Hi,

Let me preface this by saying I know this is a personal preference thing.

I'm not a pro photographer and I don't do this for money, and I know that to get back the equipment I'm thinking of selling will cost a small fortune to re-acquire in the future should I wish to do that. If I could keep my DSLR and buy a drone I would, but I also need to be realistic; I can only do one or the other.

I've used various types of "ground based" camera for the best part of 25 years, and never shied away from getting decent equipment (I'm not an equipment whore and have a modest set of equipment). I'm also a realist, and realized that it has been sat for a couple of years in a box being unused (the recent global events have had little impact in that regard). I actually thought I would have used it more, but the opposite appears to have happened.

I did use it briefly last weekend, and the results as usual were outstanding. I'm actually feeling a bit sad even contemplating letting it go, but I don't think it's going to survive sitting in a cupboard for 20 years. It needs to be used or sold.

I keep thinking of all the places I use it, and then think how I would use a drone in the same situation. I know the general public at large have been conditioned to think drones are evil and must be stopped anywhere they are sighted, but aside from visiting a few attractions/outdoor museums, most of my photography is out in the countryside. More than once have I thought how useful it would be to elevate the camera "just a bit" to get a better view.

Maybe this post would be better off on a more general photographic site, but given the people here use drones, I think this is the better place to ask for opinions.

The upside, if I was to sell, is it would give me quite a budget to get a drone with a decent camera. I'm aware these may exceed the magic 249g and the legalities that entails, but I'm not convinced that would be such a limitation for me in the first instance (and I have no problem with getting the required licences to operate something over that limit).


I tend to use my camera either out in the countryside away from anything remotely looking inhabited, or if I do use it in more public (= busier) places, it tends to be coastal areas, monuments, or historic buildings. I don't generally use my camera in places such as in towns/cities, or where there are large groups of people.

Would I be insane to let my current equipment go in order to get a drone? In a perfect world I could afford to do so, but alas...

The positives would be:

* Something new I haven't done before (videography/cinematography)
* Ability to elevate the camera above the thing I'm looking at and move around it rather than look from a limited vantage point
* Ability to just have fun flying a drone around even if not shooting video or taking stills

I did once try to take my camera flying with me, but it turned out to be too bulky and I was concerned for safety so left it on the ground. Turbulence in a light aircraft is no joke and I don't want that thing smacking me in the head. A drone wouldn't be any better, but the common point is that they'd both be left on the ground and so there is no advantage to the DSLR here.

I just want to be sure I'm not being short-sighted here and missing something if I was to let it go. Part of me thinks it is better to have something that'll be used often rather than infrequently.

Thanks for any advice/suggestions.

Like i said in PM, i sold my canon setup to get my 1st ever drone, the P4P, missed it a couple of times when the Red Kites are about but other than that, much more fun flying drones

Bashy Posted at 7-15 19:17
Like i said in PM, i sold my canon setup to get my 1st ever drone, the P4P, missed it a couple of times when the Red Kites are about but other than that, much more fun flying drones

I totally agree with the fun aspect! The 10 mins I spent flying my friend's drone the other night was awesome! I just want to be sure before I do something I might regret that it's not a totally crazy idea.

I sold my Canon DSLR during the lockdown and I miss it like crazy.  I now have a Mini 3 Pro which I mainly bought for when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks, but I think when my holiday is over I will be selling the drone to help fund a new DSLR.  

For me, I would use a DSLR much more than my drone, I have used the drone a few times whilst walking the dog but I get bored of flying in the same location and taking the drone out takes much more planning than just grabbing the camera.

i Sold my fuji XT-4 for the mini 3 pro and have not looked back, love the chalange of doing somthing dif.
regards
Joshua

For me, I would never sell my ground cameras
I'm no pro at all, but I use all my camera's for very specific reasons. And while they have an overlap, I have use for them all.
Nikon D750 : Shooting handheld video with superb depth of field and making photo's 'on the ground'.
Panasonic HC X900 : mostly used for train video's when I need the stabilized zoom lens.
Olympus Tough TG5 : used when I'm swimming (duh )
DJI Pocket 2 : used for motion timelapses and 'walking' video's
DJI Mini 2 : my flying camera

Now most camera's overlap a little, but all have their specific reason for being in my bag and I would not trade in any of them for another.
The camera that will go last is my DSLR as that is used the most (by far).

The drone does not get that much use, since it is really a 'b roll' camera for most of the time.
So I incorporate only a couple drone shots into my video with 'ground footage'.
It is hard to tell a story with a drone. That is done with the ground camera, showing details of the action.
Where the drone is used to make some establishing and transitioning shots (between locations)

So if you can, keep both (that is what I would do for sure)

I've mostly shot stills with my Canon 1D mkII over a decade ago for the uni newspaper. Ever since smartphone cameras got better, my camera has mostly been stored in the closet. Though the lens quality using a DLSR will still outperform smartphone cameras, I tend to use my phone more for the convenience when traveling.
I recently got into videography and switched over to mobile videography and picked up my first drone a couple years ago. I might keep my Canon lense and maybe eventually switch to a newer body with video capability.
I'd keep your ground equipment in case you ever want to go back before you commit to drones.
For me, my Canon body isn't really worth much to sell. I definitely want to keep my lenses though.