Quote:
Originally Posted by Low Saturn
Its really funny just out bent out of shape the public gets about these quadcopters. People think they are capable of way more of what they can actually do. I own a few myself. They're loud, very lightweight and the camera on then is nice, but not "spy" worthy. If one of mine fell from the sky and hit someone in the head, the persons head would damage the quadcopter.
If I take it up 100 feet or so and take video, the scenery looks nice and its cool to get a birds eye view of the neighborhood, but thats all I get. I can see a car, but wouldn't be able to tell for sure what kind of car. I can see people, but can't be sure if the person I'm seeing is male or female. But ask the average person on the street and they assume you can read license plates, can see what the quadcopter sees from the ground and can see their teenage daughter undressing through their bedroom window. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are some that have the capability for you to see what the copter sees from the ground, but those are either expensive or have poor quality video/range
Heres on video using a $80 quadcopter thats about a foot wide and weighs 100 grams. Winds were 1 to 2 mph and I had a hard time keeping it steady.
https://youtu.be/i5vT_hxuVdA
I am respectful of my neighbors when I fly. I never go directly over anyone else's property. Just my own. My son never gets his very high up, he likes to zip around between trees, under our trucks and into the garage. |
To be fair, my DJI Inspire 1 shoots 4k video, so you do get more detail from height. Still, it's really no different than taking a telephoto shot with a regular camera.
I think one reason people get so uptight about it is BECAUSE they aren't silent observation platforms. These things advertise that they are in the air nearby, and stand out...where a photographer won't anymore. It's new and different, and because people have used the term "Drone" for them...they automatically tie them in with the military and how they are used to take out people from afar or spy for the military. In fact, they are not even capable of what half the people out there think they are.
Could a determined person use these things for nefarious purposes? Yes, just like a person can use a gun for the similar nefarious purposes.