Beginner Aerial Videography

[Foxtrot Papa Victor #FPV]

I am taking a trip in the near future and am wanting to be doing some aerial videography using a multirotor. (First time). Since the trip is out of country, I want something lightweight and small. I wanted to know what the experts think. To be clear, I'm NOT talking about fpv. I think I'll be flying line of sight and just having it record. I have a max budget of 165$. I'm thinking along the lines of the blade mini. Should I get something with a built-in camera or should I make a DIY mini camera pod like on flite test? Oh, i also have a go pro hero 3+ if that helps. Please tell me what you guys think!!!

 

[liamstrain]

None of the budget Blade's are going to be able to carry your Go Pro - the smallest they make that can, is the 350, which will run you $360 without a transmitter. The Blade 200 would be a great option, but it's a bit out of budget - especially with a camera (too small for the Go Pro, so you'll need an 808 keychain, or Mobius, or the Blade onboard option).

The Blade nano is great, but is a bit rough outdoors if there is any wind at all, and cannot really carry a camera except the ultra micro fpv one, in my experience.

DIY is probably your best route, unless you get something in the mid-toy range like a Syma X5C-1 or JJRC H8C and stick an 808 keychain camera on it (their provided camera is pretty poor). The motors burn out on these after a few hours of flight time, but they are inexpensive, and fun.

 

[Stole]

An Emax 250 pro (200 Dollars AUD) is and can carry a gopro fine.
Any of the 200 series
The blade nano would be good for a learner and inside a house but won't do great outside
You could quite potentially build a quad that is quite large and still have a budget under 165 dollars.
It will be hard though.

For filming you will want a decent camera like the Gopro. So go for a quad that can lift the Gopro instead of using a cheap built in camera