My wife enjoys archaeology shows. These shows feature drone footage. She said something like, ‘You should get me a drone for Christmas. That way I could see things without having to go there.’ (I assume she means she can be comfortable, while capturing footage of an attraction.) So why not?
I was thinking about something like this, in that price range. I know nothing about drones, so I’m asking for advice and recommendations.
My GF had that exact drone. First day took it to a park with a playground where her kid wanted to play. There was a single tree. At some point the drone took off unbidden straight into the tree. It remains there to this day.
I wish I could make a recommendation. I have work friends who use drones, but they are all in the $1000+ range, like this.
I am reminded of Charlie Brown’s kite-eating tree.
I don’t know what it’s like in the US because I haven’t been back in years, but where I am in Europe, there is prominent signage and strict rule enforcement around many impressive tourist sites barring drone usage because they are seen as disruptive and annoying to everyone other than the drone operator. So before you spend the money, it could be worth a brief investigation to confirm you’ll be allowed to use it in the sorts of places you hope and expect to.
15-20 years ago I had a 30+ foot pine tree in my front yard. One day the neighbor kids got a kite stuck in it up near the top. I’d have been happy to let them use a ladder to get to it, but it was far taller than any homeowner ladder & the tree was too flimsy that high up to climb the rest of the way to the kite. Oh well. There it sat, slowly turning into a bedraggled bit of stick, string, and colored plastic.
3-4 years later an ice storm tore down the tree. I gave them back what remained of their kite. It wasn’t much, but it was funny. As they’d now aged out of routine kite flying age they enjoyed the joke too.
A few weeks ago I found a dead drone in the surf at our local beach. Progress! 
Yeah, this is important. I had a DJI Phantom, but I gave it away because there’s essentially nowhere anywhere in my area where drones are allowed anymore. And flying drones are pretty conspicuous. I twice had rangers confront me and tell me to take my drone away.
Here, too. Also, there are FAA regulations and you need a Remote Pilot Certificate
That’s why I’m looking at drones in the low price range. 
This is a great starting point for the FAA regulatory aspects: FAADroneZone Access
Around here, one of the problems is substantially all of suburbia is within 5sm of a towered airport. So it’s at least Class D airspace from the surface up, and lots of it is Class C from the surface up. So no drones absent an authorization. I’ve never had or flown a drone but I used to have the FAA’s app onmy phone to see where I could play and how easily. The answer was not encouraging.
I’m not current on how easy it is or isn’t to get a Class C/D ops waiver at low altitude.
This. There are restrictions on drones at many State parks and is prohibited in ALL National parks (those governed by the National Park Service).
Here’s a good overview of where and you can and can’t fly.
I have a Mavic 2 Pro and have an FAA UAS (Part 107) license.
It’s pretty easy now with LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) which provides access to airspace around airports.
Airports are a separate issue. I was once flying my DJI Phantom a mile or so away from a small civil aviation airport. When the drone ventured too close, the controller actually told me I was getting too close to a restricted area, and refused any commands that would steer it any closer to the airport. I was surprised that the (Chinese) software even knew about this rinky-dink airport.
Did you look at the recent One Star reviews for that drone? Lots of “fly-aways” there.
If you can afford it, this one would be a much better choice.
DJI has a solid reputation for performance and reliability.
If your drone is under (I think) 227 grams (or maybe 250?), then the drone does not need to be licensed, and neither do you. This is probably why the DJI Mavic Mini is so popular. It’s just under the weight limit.
Drones less than 250 grams don’t need to be registered.
Also, licensing (actually registration) of any drone is a doddle. Costs $5, done online and lasts 3 years.
Other things to consider:
*(The Part 107 license is not terribly difficult, but it’s not all that easy either. That license requires maybe 1% of what a real aircraft pilot must know.)
It’s getting harder to fly a drone anywhere other than your own yard. The FAA is trying hard to accommodate drones, recreational and professional, but compromises abound.
For instance, Remote ID for ALL drones (250 grams and above) will be required very soon, with some exceptions. Drone pilots will be required to register, including those who fly for fun, for business, or for public safety, and must operate their drone in accordance with the final rule on remote ID beginning September 16, 2023, which gives drone owners sufficient time to upgrade their aircraft.
Drones below the 250 gram limit do not need to comply with the Remote ID rules.
Flying a drone is a hell of a lot of fun, and YouTube is full of breathtaking footage that’s possible with a drone equipped with a good camera. Unfortunately, drones that are reliable and have good cameras are not cheap.
Any drone that has a 20-30 minute flight time can fly several miles away if your controller loses contact with the aircraft. A reliable connection and well-written software/firmware is essential to avoid “fly-aways.”
I guess the issue is now moot. My wife just announced she bought a drone from Amazon for $39.99. (I don’t know what kind.) That’ll get her feet wet (if it goes down in the bay… HA!), and we can look at the recommendations in this thread if she likes it.
It doesn’t cost that much more to buy a drone with GPS / auto return. I found out the hard way that all it takes is a strong gust of wind and trouble properly orienting the drone and it’s basically gone.
A few years ago, after a few cheap drones ended up in trees or the Hudson River, I bought a Holy Stone HS270. I think it was maybe $150 at the time. It’s a decent starter drone for messing around, but the camera isn’t stabilized on a gimble and is a bit “fish eyed”.
The very first time I flew my brand new Phantom, I let it get so far away that I couldn’t see it very well and couldn’t tell which way it was facing. Unsure how to navigate it back, I confidently pressed the auto return button. The screen just displayed “COMPASS ERROR”. That was a rather terrifying moment. Don’t rely too much on auto return.
She never did get her drone to fly. Last time she tried it (last year), I think she said it kept ‘falling off’ – i.e., it wouldn’t hover.
I’m looking at this one, based on MindsEye_Watering’s suggestion.
[Edit: Should it be a birthday present (November 24th), or a Christmas present. Her other present will be an autoclave.]
I have flown many a DJI. They make good stuff.
ETA: Apparently I never responded in this thread before. I remember reading it…
I’ve been a Part 107 licensed commercial drone pilot ever since Part 107 went into effect. I’ve flown many different types of drones for work, including fixed wing, quad-copter, and octo-copter. I’ve flown drones that cost six digits, and… I’d take a cheap, reliable DJI quad-copter over anything else I’ve flown any day of the week.