The General Drone-Related Thread

Crikey! Good job you found out!
You won’t be disappointed with the Mini4, super little drone ;)
 
At a reported cost of around 8.2 million pounds (though it was originally estimated to cost around 6 million) Preston's new Tram Bridge officially opened on May 22, 2026, reconnecting Avenham Park in the city centre with Penwortham over the River Ribble. The 130-meter modern steel crossing replaced a historic 200-year-old wooden structure and serves as a vital route for pedestrians, cyclists, and horse riders.

At the tram bridge site, on the South Ribble side of the riverbank, a banner has gone up about the ‘Float To Live’ campaign which was launched explaining if someone has got into difficulty what should be done.

The Mayor of Preston officially opened the bridge with a ribbon cutting which was followed by a procession over the bridge featuring community groups and live entertainment. he original tram bridge was closed in February 2019 due to serious safety concerns. Its designer, Preston-based architect John Bridge, said "everyone's got a memory of the old bridge".

The original Tram Bridge opened in 1804 to carry packhorse 'trams' between the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Walton Summit and the Lancaster Canal in Preston. The bridge operated for approximately 40 years before falling into disrepair.

Badly damaged by flooding in 1936 after which it was rebuilt with concrete trestle supports in the river. These were made of railway rails surrounded in concrete.

In the high temperatures (and even as this was filmed) people continued to visit the ‘mini beach’ which has been revealed since the works finished and the route between Preston and South Ribble restored and people are still swimming and wading (hopefully safely) in the water.

View: https://youtu.be/gySj_2VSlu8?si=hhuIxGKILtuWz2ct
 
Apologies if this has already been covered - I've had a quick skim through the thread but may have missed it.
Can anyone please recommend suitable web sites offering guidance on getting started with a drone for landscape photography.
I've tried Google but the few sites I've found seemed more on the advertorial side so would prefer recommendations from actual users. It's a situation where I don't know what I don't know !
 
taxboy said:
Apologies if this has already been covered - I've had a quick skim through the thread but may have missed it.
Can anyone please recommend suitable web sites offering guidance on getting started with a drone for landscape photography.
I've tried Google but the few sites I've found seemed more on the advertorial side so would prefer recommendations from actual users. It's a situation where I don't know what I don't know !
Click to expand...
If you can explain what your requirement are for a drone I'm sure you can get some recommendations here. I find a lot of drone sites are more focused on the video side of drones rather than the photo side.
 
I'm essentially looking for a drone that will enable me to get alternative views for landscape photography. I'm not especially interested in the video aspect; something that can produce images that can print ideally up to A3.

Ease of use is important as I know there's going to be a big learning curve.
 
Almost any modern DJI drone can produce a crisp, high-quality A3 (29.7 cm × 42.0 cm) print. At the standard industry printing requirement of 300 DPI, an A3 print requires roughly 17 Megapixels, meaning even entry-level models deliver great results.


DJI Air 3S / Air 2S: Both models feature large 1-inch sensors capable of shooting 50MP and 20MP stills respectively, making them highly capable for large-format landscape and commercial prints.

DJI Mini Series (Mini 3, Mini 4 Pro, Mini 5 Pro): Ultra-lightweight and portable, these drones natively capture 12MP to 50MP photos. While 12MP is technically on the smaller side for A3, the 48MP/50MP models natively provide enough resolution, and you can easily stitch multiple 12MP images into massive high-resolution panoramas.
 
taxboy said:
I'm essentially looking for a drone that will enable me to get alternative views for landscape photography. I'm not especially interested in the video aspect; something that can produce images that can print ideally up to A3.

Ease of use is important as I know there's going to be a big learning curve.
Click to expand...
I'd agree with above that most of the DJI drones can do what you want - they start at small mobile phone sized sensors (1/2in, 1/2.3in), through the range so there's some with 1/1.3in sensors, 1in sensors and 4/3 sensors.

There's obviously a few trade offs to be made with each drone. The Mini range (the Mini 3/4 use a 1/1.3in sensor, the Mini 5 Pro moves up to a 1in sensor) are extremely popular for their small size and weight plus they have the least flight restrictions so they're allowed to fly near buildings and people without an additional certification. They have less features (no additional cameras) and the image quality is more limited with a fixed aperture lens plus they're not as good in the wind but they're a great starting point for many people. It's crazy what they're doing with such a small drone, the original Mini had a small sensor and no obstacle avoidance while the new models have much better cameras and full obstacle avoidance.

The Air 3s has an additional telephoto lens and a longer runtime with a larger size and weight but a good choice for a balanced set of specifications. Under the current rules it's in the C1 class which means it also has the least restrictions.

The Mavic 4 Pro has a 4/3 main sensor, two telephoto lenses and a longer runtime but bigger, heavier and a lot more expensive. The heavier weight puts it into the C2 class so it has more restrictions than the smaller drones which means it needs to be 150m from people or buildings unless you have an A2 certification which reduces those to 50m.

In terms of ease of use, they're all extremely easy to fly because the drones do what you tell them - if you push the stick straight up and there's heavy wind, the drone will automatically tilt into the wind and if you let go of the controls the drone will just automatically hover. I had a friend who use to buy various radio controlled aircraft and they were all absolutely rubbish, we struggled to get them in the air for a few seconds but when he bought an early DJI Phantom model I couldn't believe how easy it was to fly. It can be concerning reading about drones online because there's a lot of people complaining about their drones crashing but it mostly just needs common sense, don't fly near buildings/trees or other obstacles, don't fly in wind that's too strong, make sure the drone is ready before taking off (has GPS lock and compass reading is correct) and don't ignore warnings. I spent a while reading through threads on drone crashes which I found helpful in understanding how to avoid crashes myself and never crashed any of my main drones.

There's a couple of options to consider when buying a DJI drone. They offer a standard controller where you attach your phone and run the DJI app on your phone or a controller with an Android tablet integrated into them. I've tried both and prefer the integrated controller as I find easier to just power the controller on rather than getting the phone connected although the screen is small and you can't install additional apps, some people prefer a controller where they can attach a device with a larger screen for use with the drone. The other option is the fly more pack which usually adds a couple more batteries and charger which I find really handy. Batterylife is a bit different with drones because you can't just run them down to zero, you want to leave a reasonable percentage in the battery to give you time to land the drone and deal with any issues. I usually try to get the drone landed with around 30% power left so if the wind is up and it's harder to land or there's any other issues, I have some contingency time left and seen a number of people end up in trouble because they left it too late and the drone auto landed.

If you want any sample images from a particular drone, someone here may be able to provide one for you.
 
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Paul Iddon said:
Almost any modern DJI drone can produce a crisp, high-quality A3 (29.7 cm × 42.0 cm) print. At the standard industry printing requirement of 300 DPI, an A3 print requires roughly 17 Megapixels, meaning even entry-level models deliver great results.


DJI Air 3S / Air 2S: Both models feature large 1-inch sensors capable of shooting 50MP and 20MP stills respectively, making them highly capable for large-format landscape and commercial prints.

DJI Mini Series (Mini 3, Mini 4 Pro, Mini 5 Pro): Ultra-lightweight and portable, these drones natively capture 12MP to 50MP photos. While 12MP is technically on the smaller side for A3, the 48MP/50MP models natively provide enough resolution, and you can easily stitch multiple 12MP images into massive high-resolution panoramas.
Click to expand...
Bull. Most of these 1/1.x" flies top out at under A4, not least because of quad bayer low res 12MP sensor, but also poor optics with heavy software correction and terrible DJI QC - a modern phone resolves much better. Mini 5 has a chance to be a little better because it has better corrected optics.
If you want a little closer to A3 and under £1k (used+abused) - you only choice is mavic 3. They still suffer from a lot of secondary items on the list. You will get your A4s with that though. In theory it should be close to 20mp R6 but in practice it is not even close, and not even in video thanks to the lens.

And mavic 4 is really where there game is at right now. Can't wait to upgrade to one.
 
JohnMcL7 said:
I'd agree with above that most of the DJI drones can do what you want - they start at small mobile phone sized sensors (1/2in, 1/2.3in), through the range so there's some with 1/1.3in sensors, 1in sensors and 4/3 sensors.

There's obviously a few trade offs to be made with each drone. The Mini range (the Mini 3/4 use a 1/1.3in sensor, the Mini 5 Pro moves up to a 1in sensor) are extremely popular for their small size and weight plus they have the least flight restrictions so they're allowed to fly near buildings and people without an additional certification. They have less features (no additional cameras) and the image quality is more limited with a fixed aperture lens plus they're not as good in the wind but they're a great starting point for many people. It's crazy what they're doing with such a small drone, the original Mini had a small sensor and no obstacle avoidance while the new models have much better cameras and full obstacle avoidance.

The Air 3s has an additional telephoto lens and a longer runtime with a larger size and weight but a good choice for a balanced set of specifications. Under the current rules it's in the C1 class which means it also has the least restrictions.

The Mavic 4 Pro has a 4/3 main sensor, two telephoto lenses and a longer runtime but bigger, heavier and a lot more expensive. The heavier weight puts it into the C2 class so it has more restrictions than the smaller drones which means it needs to be 150m from people or buildings unless you have an A2 certification which reduces those to 50m.

In terms of ease of use, they're all extremely easy to fly because the drones do what you tell them - if you push the stick straight up and there's heavy wind, the drone will automatically tilt into the wind and if you let go of the controls the drone will just automatically hover. I had a friend who use to buy various radio controlled aircraft and they were all absolutely rubbish, we struggled to get them in the air for a few seconds but when he bought an early DJI Phantom model I couldn't believe how easy it was to fly. It can be concerning reading about drones online because there's a lot of people complaining about their drones crashing but it mostly just needs common sense, don't fly near buildings/trees or other obstacles, don't fly in wind that's too strong, make sure the drone is ready before taking off (has GPS lock and compass reading is correct) and don't ignore warnings. I spent a while reading through threads on drone crashes which I found helpful in understanding how to avoid crashes myself and never crashed any of my main drones.

There's a couple of options to consider when buying a DJI drone. They offer a standard controller where you attach your phone and run the DJI app on your phone or a controller with an Android tablet integrated into them. I've tried both and prefer the integrated controller as I find easier to just power the controller on rather than getting the phone connected although the screen is small and you can't install additional apps, some people prefer a controller where they can attach a device with a larger screen for use with the drone. The other option is the fly more pack which usually adds a couple more batteries and charger which I find really handy. Batterylife is a bit different with drones because you can't just run them down to zero, you want to leave a reasonable percentage in the battery to give you time to land the drone and deal with any issues. I usually try to get the drone landed with around 30% power left so if the wind is up and it's harder to land or there's any other issues, I have some contingency time left and seen a number of people end up in trouble because they left it too late and the drone auto landed.

If you want any sample images from a particular drone, someone here may be able to provide one for you.
Click to expand...
Many thanks for providing a detailed reply. Very helpful
 
After getting heavy use of the Mavic 2 Pro the last week I decided to bite the bullet and go for a Mavic 4 Pro as some aspects of the Mavic 2 are getting annoying particularly the lack of USB-C support for charging and the weird USB-C support on the smart controller. However the Mavic 4 has arrived today and it's a good bit heftier than I expected, I knew it was a bit bigger and heavier than the Mavic 2 but unfortunately I think it's just too big for my use so raised a return to send it back which I'm disappointed about.

I've been having a look at Mavic 3 classics but not sure how much of an upgrade the sensor is and frustratingly it can't use the RC Pro 2, I liked the idea of being able to share the controller between the Mini 5 Pro, Mavic 4 pro and possibly adding an Avata 360
 
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All Hallows Church, in Great Mitton, is a wonderful medieval Church. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Whalley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the Diocese of Blackburn that has been a place of worship since 1270 to the present day.

I had a very pleasant half an hour in the company of Michael who helps care for the building, and who gave me wonderful insights to the this beautiful church and read out the engravings around the alabster tombs which referred to the Shireburn family. After the visit I also had the pleasure of meeting Reverend Ness Starkey, who arrived to re-affirm the vows of a couple due to arrive at the church.

The nave of the present church, with its Early English Gothic style, was built in or about 1270. The chancel was added in about 1295.

In 1439 a chapel was added on the north side of the Church. This was pulled down in 1594 when Sir Richard Shireburne arranged for the present Chapel to be built as a family mausoleum. The Shireburne Chapel, divided from the chancel by the Elizabethan screen, contains memorials of the Shireburne family.

On the north wall is a monument with kneeling figures facing each other across a prayer desk. This is dedicated to Sir Richard’s son, also Richard (d.1629), and his wife Catherine, (née Stourton). Three linked altar tombs along the north wall are to the next succeeding generations: Richard (d.1668) and Richard (d.1689) and the latter’s wife Isabel (née Ingleby, d.1693) and their son, also Richard.

Some of the memorials are classed as outstanding examples of recumbent figures. The alabaster tomb (the work of Roiley of Burton-on-Trent) is that of Sir Richard Shireburne (d.1594) and his wife, Dame Maud (née Bold). Sir Richard died in the same year that the chapel was rebuilt.

The music - "O vos omnes" performed here by VOCES8 is frequently sung in Anglican churches. It is a popular, poignant motet, particularly during Holy Week and Passiontide (services leading up to Easter) though is not technically a hymn, but rather a Latin motet or responsory.

View: https://youtu.be/fDUglFvGGAA?si=wRFmkAr4JZSVNMMA
 
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