A Personal Photographer in Your Pocket
As someone who takes quite a few pictures and videos, having a drone available to take photos like that of a personal photographer makes total sense. There is a market for these types of devices, and there are people who will pay high prices for them. Take, for example, the latest release by Snap called the “Pixy.”
It’s a simple concept with a drone-like device that can take better-than-high definition videos and “snaps” of the intended subject. The drone aspect sees it fly a maximum of 15 feet in height and 30 feet away. The key with this small unit, by the way, it weighs less than a 1/3 of a lb, is convenience. Pull it out of your back pocket, purse, or backpack, and once the light turns green, it is ready to hover in place.
You might get a kick out of the unit's autonomy. There is no remote control as the unit uses its frontward and downward camera to follow you and land in your hand upon completion. There are four default flight modes (Follow, Hover, Reveal and orbit), which will allow you to get an angle you will be satisfied with. Again, ease of use and convenience is the main selling feature. This photographer is a rookie, after all!
Now for the bad news: It costs $230 and has a lead time of over 12 weeks. If you want this today, forget it, as you won’t be seeing this unit until August (if you are lucky).
As I stated earlier, you buy this item strictly for convenience and possibly ease of use. It is tailored to pair with your Snapchat account and use all available Snapchat functions. You aren’t buying this because of its high-quality flying ability; this will not be very stable on a windy day. You most certainly aren’t buying this unit because of long flight times. The small battery allows for a few short sessions before dying. I highly recommend purchasing an additional battery or two. They will only set you back $20/battery.
Now back to the price of $230, which in my honest opinion is a bit steep. If it were me, I would opt for a better option, such as a DJI Mavic Mini (below). What you will lose in “convenience” will make up for plenty of other features. The Mavic Mini won’t be bothered by 5 to 7-mph winds (good luck, Pixy). The video will far surpass the Pixy in all ways possible. Longer battery times, better far away video and photoshoots, and best of all, you can pick a refurbished one up for around $219.
Mavic Mini (media by JC)
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