This is why you shouldn’t buy a drone
Jul 3, 2018
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Drones have become the hit “toy” over the last few years. Sure, they’re an expensive, grown-up toy, but for most of us, they’re still a toy nonetheless. And there is so much choice out there now. Chances are if you’re reading this, then either you own a drone or you know somebody who does and you’re thinking about getting your own. And who could blame you? They’re pretty amazing.
But have you ever thought that maybe you shouldn’t? Tony Northrup doesn’t think you should get one and in this video, he explains why. He highlights a lot of things people just don’t think about when it comes to deciding whether or not they should get a drone. And, refreshingly, it’s actually a pretty sound and logical argument for the most part.
The benefits of getting a drone are obvious. They allow you to shoot photographs and video that simply weren’t possible even as recently as a decade ago. Sure, some of those shots you could get from a helicopter if you had a few grand spare to rent one with a pilot that was suitably equipped with all the right gimbal & camera gear. But not all of them.
I don’t agree with Tony Northrup on a lot of things. That’s not much of a secret. He’ll never convince me that Photoshop can replace polarising filters, for example. But on this particular topic, I can’t really say that I disagree. Drones are still fraught with many issues. They crash, they fly off on their own, the software is far from perfect, and there are so many places you just can’t fly with them now.
That last bit is my biggest issue with getting a drone. I’ve owned them in the past and even built a DJI F550 Hexacopter from scratch. But I haven’t flown that F550 in at least the last 18 months. And while the Mavic Air looks extremely tempting, I just can’t be bothered with it. Many of the places I’d like to go and fly it don’t allow it. And there are entire countries that have banned drone use.
Tony mentions Morocco in the video, but they’re not the only one. Fiji, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia and more have all completely banned drones. Others like Belgium, Russia, UAE and even Canada have severely restricted how, when and where you can fly your drone.
And I’m not about to go and spend a fortune on getting a commercial pilot’s license and all the rest of it to be able to get around the restrictions I face here at home in the UK. I have friends who have done exactly that, but it’s not for me. I’m not planning to profit from my drones, and I don’t want to have to worry about restrictions in other parts of the world, either.
So, now I’ve chosen to not bother with a drone any longer. I reserve the right to change my mind, of course. But for what they’d give me, it’s just not worth the cost or hassle anymore.
Even if you don’t care about the restrictions, I’ve seen so many people buy a drone, get a couple of cool clips – that they can’t post anywhere because they were flying somewhere they weren’t – and then get bored with it, taking a big loss when they sell it. If they upload the footage to social media or YouTube, then they’re basically saying “Hey, I broke the law! Come and get me!”.
I’ve also seen plenty more buy a drone, crash it, buy another, lose it, buy another, drown it, rinse, repeat. And, sure, it’s their money to waste, but what a waste. And I’m not talking $20 disposable toys from China. I’m talking about Mavic Pros and Phantoms. One vlogger I used to follow on YouTube has crashed or lost at least four DJI Mavic Pros (over the course of only 12-18 months).
If you want a drone, then go for it. Like I said, it’s your money to spend however you wish and it doesn’t affect me one bit. But it’s worth watching Tony’s video to give yourself a little more to think about before you do.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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8 responses to “This is why you shouldn’t buy a drone”
For me I purchased a Parrot mambo so that I can program it as I’m learning about autonomous vehicles, though that’s only in the house. #stem
I’m in the UK and own a DJI Spark. Our laws aren’t quite as bad as other places, but I dare say they’ll catch up soon. There have been a few horror stories with regards to drone use and people not taking the right precautions.
I’m glad I live in an area where they are few and far between, so don’t attract too much attention, yet!
In many instances registration with your local authorities and requesting the proper permits will give you a LOT of options regarding flying them… Orlando FL is heavily monitored but if you go through the proper channels you should have no issues.
Here we are talking g about the restrictions on drones for photography and neglecting all the other restrictions placed on ground based cameras. Drones like any other tool require common sense and yes the attached restrictions. While for you the drone doesn’t make sense for many more it is a tool to set them apart from the crowd.
As for shooting where not permitted takes a backseat in many cases as I can fly over a location from outside the fence or no trespassing signs. Of course one must respect the reasonable expectation of privacy along with other rules established. What’s the difference if I shoot a building from street level from public space or 100 feet in the air? None.
With the thousands I have invested in camera gear another almost thousand for my spark along with all the added equipment to fly it safely makes sense for me. It gives me freedom to explore as a hobbist until I’m comfortable enough to pursue my 107 certification (currently in process). Posting to social media with a disclaimer of non-commerical use satisfies the law.
Maybe you should look at what is available to the amatuer drone pilot before advocating by personal opinion why not to get a drone. You exampkesnif crashing, drowning and fly aways are real but a low percentage of all the flights that take place on a daily basis. Does that mean we should leave our DSLR in the bag because the shutter may quitnir we will drop it?
For all of you thinking about a drone may I suggest you look at Airmap ( not compensated for the mention) to see how much airspace is really available for you to stretch your photography abilities.
Safe flying and great captures!
I can’t really take people serious that tell others what to do and what not. This tone somehow makes me mad inside…
Why but just make a neutral video with helpful advise, such as “Things to consider prior to buying a drone” or so?
He got good points, no question. But let everyone decide individually how to deal with it.
Why NOT* make a neutral video…
That’s like your opinion man.
Drones are the new remote controlled airplanes. Watch the crash videos of the RC planes and you will see thousands and thousands of crashes and millions of dollars down the toilet because the plane decided to fly away, slam into the ground or break apart in flight due to too high G forces. Some of those jet engines on those planes are thousands of dollars and when they hit the ground, they become junk.
Drones are fun….but they are not perfect. You take your chances. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. A local guy had a drone photography business….he had the best of everything…and was really busy and doing well……but one week, he lost all 4 of his drones due to crashes or out of control landings in water. He went out of business and now is working in the local grocery store as a stock clerk.