/B00LCLKAE2/

https://smile.amazon.com/Hubsan-Channel-2-4GHz-Copter-Camera/dp/B00EXBDWZC/

I'd recommend the Syma X5SW if you've never even flown a quadcopter before. Only $50. It's very durable and stable, which makes it great for learning. And it even has FPV (not the best from what I've heard, but still pretty cool). You don't want your first quadcopter to cost $400 for it to crash in a week.

Another option is to get a off-the-shelf quad like a Syma or some such, that'll give him something to start with that isn't too bad, under or around the $100 mark.

I've got a Syma X5SW, had some great fun with that for awhile, but now it's on my bench with a SPRacingF3 Deluxe wired up and a flysky-compatible tx/rx setup. The brushed motor driver board is $5 off RTFQuads, controller board $30 on Amazon, and the tx/rx combo is about $50 as stated earlier in the thread.


My current build parts:

https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-X5SW-V3-Explorers2-Headless-Quadcopter/dp/B011JV9HA2/ - base quad

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E58V09W/ - FC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0P8Q8U/ - tx/rx

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LW57OUM/ - 5v boost convertor, 2pack because they were cheap

http://www.readytoflyquads.com/brushed-motor-driver - The Syma motors wire into this, this wires to FC channel outputs

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M75FQIO/ - tiny PPM/iBus-capable receiver because the stock one in the tx/rx bundle is unweildy


It's all wired up on my bench now and running, original motors and all.

Overall it comes out about $150-ish, but you get something to start with to understand how it flies, and then you have all the pieces so you can take it apart and upgrade it. When you want to go bigger, you have the core parts already all paired up and ready to go, just need to tweak the FC for the new platform.

What you are looking is impossible for that budget. However, you can have a look at this drone http://amzn.to/2ffFWtd . It is equipped with a decent camera and costs only $50.

Thank you for the detailed response. I see exactly what you mean, and I think I am just going to buy an FPV on Amazon of decent quality until I can find a Phantom 3 Standard on the 2nd hand market.

I have been looking at the Parrot 2.0, or just going super basic with a Syma x8 https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-X8W-Real-time-Headless-Quadcopter/dp/B011K5J0RM/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1465524840&sr=1-3&keywords=syma+x8