I had been looking at getting a DJI drone for a while. I checked out other alternative drones as well. Looking at the price of a
P4P, it's a fair chunk of change, especially if you are new to drones and may anticipate "issues".
My RC flying experience has been helicopters, fixed pitch and collective pitch. I have flown a small bit of quads, some of these were basic attitude control models, so they tend to be a bit twitchy.
I ended up getting the DJI P3 SE. Lots of features and capabilities, for less than half the cost of a
P4P. The rational on this is a number of points:
- If it gets crashed, damaged, lost, does a flyaway, or is a total loss it's only 39.5% the cost of a P4P.
- How much value do I get for the money? If you purchase a P4P and don't fly it that much because either you fear damaging it, or you just don't use it that much due to not having much time available, places to fly, or losing interest. Is that worth the investment of $1500.00+?
- Are the special features and capabilities of the P4P really worth the additional cost for something that you really have no experience with? A little caution operating the humble P3 SE will keep you just as safe as a P4P. Having to pay more attention to your environment will make you a better pilot, than just depending on technology to save you.
So, for me I purchased the P3 SE, I saw it as the most bang for the buck, and I have always been one to go for the best and top of the line.
So far I have not flown it too much as life issues (time & opportunity) have impeded that. I also have found that local regulations really cut into where you can fly these days.
The short bit that I have flown it I found it to be super stable and easy to control. I am intending to do a fair amount of "training" flights in all the different modes. The best investment you can make is in learning new skills. It's sort of like the golfer who thinks its best to invest in new clubs, than in training to improve his swing.
Don't know if all this is applicable to you, but it's my story and I am sticking to it.