I’ve had hundreds of comments asking what the best budget drone is, so going into 2025 I wanted to lay out the real options from roughly $200 to $500—and then actually pick the one I think most people should start with. The “spoiler” is the DJI Mini 2 SE / Mini 2 SC (and the Mini 4K, which is basically the same drone with 4K instead of 2.7K). What surprised me is how much quality you can get for under $300. I even brought the Mini 2 SE to Jordan when drones were a bit sketchy to travel with, and it honestly blew me away for the price. In the video I break down why this drone is such a solid entry point: sub-249g (huge for licensing in Canada), a rated 31-minute battery (realistically more like 23–24 minutes), and proper 3-axis gimbal stabilization—which matters a ton compared to something like the DJI Neo. I also talk about the stuff you’re giving up: no obstacle avoidance, no true follow mode, SDR instead of HDR, and limited low-light compared to bigger-sensor drones like the Air 2S. I finish with a simple upgrade path depending on what you actually need: Mini 2 SE/4K to learn, Flip if you need 10-bit log, and used Air 2S around $500 if you want the best image quality for sunrise/sunset work.