Holy Stone GPS Drone 4K Camera HS175D

We needed to get a better look at some problems on an inaccessible roof, and inspection companies quoted high numbers just to look. Buying a quality, entry-level drone which could do the job was an easy decision. After reading reviews of a number of under-$200 drones, we chose the HS175D, and are very satisfied with our decision. Amazon delivered in less than a day, and the drone was flying, well controlled by a novice operator, within an hour. After a bit of practice, the drone took high-definition photos of the roof in question, and the phots were of exceptional quality and fully met our needs. In the following days, we flew the drone just for the fun of it, and found it more than met our expectations gained from reading the specifications. This drone does exactly what the manufacturer says it does, nothing more, and nothing less. It is very easy to learn to fly it. Best to steer clear of trees and other high structures of course. One important learning--if you think you are losing control, let go of the control sticks. The drone will simply stop moving and hover where it is, while the operator regains his composure. While we are totally satisfied, there are a few comments which we will pass along to other new operators. This assumes you have downloaded the software for the drone according to the instructions provided, and have initiated that software on your phone. 1) For best photographic results, a separately purchased SD card is recommended. After taking photos or videos, it is best to remove the SD card and insert it directly into a computer (using an adapter that comes with the SD cards). Download the files into the computer, but do not delete them from the SD card. Then reinsert the SD card into the drone, and use the drone software to delete the files. 2) And there is a bug. SD cards formatted by the drone itself have some problem that prevents a Mac computer from reading them (although a PC will read them). The fix is simple: Format the SD card with the computer, not with the drone. If using a Mac, choose the MS-DOS (FAT) option. 3) While taking video with the drone, if you attempt to take a still picture, the video will stop. You'll need to restart it. Not surprisingly, you cannot take video and still pics at the same time. Further, we found while using an iPhone along with the manual controller, as recommended, that the "Take Video" button on the controller will start video, but it will stop on its own about a second later. So, you should use the "Take Video" button on the phone screen instead, which works as you would expect: Press once to start video, press again to stop. 4). If the top-right Botton on the phone screen (marked with a circular star) is pressed , a small screen with Chinese characters appears on the phone screen. I have no idea what these characters mean. But pressing this icon on the screen does bring up the controls for the maximum height and distance you wish to allow, and includes a "novice" mode switch, which keeps the drone quite close to the operator. While this fairly inexpensive drone does not have the 2- or 3-axis gimbals or automatic obstacle avoidance of pricier drones, it certainly is a solid performer. Battery life has been about 20 minutes, and the automatic return home on a low battery is a very good included feature. We must also comment on Holy Stone's service personnel. We've had several questions for them, and found them to be available, exceptionally accommodating, and willing to take the time to answer a newby's questions (probably for the N-th time). Well done, Holy Stone! So, if you are seeking a solid-performing drone for a reasonable cost, the HS175D is worth considering.