Have a Dusty GoPro? Get a 3DR Solo on the Cheap

Amazon’s Prime Day is upon us. With the company eclipsing the value of Berkshire Hathaway, it’s only a matter of time before Jeff Bezos and company get July 12 named a national holiday. The new Black Friday without the rioting for $3 waffle makers.

Deals are pretty much everywhere you look on the site, but Amazon is offering up a compelling deal for those looking to get into the drone market. The 3DR Solo with a gimbal already included. Normally, it retails for north of thousand dollars. Today? $600 including the backpack and gimbal.

Yes, there’s a catch. You’ll need a GoPro. If you don’t have one, this isn’t remotely a good deal for the price. You can slide over to DJI’s Phantom 3 4K for the same price. GoPro gathering dust? Slap it on and you have your aerial photography platform.

It also has more range over the Phantom 3 4K and a few more features. Plus the backpack is a nice addition to the deal.

The normal features you see in all consumer drones priced in this range are there. Takeoff assists. Cable cam to create theatrical shots. Trust me; your backyard never looked so good when using the mode. And of course, selfie mode. Selfie mode on drones and cameras is what a bottle opener is to a multitool. It’s expected.

Amazon’s Prime special is only for today and has an upper limit. The 3DR Solo is approaching 12% claimed.

Now, if they would unleash the Inspire for sub-$1000, then we’d have a true deal. A camera-less drone? If you don’t have a GoPro lying about, this is not a deal. You would need to drop another $350+ instantly and all of the sudden you’re staring at the price range of the Phantom 3 Pro.

Is the 3DR Solo a better drone? I’ll avoid the flame wars of the respective fanbases. Video and still photography from an aerial platform come down to the user and how good you are with a keyboard and mouse in post production. For me, it’s DJI. But I’m not above having both. I know I have a spare GoPro, or two lying around.

And now, I’m off to block myself from browsing Amazon the rest of the day. Thanks, Jeff Bezos. It’s damn evil to have a day devoted to emptying the bank accounts of everyone that stumbles across Prime Day.