I’ve had a (French) Parrot Anafi drone since 2018 but haven’t used it all that much since the regulations came in requiring certification (via a paid-for course) for pilots of drones over 250 grams. (The Parrot Anafi weighs 320 grams). I did get some good photos and videos with it (it has a particularly good camera by drone standards of the time).
However I have just recently bought a DJI Mini 3 Pro with the aim of doing more aerial work in my photography business (in the UK) - a client wanted me to photograph some solar panels his firm had installed, and you couldn’t see them properly from the ground.
Because the DJI Mini 3 Pro weighs 249 grams it’s in a category with fewer restrictions than the Parrot on where and how you can fly it (for example you don’t have to stay 150m away from buildings), and you don’t have to pass a training course to fly it commercially (I have however done the CAA’s basic online test).
At present I’m still in the UK but broadly speaking I think UK and EU rules are closely aligned - France may have a bit more restrictions regarding privacy, I’m not sure.
One thing you do have to do even with a sub-250g drone if it has a camera, is get an “operator ID” and affix this to the drone - in the UK this is issued by the CAA and costs £10.33 a year - in France I think it’s €30, but there are a lot of websites offering differing opinions on this so more research is needed!
I also took out £1M public liability insurance as I will be flying my drone in connection with my photography business.
Even if you are just flying for fun I think having insurance is sensible - a sub-250g drone is very unlikely to injure anyone but it shows you are being responsible if the cops show an interest in what you are doing.
In the UK you can fly over private land if you have taken off from a public space, but again that may be different in France.
As for the DJI Mini 3 Pro, it’s a nice little drone, easy to fly and because it’s so small is less likely to spook people than something bigger. It’s also fairly quiet! I recommend getting the RC controller (which has a built in screen) rather than the cheaper one that requires you to use your phone as a screen.
If I end up bringing the drone to France on a visit or when I move permanently I will need to register it on the “Alpha Tango” website and get a French Operator ID - this is then valid throughout the EU.
Overall I think if you comply with the regulations and are sensible about how and where you fly you shouldn’t have any issues.
DJI drones have built-in “geo fencing” which stops you taking off in a restricted zone, which makes sure you don’t accidentally fly near an airport! There are also yellow zones on the map which can be “unlocked” by requesting permission via the drone controller (using a phone as a wifi hotspot). I had to do this the other week when I was photographing the solar panel installation, as the housing development was on former military land, and bizarrely only the land that had actually been built on had been cleared for drone flights - the grass areas within the housing development were still in the yellow zone!
I also use the “Drone Assist” app on my phone to check for no-fly zones, and another app called “Airdata” to check current flying conditions. Small drones don’t like windy conditions, and there can be appreciable gusts at 10-20 metres up even if it feels calm at ground level.
