Good drone/UAV

[dighn]

I want to get a quadrotor/multirotor for flying around and taking aerial photos and videos. I want one that can fly really high so I'm looking more at ones like the DJI Phantom 2 than the Parrot AR. I do not plan on attaching a laser to it.

Is the DJI Phantom 2 Stock/Vision pretty much the best bang for buck in this range? I have some concerns with expandability and vendor lock-in for components. I'm not afraid to tinker as I'm pretty technical but I also don't want to devote a huge amount of personal time to it. Anyone with experience in this and have recommendations?

 

[cabri]

The range for communications is 1klick. What is altitude needed to get the viewing angle/coverage desired for your project.

Realize that you probably will not be able to see it at a klick easily and control it.

Get a cheap RC plane to practice with before spending the $$ on this fancy toy. Learn what to expect and react at distances.

 

[dighn]

The range for communications is 1klick. What is altitude needed to get the viewing angle/coverage desired for your project.

Realize that you probably will not be able to see it at a klick easily and control it.

Get a cheap RC plane to practice with before spending the $$ on this fancy toy. Learn what to expect and react at distances.

I'm not looking for anything like 1 km right now, more like an altitude of say no more than 100 m with minimal horizontal distance. I suppose what I'm looking for is something that offers a platform for me to improve and build upon (in terms of both skill and equipment) and isn't a costly dead-end solution.