There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
1) Starting off with the cheap "toy" drones. When you start off with the cheap ones (Think Cheerson/Hubsan/etc.) A lot of the <$200 lack the fancy features the higher priced drones have (GPS, Tracking, etc.) This isn't necessarily a bad thing. They force you to learn stick control and helps build muscle memory. These skills are crucial if you intend to transition to cinematography or FPV racing. By mastering these smaller drones, you gain the skill you need that would take you longer to learn if you started off with a Phantom that does all the work for you. Crashing isn't a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Would you rather crash a cheap $50 quad or a $1400 P4?
2) Staring off with a higher end drone (P4, X-Star Premium, etc.) These cost more initially, but you get a good bird off the bat. Muscle memory is learned on a bird that you will have for a long time. They are easier to fly because they do have GPS and are much softer on the controls. Thus, you can let go of the sticks and it will patiently wait for you to figure out what you are doing and what you need to do. The smaller, cheaper ones aren't as forgiving. You will never have to deal with sourcing 1S (1 Cell) LiPos from HobbyKing, wait for the slow boat from China, lack of parts and the constant fight with weather conditions.
With these things said, I recommend to all my customers who are unsure, to start off with the cheap toy ones first and learn how to actually fly a drone. Crash it, bang it up, push your limits on these. I see many pilots who don't know how to fly a Phantom because they never learned muscle memory. They end up mashing the sticks everywhere they go and their footage is useless because they're jerking around all the time. Yes you end up spending more in the long run, but an extra $50 early on is worth the skills you pick up. All of it translates in to silky smooth movements you NEED for FPV racing and cinematography.
Other than that, follow all local laws (Especially if you're in the U.S.) Don't be "that guy."