Second Chance DJI Mini 4 Pro Fly More Combo + Smart Controller

I use drones for work (VIDEO), and I also have the Mini 3 pro. With 360 degree sensors, the new active track, HDR video, and 120 frames slo-mo, this drone is a lot more complete than the mini 3 pro. Unfortunately, ND filters are currently as rare as a unicorn in my backyard, so I'm forced to continue flying with my Mini 3 for a while.

The new active track is quite useful, but to be honest I wouldn't blindly rely on it. Maybe it will get better with a new firmware update, but at the moment, flying between trees, for example, is quite a challenge for the drone - the chance of a crash is very high! With a bit of luck the drone will remain intact, but who knows, it might end up hanging in a tree somewhere and you'll be the target. I would say, consider a care refresh subscription if you plan to use the activetrack often, because one day that drone will certainly take a nosedive.
By the way, with a care refresh subscription you will have to hand in the drone, so falling into the water or hanging from a tree means setting up a recovery operation :-)

For those looking to switch from the Mini 3 to the Mini 4, please note that only the propellers and batteries are compatible. The rest, like the controller, ND filters, and the storage case, are like apples and oranges - they just don't fit together. And let's talk about those batteries. The Mini 3 batteries are 4 grams heavier than those of the Mini 4. Do you notice that difference? No, probably not. But your drone is now officially too heavy to fall into the "lighter than 250 grams" category. Theoretically, because who would ever stand next to you with a scale when you're flying?

But despite all this craziness, this really is the best mini drone you can buy.

This is my very first drone and it was an immediate experience! The adrenaline and wow effect you get when taking off for the first time is difficult to describe. You immediately feel like a high-end filmmaker when you send the images to your mobile phone or computer: Fantastic image, extremely stable and recordings with cinematographic allure.

The drone feels a bit plasticy, but I suspect that this is inevitable if you want to stay under 250 grams (to be exempt from mandatory drone training). I have already crashed it into a hedge 3 times (more about this later) and everything still seems to be fine. So the build quality seems good to me.

Some findings / experiences:
- I bought the drone to film gardens. You have a function that allows you to program a flight route and then re-fly it exactly at different times. Nice to capture the difference between winter and spring in images. You soon encounter one important limitation: the sensors. The sensors that ensure that you don't bump into anything also ensure that such a programmed route only works in an open space. For example, if you want to fly between 2 hedges or under trees, you will soon receive a message that an object has been detected and that the flight route is paused. Bummer… You can solve this by turning off the sensors, but then I strongly recommend using your drone intensively for a few weeks so that you get to know the drone behavior without sensors. If not, you are guaranteed to crash into something, for example when “return to home” is activated at the end of the route. (Experienced..)
- Experience required: Your drone is extremely easy to operate, but that also makes you quickly overconfident. In the beginning, all the levers of the remote control are not very intuitive, so you sometimes dare to exchange "turning around the axis" with "flying full throttle in one direction", resulting in a crashed drone (experienced... of course... without damage, fortunately..)
- On the internet you have hundreds of videos on how to fly this drone. I think a “10 beginner mistakes…” video is a must-have for first-time drones. Also the video “Can you fly with a drone in Belgium” by a certain “Herman D.” recommended.
- When I bought my drone, I had no idea about the applicable regulations for operating a drone. However, there are several videos from Coolblue on YouTube that helped me get started here. For example, you must register your drone with the FPS (https://es.mobilit.fgov.be/drones/). Drone training is not mandatory, but I thought it was an added value. You will learn, for example, whether or not you can fly over people, what about flying over houses, what no-fly zones are and how you can consult them, whether or not you can fly in the dark, how high you can go, etc. ... After the training (virtual online & free via the government site) you can take an online exam where you must achieve 75% or more. You really have to study for this because the questions cannot always be answered by just thinking logically. I can really recommend this course to avoid getting into trouble later.
- You need insurance for a drone. So also check whether your drone is covered by your civil liability insurance. This was the case with me.

In any case, I'm absolutely in love with my new drone and I can't wait until spring to shoot beautiful images. However, there was more to it than I first thought. You have to be aware of that; I would say: with this drone you get a top device!

This is my very first drone and it was an immediate experience! The adrenaline and wow effect you get when taking off for the first time is difficult to describe. You immediately feel like a high-end filmmaker when you send the images to your mobile phone or computer: Fantastic image, extremely stable and recordings with cinematographic allure.

The drone feels a bit plasticy, but I suspect that this is inevitable if you want to stay under 250 grams (to be exempt from mandatory drone training). I have already crashed it into a hedge 3 times (more about this later) and everything still seems to be fine. So the build quality seems good to me.

Some findings / experiences:
- I bought the drone to film gardens. You have a function that allows you to program a flight route and then re-fly it exactly at different times. Nice to capture the difference between winter and spring in images. You soon encounter one important limitation: the sensors. The sensors that ensure that you don't bump into anything also ensure that such a programmed route only works in an open space. For example, if you want to fly between 2 hedges or under trees, you will soon receive a message that an object has been detected and that the flight route is paused. Bummer... You can solve this by turning off the sensors, but then I strongly recommend using your drone intensively for a few weeks so that you get to know the drone behavior without sensors. If not, you are guaranteed to crash into something, for example when “return to home” is activated at the end of the route. (Experienced..)
- Experience required: Your drone is extremely easy to operate, but that also makes you quickly overconfident. In the beginning, all the levers of the remote control are not very intuitive, so you sometimes dare to exchange "turning around the axis" with "flying full throttle in one direction", resulting in a crashed drone (experienced... of course... without damage, fortunately..)
- Online you will find hundreds of videos on how to fly this drone. I think a "10 beginner mistakes..." video is really a must for first-time droners. The video "Can you fly with a drone in Belgium" is also recommended.
- When I bought my drone, I had no idea about the applicable regulations for operating a drone. However, there are several videos from Coolblue on YouTube that helped me get started here. For example, you must register your drone with the FPS (https://es.mobilit.fgov.be/drones/). Drone training is not mandatory, but I thought it was an added value. You will learn, for example, whether or not you are allowed to fly over people, what to do with flying over houses, what no-fly zones are and how you can consult them, whether or not you are allowed to fly in the dark, how high you can go, etc. ... After the training (virtual online & free via the government site) you can take an online exam where you must achieve 75% or more. You really have to study for this because the questions cannot always be answered by just thinking logically. I can really recommend this course to avoid getting into trouble later.
- You need insurance for a drone. So also check whether your drone is covered by your civil liability insurance. This was the case with me.

In any case, I'm absolutely in love with my new drone and I can't wait until spring to shoot beautiful images. However, there was more to it than I first thought. You have to be aware of that; I would say: with this drone you get a top device!