Re: Death of the UK drone industry
> A new D5 camera body costs £5k. £1000, tax deductible, should not be economically hard to justify for a professional, if making money.
A drone with anything resembling the quality of a D5 starts at around £10K. Mid range (from a camera point of view) 4K drones are 6K. Most surveyors and mapping will spend £2K+. And in a year they will be obsolete. However, as others have pointed out, the PfCO makes operation in many circumstances where your D5 would go unnoticed practically impossible. As a D5 operator, you will have been aware of the fights over the right to take photos in a public place. This legislation makes it illegal to take your camera out in the first place. The additional cost is merely the final insult.
Unlike established photography business, drones are a nascent industry, with many uses being experimental or very low margin. We can see lots of places where they can deliver value, but business models are still emerging. With the rapid technological developments rendering last year's models obsolete, costs and regulations are one more reason not to get involved.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
